Letter from Carl to Ruth from Air Force ROTC Camp, July 27, 1953
Here is a letter toward the beginning of the courtship of Ruth and Carl. Ruth is not yet Ruthie, and Dad does not sign off with “love” yet. But you can sense the relationship is beginning to blossom.
Dad is writing from an Air Force ROTC Camp at Biggs Air Force Base, El Paso, Texas.
Surveying the desolate west Texas landscape of hills, sagebrush and cactus for miles, Dad wrote: “If anyone tries to run down Kansas again, I think I will really tell them off.” In typical Karst style, he does allow, “It is not really too bad here in El Paso.”
A trip to the bull ring in Juarez was on the weekend agenda for Carl and others, he said.
Christened in 1925, Biggs Air Force Base was closed in 1965.
Biggs Army Airfield (formerly Biggs Air Force Base) is now a United States Army military airbase located on the Fort Bliss military base.
Talking with AI source Claude, I ask about the origin and history of Air Force ROTC programs in college.
Claude: Origins and History of Air Force ROTC Programs in College
The Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) has an interesting evolution that coincides with the development of military aviation and the eventual establishment of the United States Air Force as a separate military branch.
Early Military Education and Aviation
Military education on college campuses dates back to the Morrill Land-Grant Acts of 1862, which established military training as part of the curriculum at land-grant institutions. However, this initially focused on Army training.
Aviation military education began taking shape during World War I (1917-1918), when the U.S. Army established the Student Army Training Corps, which included some rudimentary aviation training components at select universities.
Birth of Air ROTC
The true origins of what would become Air Force ROTC began in 1920, when the U.S. Army Air Service (predecessor to the Air Force) established 28 Air ROTC units at universities across the country. This was formally known as the Air Service Reserve Officers' Training Corps.
During the interwar period (1920s-1930s), these units operated as part of the Army ROTC program, with specialized training for air-focused officers. The program trained aviation cadets who would serve in what was then the Army Air Corps.
World War II and Expansion
During World War II (1941-1945), college military training was accelerated through programs like the Army Specialized Training Program. Aviation cadets were trained rapidly to meet wartime demands, though much of this training occurred outside traditional ROTC structures.
Establishment of the Air Force ROTC
The modern Air Force ROTC program officially began in 1946, following:
The National Security Act of 1947, which established the United States Air Force as a separate military branch
The ROTC Vitalization Act of 1964, which created the modern scholarship structure for ROTC programs
By 1950, Air Force ROTC programs were established at 187 colleges and universities across the United States, reflecting the growing importance of air power in military strategy during the early Cold War.
Evolution in Recent Decades
Since its formal establishment, Air Force ROTC has evolved significantly:
During the Vietnam War era, ROTC programs faced significant campus protests and criticism
The 1970s saw program restructuring and refocusing following the end of Vietnam-era conscription
The 1980s-1990s brought increased emphasis on technology and leadership development
Post-9/11, Air Force ROTC adapted its curriculum to reflect modern warfare requirements, including cybersecurity and unmanned aerial systems
Today, Air Force ROTC operates at approximately 145 host universities with additional cross-town agreements allowing students from over 1,100 colleges and universities to participate.
As the primary commissioning source for Air Force officers outside of the Air Force Academy, ROTC continues to play a vital role in developing military leadership while allowing students to pursue regular college degrees.