Texas Tech University - La Ventana Yearbook (Lubbock, TX)

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ARMY DETACHMENT OFFICERS OF ARMY ROTC Regular army personnel ROTC Cadets in Action The Reserve Officers ' Training Corps of the United States Army exists for the purpose of developing officers in sufficient quantity to provide com- petent leaders for the army in a national emergency. Texas Tech helps in the program by providing officers through the oper- ation of a large corps here. At the present time more than 250 institu- tions of higher learning have ROTC programs with some 140,000 cadets enrolled. The ROTC program was initiated in 1916, temporarily suspended during World War I, and resumed in 1920. The graduates of the program from 1920 to 1940 furnished the hard core of 100,000 officers who served in World War II. Two sections. The program is di- vided into Basic and Advanced sec- tions. The first two years are the Basic Program and require one hour of classroom work and one hour of drill with rifles. Classroom work forms an introduction for the cadet to mili- tary life and organization through a specially prepared program. The drill field hour is conducted on the Flint Avenue Green, just to the north of the new men ' s dorms. At the end of the drill period the companies march back to Arms Room to stack the rifles. This weekly parade forms the basis for determining the winner of the excellence ribbon. Each company is graded by officers stationed along the route and the company accumulating the most points flys the excellence streamer for the month following the award, when the streamer is awarded to the company accumulating the highest total for that month. Rifle range. A period of approxi- mately six weeks is reserved for teach- ing the first year cadets to effectively fire the small-bore rifle. This time is spent on the firing range using the standard positions for firing. A firing test is administered after this six week period to determine the cadet ' s pro- ficiency and he is awarded an Expert, a Sharpshooter, or a Marksman medal based on his performance. The drill M-1 rifles are never fired, but as part of the program to acquaint the cadet with the rifle, he is required to keep it in shape by cleaning it weekly. The advanced program is a time of rigorous training in military sci- ence for graduating high-quality men into the Army. Upon receipt of a degree and successful completion of ROTC requirements, the cadet is awarded a commission as a second lieutenant in the Army Reserve. The new second lieutenant will serve in one of fourteen branch assignments which corresponds to his major in college. The entire aim of the ROTC pro- gram can be said to be the training and education of qualified leaders for both civilian and military life. CADET OFFICERS Serve in command positions in cadet corps 29

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ARNOLD AIR SOCIETY BOTTOM ROW: G. Miller, L. Plumlee, D. Jones, E. Prochaska, R. Johnson, D. Lacy, J. Langley, Capt. J. C. Webb. ROW TWO: J. Bateman, T. Hickey, L. Grabaum, J. Johnston, C. McKensie, B. Tidwell, B. Haass, B. Holmes. ROW THREE: J Hall, J. Lyons, J. Martinez, B. Alexander, J. Bryant, P. Reynolds, J. Grimshaw. ROW FOUR: H. Hood, J. Williams, B. Wood, J. King, T. Nash, J. Nash. BACK ROW: W. Reeder, B. Barberousse. Air Force Group The blue and gold shoulder cord on the uniforms of certain Air Force ca- dets marks them as members of the Arnold Air Society. This group, which has an organization on every college campus boasting a complete Air Force ROTC program, is made up of upper- classmen meeting scholastic and char- acter requirements. The society at Tech is known as the Lewis C. Ellis, Jr., Squadron. Thirty junior and senior cadets who have expressed interest in continuing the Air Force life make up the mem- bership. Pledges must have a 1.25 grade average over-all and 1.5 in Air Force and substitute subjects. Socially active. Under the leader- ship of Gary Miller, commander; Jerry Bryant, executive office and the sponsorship of Capt. James C. Webb, the society has been fairly active this year. Squadron members sponsor an annual Christmas party for the Church of Christ orphans home as a service project. More Mixers. A dinner dance and an afternoon party at Reese Air Force Base Officers ' Club highlighted the year. Picnics and mixers were held with Angel Flight as well. The society ' s goal is to further the mission and the promotion of Ameri- can citizenship in the Air Age of today. Members are dedicated to their school, their country, and their future service. OFFICERS Gary T. Miller . . . Commander C. Jerry Bryant . Executive officer Robert L. Tidwell . Operations officer Frank 0. Prochaska . . . Recorder Don D. Lacy . . . Jerry M. Williams Information officer 28

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TYRIAN RIFLES Robert Bell Calvin Boyles Gerald Brown J. D, Burk Don Cox Thomas A. Cox Jerry Darter Russell Denison Bill England Terry Forbes Walter Head D. D. Hood Travis Langford Richard Linnartz Jack McCarty James Owen Doug Talbert Weldon Scarbrough Lawrence Schmidt S. E. Shultz Charles Staff Phillip Suitt Thomas Walker. With Sword in Hand The 1960-61 school year marked the second anniversary of the Army ROTC drill team, the Tyrian. Rifles. Organized in the fall of 1959, the team represents Tech at various pa- rades and precision marching compe- titions throughout the country. Carrying the symbol of a hand clutching a sword, the team selected its name from the legend of Tyr, the Norse God of martial honor. Tyr ' s sword was supposed to allow the possessor to conquer the world but a curse decreed that he would also die by the same sword. Legend tells that Michael, the Archangel, finally nul- lified the curse, and it now symbolizes man ' s honor as his most cherished possession. Modern day drill team. The group ' s howitzer section inaugurated a new tradition last fall. As each. Raider point is made in football competition, members fire a cannon at one end of the field—the largest cannon in the Southwest Conference and compar- able to those at West Point and Annapolis. Precision drilling is not the only concern of the Tyrian Rifles. The members are placed in various leader- ship positions and given responsibil- ities, teaching traits of leadership and combat tactics. ' 2n