The Battalion upgrades its computer
system with Macintosh and moves to the
basement of Reed McDonald Building.
In addition, the paper fully converts to
pagination software and laser printers.
1992-
The Battalion wins the Regional
Pacemaker award, making it one of the
top 12 college newspapers in the
nation. The award is highest honor
bestowed on any college newspaper.
— President Bill Clinton,
42nd President
(1993 • present)
Oct. 1,1993
The Battalion enters its
second century,
Page 12
1893 •The Battalion • 1993
Thursday, September 30,Iffl
World War II
Continued from Page 5
“With full knowledge of the conse-
quences of entering this blazing inferno (re
fineries hit by the preceding planes were
ablaze) when his airplane was profusely
leaking gasoline in two separate locations,
Lt. Hughes, motivated only by his high
conception of duty which called for the de
struction of his assigned target at any cost,
did not elect to make a forced landing or
return back from the attack.”
Maj. Gen. George F. Moore, Class of
L 08, was honored for his command of the
island forts of Mills and Corregidor during
the Japanese invasion of the Phillipines.
The former commandant and student was
awarded the Distinguished Service Cross by
~ ' cAi
Gen. Douglas MacArthur.
General Reveille
The war was a tremendous expense and
strain nor only to the men in the field, but
also those on the homefront. To help the
war effort, all A&M employees and faculty
members pledged 10 percent of their in
comes to purchase war oonds and stamps.
“This is not a gift; it is a loan to be re
paid with interest in 10 years,” said T. O.
Walton, former president of A&M, in the
June 23, 1942 issue of The Battalion.
“This indeed is a small price to pay for the
maintenance of our liberty and the perpet
uation of our American way of life.
“We are in the critical time of our histo
ry — we must in months build the ma-
cnines of war that our enemies have had
years to build — we must equip and main
tain an army that in a democracy is of stu
pendous size,” Walton said.
Not all of the money toward the war ef
fort went to men and materials. Some of
the money was used to produce movies
about the war to raise spirits in the United
States and abroad.
film producer Walter Wanger would por-
During the war many Aggies received
promotions in the military. The most dras
tic of the promotions given, however, was
to a female at A&M. On August 21, 1943
The Battalion reported plans to enlist
Reveille as a general in the Womens Army
Corns (WACs).
Dogs could be enlisted into the K-9
corps by paying a fee according to rank
— from $1 for a private to $100 for a
general. Cadets raised the money in the
first week of the drive and sent it to the
office of Dogs for War Defense, where
Reveille was processed. She was too old to
serve in active duty, but was still awarded
the rank of general.
From Aggieland to Hollywood
Death of a friend
On January 18, 1944 at 1 1 a.m. the
school’s first mascot passed away at the Io
ta!
cal veterinary hospitz
“Oldtimers remember now with a small
tear in the corner of their eye, the night
when she was found by the side of the road
and brought to the Aggie campus for the
first time, ’ Battalion reporter Harold Bo-
rofsky wrote in the Jan. 20 issue.
“Reveille was more than just a dog,” Bo-
rofsky said. “She was a symbol of the mem
ory of every boy who stopped to pet her, a
symbol that reminded one of the pup left
behind at home, and a reminder of the
many other things left behind in the quest
for greater knowledge.”
JP r . . - .
tray Texas A&M traditions in an all-star
motion picture.
“We here at the College feel confident
that the portrayal will be an inspiration to
the youth of America and will reflect credit
on the institution and the entire state of
Texas,” Walton said.
The film was tentatively titled “Ameri
can Youth Has Never Been Licked” , but
released with the final title “We’ve Never
Been Licked.” A&M received a special pre
view of the film on Aug. 7, 1943.
“I thought the picture was very fine,”
Bolton said at the time. “The Spirit of
Aggieland was shown up nicely. The film
should be very good publicity for our
College.”
Head Yell Leader Jack M. Knox agreed.
“It is much better than the Corps ex-
? ected,” Knox said in the Aug. 7, 1943
he Bartalion. “The story was woven in
very well and typifies the real Aggieland. It
is a picture we can all be proud of and can
enjoy taking our friends to see what lies be
hind Aggie traditions.”
This $750,000 production gave America
a glimpse of the ‘undying spirit of Ag
gieland.’ The movie memorialized the spirit
of those Aggies who had fallen in the war.
However, it would not be the only testa
ment to their sacrifice.
The Oct. 1, 1942 issue of The Battalion
reported the first steps were taken toward
the building of the student activities center.
The center was planned as a memorial to
the thousands of A&M students men who
had served in the armed forces. This pro
ject would later be known to all A&M stu
dents, faculty and staff as the MSC.
the^y were ready for service.
r ‘Now that the time is definitely here,
we have something that we can sink our
teeth into and a goal toward which to
strive,” said senior class president Gus
Boesch, ‘43. “The time of distractions
from movies, rumors and so forth is
passed, pointing us on to a better service
to our country, in the hope that we can
bring as much glory to the name of Ag
gieland as have those before us.”
The war increased College enrollment.
The Battalion reported on May 4, 1943,
that summer enrollment totaled over
5,000.
“The summer enrollment is far beyond
our expectations,” said A&M registrar H.
L. Heaton. “Although it is below the
6,205 registered in the same period last
September, it indicates to us that high
school graduates are anxious and willing
to go to school the year around so that
they may be better fitted to serve their
country when needed.”
Peace breaks out
Vol. 93 No
The
On May 8, 1945 Germany surrendered
Marching orders
The movie "We've Never Been Licked"
was filmed at Texas A&M and showed
wartime life in Aggieland to America .
The July 16, 1942 issue of the Battal
ion announced that Universal Pictures
During the course of the war the gov
ernment gave orders for the assignment of
men in the Army’s Enlisted Reserve Corps.
The Jan. 12, 1943 issue of The Battalion
reported that juniors, sophomores and
freshmen in the ERC would remain in
school on an inactive basis until the end of
the semester starting February 1. Seniors
taking second year advanced military sci
ence would be called to active duty upon
completion of their current semester.
On March 18, 1943, The Battalion re
ported the activation orders for 270 junior
and senior members of the ERC had ar
rived. On succeeding days more orders
came in at the rate of 270 per day. In a
poll conducted the same day, students said
ay
to Allied forces. Texas A&M students, fac
ulty and staff, as well as College Station res
idents joined together at Guion Hall to cel
ebrate the Allied victory in Europe.
President Gibb Gilchrist reminded the
Corps members that the war was only
half over and they could not relax until
the final victory.
“The fight with Japan will be a long
and hard one,” Gilchrist said. “We must
give our government the full support that
it needs in order that final victory will be
ours.”
The service ended with the playing of
“Taps” to commemorate the Aggies who
had fallen in battle.
On August 6, 1945 an atomic bomb
dropped from the bomber “Enola Gay”
destroyed the Japanese city of Hiroshima.
Three days later the city of Nagasaki met
a similar fate. The war came to a close
when the Japanese surrendered on Aug.
14, 1943 aboard the U.S.S. Missouri and
were witnessed by Col. Tom Dooley, one
of the Agg ies captured by the Japanese on
Corregidor.
In front of Goodwin Hall, the Aggies
held a traditional Yell Practice to celebrate
the victory. Nine hundred and fifty Aggies
had lost their lives in the conflict.
I he veterans who returned used the GI
Bill to continue their studies at A&M after
Texas A&M often held dances with Tems
State College for Women in Denton.
they were discharged from the militari
Many of these men were married andreadj
to finish their educational careers,sale
Richard Alterman, Class of‘49.
Alterman, managing editor of The Bai-
talion in 1947, described these menaj
“serious players” because they instilled
intense sense of competition among
student body. He said , however, i
books and teaching methods still in ist
after the war had not progressed to sho»
the technological advances that had oo
curred during the war.
“I felt that I was short changed in mj
education,” he said.
Alterman said many veterans were mil
matized by the war and would not u
about their experiences on the battlefield
Final tribute
In 1951, the MSC was dedicated as
memorial to those who never came back.
“In humble reverence ... to those mti
of A&M who gave their lives in defenst
of our country,” The inscription reads
“Here is enshrined in spirit and in bronit
enduring tribute to tneir valor and
their deep devotion. Here their memon
shall remain forever fresh — their sacri
fices shall not be forgotten.”
WASH I
Secretary l
the head of
Tobacco at
day and sc
officials a
faulted the
a Texas re
four agents
Field co
,.. shoulc
with the
Branch Da
Waco upc
leader Da'
were com it
He anne
Co]
rac
Adminii
video conf
university (
The prei
ing faculty
race relatic
multicultui
Karan C
sources de]
interest abc
"The pr<
campus," C
University,
The pro
section of i
listened to
During
Dean Gage
relations.
The Battalion
Congratulations to
The Battalion
for 100 Informative Years
"... and the Department of Recreational Sports Jtas been a
tradition at A&M since 1876, when the cadets played
intm-battaliohgames... n |
From One Tiradition to Another
Happy Birthday!
■Worn
previ<
1 Texas
footb,