Harvard Welcomes Back ROTC

After more than 40 years, Harvard University will be allowing the military’s Reserve Officers Training Corps program to return to its campus. Harvard President Drew Faust and U.S. Navy Secretary Ray Mabus will sign an agreement giving “full and formal recognition” to a Navy ROTC program later this year, the university said in a statement. The Navy, Army, and Air Force all pulled their ROTC programs from Harvard in 1970 thanks to on campus protests against the Vietnam War, and Harvard refused to reinstate the program because of the military’s ban on gay service members. Since Congress voted to end the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy preventing openly gay service members, Harvard will recognize the Navy ROTC later this year when the law is officially repealed.