Brig. Gen. David Elicerio was honored by the University of Minnesota Reserve Officers' Training Corps in a ceremony at the U of M Armory May 22. Elicerio, an alumnus of the U of M ROTC program, addressed the program's newly commissioned officers later in the day.
The University of Minnesota Reserve Officers' Training Corps program honored its alumni May 22 in a ceremony at the U of M Armory May 22. Those present and honored included Brig. Gen. David Elicerio and former Minnesota governor Wendell R. Anderson, received a commemorative coin.
The Reserve Officers' Training Corps, which as a college elective produces approximately 39% of the military's officers, was founded as a result of the Morril Act, which gave land to states and territories to use for universities. Part of the government's requirement for these schools was that they include military tactics as part of their curriculum; as a result, military training was compulsory at the University of Minnesota until 1934.
