On September 11, 1943, East Texas State Teachers College welcomed a  company of soldiers who were to be trained on the campus as engineers for participation in the Army Specialized Training Program.  “The college was one of about 200 institutions of higher learning picked by the army to provide training in such highly technical fields as engineering, medicine, mathematics, the sciences, and languages to about 100,000 young men who were selected because of their demonstrated aptitude for one of the needed specialties.  The college was expected to provide housing, classrooms and most of the instruction for the ASTP participants.  While at ET, the young soldier-students followed a highly disciplined regimen, which involved five-and-a-half days of classes each week.  Participating college professors not only taught the uniformed young men the mathematics, science, and engineering necessary for their specialty, but such liberal arts subjects as history, geography, and English as well” (p. 95, Reynolds, 1993).  The army ended the program in the spring of 1944, and the graduating members of Unit 4813 were transferred to Camp Maxey, in Paris, Texas and assigned to the 99^th Infantry Division.

Later they were sent to Europe for combat duty and fighting in the Battle of the Bulge. "The 99th Infantry Division was one of the most decorated combat units in Europe, having one Medal of Honor, 252 Silver Stars, and 5,000 Purple Hearts. They captured more than 100,000 German soldiers and 1,000 square miles of German territory, losing seven men killed in action" (Richards, 1993).

In 1987, ASTP Unit #4813 began holding reunions at East Texas State University, now Texas A&M University-Commerce. They have been active in providing scholarship assistance to the students and are avid supporters of the Veteran's Salute held each year on campus in conjunction with Veteran's Day.

In 1993, Texas Governor Ann Richards proclaimed Friday, March 22, 1993 as ASTP Unit 4813 Honor Day in recognition of their sixth reunion and the 50th anniversary of arrival on the campus of ETSTC. In 2000, Texas Governor George W. Bush sent special greetings to the members through State Representative Betty Brown as part of their 13th reunion.

Texas A&M-Commerce is proud of these men and takes pride in the continuing association with them and their families. A permanent display is located in the Gee Library on the second floor. Information related to ASTP Unit #4813 is included in two history books about the University, Professor Mayo's College (1993) and A History of East Texas State Teachers College in World War II (1947).

References:

Grinnan, J. T. (1947). A history of ETSTC in WWII. Submitted in partial fulfillment for the degree of Masters of Science.

Reynolds, D. E. (1993). Professor Mayo's college. East Texas State University Press: Commerce, TX.

Richards, A. (March 2, 1993). Official memorandum from the Office of the Governor.