When Colin Spies receives his commission as a second lieutenant this week, it will mark more than the beginning of his military career. It will be the continuation of a family legacy—adding to the moment’s significance, his father, retired Army Lieutenant Colonel David Spies, ’87, ’93, will serve as the commissioning ceremony’s keynote speaker.

David, a West Union, Iowa native, enlisted in the Army right out of high school. After two years of service, he used his GI Bill to enroll at UNI, drawn specifically by the opportunity to join ROTC. “I went to UNI because it had an ROTC program,” he said. “I met with Captain Bernie Fox, who was the recruiting officer at the time, and I started UNI in 1984.”

As a veteran, David entered ROTC with experience most of his peers didn’t have. He quickly emerged as a leader among cadets and eventually became part of the leadership team. His insight into ROTC’s structure carries into how he views Colin’s experience today. 

“ROTC is about developing leaders,” he said. “Leaders are also responsible for the training of their subordinates, besides their own professional development—it’s about building teams.

David’s career was marked by dual commitments to military service and education. After commissioning from UNI in 1987, he served a total of 33 years in the Army National Guard and Reserves, including a deployment to Iraq. Along the way, he held numerous leadership roles, including assistant professor of military science and senior army instructor for the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College.

In parallel, David pursued a second calling as a science and social studies teacher, serving students in Missouri classrooms for decades. “I was pretty good at teaching as a leader,” he said. “So I re-enrolled in ’91 on the education track.” Even in retirement, he continues to stay involved, volunteering in local schools, coaching robotics and leading community programs like Scouts. “I’m not very good at retirement,” he joked.

That vision now continues through Colin, who will graduate from UNI with a degree in supply chain management and a minor in advanced leadership techniques.

Balancing a demanding academic schedule alongside ROTC responsibilities, internships at Collins Aerospace and John Deere, and leadership roles in Pi Sigma Epsilon, Colin managed to excel across the board. “Last year, I had an internship the whole year… then you got PT, classes, labs, business fraternity and all the other trainings,” he recalled. “It definitely is a lot, but I think it is doable. Developing those time management skills is pretty important.”

Their stories, while distinct, are built on shared values: service, discipline and self-direction. In fact, the whole Spies family has deep UNI roots. Colin’s mom Julie Spies, ’94, and sister Laura Spies, ’23, are also proud Panthers.

“Colin's kind of like, cut from the same cloth as his parents,” said David. “He has excelled in college and the ROTC program and then his extracurriculars on the university campus. He chose to work a job, has a bank account and he's learned to be a saver. He’s not living above his means in college, but also preparing for the future, so I'm really proud of him.”

And, David points out, thanks to the ROTC program, “He's graduating with no debt!”

As for Colin, he’s already thinking about the future—and how to balance a civilian career with military service. With flight school on the horizon, he’s aiming to become a medevac pilot and will be commissioned as an Aeromedical Evacuation Officer (67J) in the Wisconsin Army National Guard.

He has also recently accepted a job offer with Direct Supply in West Bend, Wisconsin, which will be waiting for him after his 18-plus months of training.

That blend of legacy and independence will be front and center at this year’s commissioning ceremony, where David’s speech will reflect on his own journey, offer guidance to new officers and celebrate the enduring ties that leadership—and family—create.

“Everybody I know who retired from the military, they talk about what they miss,” David said. “They missed the mission, having a mission to accomplish, but they also missed the people that they worked with. The Army, the military service, is really a people business. Sure, people dedicated to a common cause, but it’s really just the people.”

For Colin, the journey is just beginning. And for David, it’s a proud, unforgettable reminder of how far a legacy of service can go. 

As father and son stand side by side on Saturday, it will be more than a symbolic passing of the torch—it will be a moment of earned pride, mutual respect and a quiet reminder that leadership, in its truest form, is both inherited and chosen.