Cadets exercising on the campus of Springfield College (ca. July 1943)
Description:
This black and white photograph shows a large group of soldiers from the Army Air Corps doing an abdominal exercise called leg-raises on the campus of Springfield College as part of their training for World War II. They are lying on their back, lowering one leg towards the ground and then raising another leg back into the air. You can also see a number of big trees and Marsh Memorial in the background of the photo. This photo was taken in July, 1943. Charles E. Wecworth, director of recreation and camping for the college, carefully supervised freshman training on the Commando Course. Leslie J. Judd adapted the course from one at the pre-flight school at Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Built entirely by freshman volunteers, the ten-obstacle course took full advantage of the natural terrain on the shores of Lake Massasoit. The course, which starts and finishes in the rear of Woods Hall, includes uneven ground, a sand pit, steep hills, embankments, a vaulting fence, log pile, a series of “under and over” obstacles, a “roof run” (an inverted "v" made of large logs), a maze, and an eleven-foot water jump. The pit was dug by the freshmen at lake level so that it would always be filled with four feet of water by natural seepage. Furthermore, the cement foundations of the former ice-house, which burned down some years before, provided ready-made six and eight-foot scaling walls. Conditioning on the commando course was obligatory for the entire freshman class and was used by upperclassmen in their military track program. On the back of the photographic print is stamped, "JUL 1943";
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