The Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC) Program was established in 1926 to provide a broad and crucial base of citizens with advanced knowledge in the arts and sciences of Naval Warfare.

At its inception, the NROTC program gave an opportunity to young men to undertake careers in the naval profession.

In the beginning, there were six NROTC units located at the University of California at Berkeley, Georgia Institute of Technology, Northwestern University, University of Washington, and Harvard and Yale Universities.

In June of 1930, 126 midshipmen graduated from college and received commissions in the United States Navy.  At least three of these graduates went on to achieve flag rank.

The Marine Corps entered the NROTC Program in 1932, offering qualified NROTC graduates commissions in the United States Marine Corps.

In 1968, what is now Prairie View A&M became the first Historically Black College (HBC) to host the program.

In 1972, the Secretary of the Navy authorized 16 women to enroll in the program and to attend school at one of four colleges.  Women may now participate in the program while attending any college or university that offers the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps program.

In 1990, the NROTC Scholarship Program was again expanded to include applicants who sought to pursue a 4-year degree in Nursing that led to a commission in the Navy Nurse Corps.

The mission of the NROTC Program today is to develop young men and women morally, mentally, and physically and to instill in them the highest ideals of honor, courage, and commitment.

The program educates and trains young men and women for leadership positions in an increasingly technical Navy and Marine Corps.  Currently there are 63 NROTC units/consortiums hosted at 77 schools throughout the United States.

The NROTC Program is now available at over 160 colleges and universities that either host NROTC units or have cross-town enrollment agreements with a university that does host the program.

Selected applicants for the program are awarded scholarships through a highly competitive national selection process.  Those who qualify may receive full tuition and other financial benefits at many of the country's leading colleges and universities.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

As many Oregon State alums may recall, after WWII there were quite a few "surplus" Quonset huts that seemed to sprout on the outer fringes of campus.  This was common all across the country as a way for colleges to house and feed the massive influx of veterans then in school. 

These waves of returnees and newcomers rolled into the venues of US higher education thanks to the GI Bill which provided tuition and other assistance to returning military veterans.  What became our Armory was first used for general storage and also for drills on rainy days.

The Armory didn't officially become our Naval ROTC training center until 1953.  This was three years after the first class of post-war graduates was commissioned and embarked on their service to America.  There's a photo of that 1950 class just below.  A very sober-looking group.

And so, our Armory (our beloved Quonset Hut) was an instructional hub for countless Midshipmen for some 67 years.   It was situated at 2201 S.W. Washington Way down from the MU near Dixon Recreation Center, Goss Stadium at Coleman field, and the Parking Garage.

A few steps east of the Armory stood the "semi-beloved" USMC obstacle course (named in 2009 for Lt Col Nelson Olf) and practice yard which tended to inflict large doses of humility on us.  We look forward to your stories about your love for the O-Course.  Feel free to contact us. 

In July 2020, the unit moved out of the Armory (ie, displaced from said venerable Quonset Hut) for a new home (training center) and took up residency in digs across the street at 160 Cascade Hall, thus letting the  project to improve Washington Way steam on at flank speed.