Squadron A Cavalry, New York State Guard, offers positions to college men in its ranks, as it is and has been largely made up of men drawn from four colleges and universities and hopes to draw in the future from these sources. A short outline of the history of Squadron A will indicate what singular and exceptional opportunities it offers to men interested in military affairs.

It was organized in 1889 and has always been noted for the high quality of its personnel and its military efficiency. It served with distinction in the Spanish War, and on the Mexican Border in 1916. As the 105th Machine Gun Battalion of the 27th New York Division, it served in Flanders and in France and participated in every engagement of that Division from the Ypres salient to the breaking of the Hindenburg line between Cambral and St. Quentin, and in the subsequent operations up to the Sambre Canal.

Since its organization, about 90 percent of its membership has been composed of college men, many of the more prominent athletes having been numbered on its rolls. After its Mexican Border service, foreseeing that this country must become involved in the World War practically every enlisted man in the Squadron entered a training camp and was commissioned in one of the various branches of the service. The best commentary on the character of its personnel is that out of a total of about 1200 ex-members, over 850 served as commissioned officers in the United States Army or Navy during the World War. Many of those not commissioned were too old for active service and performed efficient and distinguished service in the numerous non-military activities organized at that time. Among the ex-members of Squadron A may be mentioned two Generals, a Secretary and Assistant Secretary of War, a Secretary and Assistant Secretary of State, also many officers of high rank and distinguished service.

War Dept. Makes Squadron O. T. S.

In recognition of its exceptional record, and appreciating the present value of Squadron A as a source of supply for the highest type of officer material, on the recommendation of the Chief of the Military Bureau to the Chief of Staff, the War Department officially designated Squadron A an Officers' Training School on March 20, 1920. Under this order the Squadron will consist of four Cavalry Troops and a Machine Gun Troop; and such members as satisfactorily complete their term of enlistment will be commissioned in the National Guard or in the Reserve Corps. It is also provided that there will be detailed to the school, regular army officers, preferably former graduates of the Special Service Schools as instructors in infantry, cavalry, field artillery, engineering, signal corps, etc., it being the intention that those officers so detailed shall be particularly competent to develop and organize the courses of instruction to conform to the methods pursued at the above mentioned Service Schools.