Bradley University Air Force ROTC flag c. 1950
Title
Bradley University Air Force ROTC flag c. 1950
Description
Bradley’s Air Force ROTC program was established in June 1948 and ended in May 1977. Upon graduation, cadets were commissioned into the Air Force Reserve as second lieutenants. Students graduating in the top third of their class were offered officer commissions in the United States Air Force. Bradley’s AF ROTC program (48th Wing) grew in size and popularity and eventually consisted of two groups of thirteen squadrons of over 100 cadets each. These groups were known as the 18th and the 97th, a nod to the university’s founding.
Female students were offered membership in the honorary and adjacent program known as “Angel Flights,” which you may have guessed involved a lot of social programming and planning. The AF ROTC began accepting women in 1971 and in 1974, Jody Bennett became the first female Bradley graduate of AF ROTC to earn a commission. Come check out our amazing Angel Flight scrapbook collection!
AF and Army ROTC programs faced scrutiny from faculty as well as students. ROTC programs expanded across the United States after World War II, and university students driving the rise of anti-Vietnam and anti-war movements targeted this militarization of college campuses. In 1970, someone threw a firebomb into Holmes Hall, home of ROTC at Bradley. In that same year, faculty successfully pushed for an academic evaluation for ROTC at Bradley citing concerns that ROTC classes might not achieve the rigor of the university’s standards and guidelines. The ROTC program survived the protests and review, however, low enrollment forced the closure of the AF ROTC in 1977.
Bradley AF ROTC graduate and Air Force Major Robert Lawrence Jr. (‘51) was the nation’s first Black astronaut. He was killed test piloting the F-104 Starfighter when it crashed on December 8, 1967 at Edwards Air Force Base in California.
Bradley’s AF ROTC flag differs slightly from the United States Air Force Flag, can you spot the distinction?
Photo by Ching Zedric
Female students were offered membership in the honorary and adjacent program known as “Angel Flights,” which you may have guessed involved a lot of social programming and planning. The AF ROTC began accepting women in 1971 and in 1974, Jody Bennett became the first female Bradley graduate of AF ROTC to earn a commission. Come check out our amazing Angel Flight scrapbook collection!
AF and Army ROTC programs faced scrutiny from faculty as well as students. ROTC programs expanded across the United States after World War II, and university students driving the rise of anti-Vietnam and anti-war movements targeted this militarization of college campuses. In 1970, someone threw a firebomb into Holmes Hall, home of ROTC at Bradley. In that same year, faculty successfully pushed for an academic evaluation for ROTC at Bradley citing concerns that ROTC classes might not achieve the rigor of the university’s standards and guidelines. The ROTC program survived the protests and review, however, low enrollment forced the closure of the AF ROTC in 1977.
Bradley AF ROTC graduate and Air Force Major Robert Lawrence Jr. (‘51) was the nation’s first Black astronaut. He was killed test piloting the F-104 Starfighter when it crashed on December 8, 1967 at Edwards Air Force Base in California.
Bradley’s AF ROTC flag differs slightly from the United States Air Force Flag, can you spot the distinction?
Photo by Ching Zedric
Date
c. 1950
Rights
For official publication permission or to request high resolution images, contact Special Collections at specialcollections@bradley.edu or (309)677-2822.
Citation
“Bradley University Air Force ROTC flag c. 1950,” Virginius H. Chase Special Collections Center, accessed May 8, 2024, https://bradleyspecialcollections.omeka.net/items/show/87.