Villanova University - Belle Air Yearbook (Villanova, PA)

Page 19 text:

Drill under arms wot not added to the training program until several month after the unit wos started. Present Arms! is the command here, and the morine company responds in unison. The most popular commond in any collection is illustrated as the trainees breok rank ot the completion of another week's work. Liberty is next on the schedule, ond there will be no stragglers. As the progrom continued, more ond more of the troinees were selected from the ronks of the marine corps ond novy rather than from the colleges ond high schools of the notion. Here Lt. Comdr. Hannah, successor to Comdr. Milner, awords Morine Private Gorman o decorotion which he earned in combat beforo being assigned to officer training. Comdr. Hannah wos replaced in October. 1945. by the present com- manding officer. Captain Thomas.

Page 18 text:

19 4 1 TU 1 9 4 K Militory ospect of V-12 troining wos most plainly «vident on Sat- urday mornings when the weekly inspection and drill was conducted on Mendel Field. At regular intervals a formal review was held by the commanding officer ond his staff. Other Saturdays were devoted to the weary business of mastering the standard formations ond maneuvers of close order drill. In the early days of the unit, trainees with previous military experience were called upon to sup- plement the efforts of the ship's company in explaining the funda- mentals to the newcomers. forget her sons already in the service. Masses were of- fered regularly for the benefit and intentions of these men. News reports and letters brought word of their world-wide activities to the campus. With the end of the war. Villanova proudly looked back over her four years of war-time accomplishments, ond then began the gradual change necessitated by post-war demands. June. 1946. sow the termination of the Naval-Marine V-12 unit, and the organization of a permanent Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps. Ci- vilian dress once again predominated on the campus os veterans, both former ond new students, prepared to resume their interrupted careers. 14 Deference to the notional colon forms on important port in the routine of any military organixation. The color guard crosses the reviewing line, followed by the entire novy detachment. The en- sign is lowered ot evening to the accompaniment of a navy bugler, as trainees all over the campus come to attention ond salute the flag of their country.

Page 20 text:

TODAY Two thousand students crowded Villanova for the opening of the 1946 fall semester, while one thosuand more enrolled in the Saturday and Evening sessions. Some confusion naturally resulted from this large influx—on increase of over one thousand regular students. The arranging of schedules became complicated, and long lines in the corridors were unavoidable. As classes were held from eight in the morning until eight in the evening, it was now commonploce to see students leaving for home or dormitory long after darkness had fallen. The consequent acute housing problem forced students to use the Field House for living quarters while surplus army barracks were being assembled. Most dormitory rooms, used for two men before the war. now housed twice that number. The cafeteria wos taxed to the limit as long lines, much to the chagrin of veterans, formed at all meal hours. With the country encountering the molt terioui shortage of educa- tional facilities in history, the college odministrotors started lost year to secure additional housing facilities for votorans. When it become evident lost summer that these projects would not be com- pleted for the opening of the fall semoster. further steps were token. The huge main floor of the Field House was transformed into o temporary dormitory while work on the barracks wos ex- pedited as much os possible.