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Army ROTC: Greyhound Battalion

History

The Greyhound Battalion: A History of Army ROTC at Loyola University Maryland (formerly Loyola College in Maryland)

Table of Contents

Alumni Memorial Chapel Construction, 1952
Figure 1: Alumni Memorial Chapel Construction, 1952. From Chapel construction, by Loyola University Maryland, 2023, Loyola Magazine. Copyright 2023 by Loyola University Maryland.

Chapter 1: Establishment and Early Years (1952–1955)

On September 16, 1952, Loyola College in Maryland (now Loyola University Maryland) officially established a Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program in partnership with the United States Army. The introduction came just one day after the dedication of the Alumni Memorial Chapel on September 15, 1952—a space built to honor Loyola alumni who died in World War II.

The 1953 Evergreen yearbook observed, “The 1952 Fall term brought a new invasion of Evergreen. The campus lawns and athletic field took on the appearance of a military encampment as Loyola’s new ROTC unit was established” (Goldstein, 2024, para. 2)

Loyola was one of 25 colleges selected to participate in a national pilot program to test a new ““branch general” curriculum. Unlike traditional ROTC programs of the time that concentrated Cadets into specific Army branches, this broader model emphasized foundational military education with the flexibility to commission into any branch upon graduation.

ROTC Cadets Rappel Off a Loyola College in Maryland Building
Figure 2: ROTC Cadets Rappel Off a Loyola College in Maryland Building. From ROTC cadets rappelling, by Loyola University Maryland, 2024, Loyola Magazine. 2024 by Loyola University Maryland.

This pilot program complemented the university’s Jesuit mission, which emphasized the development of the whole person (cura personalis) and leadership in service to society. St. Ignatius of Loyola was himself a soldier who redirected his life toward service after a battlefield injury, leading to the establishment of the Jesuit order in 1534.

“St. Ignatius was a soldier, and he was a fierce, fierce believer in God and in serving others,” said Reverend Timothy Brown, S.J., Assistant to the President for Mission Integration and Associate Professor of Law and Social Responsibility, in a 2024 interview. “He wanted to do something bigger, magnanimous, more. We call it magis” (Brown, 2024, as cited in Goldstein, 2024, para. 5)

At the time, ROTC participation was mandatory for all first- and second-year male students, reflecting national policy. Loyola upheld this requirement until 1969, when federal reforms enabled institutions to transition to voluntary enrollment.

The first Cadet cohort began training in the 1952–1953 academic year. In 1955, Loyola hosted its inaugural commissioning ceremony, commissioning its first ROTC graduates as Second Lieutenants in the United States Army. The program has commissioned Officers every year since, a tradition now for over seventy years.

Chapter 2: The Vietnam Era and the Transition to Voluntary Service (1955–1971)

During the 1960s, Loyola’s ROTC program continued operating under the “branch general” model. Officers commissioned during this period served during the Cold War and Vietnam War.

On October 13, 1964, the ROTC Vitalization Act reshaped ROTC programs nationally, introducing two- and four-year scholarship opportunities and enhancing academic competitiveness. In 1969, Department of Defense Directive 1215.4, titled, “Enrollment, Retention, and Disenrollment Criteria for ROTC Programs,” granted universities the authority to eliminate compulsory ROTC participation (Department of Defense, 1969).

Loyola formally ended its mandatory enrollment that same year based on Directive 1215.4. While many campuses experienced intense opposition to ROTC during the Vietnam War, available records from Loyola College in Maryland suggest the 1969 transition to voluntary enrollment was preceded without notable protest, indicating a relatively muted or deferential campus response to national unrest.

By the close of the decade, ROTC at Loyola was a voluntary program, open to students who pursued military leadership as a vocation.

Chapter 3: Coeducation and Program Expansion (1971–1980s)

Loyola College in Maryland became coeducational in the fall of 1971. The following year, Department of Defense Directive 1304.13 titled, “Accession of Women into the Service Academies and ROTC Programs,” authorized women to participate in senior ROTC programs and earn commissions (Department of Defense, 1972). That year, Loyola ROTC enrolled its first female Cadets.

On July 1, 1973, the United States Army established the All-Volunteer Force, ending twenty-three years of conscription, the longest uninterrupted period in U.S. history.

During this time, Loyola expanded its ROTC program through cross-enrollment agreements with nearby institutions. Students from Notre Dame of Maryland University, Goucher College, and Towson University began attending Loyola for military science coursework.

This multi-institutional ROTC unit became known as the Greyhound Battalion—named for Loyola’s mascot. Though the exact date of the designation is unclear, the term became widely adopted and has since become an official and enduring component of the program’s identity.

Chapter 4: Program Maturity (1990s–2000s)

By the 1990s, the Greyhound Battalion had matured into a stable, well-established ROTC unit with a reliable pipeline for commissioning Officers. Graduates served in major U.S. military operations of this era, including Desert Storm, peacekeeping in the Balkans, humanitarian and counter-terrorism deployments in the Horn of Africa, operations in Central and Southeast Asia and the Caribbean, and combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Chapter 5: The Greyhound Battalion Today (2010s–2020s)

As of 2025, the Greyhound Battalion remains headquartered at Loyola University Maryland and continues to train Cadets from Loyola University Maryland, Towson University, Goucher College, and Notre Dame of Maryland University.

The program’s curriculum focuses on leadership development and is aligned with Loyola’s Jesuit educational mission and values. Cadets participate in physical fitness training, field exercises, academic instruction, and civic engagement. The program’s goal is to recruit, educate, develop, and inspire Scholar Athlete Leaders who commission as Officers of character—prepared for a lifetime commitment and service to the nation.

Cadet James “Jimmy” Hayburn Sets School Record and Receives Gold in 50-yard Freestyle at Patriot League, Beats Army and Navy
Figure 3: Cadet James “Jimmy” Hayburn Sets School Record and Receives Gold in 50-yard Freestyle at Patriot League, Beats Army and Navy. From a photograph by Loyola University Maryland Athletics, 2020, LoyolaGreyhounds.com. Copyright 2020 by Loyola University Maryland.

Since 1955, Loyola ROTC has commissioned more than 1,300 Officers into the United States serving within the Active Duty, National Guard, and Army Reserve components.

Its alumni include General Officers, Brigade Commanders, a former Commander of the United States Army Special Operations Command, a former Commanding General of the United States Army Special Forces Command, a former Director of the Joint Staff for the Maryland National Guard, and a former Deputy G-3 for United States Northern Command. The program has also produced one of the Army’s few astronauts and many graduates who have served in the 75th Ranger Regiment and United States Army Special Forces.

Many graduates have built distinguished careers—both in uniform and in civilian leadership roles—marked by continued public service and civic responsibility.

Emily Wolfson (Commissioning Class of ’17) Holds Loyola Flag on Deployment
Figure 4: Emily Wolfson (Commissioning Class of ’17) Holds Loyola Flag on Deployment. From a photograph by Loyola University Maryland, 2023, Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities. Copyright 2023 by Loyola University Maryland.

Chapter 6: To Do More Universal Good in the Pursuit of Greater Purpose: A Legacy of Leadership and Magis

Greyhound Battalion Cadets Present Colors at 2021 Loyola University Maryland Commencement
Figure 5: Greyhound Battalion Cadets Present Colors at 2021 Loyola University Maryland Commencement. From a photograph by Loyola University Maryland, 2021, Loyola University Maryland, Office of Marketing and Communications. Copyright 2021 by Loyola University Maryland.

Since its founding in 1952, Loyola’s Army ROTC program has maintained an unbroken relationship with the United States Army and Loyola University Maryland. Through war, reform, and generational change, the program has remained grounded in the values of leadership, scholarship, and service.

With more than 1,300 commissioned leaders over seven decades, the Greyhound Battalion has produced Officers who have served in every major U.S. military operation since its founding. Its tradition of intergenerational service—parents, siblings, and children following the same path through the same program—places it among the most enduring ROTC programs in the nation.

It was magis—the pursuit of greater purpose—that guided Loyola’s founding of its ROTC program in 1952. That same spirit continues to inspire each new generation of Cadets as they prepare to serve with integrity in a complex and changing world.

Appendix: The Early House

Photograph of Early House in 1966
Figure 6: Photograph of Early House in 1966. From The Greyhound (Vol. 40), by Loyola College, 1966, Loyola College in Maryland. Copyright 1966 by Loyola College in Maryland.

The Early House is located on the northeastern edge of Loyola University Maryland’s campus near the former site of Millbrook Avenue and serves as the operations building for the university’s Army ROTC program. It houses instructor offices and supports the day-to-day functions of the program, including administrative work, planning, academic advising, and regular interactions between Cadre and Cadets. Cadets often gather at the Early House to study, prepare for events, or meet with their peers informally, making it a consistent point of contact within the Greyhound Battalion. While unassuming in appearance, the building plays a central role in the routine functioning of ROTC at Loyola and is closely tied to the institution’s broader military and educational history.
Loyola College in Maryland acquired the property in 1966. Archives of Loyola’s student newsletter, The Greyhound, offer differing accounts: some describe the acquisition as a direct purchase while others suggest the acquisition was financed by an anonymous donor. The 1966 article, Early House: Memorial to College Founder, reported,

“Included in Loyola College’s recent land purchases was a large building, chosen to be the headquarters of the History Department, and subsequently named for a man prominent in the history of the school.

Early House, on the eastern most segment of the Loyola campus, was named for the College’s founder and first president, Rev. John Early, S.J. For over two decades in the Society of Jesus, Father Early served successively as Rector and President of Holy Cross, Loyola, and Georgetown. John Early was born in Ireland in 1812…

At the age of 18, Father Early journeyed to an America already fabled as “the promised land” for Europe’s energetic poor. Three years later, he entered the Sulpician seminary, Mount Saint Mary’s, in Emmitsburg. In August of the following year, he transferred to the Jesuit novitiate at Frederick” (Loyola College, 1966).

The article emphasized how Loyola College, the ninth surviving Jesuit collegiate foundation in the United States, was established in response to Archbishop Francis P. Kenrick’s request to limit St. Mary’s to seminary education. Rev. John Early assumed responsibility for creating a new institution of higher learning in Baltimore in 1852.

For fifty-nine years, this remained the history of the Early House. On February 19, 2025, previously unrecorded information surfaced when the Greyhound Battalion received a letter from Winston N. Brundige, an Army ROTC graduate of Johns Hopkins University whose family lived in the house for decades prior to the sale. According to Brundige, the home was built by his grandfather, Thomas Worthington Brundige Jr., in 1928 on what remained of a larger family estate. He recalled growing up in the house from 1945 to 1965 and gave the address as 225 Winston Avenue. In his letter, he wrote:

"[The Early House] was built by my grandfather, Thomas Worthington Brundige, Jr. (at one time, Judge Advocate of the 5th Regiment, Maryland National Guard) in 1928 on the remaining two acres of our original farm. My father sold the house to a client in 1965, who bought it purposely to donate to Loyola after Johns Hopkins had transferred the back portion of the Garrett estate to Loyola" (W. N. Brundige, personal communication, February 19, 2025).

This memory aligns with Loyola’s records, even if the precise nature of the transfer remains unclear. Brundige’s letter also describes the property’s original features, including a barn, large oaks, and a sloping lawn, and references a story told by his grandmother about federal agents occupying the house during World War II to monitor a suspected German agent living nearby. While such accounts are unverifiable, they contribute to the accumulated memory of the site.

Although the precise acquisition history of Early House remains unclear, the records of The Greyhound and Brundige’s family recollections converge on the same transitional period of 1965–1966. 

Today, the building remains in active use. As the Greyhound Battalion’s primary hub for activity, it remains a functional space with a layered past—residential, academic, and operational—woven into the fabric of Loyola’s institutional history and the history of the United States military.

References

Contact Us

Mr. Thomas Brendlinger
tsbrendlinger@loyola.edu


We are located at the Early House and 300 Radnor

 

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