Iowa State University. Dept. of Military Science.

The Department of Military Science at Iowa State was established in 1870 as a result of the provision in the Morrill Land Grant Act that military tactics be offered at land grant institutions. All able bodied male students were expected to participate, although neither the Morrill Act or the Federal Government required compulsory training. From 1878-1897, female students received military training on a volunteer basis. An Iowa State R.O.T.C. unit was formed in 1919, and training took place through the Military Science Department. To house the new program, the armory was built in 1921; destroyed by fire in 1922, it was rebuilt in 1923. All early records of military training were lost in the fire. The school year 1946-1947 saw the formation of a Navy R.O.T.C. unit. The Air Force R.O.T.C. unit was organized in 1949. In 1950 Military Science, Naval Science, and Air Force Science combined to form one department; but split into individual departments again in 1957. By 1961 students on campuses across the nation, including Iowa State students, were protesting the mandatory military training requirement. In 1962, the Iowa State Board of Regents declared R.O.T.C. an elective. Wartime training programs have included the Student Army Training Program (World War I), Army Specialized Training Program (World War II), and the Curtiss-Wright Engineering Cadets (World War II).