Indiana University Department of Military Science records, 1918-2000, bulk 1965-1994
A Guide to the Records at the Indiana University Archives
Elinor Levy and Ryan Lee
Electronic finding aid
encoded by Beth Benda.
Summary Information
Repository
Indiana University Archives
1320 East Tenth Street
Herman B Wells Library E460
Bloomington, IN 47405-7000
Phone: 812-855-1127
Email: archives@indiana.edu
http://www.libraries.iub.edu/archives
Creator
Indiana University, Bloomington. Department of
Military Sciences.
TitleIndiana University Department of
Military Science records, 1918-2000, bulk 1965-1994
Collection No.
C133
Extent
1.8 cubic feet
Language
Materials are in English.
Abstract
Although military training has a long
history at Indiana University, the Department of Military Science and Tactics was
established in 1917. The Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) fell under the auspices
of the department and was a compulsory program for all male students at IU until 1964.
The Department of Military Science (Reserve Officers Training Corps) records span the
years 1918-2000. These records are organized into seven series: Correspondence,
Historical information, ROTC organizations, Publications, Subject files, Realia, and
Photos and scrapbooks. The bulk of the collection consists of the Organizations and
Subject files series. All series except Correspondence are arranged
alphabetically.
Access Restrictions
This collection is open for research.
Advance notice is required.
Administrative History
The history of military training at Indiana University is almost as old as the
University itself with the first military instruction initiated on campus in 1840. Jacob
Ammen, a West Point graduate who would later become a general in the U.S. Army, served
as the first instructor. In 1843 Ammen resigned to re enter the service and the military
training program went into a hiatus; it was reinstituted in 1861 during the Civil War as
a voluntary course to be conducted by members of the faculty. After 1861 there is no
record of military instruction during the rest of the Civil War years.
Military instruction returned to I.U. in 1868, with the appointment of Major General Eli
Long by U.S. President, Andrew Johnson. Long served as Professor of Military Science and
Tactics (PMST) at Indiana University for approximately two years. In 1870 Colonel James
Thompson, a former West Point instructor, came to I.U. to take charge of military
training. Over the next few years interest waned in military training, and the program
was abolished for the third time in 1874.
With the outbreak of World War I, the Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) program was
established nationally as part of the Hay Chamberlain National Defense Act of 1916. By
June of that year University administration began plans to organize a new corps on
campus, the first in forty-two years. On 17 April 1917 the United States War Department
approved the university’s application for a corps, marking the fourth incarnation of a
military training program at I.U. The new Department of Military Science and Tactics was
established in 1917 as part of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, but it became
an independent entity during World War II, in 1942. The Defense Act allowed for the
university to choose whether the basic program was elective or compulsory;
administrators chose to make ROTC a prerequisite for graduation for all able-bodied
males, and required the course work be completed in the students first two years of
study. ROTC remained a mandatory course for incoming male students until 1964.
Because so few officers were available during World War I, the Department of Military
Science and Tactics assigned Kenneth P. (K.P.) Williams, then a member of the
Mathematics Department and a First Lieutenant in the Indiana National Guard, as the
first officer to organize the cadets. This earned Williams the distinction of being the
“founder of the ROTC” at Indiana University. During Williams’ tenure the War Department
temporarily changed the ROTC title to SATC (Students’ Army Training Corps) in 1918, but
changed it back to ROTC in January 1919.
During 1918 two divisions were created within the ROTC corps, Collegiate and Vocational.
The Collegiate Division, with 900 students, provided a student with $30.00 a month from
the government and tuition funding similar to the present- day ROTC. This division
consisted of 5 specialty areas: Infantry and Artillery; Air Service; Ordnance and
Quartermaster; Engineer, Signal and Chemical Warfare Service; and Motor Transport and
Truck Service. The Vocational Division, or “radio detachment”, enrolled 282 students and
offered technical training.
The Department of Bands was transferred to the Department of Military Science and
Tactics from the Music Department in 1919 and became an integral part of the military
training program at I.U. Under the direction of the Department of Military Science and
Tactics, the ROTC band gained great prestige and received its first nickname from the
press: "Indiana's Famous Marching and Playing Hundred." The I.U. band was the first in
the country to use precision drill formations in its performances, and even garnered the
label of “best All-American band” in the country in 1928. Throughout the 1930s the band
played at several large venues across the country, including the Chicago World’s Fair in
1933 and the Kentucky Derby in 1939. In 1948, the Department of Bands was separated from
the Department of Military Science and Tactics. The nickname they earned while a part of
the Department of Military Science and Tactics did stick, however, with the marching
band now known world wide as Indiana University’s “Marching Hundred.”
The post-WWI years brought some opposition to the ROTC program at I.U. A debate over the
necessity of a compulsory ROTC program ensued in 1926. When put to a vote by students,
the majority opposed the compulsory status of ROTC. However, because only 25% of the
student body actually voted, the University Board decided the evidence was inconclusive,
and no action was taken.
Throughout the rest of the 1920s, ROTC at I.U. continued to expand and increase its
programs and offerings. In 1928 the I.U. ROTC formed their own company of the Pershing
Rifles, a drill team for honor students, with 75 participants. From the 1920s to the
beginning of World War II in 1941, ROTC continued to flourish, and the Department of
Military Science and Tactics struggled to find space to accommodate the growing number
of students enrolled. This growth was due in large part to the course being compulsory
for all incoming university male students.
World War II brought a period of growth and change for the Department of Military
Science and Tactics. In 1941 Colonel Raymond L. Shoemaker took over as Professor of
Military Science and Tactics (PMST). He would later serve as Dean of Students at I.U.
from 1946 to 1956. During Shoemaker’s tenure as head of ROTC, many new units and
programs were established to enhance military training at I.U. In 1942, the
Quartermaster unit was formed to supplement the Infantry and Medical units. The Medical
Administrative Corps was also organized to provide a future source of qualified medical
officers to the armed forces and to prevent medical students from being drafted and
depleting the number of qualified doctors on the home front.
The creation of the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAACS) in the summer of 1942 heralded
new times for the military and for ROTC at I.U. President Herman B Wells suggested an
elective course on military training for women known as the Women's Auxiliary Training
Corps (WATC), whose mission would be to prepare women to work for the war effort after
graduation, particularly in the public services sector of the armed forces. The first of
its kind, WATC had no official connection with the Army, but it replaced the physical
education requirement for women at I.U. The program was discontinued after 1943 because
the Department of Military Science and Tactics could not support it with the necessary
faculty, staff and leadership.
During World War II, 9,200 I.U. alumni served their country. In the post-war era ROTC
split into separate Army and Air Force units in 1951. In addition, the department
changed its name to Military and Air Science Tactics. The turbulent 1960’s brought even
more changes for military instruction at I.U. The ROTC department shortened its name in
1960 to Military and Air Science. In 1962, the Crimson Cadettes, a women’s drill team,
was organized by a group of female students interested in military drill work.
Originally sponsored by the Union Board, this group later became part of the ROTC, and
was actively involved in competitions and events with the Pershing Rifles, the male
drill team, paving the way for female participation in this military organization.
The anti-war movement of the late 1960s had a significant impact on the ROTC program at
Indiana University. Rallies in 1964, led by several student groups, including the SNCC
(Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee) and SDS (Students for a Democratic Society),
protested the mandatory enrollment of all male freshmen students in ROTC. The students
claimed victory when in October 1964 Public Law 88-647, also known as the Reserve
Officers Training Corps Vitalization Act, was passed. Besides establishing the Junior
ROTC program for high school students, this act provided for a continuation of the
four-year college ROTC program, but the university could now add a two-year program of
advanced training to students who participated in a summer field training course in lieu
of the first two years of the four-year program. For universities who maintained their
four-year program, the new law, just as in the Defense Act of 1916, allowed state or
school authorities to decide whether the first two-years were voluntary or compulsory.
In December 1964, due to pressure from the Student Senate, anti-ROTC protestors, and
others who argued against a compulsory course, I.U. administrators decided that for the
first time in almost 50 years ROTC should be optional. This lead to a drop in enrollment
in ROTC by 60%, but the program remained at the university thanks in part to President
Herman B Wells and university administrators who decided that I.U. needed to offer a
choice to Indiana college students who wanted to enroll in ROTC.
The antagonism many students felt toward the presence of the military on campus did not
end here. Throughout the late 1960’s groups such as the RITC (Revolutionary Insurgency
Training Program) were known to mock the ROTC during marches and disrupt ROTC-sponsored
events. Between 1966 and 1970, criticisms of the ROTC were constantly expressed in the
underground student newspaper, the Spectator. In April 1969 radical student groups
attempted to burn the ROTC building down. These sentiments eventually culminated into a
series of large anti-ROTC protests from 1969-1970. Led by students Keith Parker, a
member of the Black Panther Party, and Mike King, student body president, these protests
called for the university to, among many other things, drop the ROTC program completely
and rid the campus of any military presence. When the request was to put to a vote by
the student body, however, the majority opposed abolishing the ROTC, and the program
remained intact. Amidst all these animosities the Department of Military and Air Science
changed their name again in 1969 to the Department of Military Science and Air
Science.
The 1970s marked an era of groundbreaking moments for ROTC. In 1972 I.U. became one of
the first ten universities to accept women as cadets in ROTC. In the same year the
department shortened its name to the Department of Military Sciences. One year later in
1973 the Air Force ROTC program became the Department of Aerospace Studies, and in 1975
the Army ROTC took on its current title, the Department of Military Science.
Today involvement in the Department of Military Science, or Army ROTC, is voluntary for
any I.U. student during their first two years of enrollment. Once students begin taking
advanced courses as a junior, they are considered contracted cadets in the Army ROTC and
upon graduation, or commission, cadets are obligated to serve in the Army for at least
four years, in either active or reserve duty. Besides academics, Army ROTC cadets enjoy
extra-curricular events sponsored by organizations such as the Pershing Rifles, Ranger
Club, and Recondo Club. Hundreds of students participate annually in Army ROTC courses
and programs every year.
Arrangement
Organized into seven series: Correspondence; Historical information; ROTC organizations;
Publications; Subject files; Realia; and Photos and scrapbooks.
Scope and Content Note
The Department of Military Science (Reserve Officers Training Corps) records span the
years 1918-2000. These records are organized into seven series: Correspondence,
Historical information, ROTC organizations, Publications, Subject files, Realia, and
Photos and scrapbooks. The bulk of the collection is in the three series of Photos and
scrapbooks, ROTC organizations, and Subject files. All series except Correspondence and
Photos and scrapbooks are arranged alphabetically.
The Correspondence series consists of letters and memoranda arranged chronologically.
The first folder includes a memorandum from Capt. Dalton to the Registrar with a list of
enlisted men being transferred. The second folder is correspondence between Col. John
Landis and Pres. Wells in 1940 concerning the new flying insignia for ROTC members. The
third folder is memoranda to faculty members concerning new facilities and course for
faculty members in 1942. The first letter is from Harold Shamberger, Assistant to the
President at West Virginia University, to Indiana University President Elvis J. Stahr,
Jr., 1965, requesting reports compiled while making the decision to drop the ROTC
program at I.U. The second letter is from I.U. President John W. Ryan to Mr. Charles
Williams, 1973, congratulating him on being awarded the Shoemaker Silver Service Tray, a
distinguished award in the ROTC. For other correspondence refer to the ROTC
Organizations and Subject files series.
The Historical information series includes unpublished papers and articles on both the
history of the ROTC in general, as well as the history of military training at I.U. and
its branches. Included in this series is “A Complete History of Military Training at
I.U.”
The ROTC organizations series is divided into three sub-series: Crimson Cadettes; Famous
Hundred; and Pershing Rifles. The folders of these sub-series include correspondence,
newspaper clippings, and historical information.
The Publications series consists of newsletters, handbooks of rules and regulations,
commissioning ceremony programs, and other general publications of the ROTC. Also
included is one issue The Monthly Exam, a newsletter of the Resident Training Center,
which contains commentary by students on their experience in the ROTC in 1940.
The Subject files series chronicles the activities of the ROTC. Subjects include awards,
the ROTC debate of the Vietnam War era, and military training at IU in the early 20th
century.
The Realia series includes various medals, badges, pins and other such artifacts from
members of the I.U. ROTC. These materials are stored separately from the collection. For
more information, please ask Archives staff.
The Photos and scrapbooks Series include photos and scrapbooks from I.U. ROTC events.
These materials were removed from the collection and are stored separately in the
archives photo collection. Please ask staff for more details.
For related material, see the Kenneth P. (K.P.) Williams papers, Collection C193, and
Photo Services collection, negative #61-2255.
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Indexing Terms
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The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in
IUCAT, the IU Libraries' online
catalog. Materials about related topics, persons or places can be found by searching the
catalog using these terms.
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Separated Material
Photographs transferred to the University Archives Photographs Collection.
Related Material
For related material see Kenneth P. (K.P.) Williams papers, Collection C193, and Photo
Services collection, negative #61-2255.
Administrative Information
Acquisition Information
Accessions 96/034 and 7040
Usage RestrictionsCopyrights for records originating with Indiana University administrative units, departments, and other offices are held by
the Trustees of Indiana University. For more information, please contact the Indiana University Archives staff.
The Indiana University Archives respects the intellectual property rights of others and does not claim any copyrights for
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Researchers are responsible for securing permission from copyright owners and any other rights holders for any reuse of these
materials that extends beyond fair use or other statutory limitations.
Digital reproductions of archival materials from the Indiana University Archives are made available for noncommercial educational
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inclusion on our site, please contact the Indiana University Archivist.
Preferred Citation
[Item], Indiana University Department of Military Science records, Collection C133, Indiana University Archives, Bloomington.
Processing InformationProcessed by Elinor Levy
Reprocessed by Ryan Lee
Completed in 2003.
Series:
Correspondence, 1918-1973
Box 1
Memoranda to Registrar from Capt. Dalton, 1918
Col. Landis to Pres. Wells, 1940
Memoranda to Faculty, 1942
Shamberger to Pres. Stahr, 1965
Pres. Ryan to Williams, 1973
Series:
Historical information, ca. 1973-ca. 1991
Box 1
A Brief History of the ROTC, undated
A Complete History of Military Training at IU,
ca. 1973
ca. 1980
A History of Military Training at IU, undated
Military Uniforms, ca. 1977-ca. 1991
Provisions of the Hay-Chamberlain National Defense Bill, undated
ROTC at Indiana University-Southeast, undated
Screaming Bisons, undated
Slide Presentation Speech on the history of the ROTC, undated
Timeline of Military Training at IU, ca. 1981
Series:
ROTC organizations, 1966-1994
Subseries:
Crimson Cadettes, 1966-1969
Events,
20th Annual Illinois Invitational Drill Meet, 1968
View item(s)
21st Annual Illinois Invitational Drill Meet, 1969
View item(s)
Subseries:
Famous Hundred, undated
Box 1
Facts about Indiana University Band, undated
Newspaper clipping promoting formations performed by band, undated
Subseries:
Pershing Rifles, 1983-1994
Box 1
Announcements, 1990-1994
Bylaws, undated
Changes to Army Regulation 600-25, 1983
Constitution, 1990
Constitution, Proposal, undated
Correspondence, Goodrich to Patterson, 1993
Color Guard Schedules, 1993-1994
E-mail Listserv Addresses, undated
Equipment Catalogs, 1989-1992
IU Student Handbook Entry, 1994
Informative Brochure, undated
Initiation Certificates (blank), undated
Insignia Artwork, undated
List of Weapon Serial Numbers for Arms Room, 1990
Membership List, 1992
Membership Lists, undated
Memoranda,
1989-1990
1993-1994
Minutes, 1990
National Headquarters Guide, undated
Oath of Office, Colonel Tracy Harrison, 1994
Pledge Class Syllabus, undated
Box 2
Powell, Gen. Colin, undated
Procedure for forming a Pershing Rifles Company, undated
Roster of Units,
1985
undated
Staff List, undated
Standard Operating Procedure, 1993
Series:
Publications, ca. 1918-2000
Commencement / Commissioning Ceremony Programs,
Box 2
1936-1942
1957-1969
1972-1992
Handbook, ca. 1962
Informative Brochures about the ROTC, undated
Newsletter,
Bison Bulletin
1992-1993
1995
The Monthly Exam, published by Resident
Training Center, 1940
The Screaming Bison News, Alumni Newsletter,
2000
The Shindig, 1932-1933
Rules and Regulations,
ca. 1918
1922
1924
1934
Series:
Subject files, ca. 1918-1986
Annual Formal Inspection,
Box 2
1942
1982
Article by Pres. Bryan concerning ROTC, (1924?)
Awards,
Certificate of Achievement for I.U. ROTC, 1986
Warrants and Commissions Certificates, 1930-1933
Awards Ceremony, 1978
Butcher, Major General Joseph O., 1933-1977
Cadet Command, undated
Compulsory vs. Elective ROTC Debate, 1926
Box OS6
Compulsory vs. Elective ROTC Debate: survey results table, 1926
(oversize)
Box 2
Description of military training under Capt. Arthur T. Dalton,
ca. 1918
Dining-In, Event Program, 1983
Directories, 1943-1945
Gloriana Frangipani, undated
List of Delinquent Registrants, 1919
Message from Pres. Wells concerning continuing ROTC at IU, 1968
Military Uniform Information, 1991
Note:
This folder includes papers and texts gathered for a presentation given to
an Apparel and Textiles class at I.U., Fall Semester 1991.
Needs Analysis Report Presentation, undated
Newspaper Clippings, undated
"Outline of Course of Instruction for Motor Transport
Corps Units of ROTC", 1919
ROTC Camp, 1936
"Report of the Special Committee to Study the ROTC
Vitalization Act of 1964, "
1964
Selective Service, 1952
University Faculty Council, Resolutions on ROTC, ca.
1970
Series:
Realia, ca. 1932-ca. 1952
Box 2
Medals and Badges
Note:
For more information, please ask Archives staff.
Series:
Box 2
Photos and scrapbooks
For more information, please ask Archives staff.