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For 2004-2005, a themed repertoire was performed at the Homecoming concert and on tour in California. The following information appeared in the Homecoming program: Founded at the close of the American Civil War in 1865 and partially funded by Abraham Lincoln’s signing of the Morrill Land Grant Act, Cornell University has played an important role in international conflicts since its beginning. From the arrival of students in 1868 up to 1964, all male students were required to complete two years of military training. The first Cornellian to receive a regular military commission was Frank A. Barton, Class of 1891. He served valiantly in the Spanish-American War, Philippine Insurrection, and the Mexican Punitive Expedition. Barton Hall, previously known as the Drill Hall, was named after Colonel Barton in 1940. The first Americans in combat during World War I were part of an ambulance unit of thirty-five courageous Cornellians led by Edward I. Tinkham, Class of 1916, on March 24, 1917. The first American females to receive military rank were three physicians who graduated from Cornell, receiving the rank of lieutenant and the Croix de Guerre as well. Over 9,000 Cornellians participated in the war, with more than 5,300 seeing active service and 4,598 commissioned officers. Over two percent of all officers in the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps were from Cornell University, a staggering statistic. Cornellians in World War I received an impressive array of military decorations, with recognition from the U.S., Great Britain, France, Belgium, Italy, Greece, Japan, Montenegro, Portugal, Russia, and Serbia. Four pilots became aces, and Alan L. Eggers, Class of 1919, received the Congressional Medal of Honor. The most decorated infantryman of World War II was Matt Urban, Class of 1941, who also received the Congressional Medal of Honor. World War II saw the use of Liberty ships named the SS Andrew D. White and SS Ezra Cornell. Additionally, the SS Cornell Victory served as a cargo ship and the SS Cornell was a 16,000 ton tanker ship. The Fairchild PT-26 aircraft was named the Cornell, following previous models such as the Harvard and Yale. The War Memorial on West Campus honors 246 Cornellians who died in World War I. Memorials in Anabel Taylor Hall list over 500 Cornellians who perished in World War II as well as over forty Cornellians who have fallen in Korean, Vietnam, and other hostilities since the Second World War. On September 11, 2001, over forty Cornellians lost their lives in the terrorist attacks. Since then, a number of Cornell graduates have been lost in the campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq. ~ Corey Ryan Earle '07
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