Battalion History

The Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps program was introduced on the Loyola University campus in 1952. The first graduates to be commissioned as officers in the United States Army were from the class of 1955. Since then, 1,094 cadets have been commissioned as officers in the U.S. Army, three have reached the General Officer ranks, one has become an astronaut.

Until 1967, the Basic Course was mandatory for all freshman and sophomore students at Loyola. Since then, the Basic Course has been an elective which prepares the cadet to enter the advanced course during his/her Junior and Senior years. The program culminates upon graduation with the presentation of an officers’ commission in either the U.S. Army Reserve, the National Guard, or the Regular Army.

The commissioning ceremony is the culmination of a cadet's training. It is a solemn affair held on the Loyola campus, typically on the morning before graduation day. The cadets who are to be commissioned wear their Army dress blue uniform and designate the person(s) who will "pin" their new gold bars after receiving the oath of office.