US Army Air Force Cadets in front of Bunk Beds (ca. 1943)
Description:
This black and white photograph shows two US army air force cadets standing in front of bunch beds in their dorm room in Alumni Hall at Springfield College (ca. 1943). The two men are smiling in casual uniform, one wearing a tie and one wearing a cap. One soldier is leaning on the foot of the bed. Writing on back says, "Double decked beds with real mattresses looked good to the cadets". At the start of World War II, Springfield College served as training grounds for the Army Air Corps, which allotted the college $90,000 for upgrading facilities. In the spring of 1944, the training program was canceled; in order to conserve its assets for expanded postwar operations in the face of decreasing student enrollment, Springfield College negotiated a contract with the U.S. Navy to serve as a Naval Special Hospital. The Navy allotted $75,000 to bring the college up to the mark of a naval hospital, and the first contingent of one hundred and fifty patients arrived on September 22, 1944. It was estimated that five hundred patients could be served. Alumni Hall was used as the hospital, and the old dormitory (now called the Administration Building) became administrative offices and housing for nurses and WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service).
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