The Corps of Cadets junior ring committee unveiled the ring design for the class of 2024 at the ring premiere event in Plumley Armory.

“It is a tangible piece of proof that I have succeeded in my goal of being a cadet,” Ty Hussar, 22, a fifth-year senior history major from Ohio, said of his class ring. Hussar stated that the ring reminds him of all the sacrifices he made, the lessons he learned and the bonds he acquired here at Norwich. 

The junior ring is a longstanding tradition for the Corps, having been done since 1923. That makes this year’s ring reveal more special than previous years because it marks 100 years. 

While the Norwich or ‘1819’ side of the ring always stays the same, the class side for 2024 features ten key details. A constellation, a flag at half-staff, dog tags, mountains, dog river, a wolf pack, an officer saber and NCO sword, Plumley in chains, a bugle, and a cracked rook piece. Together, these pieces represent and symbolize key milestones, bonds, and struggles the class of 2024 has gone through while at Norwich. 

According to the Norwich alum website, the Corps ring tradition was started in March of 1923 as a gift for seniors that they would wear until graduation in May. Eventually, the junior class adopted it a few years later to wear it for a year before graduation. The corps ring is also separate from the civilians’ because when civilians joined Norwich University, they adopted their version of the junior ring in 1990. 

It was decided that the rings would have a class side and then a Norwich side, which would always be unchanged. This side features 1819, cavalry sabers, the NUCC scroll, the Norwich shield, an eagle, the honor scroll, and the Norwich motto, “I will try.”  

The “class side” is a unique design created by each class to represent themselves. Sometimes the inspiration for this side is taken from their parent class, which is the class that graduated 50 years before them. For the class of 2024, the parent class would be the class of 1974.  

The junior ring tradition is a symbol that represents Norwich and is recognized outside of Norwich by alums and by people who know the Norwich name.

The next thing for the Corps is ordering their rings on November 9th and 10th in the Todd Multipurpose room of the Kreitzbery Library. Then in March, both Corps and civilians will participate in their respective ceremonies and dinners where they will receive their rings.  

“By tradition, cadets wear their Norwich rings class-side up until graduation. Upon graduation, cadets turn the rings 1819 side up, so the word ‘HONOR’ appears closest to the cadets’ heart and ‘NORWICH UNIVERSITY’ faces out, where observers can see it prominently.”