The military has always been present at Notre Dame.

For 50 years before World War I, military training was required for most students, and the University kept its doors open in 1918 and 1919 largely because of an army training contract.

In 1941, the Navy established the first ROTC program at Notre Dame, and with the outbreak of World War II, the University soon became almost exclusively a naval training facility, with 12,000 officers passing through in three years. After the war, Notre Dame added Air Force and Army programs, and ROTC has been a part of the University ever since.

Father Theodore Hesburgh, University president emeritus, was a strong defender of the program at Notre Dame during the turbulent Vietnam era, when ROTC students were popular targets on college campuses nationwide. This steadfast support stems in part from a notion that a school that emphasizes ethics in its education can make a good contribution to the forming of good officers.

"I think you really want dedicated Catholic people with a solid core of values being involved in the decision-making corps of the military," said Father Richard Warner director of Campus Ministry and one of ROTC's four chaplains.

And, as one ROTC instructor observed, the mottos and missions of the Army and this University are not all that different.

"'God, country, Notre Dame' and `duty, honor, country' are not too far apart," said Lieutenant Colonel Michael Edwards, Battalion Commander for the Army detachment. "In fact, they're not apart at all."

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