The University of Oklahoma Army ROTC (
Reserve Officer Training Corps) 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. As of December 2007, 98 students from the University participate in the program. It is led by three officers and two
noncommissioned officers.
History
The OU Army ROTC has its roots in the Student Volunteer Regiment, which was formed in 1917 as a result of the entry of the
United States into the First World War. Then-University President
Stratton D. Brooks approved the creation of an amateur military unit at the behest of the study body, which demanded instruction in basic military skills and tactics. The Regiment, however, lacked instructors, equipment, and formal support from the Army. Lasting only one semester, the Student Volunteer Regiment was soon supplanted by the Student Military Regiment, which was led by two retired Army officers who themselves hand-carved wooden
military drill rifles.
The
War Department finally granted formal support for
military training at the University of Oklahoma in the fall 1918 with the creation of the Student Army Training Corps - a program designed to train students for immediate wartime service. With the abrupt end of the...
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