Profile: Lifelong Friendships and Leadership Lessons Gained through ROTC

David Accetta ’87 knew he wanted to be a soldier at an early age, and URI was a critical step on that career path. His experiences and the people he met at URI ROTC have had a huge and continuing influence on his life.

Accetta joined the RI National Guard as a senior at Cranston High School West and won his parents over by agreeing to attend URI. 

“I completed Army Basic Training before I started URI, which allowed me to begin as a third-year student in ROTC,” said Accetta. “I got commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Army Reserve when I completed my sophomore year, finished school in 1987 while serving in the Army Reserve, and went on Active Duty.”

“ROTC enabled me to become an Army officer and during my first assignment to Germany I met my wife and got married,” said Accetta. “My career spanned two years in the RI National Guard, two years in the Army Reserve, and 21 years on Active Duty, including a stint as an ROTC instructor at URI from 1996-1999.”

He deployed to Saudi Arabia for Operation Desert Storm in late 1990, participated in the initial invasion of Iraq in 2003, served in Iraq again in 2004 and 2005, and deployed to Afghanistan in 2007. His military responsibilities and accomplishments are numerous, and he rose to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He was inducted into the URI ROTC Hall of Fame in 2019. 

In addition to serving as the foundation of his career, ROTC initiated many of his lifelong friendships. Retired Colonel John Hall ’87 P’12 and Accetta met at URI, attended the Field Artillery Basic Course together, and were assigned to the same Field Artillery battalion. Later, Accetta, Hall, and Retired Major William O’Donnell ’87 P’12 P’18 were assigned to the same brigade in Germany. They were best men at one another’s weddings and godfathers to each other’s children.

While ROTC was a significant aspect of life at URI, Accetta was active in many facets of life on campus. He was a DJ for WRIU (URI’s radio station), served in the Model United Nations, and was on the swim team and the water polo team. He was also a member of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity. 

Accetta retired from the military in 2008 and took a position with the US Army Natick Soldier Systems Center in Massachusetts. In his spare time, he serves as the secretary of the URI ROTC Alumni Board of Directors and is a member of the Liberty Jump Team, a charitable organization that honors veterans by performing parachute jumps at national and international air shows. 

“Being on the ROTC Board helps keep you connected to the Army and to URI,” he said. “I find it very rewarding to support today’s cadets by giving back to the program and financially supporting some of their activities and training through RhodyNow: ROTC Fund for Military Leadership,” said Accetta. “In addition, ROTC Alumni Association donates money to buy the cadets their dress uniforms for commissioning.

“The Board is always looking to attract more recent alumni as well as ROTC alumni of Salve Regina and Roger Williams since they are part of the URI ROTC program. We also encourage people to nominate themselves or their friends for the ROTC Hall of Fame. It is very rewarding to get involved.”