Louisiana State University Corps of Cadets

Last updated
The corps headquarters, the LSU Military Science building, LSUcannons.JPG
The corps headquarters, the LSU Military Science building,

The Louisiana State University Corps of Cadets is a student military organization at Louisiana State University, being one of the oldest student organization on campus. Students who elect to join the Corps must participate in mandatory Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) courses, and receive commissions as officers in the United States armed forces upon graduation. [1] Current membership exceeds 300 cadets in LSU's Army and Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps, to include those who participate in the Naval ROTC program at Southern University (LSU itself lacks a Naval ROTC program, with numerous cadets cross affiliating with the program at SU). [2]

Contents

History

The program's roots trace back to LSU's founding in 1860 under General William T. Sherman, when the campus functioned as a former military post of the Union Army adjacent to present-day Baton Rouge. In 1884, the General Assembly of Louisiana passed a resolution allocating the full usage of the buildings and grounds of the Pentagon Barracks to LSU, where they were used as dormitories for cadets. Cadets were housed there until 1932. [3]  During World War II, LSU was in the top five schools producing officers for the military, after Texas A&M University, the United States Military Academy, and the United States Naval Academy. [1] Amidst the backdrop of the Vietnam War in the 1960s, the LSU Board of Supervisors converted the ROTC program to voluntary status due to escalating tensions on campus. In 1969, mandatory ROTC for freshmen and sophomores at LSU at large was abolished. The Corps at the time consisted of over 3,000 members, a number which experienced a decline post-1969.

Constituent ROTC units

Commandant of Cadets

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reserve Officers' Training Corps</span> Military officer training program in the US

The Reserve Officers' Training Corps is a group of college- and university-based officer-training programs for training commissioned officers of the United States Armed Forces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Virginia Military Institute</span> Public college in Lexington, Virginia, US

The Virginia Military Institute (VMI) is a public senior military college in Lexington, Virginia. It was founded in 1839 as America's first state military college and is the oldest public senior military college in the United States. In keeping with its founding principles and unlike any other senior military college in the United States, VMI enrolls cadets only and awards bachelor's degrees exclusively. The institute grants degrees in 14 disciplines in engineering, science, and the liberal arts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Texas A&M University Corps of Cadets</span> Military unit

The Texas A&M University Corps of Cadets is a student military organization at Texas A&M University. Established with the university in 1876, it is the oldest student organization on campus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets</span> Military unit

The Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets (VTCC) is the military component of the student body at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Cadets live together in residence halls, attend morning formation, wear a distinctive uniform, and receive an intensive military and leadership educational experience similar to that available at the United States service academies. The Corps of Cadets has existed from the founding of the Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College in 1872 to the present-day institution of Virginia Tech, which is designated a senior military college by federal law. As of August 2021, about 1,200 cadets are currently enrolled in the program.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps</span> Commissioning source for US Air Force and Space Force officers

The Air Force Reserve Officers' Training Corps (AFROTC) is one of the three primary commissioning sources for officers in the United States Air Force and United States Space Force, the other two being the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) and Air Force Officer Training School (OTS). A subordinate command of the Air University within the Air Education and Training Command (AETC), AFROTC is aligned under the Jeanne M. Holm Center for Officer Accessions and Citizen Development at Maxwell AFB, Alabama. The Holm Center, formerly known as the Air Force Officer Accession and Training Schools (AFOATS), retains direct responsibility for both AFROTC and OTS.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Citadel</span> Military college in Charleston, South Carolina, US

The Citadel Military College of South Carolina is a public senior military college in Charleston, South Carolina, United States. Established in 1842, it is the third oldest of the six senior military colleges in the United States. The Citadel was initially established as two schools to educate young men from around the state, while simultaneously protecting the South Carolina State Arsenals in both Columbia and Charleston.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Valley Forge Military Academy and College</span> Private boarding school in t Wayne, Pennsylvania, US

Valley Forge Military Academy and College (VFMAC) is a private boarding school and military junior college in Wayne, Pennsylvania. It follows in the traditional military school format with army traditions. Though military in tradition and form, the high school portion of VFMAC, Valley Forge Military Academy, is a college-preparatory boarding institution specializing in student leadership. VFMAC's administration is composed almost entirely of current or retired military and the board of trustees is almost entirely alumni. Some graduates pursue careers in the armed services and VFMAC has graduated one Rhodes Scholarship recipient, current Maryland governor Wes Moore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps</span> Military officer training program for the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps

The Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC) program is a college-based, commissioned officer training program of the United States Navy and the United States Marine Corps.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norwich University</span> Military college in Northfield, Vermont, US

Norwich University – The Military College of Vermont is a private senior military college in Northfield, Vermont. It is the oldest private and senior military college in the United States and offers bachelor's and master's degrees on-campus and online. The university was founded in 1819 in Norwich, Vermont, as the American Literary, Scientific and Military Academy. It is the oldest of six senior military colleges and is recognized by the United States Department of Defense as the "Birthplace of ROTC".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Georgia Military College</span> Public college in Milledgeville, Georgia, US

Georgia Military College (GMC) is a public military junior college in Milledgeville, Georgia. It is divided into the junior college, a military junior college program, high school, middle school, and elementary school. It was originally known as Middle Georgia Military and Agricultural College, until 1900. While GMC is a state-chartered and funded institution, its governance is not overseen by either the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia or the State Board of the Technical College System of Georgia.

In the United States, a senior military college (SMC) is one of six colleges that offer military Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) programs under 10 U.S.C. § 2111a(f), though many other schools offer military Reserve Officers' Training Corps under other sections of the law. The six senior military colleges are:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Oklahoma Army ROTC</span>

The University of Oklahoma Army ROTC is the primary officer training and commissioning program at the University of Oklahoma and one of the oldest in the nation, having existed in some form since the First World War. It is known as the "Sooner Battalion" and is notable for having produced thousands of officers for the United States Army, including 19 general officers. It is led by three officers and two noncommissioned officers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Penn State Army ROTC</span> United States military unit

The Penn State Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps is the ROTC department at The Pennsylvania State University. It is the largest branch of the ROTC program at the school, which also has Naval ROTC and Air Force ROTC. The Nittany Lion Battalion (NLB) is one of the 41 participating battalions in the 2nd Reserve Officers' Training Corps Brigade, also known as the Freedom Brigade. The brigade is headquartered at Fort Dix, NJ, and comprises ROTC programs in the North Eastern United States including CT, MA, ME, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, and VT.

The Army ROTC Eagle Battalion is a Military Science program at Georgia Southern University. The Eagle Battalion is a part of the 6th Brigade, U.S. Army Cadet Command. Georgia Southern University serves as the host school for East Georgia State College, Savannah State University, Armstrong State University, and Savannah College of Art and Design.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps</span> Military unit

The Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (AROTC) is the United States Army component of the Reserve Officers' Training Corps. It is the largest Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program which is a group of college and university-based officer training programs for training commissioned officers for the United States Army and its reserves components: the Army Reserves and the Army National Guard. There are over 30,000 Army ROTC cadets enrolled in 274 ROTC programs at major universities throughout the United States. These schools are categorized as Military Colleges (MC), Military Junior Colleges (MJC) and Civilian Colleges (CC).

The Northwoods Battalion is an Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps battalion that was established in 1968 at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. The battalion is a part of the 3rd Reserve Officers' Training Corps Brigade, the headquarters of which is based at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center, Illinois.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps</span> US military program

The Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps is a federal program sponsored by the United States Armed Forces in high schools and also in some middle schools across the United States and at US military bases across the world. The program was originally created as part of the National Defense Act of 1916 and later expanded under the 1964 ROTC Vitalization Act.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oregon State University Army ROTC</span> Military unit

Oregon State University Army ROTC is an ROTC Battalion assigned to Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon. Its mission is to train Cadets in basic military leadership and commission them as 2nd Lieutenants upon the completion of a bachelor's degree. Founded in 1873, the ROTC Battalion has continued to serve the nation and US Army Cadet Command and was given the nickname, "The West Point of the West" after it produced more commissioned officers than any other ROTC Battalion in the USA during World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Archie E. O'Neil</span> U.S. Marine Corps Brigadier General

Archie Edward O'Neil was an officer in the United States Marine Corps with the rank of Brigadier general. He is most noted for his service as Commanding officer, 9th Defense Battalion during the Recapture of Guam in July 1944.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Texan Corps of Cadets</span> Student military organization

The Texan Corps of Cadets is a student military organization at Tarleton State University located on the university's main campus in Stephenville, Texas. Tarleton's original Corps of Cadets traces its roots to 1917 but was reactivated in 2016 after becoming inactive in the 1950s. Tarleton is a member of the Association of Military Colleges & Schools of the United States.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "History | LSU Military Science". lsu.edu. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
  2. "LSU Corps of Cadets – Cadets of the Ole War Skule" . Retrieved 2024-05-16.
  3. "Pentagon Barracks". house.louisiana.gov. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
  4. "Naval ROTC | Southern University and A&M College". www.subr.edu. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
  5. "Col. Lisa O'Neil, First Woman Colonel Commandant of the LSU Corps of Cadets". www.lsu.edu. Retrieved 2024-05-16.