Uncle, Gary Hosman retired Air Force, gave the First Salute at the Army Commissioning Ceremony. Photo from UCSB ROTC
Alec Garcia's Uncle Gary Hosman retired U.S. Air Force, gives his nephew the First Salute at the U.S. Army Commissioning Ceremony. Photo from UCSB ROTC

This article was written by BenitoLink intern Ariana Rivera. Lea este artículo en español aquí.

After recently graduating from UC Santa Barbara and completing its ROTC program, Hollister High graduate Alec Garcia has been commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Army. 

Garcia entered the army as a Second Lieutenant after earning a B.A. in history at UCSB.

“It definitely made it a lot more challenging to be a student at the same time, but it was so much more rewarding,” Garcia said about his time in the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps at UCSB.

Garcia graduated in 2021 from Hollister High, where he served as student body president. 

Garcia recieves Ranger Challenge award. Photo from UCSB ROTC
Alec Garcia receives the Ranger Challenge award. Photo from UCSB ROTC

After transferring from Santa Barbara City College to UCSB, Garcia already knew that he wanted to join the ROTC, having learned of it through family who were in the program and went on to serve in the military.

The Army presented Garcia with the title of a distinguished military graduate because of his ranking among fellow cadets. This honor placed Garcia within the top 20% of 2025 cadet graduates on a national level.

Post-graduation, he will be assigned to Fort Benning in Georgia to begin an infantry basic officer leader course. He plans to complete this training, go to Ranger School, then to Airborne School. 

“It’s exciting, but I also only got three weeks here with my family,” Garcia said about his short summer break.

During his time in the ROTC, Garcia held the position of battalion operations officer and was a co-captain of the UCSB Surfrider Battalion team, allowing him to travel for training and competitions.

“I always make the joke that the army flew me out more than I’ve ever flown before. I’ve gotten to fly to six states,” Garcia said, recalling the opportunities and memories from his time in the ROTC.

Family at UCSB graduation: Paul, Dominic, Zachary, Alec and Karyn Garcia. Photo by Natalie Byrnes
Garcia with his family at UCSB graduation including Paul, Dominic, Zachary, and Karyn Garcia. Photo by Natalie Byrnes

As a sophomore at UCSB, Garcia had the opportunity to fly to Campbell, Kentucky, to attend a 10-day training at air assault school. He acquired skills including helicopter rappelling and assessing loads for helicopters to pick up and distribute for battle. 

Garcia said he is grateful for the training, travel and education he got from the ROTC and UCSB, adding that the greatest takeaway was the connections he made with others.

“Those are some of my best friends,” Garcia said. “They mean a lot to me and they are basically my family.”

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