UWM is one of five schools that make up the Golden Eagle Battalion. With Marquette University as the host, UW-Milwaukee, UW-Parkside, MSOE and Concordia University Wisconsin all produce cadets that drive the Golden Eagle Battalion forward.
The History of the Golden Eagle Battalion
Military Training at Marquette dates back to October 1918 when a unit of the Students Army Training Corps of the United States was established on campus as part of the World War I effort. At the end of the war, the Student Corps was demobilized. In 1940 a Naval ROTC unit was established at Marquette. In September 1951, the United States Army Corps of Engineers started a branch Army ROTC at the request of the university. Effective with the fall enrollment of 1960, the AROTC program was changed to General Military Science to provide a broader base for student participation. In 1973, the ROTC program was opened to women. This tradition continues as each year young men and women are commissioned officers in the Active Army, Army Reserve, and the Army National Guard. Today there are over of 100 cadets enrolled in the program.
The History of the Battalion Crest
Our Battalion crest is the heritage of Marquette University, our host institution. The upper portion is a scene that is taken from a United States postage stamp of the Trans-Mississippi issue of 1898. It bares the label, “Marquette on the Mississippi.” Father Marquette is portrayed half turning to speak to a group of Indians while he points in the great river whose course he followed and explored. The principle design of the crest is the coat of arms of the noble Spanish family of Lily. A member of this family is Ignatius Lily, who founded Marquette University. The two wolves represent the generosity of the house. It was said that the followers of the family were so well maintained that even the wolves found a feast within the kettle after the soldiers had eaten. The motto “Citoyen Patriote” means Citizen Patriot and represents our role as cadets and our commitment to serve our country as civilian soldiers.