A Great Past – A Better Future

The Eastern Kentucky University Colonel’s Battalion has the mission to help develop the leaders of tomorrow.

ROTC Established

Military training was first introduced to the old “Central University” in Richmond, Kentucky in 1892. The Reserve Officers’ Training Corps was officially established on the campus of Eastern Kentucky State College in 1936.

Welcome to Weaver

Weaver is located in the middle of campus, next to Powell, 217 Park Drive. With the help of President McFaddin, EKU Facilities Services, donors, students and staff, Weaver has become a welcoming home for the MSL Army ROTC Department.

Official EKU SROTC Insignia

In March of 1937, the Military Science Department, with the aid of the Art Department, received approval from the Headquarters Department of the Army for the school patch or Shoulder Sleeve Insignia. It consisted of a maroon silhouette of Daniel Boone standing at the foothills of the Cumberland Mountains; the shield is a background of white. The patch is still proudly worn by Cadets today. The Eastern Kentucky University SROTC program had its Shoulder Loop Insignia authorized on June 6, 1974 by the Institute of Heraldry.

The Colonels’ Battalion

Since commissioning the first eleven Cadets in 1940, Eastern Kentucky University’s “COLONELS’ BATTALION” ROTC program has produced over 2,050 Second Lieutenants for duty in the army.

Today the “Colonels Battalion” continues to stand for Leadership Excellence and the long tradition of being one of the best ROTC programs in the nation.