Buies Creek, N.C.—Lt. Col. Andre Balyoz will take the helm of Campbell University’s ROTC Battalion as director of the ROTC program this fall. Balyoz will replace Lt. Col. James “Milt” Loffert, who retired during the summer.
A graduate of Wake Forest University, Balyoz earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics with a minor in international politics. He went on to receive a master’s degree in Engineering Management from Missouri University of Science and Technology. He was commissioned through the ROTC program at Wake Forest University in 1993.
Balyoz has served in a variety of posts including mechanized combat engineer, topographic engineer and in the U.S. Army Special Forces. He has also completed deployments to Bosnia, Kosovo, Kuwait and Iraq and was stationed at Smith Barracks in Baumholder, Germany for seven years. Prior to coming to Campbell, Balyoz served as Deputy Commander of the Albuquerque District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
A decorated soldier, Balyoz received the Meritorious Service Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters, the Joint Commendation medal, Iraq Campaign medal, Kosovo Campaign medal, the Southwest Asia Service medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service medal, the Army Superior Unit Award, the Airborne badge and the Air Assault badge.
“I am honored to be accepted for this position and I am very happy to be a part of the Campbell University family,” Balyoz said. ‘This is an ROTC Battalion rich in history that does an outstanding job of training top-notch leaders for the U.S. Army. I hope to carry on that tradition during my assignment here.”
Established in 1971, the Campbell University ROTC Battalion has consistently out-performed other units both regionally and nationally. From 2005 to the present, the Battalion was ranked in the top 15 percent out of 273 ROTC programs in the nation by the U.S. Army Cadet Command. The Campbell Battalion includes cadres at Methodist University, Fayetteville State University and the University of North Carolina at Pembroke.
Photo Copy: Lt. Col. Andre Balyoz, new director of the Campbell University ROTC program