The establishment of the Thirty Second Air Training Detachment at Dickinson
College provides a solid context for an examination of the changes which
the second world war induced. These changes not only effected liberal
arts colleges, but also had undeniable effects on all sectors of American
domestic life. In order for the United States and its allies
to win the War in the Pacific and in Europe, it was necessary for these
private and public institutions to make sacrifices to ensure the sufficient
preparation of the United States Armed Forces. From March 1st, 1943
to June 1st, 1944, Dickinson College made their sacrifice with the establishment
of the Air Training Detachment. This Government funded program served
dual purposes, however. It not only aided in the preparation of Army
Air Force cadets, but it also had substantial political and economic benefits
for Dickinson College. Economically speaking, the Air Training Detachment
saved the College during a time in which its student enrollment could not
have provided enough income to ensure survival. Politically, the
Air Corps program reinforced Dickinson's commitment to the overall war
effort. The College went through significant physical changes as
a result of the training detachment, including its first ever dining hall,
and some of these changes can still be identified today. In addition
to these tangible alterations, the manner in which Dickinson alumni who
were here at the time remember their alma mater was to be irrevocably
developed as a result of the establishment of the Air Training Detachment.
If Dickinson remembers the men of the 32nd, their own individual accounts
of their experiences while enrolled at the College demonstrate that these
young men training for the most serious of tasks would remember the College,
as well.
Essentially, the Thirty Second Air Training Detachment had numerous
social, political and economic effects on the College at a critical time
in its history. It also changed forever the way that Dickinson remembers
this history.
