History of USU Army ROTC
The Foundation
Utah State University was established as a Land-grant school. Congress established these schools in 1862 to teach practical studies “related to agriculture and mechanical arts.” Congress was concerned with the professional abilities of its military (the Civil War was in its second year with no end in sight.) To help provide competent officers Congress required Land-grant schools to provide military training to students.
When USU was established in 1888 its administration aggressively sought military personnel to teach these skills. Military instruction was believed to be an excellent means of instilling discipline, patriotism, and manliness in young men. Captain Henry D. Styer, the man sent by the army to serve as USU’s military instructor felt it would be beneficial to everyone. The USU Course Catalogue insisted,
- The marked advantage of this practice to young men has led several colleges to extend the privilege of military drill to young women with the most happy results. . . The young women of this college are required to take military drill unless excused by request of their parents.
Its popularity among young women was lacking and mandatory drill for young females ended soon after. Military drill for young men, however, was continued until 1957.
The original military science program did not provide commissions for young men. Instead it prepared them for service as soldiers teaching marksmanship, bayonet drills, marching, artillery work (the college was issued a Civil War era cannon), and signaling. These skills called into use when USU alumni serving in the Utah Guard and Regular army were called to serve in the Philippines during the Spanish American War. Many alumni were called up to assist American forces chasing Poncho Villa in Mexico.
When the Army was reorganized into its active, National Guard, and Reserve components in 1916 Congress decided to use existing college military training programs to provide officers for the Guard and Reserve. Select college campuses were chosen as Reserve Officer Training Corps programs. USU was chosen as one of these original ROTC’s and was singled out for training Infantry officers.
When the United States entered World War One USU’s campus was transformed into a veritable military training facility. The increased technology used in war placed high demands on college’s throughout the nation to provide the Army with technically competent soldiers and officers. USU rose to the challenge. Students at USU were enlisted in the Student Army Training Corps (SATC). These students were subject to military discipline but received housing and $30 a month, the equivalent of a private’s pay. Students who failed to perform well in their studies were transferred to active army slots as privates. Housing for these military students was provided by transforming Old Main and other buildings into barracks. The Mechanical arts building was transformed into officer’s quarters and classrooms for radio operators and motor pool workers. Old Main hill was plowed into a victory garden and the live-stock pavilion was made into a canteen for soldiers. The SATC military program wound down almost as soon as it was established because of the sudden surrender of Germany . Created in the fall of 1918 the SATC program ended in January of 1919.
During the interim between the two world wars the ROTC continued commissioning quality Reserve officers. The Infantry ROTC unit was replaced by a Coast Artillery unit which eventually evolved into an Air Defense Artillery unit. Since each ROTC was expected to train technically competent officers the school had a large stock of vehicles and weapons used to train students on, including several 3 inch artillery pieces and one 155mm howitzer. The first two years of ROTC, which all male students were required to take, taught basic soldering skills while the last two years, courses reserved for students pursuing a commission, were dedicated to branch specific training. Students learned more about their jobs at summer training camps held between the junior and senior years.
World War Two
Utah State University was again put on full war footing on December 19, 1941. USU was asked to train 300 sailors in March of 1943 as radio operators. By September over two thousand enlisted men had trained as radio operators. That same month USU began training 400 Army engineers. USU’s exceptional aviation program caused the Navy to establish a pilot training program on campus. Naval airplanes were brought to Logan and an airstrip was built which on the edge of the college bench to simulate flying off an aircraft carrier. By 1943 the Military program had 30 aircraft, 20 instructors, and over 30 classes dedicated to creating competent pilots and mechanics. ROTC was suspended during the war. Rather, students would attend military classes during their first two years of college and then be sent to Officer Candidate School (OCS) type training to receive a commission. College females had organized a drill organization on campus, perhaps the first of its type in the nation, during the 1920’s. This organization, the Sponsor Corps, provided dances and other activities for the soldiers and sailors on campus. They became quite popular. By the end of the war 9,700 students had been trained in the radio program, and 12,000 had been trained as mechanics.
After the War, in 1946, the Army sent Colonel E. W. Timberlake to head up the USU ROTC program. He had requested to be sent to Utah because he had been impressed by their dedication while observing them in action in France . “I saw many Utah boys in action. I was impressed by their self-reliance and initiative and the manner in which they were able to take care of themselves (46).” Colonel Timberlake was an exceptional person and went to work building up the USU ROTC program. He gave hundreds of speeches throughout the area promoting the need to prepare for military action. He organized the women’s Sponsor Corps so that it actively supported college athletic activities. He worked tirelessly to recruit students to the ROTC program and improve it. The Colonel experienced great success and helped make USU the premiere ROTC program in the nation. By 1948 the program had 2,200 cadets with over 95% of all eligible males enrolled! That same year the school was granted over 700 slots for commissioning officers. No other school in the nation, except West Point, commissioned as many officers as did USU at the time.
Part of Colonel Timberlake’s success came from his down-to-earth, practical nature. One newspaper reporter recounted meeting the Colonel.
- You walk into the Colonel’s office and are greeted with a hearty “Hello there! Sit Down, have a seat. What can I do for you?” It isn’t until minutes later that you realize that the Colonel doesn’t know you at all. He likes people and he makes you feel as though your business is important to him.
These amazing numbers were also a result of Colonel Timberlake’s commitment to quality training. USU had a champion rifle team, became the national headquarters for the Pershing Rifles (a military fraternity), nationalized the Sponsor Corps, and was assigned a ‘feeder’ ROTC program at Branch Agricultural College in Cedar City (Now Southern Utah University.) USU received the title “Honor College” several times during Colonel Timberlake’s tenure at USU, an award given each year to schools with exceptional ROTC programs. USU also received the highest award given to ROTC programs being designated a “Superior College.” According to school records USU is the first and only school ever presented with this designation. The school was called the “West Point of the West” in honor of these exceptional achievements.
After the Korean War enrollment numbers fell. Many students had enrolled in ROTC during that conflict in order to avoid being drafted as enlisted men. Because of the mandatory military science many students began choosing to go to either Brigham Young University in Provo or the University of Utah in Salt Lake City . When the school consulted with the ROTC about these falling enrollment numbers the ROTC agreed to support ending mandatory military training. According to Colonel C.L. Partin, USU’s Professor of Military Science and Tactics, it was unfair to expose student to both the draft and mandatory military training. USU ended mandatory military science in 1957.
The Modern Era
Vietnam created new challenges for the ROTC program. Although enrollment numbers remained steady a new public attitude concerning military service developed. Military training was no longer seen as a good way to make men out of boys as it had in the early days of the ROTC program. Because of disagreement over Vietnam many parts of the United States experienced a negative attitude toward military service in any form. College campuses became a hot spot for dissent against military service due to the draft and the war in Vietnam . Because of its visibility on campus ROTC programs became a key program against which these dissenters demonstrated. Although the USU ROTC program experienced some of these disruptive events it remained largely intact. Most Utahns felt very positive about ROTC being on college campus. A poll by the Salt Lake Tribune showed that only six percent of Utah desired to abolish military training at college while 88% supported ROTC programs.
Throughout the 1980’s the USU ROTC program continued to do well. A growing military budget allowed the program to continue successfully and attracted fine individuals to pursue a military education. The military cutbacks of the early 1990’s however challenged the ROTC. USU had a low cost, high quality commissioning program. Unfortunately budget concerns at a national level created unstable conditions at the University. The program faced long periods of understaffing including nearly an entire academic year when the ROTC had a staff of only one officer and two non-commissioned officers. Several of the cadets who had been recruited to the program with scholarships were sent away because the Army did not need so many new Lieutenants. Students received a powerful message from the program the “the Army is no longer hiring.” As a result cadet enrollment had fallen to extremely low levels. When the Army chose programs USU was picked and in 1997 the Army ROTC was shut down.
The Utah National Guard realized it had lost an extremely valuable commissioning source when the USU program was closed. It began vigorously working to restart the USU ROTC. The Army agreed and in 2001 USU Army ROTC was restarted as a detachment of Weber State University. By May of 2003 six Lieutenants had been commissioned. At the time of this writing, February 2004, the school is expected to have commissioned 24 fresh Lieutenants at the end of the school year.
Over the past one-hundred and twenty years USU has provided soldiers throughout the world. Competent cadre, exceptional community support, and an atmosphere of academic dedication made USU’s military science program a standard of excellence.
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