Hector T. Garcia Memorial, Army Specialized Training Reserve Program, United States Army (ASTRP Company A, Unit 3923) Collection Hector T. Garcia Memorial Collection Army Specialized Training Reserve Program, United States Army (ASTRP Company A, Unit 3923) Collection, 1944-2007

The Army Specialized Training Reserve Program (ASTRP) was one of several U.S. Army special programs created during World War II to meet needs for large numbers of soldiers with special technical and professional skills. ASTRP was created for men who were not yet old enough to be eligible for the military draft (17 years old), to provide college training with military scholarships, thus building a pool of personnel especially well prepared for military service as technicians, specialists, and officer training.

Washington State College in Pullman, Washington was home to ASTRP Company A, Unit 3923. In July 1944, its 250 members--17-year-olds from various western states--arrived on campus. From July until December, they received intensive academic and physical training at WSC, lived on campus in dormitories, and participated in competitive athletics. The 181 members who finished the program scattered to a wide variety of military assignments, but after forming strong personal relationships as members of this cohort many of them maintained lifelong connections with the group. Hector Garcia facilitated these connections through sustained research over many years to locate members.

The group held its first reunion in 1951, and began meeting regularly beginning in 1974. Their tenth reunion was held in 2006.