Introduction

Approved as a General Military Science Program, graduates of the UH ROTC Program are trained to become officers in all 18 US military branches for officers. All UH ROTC cadets graduate as officers, who have a 90% chance of receiving their first or second choice of military branch. Within the last five years, 20% of their commissioned officers have been Distinguished Military Graduates (DMGs). This Veteran's Day, please join us in celebration of 100 years of dedication and excellence!

Founded in the 1910s, the UH ROTC Program was originally founded to aid with WWI efforts. It was officially recognized by the War Department in 1921. Though the Program was later disbanded during WWII, the cadets participated in war efforts as part of the Hawaii Territorial Guard. Many of the papers, trophies, and photos of the intervening years were destroyed in the 1971 and 1986 fires, but some of those records that survived (either at the ROTC offices or the UH Archives) are featured throughout this exhibit.

More on the history of the UH ROTC Program.

This digital exhibit created by Susana Oliveros, Cheyenne Smigiel, and Rayna Tamura for LIS 658, Fall 2021.

Please Click Here to Fill Out a Short Survey After Viewing the Exhibit!

UH Army rotc through the years

An album of photos, documents, and other records from the past 100 years.

World War ii

On the morning of December 7th, 1941, UH Army ROTC activities were temporarily suspended, and by the afternoon that same day, 80% of senior ROTC cadets answered a call to report to the national guard armory, where they then joined the Hawaii Territorial Guard, and later the famed 442nd Regimental Combat Team.
The UH Army ROTC was the only unit to be activated during World War II, and they remain only 1 of 2 ROTCs in the country to have had cadets participate in conflict. Click here to view records.

Fallen warriors

UH Army ROTC cadets have served in World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, Iraq War, and Afghanistan War, and 17 of them gave the ultimate sacrifice. Read their stories and contributions to UH, Hawai'i, and the country here.

Achievements

UH ROTC achievements and the stories behind the ROTC saber and the Warrior of the Pacific trophy.

a day in the life of a cadet

UH student Susan Amaki was an ROTC cadet in the late 70s and loved taking photographs. In October 2000 a classmate of hers, Clara K. Furubayahi, sent one of her albums to the ROTC to add to their collection. Click here to view some of her album photos from Fall of 1977 and Spring of 1978.

1960s/1970s demonstrations and arson

College students across the country had began to protest military activities and classes in the 1960s. At UH, students and staff alike protested the teaching of Military Science courses and staged sit-in demonstrations in the ROTC buildings. A scandal involving professors led to the resignation of the UH president, and prompted a handful of students and other instigators to fire-bomb the Army ROTC offices. Click here to read more about the incident and the aftermath.

1971-1972 rotc yearbook

The program self-published a black and white yearbook documenting the activities of the '71-'72 academic year. It is unknown if yearbooks were published prior to 1972 since all library and archival records between 1917 and 1970 were destroyed and lost in a fire in 1986. Click here to page through some of the pages of this fun and valuable yearbook.

1986 arson

Though the 1971 fire was destructive, it was the arson case of 1986 that was devastating. The fire burned and destroyed records dating back to 1917. And unlike the former, the perpetrators of this event were never identified or captured. Click here to learn more.

UH Army ROTC, Centennial 12-Mile Hike

December 4, 2021
Start time 7:30 a.m.

Come join us, for a hike around Kaena point. Choose your own distance (trail will be marked every mile) or attempt the 12 miles. This is a low impact route and could get warm/hot quickly, so we will begin early. Ensure that you have a water source (plan for 1-qt per 2-3 miles).
Check in will be at both starting points and there will be Cadre rovers along the trail in the event of an emergency.

Click here for to sign up.

Questions: armyrotc@hawaii.edu

Mahalo!

We would like to thank Helen Wong Smith, UHM Archivist for University Records; Crystal Gonzalez, Cadet Executive Officer; Jerrod Melander, LTC, Professor of Military Science; and everyone at the Archives and UH Army ROTC offices who helped to make this exhibit possible.

Click here for copyright information.

Records on this site may not be used without permission. Please review citations for copyright and source information.

ROTC photos, logos, insignia, documents, and other records belong to the United States Army - please contact the UH Army ROTC for further information.