For sale is an original 1936 CAMP HURLBURT BOXING MEDAL from a citizen’s military training camp. This ribbon and medal was probably presented to the winner of the camp’s boxing tournament. The back of the medal is marked junior welterweight. Not many people today are aware of America’s Military Citizen Training Camps or their purpose. At the time, the maximum weight for a junior welterweight was 140 pounds. A great military and sports collectible.
Citizen’s Military Training Camps (CMTC) were one-month summer camps that offered military training and sports to young men aged 17 to 24. The purpose of the camps was to improve citizenship and attendance can lead to a reserve commission for students who attend four camps and pass an examination. While it is difficult to evaluate camp’s goal of making better citizens, General John J. Pershing (1860-1948) argued that the camps taught self-control and leadership abilities. Across the nation, about 400,000 men attended citizen military training camps and about 4,000 earned Army commissions. Many of its graduates did go on to successful careers in the civilian sector. Citizen’s camps most famous graduate who received a commission was Ronald Reagan.
Camp Hurlburt, on the north edge of Vancouver Barracks, Washington State, was established in 1926. The camp was named to honor First Lieutenant Ralph “Spec” Hurlburt (1888-1918). Lt Hurlburt served with the 91st Division (known as the “Wild West Division”) in World War I and was been killed in action in France. The camp became the largest Citizens Military Training Camp on the West Coast, with over 600 students attending each year.
At Camp Hurlburt, students learned how to march and do close order drill, became proficient with infantry weapons, and engaged in practice battles. In conformity with camp policy, the afternoons were filled with sports activities that included baseball, handball, volley ball, tennis, golf, and boxing. The cities of Vancouver and Portland welcomed Camp Hurlburt, which had a positive economic impact on the region and was viewed as an example of good citizenship at work. Young women from the two cities happily attended the annual Citizens Military Training Camp dance held in the Vancouver Barracks gymnasium. They were bused to the dance, and it was one of the big social events of the year.
