ROTC

Sheet music cover for the popular 1916 war preparedness song “America Prepare” (Image: Library of Congress)

Prior to entering the First World War, many Americans wished to remain neutral in what they believed was a strictly European conflict. By 1916, however, increasing financial ties to the Allied powers and German submarine attacks on neutral shipping convinced many Americans that the United States should prepare for the possibility of war.

But the United States was ill-prepared for war. In 1916 the regular United States Army numbered just over 100,000 men – making it only the 17th largest army in the world. Advocates for war preparedness pushed Congress to pass the National Defense Act in May 1916 to pre-emptively expand America’s military and create the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC).

“The Virginia Tech” campus newspaper announcing the establishment of an ROTC unit at VPI, 7 December 1916. (Image: “The Virginia Tech”)

ROTC allowed the military to grow its officer corps with college-educated men who would be able to train enlistees and draftees and, eventually, lead them in war. Juniors and seniors at colleges which established ROTC units would be able to enroll in ROTC, graduate, and commission as officers. Colleges could apply to establish any Army ROTC career branch units like infantry, coastal artillery, cavalry, and engineering. ROTC also allowed the War Department to assume control over military education from state institutions, like VPI, which traditionally held responsibility for training many of the nation’s officers.

VPI faculty and students largely supported establishing an ROTC unit on campus. Professor Alfred Drinkard believed that ROTC would strengthen VPI’s military education by providing students training with new military equipment that could prepare them for modern warfare. Students columnists in VPI’s campus newspaper thought ROTC gave students a better opportunity to serve their country and to advance their future careers. With the support of faculty, students, and administrators VPI’s first ROTC unit, an infantry unit, was established in Spring 1917.

When ROTC enrollment at VPI began in 1917 over 50% of all juniors and seniors enrolled. By the next academic year nearly 90% of all VPI upperclassmen were enrolled in the infantry ROTC program.