Yesterday 11B40 commented on a picture on The Chirp Of Crickets.
It has its college belles...
Certain things have not changed, "BEAT DUKE".
Others have, There was a varsity shooting team; mostly composed of returning veterans I am sure.
But what struck me as I was reading its pages, was the number of WWII Veterans in its student body. Sure, I've known and heard the stories of how crowded our Universities were, during the 1946 to 1950 class years. The G.I. Bill offered for the first time a ticket to middle class prosperity for many of our returning veterans. Still, to see it in the yearbook, brought to me this reality home.
In addition to the typical student dorms, there were seven veterans' "barracks". Here's a picture of Barrack 4.
There were also, "Barracks" for married veteran students:
But its R.O.T.C. Corps of Cadets was really impressive. It was so big (2,000 strong) that it was organized as a regiment. In contrast, I'd be surprised if TODAY's "Battalion" would have more than a hundred cadets in it.
...And in it, you could find Combat Infantry Badges galore (look at that following top picture).
And of course, its Cadet Regimental Commander, Cadet Col. Carl Smith.
Cadet Colonel Smith's history reads:
Boq
This reminded me on a treasure-trove that serendipitously, I found last September. As some of you may know, we have just recently moved back to Maryland; after five years of wandering like gypsies around. Last September, I was rooting through the nooks and crannies of our new home, and found in a dusty corner of our attic, The University of Maryland's 1949 Yearbook.Greetings:
Nice to see that Combat Infantry Badge on the "Kill Bin Laden" reader. As the twig is bent, so grows the tree.
It has its college belles...
Certain things have not changed, "BEAT DUKE".
Others have, There was a varsity shooting team; mostly composed of returning veterans I am sure.
But what struck me as I was reading its pages, was the number of WWII Veterans in its student body. Sure, I've known and heard the stories of how crowded our Universities were, during the 1946 to 1950 class years. The G.I. Bill offered for the first time a ticket to middle class prosperity for many of our returning veterans. Still, to see it in the yearbook, brought to me this reality home.
In addition to the typical student dorms, there were seven veterans' "barracks". Here's a picture of Barrack 4.
There were also, "Barracks" for married veteran students:
But its R.O.T.C. Corps of Cadets was really impressive. It was so big (2,000 strong) that it was organized as a regiment. In contrast, I'd be surprised if TODAY's "Battalion" would have more than a hundred cadets in it.
...And in it, you could find Combat Infantry Badges galore (look at that following top picture).
And of course, its Cadet Regimental Commander, Cadet Col. Carl Smith.
Cadet Colonel Smith's history reads:
As this generation passes, I do not know whether Col. Smith is still with us today. But I'd venture to say, that if he were to visit the campus today, he'd shake his head in Rueful Disbelief.Smith, a graduate of Chevy Chase (Md.), spent two and one-half years in the Army of which most of the time was spent in Europe in the famed 5th Infantry Division. Discharged in 1946 with two Bronze Stars on his ETO (European Theater of Operations) Ribbon and the Combat Infantryman's Badge...
Boq
Keith's putting together a "then and now" video for the 80th which includes some WWII pictures and combat badges, and today's pictures/badges. I can't wait to see the final version.
Somewhere in a box of mementoes is a pic of three-year-old me sitting next to the stove in bathing trunks with ice on the interior wall two feet away...
"Well, of COURSE they WON...they're all bloody-minded" and 'The women are just as mean as the men. After all, they are all military.' Sore losers.