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Military Academies by Avi Heiligman
The Jewish Home | SEPTEMBER 8, 2022
Forgotten Her es Military Academies
By Avi Heiligman
Military academies are a relatively recent concept. From ancient times through the Middle Ages, a soldier or officer went through military training designed to make them effective on the battlefield. Many nobles became commanders of armies, but there was no formal officer training. It wasn’t until the Italian Military Academy in Turin was established in 1678 that an educational institution was set up to prepare future officers for life in the military and beyond. Here is the history behind some of these academies that produced some of the most famous people in America.
There are five federal service academies in the United States that offer undergraduate degrees while training servicemen and women to be commissioned officers. The oldest is West Point, which is the home to the United States Military Academy. During the Revolutionary War, it was a garrison for the Continental Army, and in 1779, it became the headquarters for General Washington’s command. Benedict Arnold soon took over command of the fort, and it became known as Fort Arnold. After Arnold committed treason and switched sides, the garrison was then called Fort Clinton.
Several of the Founding Fathers, including George Washington, John Adams, and Alexander Hamilton, pushed for the creation of a military institution that would teach the art of warfare. In 1802, President Thomas Jefferson signed legislation establishing the U.S. Military Academy in West Point. There were twelve cadets in 1802 and, with no time period as to when they would finish their studies, graduation came at different times. Over the years, an established curriculum was put in place, and the academy became an accredited four-year institution with graduations in the spring.
The first superintendent was Jonathan Williams, a colonel who, while serving at West Point, also became the commander of the Corps of Engineers. Before Colonel Sylvanus Thayer, who is known as the father of the military academy, actually became the superintendent in 1817 there were two other heads of the academy. One of them was Joseph Gardner Swift who, along with Simon Magruder Levy, was the entire the first graduating class of West Point in 1802. Levy and Swift graduated in about 19 months with Swift officially being the
first cadet to graduate. Swift later wrote about Levy that he was a “member of a responsible Jew family of Baltimore and formerly a sergeant in Capt. [Benjamin] Lockwood’s Company of Infantry and thence promoted to cadet for his merit and mathematics attainments.”
Notable alumni include General Stonewall Jackson, who served in the Mexican American War before switching allegiance to the Confederates during the American Civil War. Ulysses Grant graduated in 1843 and became the commander of the Union Army. He led the army to final victory and in 1868 was elected as president. Future President Dwight D. Eisenhower graduated in 1915 and be-
Cadets celebrating graduation at the United States Air Force Academy
came supreme Allied commander of the Allied armies in western Europe during World War II. Astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins were both West Point graduates and were on the Apollo 11 mission that landed on the moon.
The United States Naval Academy was established in 1845 in Annapolis, Maryland. Secretary of the Navy George Bancroft founded the academy on the site of a former army post. There, seven professors taught the first class of fifty students a curriculum that included math, navigation, gunnery, chemistry, philosophy, English and French. The students are currently known as midshipmen and can number 4,000 at any given time. In 1933, the Naval Academy began awarding Bachelor of Science degrees and today offers 18 major fields of study. The Naval Academy services both the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Marine Corps. The Jewish chapel is named after Commodore Uriah Levy who became famous for abolishing the flogging of sailors.
Notable alumni include President Jimmy Carter. Graduating with the class of 1946, Carter went on to serve on submarines and worked under Jewish Captain Hyman Rickover on the nuclear submarine program. Rickover, known as the “Father of the Nuclear Navy,” was an Annapolis midshipman. He graduated in 1922 and is known as one the most important naval figures during the 20th century.
Over 50 astronauts attended the Naval Academy, including Apollo 13 commander Jim Lovell. Lovell graduated in 1952 and became a test pilot before joining NASA and piloting the ill-fated Apollo mission that incredibly safely brought back the crew to Earth. Alan Shepard graduated in 1944 and served during World War II in a destroyer before becoming an astronaut. He flew as one the Mercury Seven, becoming the first American to fly into space and later commanded Apollo 14 on their successful moon landing in 1971.
Several athletes also graduated from Annapolis, including basketball hall of famer David Robinson. Hall of Fame quarterback Roger Staubach attended the Navy and in 1964 was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys a year before he graduated. After graduating, he chose to serve in Vietnam over a stateside assignment.
Trainees at the United States Naval Academy West Point
He was there for a year as a Supply Corps officer before returning to the U.S. and served out his four year commitment to the Navy. In 1969, he joined the Cowboys as a 27-year-old rookie and arrived just in time for training camp. Staubach won two Super Bowls with the Cowboys and was named the MVP of Super Bowl VI.
The United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, services both the Air Force and the Space Force. Established in 1954 under President Eisenhower, it modeled its curriculum off of West Point and Annapolis under Superintendent General Hubert Harmon. At first, it was located in Denver before the campus at Colorado Springs was selected and ready for classes. The first class graduated in 1959. In 1964, President Lyndon Johnson expanded the size of the academy and almost doubled in size to over 4,400 cadets.
Forty Air Force Academy graduates have become astronauts, including Lt. General Susan Helms. She was from the first class of women to graduate at the academy, flew on five space shuttle missions, and holds the record for the longest spacewalk at almost 9 hours.
The two other service academies are the Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut, and the Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, New York.
Service Academies provide a direct line for military candidates to go straight into the service after graduation. Many graduates have earned medals for bravery on the battlefield and others have contributed in important ways for the good of their country.
Avi Heiligman is a weekly contributor to The Jewish Home. He welcomes your comments and suggestions for future columns and can be reached at aviheiligman@gmail.com.
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