The U.S. Army's involvement in the Vietnam War would prove a watershed event for the nation. Between 1964 and 1972, the Army's Reserve Officers' Training Corps commissioned 115,118 second lieutenants. Many served with distinction in close combat operations in the Republic of Vietnam.
In June 1965, the first ROTC Basic Camp opened up at Fort Knox as part of the 1964 ROTC Vitalization Act. The new Basic Camp, later renamed Leaders Training Course, or LTC, trained over 1,200 cadets at Fort Knox that first summer.
In 1968, LTC moved from Fort Knox to Fort Benning, Georgia. It remained there until the summer of 1973 when it returned to Fort Knox. All ROTC Cadet Summer Training consolidated at Fort Knox in 2013. Now, approximately 10,000 cadets train each summer in the Army's largest annual training event.
Editor's Note: This information was excerpted and adapted from the Cadet Command centennial book titled, The Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps 100 Years of Service to the Nation, 1916-2016.
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