By Nancy Glaser
Reporter



ROTC students practice their rifle shooting in the Old Gym.

Photo courtesy of ROTC

On Jan. 27, 1919, the Reserve Officers Trainings Corps marched onto campus as required by the federal government’s War Department Bulletin No. 2.

Under the command of Maj. Corbett S. Hoffman, 136 men enrolled in the first class. These young men graduated with the class of 1922 and were the first to receive commission as second lieutenants in the Army Reserve. At this time, it was mandatory for every male student enrolled in the arts, business and pharmacy colleges to join ROTC.

ROTC was required for these individuals until 1969, when the administration approved the recommendation that the program become voluntary. This came from the suggestions of a committee chaired by Dr. Ross Horning, professor of history.

At the beginning of World War II, every male over 18 years old was drafted except those with 4-F status, meaning those unsuited for military service. If a student was enrolled in medical or dental school, he had to join the Army or Navy, but he did not have active duty until graduation.

The draft began to take full effect in 1942. To train potential specialists and officers, the Army created the Army Special Training Program at Creighton. Undergraduate students attended class in uniform and took classes in map reading, military history and others that would prepare them for active duty. The government was paying the university to train the men.
Some students were called to active duty with as little as six months of training. By the end of World War II, 2000 Creighton students, faculty and alumni were in uniform. In 1942, Creighton was down to around 200 traditional students, said Dr. Dennis Mihelich, associate professor of history. These students were men classed as 4-F, those under 18 years of age and women.
Creighton held the first ROTC classes from 1919-1947 in various classrooms in the Arts College. The rifle range was in the football stadium. Students marched on the field or in the gym.

ROTC received a new location when its offices were moved to the Old Gym from 1950-1993, according to Mihelich. ROTC offices were located on the second, third and fourth floors of the Old Gym, with the rifle range on the fourth floor and upper gym.

Today, the group must travel to Fort Dodge, Iowa, for a rifle range and a place to practice their drills and marches. The university does not have a parade ground.
Beginning in 1952, the General Military Science program of instruction was integrated with the regular program of study. Over the past 50 years, the classes have been intertwined with other majors.

The Creighton Bluejay Battalion divided into two groups in 1982. The second group became known as the Maverick Battalion at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. This lasted until 1985 when the two groups reunited, forming the Blackwolves Battalion, a name stemming from the family coat of arms of St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus.

Admission to Creighton’s Military Science department is through approval of the director. If a student has either prior military service or training in the ROTC program from high school or another college, the student may be allowed to disregard the basic course and proceed to the advanced course.

ROTC provides many benefits to entice young men and women into the program. One is the offering of a three or four-year scholarship, monthly stipends and money for books.

The current Military Science building was dedicated in 1993 to honor Ensign John J. Parle BSC, a 1942 graduate of Creighton. He enlisted in the Navy after completing the ROTC program. Parle gave his life off the coast of Sicily in an effort to extinguish a fire on his ship at the age of 23.

Inside the ROTC building hangs Parle’s Medal of Honor, which was presented to him posthumously. To the left of his medal is a plaque honoring 10 Creighton graduates killed during the Vietnam War.

Two additional ROTC graduates, Michael Tinley and Gary F. Smith, died on Sept. 11, 2001. Tinley was attending a meeting at the World Trade Center on the 100th floor, while Gary Smith attended a meeting at the Pentagon. Neither man worked in the building where he died. Smith attended Creighton on one of its first ROTC scholarships, and now rests in Arlington National Cemetery.



Above: ROTC members get in shape through push-ups in the Old Gym. Below: The 1927-1928 ROTC marching band practice on the football field. The Old Gym is in the background.


Below: Members of the D company pose on the football field in 1934.



Below: ROTC members display their cannon shooting skills in the Old Gym.