UC Community That Served

This journal includes an article that regards educational oppurtunities for returing veterens of the WW2 conflict. This source also includes a write-up detailing that 735 Ursinus Students, Faculty, and Staff served in the War, and 35 of them gave their lives. This same article tells us that the first class of Ursinus noted as having serving members in the conflict is the class of '14. It further states that a total of about 32 classes of Ursinus had men and women serving in the conflict, this means that about 23 men and women per class.  

This yearbook features a dedication to all Ursinus students fighting in the War and those who have given their lives for the cause. It also includes statements by the senior class officers regarding how the war affected campus, and their perception of seeing their friends and fellow students be "called to the colors." These statements also detail the class of 44's third year, and how they noticed that the War had taken a "great toll of the men." The statements speak about the students' return in 1943 to the campus and how the Navy had established a V-12 unit on campus, and tells how these men were trained by their own personnel but shared many classes with students. When talking about the V-12, the officers also state that the pressence of the naval men greatly helped to counteract the absence of the male students at the Senior Ball.

This yearbook includes a dedication to all of Ursinus College, and the ideals that it has prepared it's students to defend and honor. It includes a powerful statement that "Not only in battle are we ready to offer our lives, but we are also prepared to devote our lives to the eternal struggle against our real enemies: death, tyranny, injustice, want, and ignorance." Statements by the senior class of '43 included this statement of remorse at the loss of students and friends, and the resilience of Ursinus in facing the struggles of the War:  The War took increasingly more men all the time and those few men who stayed were busy filling out army navy marine, and income tax forms. These were troubles never
before faced by our generation of college students." Through these statements we can get a sense of the increasing toll the War was having on student and campus morale. However, the class of '43 continued on and had the best senior year they could in light of the circumstsances.  

This newspaper includes an article entitled "A Thought For The Future" which states this about the newly declared conflict in America: "Today marks the anniversary of a one-week old declaration that a state of war exists between the United States and Japan. Almost overnight the war in Europe and in Asia has become close and real to us. Air raid drills, black-outs, armed guards, conscription, and similar terms have taken on new and startling significance. We are at war!" it wraps up with this statement: "Through this war will come the destruction of the old orders, and out of it will emerge a new one. We will be confident that it will not be the New Order of Nazism. Determination of the kind
of world order it will be, however, depends upon our plans and policies now. Our world is changing and we need to recognize that fact daringly, courageously, and thoughtfully. Therefore, at a time when concern and interest is directed toward building air raid. shelters, methods of extinguishing incendiary bombs, and the immediate study of war tactics, does it not appear sensible and sane to be also thinking, planning, and acting in ways that will direct our efforts toward a future settlement in harmony with the inherent unity of man"? These passages show that after the events of the Pearl Harbor Attacks, this campus was wildly uncertain of the conflict to come and what their part in it would be. Yet, thoughts of the world after war were already prevailing in this communities minds. As to, was the determination to contribute to the new world order in a positive and peace-upholding manner.