The Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) was institutionalized in 1916 with the passage of the National Defense Act; it was charged to increase preparedness prior to the American entry into World War I. Alabama Polytechnic Institute (API) already had a military type program in progress since 1872 under the Morrill Act. One of the provisions of the ROTC was the creation of a Reserve Officer Training Corps in colleges and universities across the nation. During WWII, API trained U.S. military personnel on campus. Between 1941 and 1945, the API Cadet Corps produced hundreds of officers for the war effort. Following the end of World War II, API experienced a period of massive growth caused by returning military personnel taking advantage of their GI Bill. The Auburn University AFROTC Detachment 005 is a recognized leader amongst AFROTC programs and has a proud heritage at Auburn University. Several influential Air Force leaders are Auburn University alumni including: Major General Gerald Prather, General Jimmy Adams, Major General Theodore Mallory III, and Major General James Stewart who is presently serving as Military Executive Officer.