Lineage of the U.S. Army Cadet Corps

The United States Army Cadet Corps (USAC) traces its heritage to the early days of the 20th century, making us the oldest nationwide Cadet program still existing today. Our history and culture are steeped in the oldest traditions of Cadetting. In those days, a group of veterans chose to create a military-style youth  organization to give the young men of their community a chance for adventure.  The program was Navy based and taught boys good citizenship and patriotism. This idea was the foundation of both the Boy Scouts of America and the American Cadet Alliance (ACA), the predecessor to the USAC.

The American Cadet Alliance was founded as Colonel Cody’s Boy Scouts, by CAPT James H.C. Smyth on April 10, 1909, at the First Presbyterian Church in Manhattan, N.Y. April 10 is celebrated as the birthday of the Corps.

Early in 1938, as the Second World War was beginning, the War Department ordered all organizations using the words “naval,” “militia,” or “reserve” in their name to change their name to avoid public confusion about their relationship to the armed services. On June 14, 1938, the Junior Naval Reserve reincorporated as the American Nautical Cadets to comply. On Nov. 2, 1938, the New York Junior Junior Naval Militia was renamed as the Maritime Brigade.

After a series of mergers with other smaller Cadet organizations, the American Nautical Cadets reincorporated on Oct. 3, 1956, as the American Nautical Alliance. The organization came full circle on Sept. 15, 1960, when the American Nautical Alliance and the Maritime Brigade merged to become the American Cadet Alliance.

At one time, the ACA boasted 21,000 Cadets in the New York City area, and another 3,000 outside the city area. However, in the 1960s, the Corps diminished in size due to the Vietnam War and the loss and passing of several key officers.

RADM Gilbert G. Murdoch, a former Cadet, past National Commandant, and a lifelong supporter of the Corps of Cadets, refused to let the ACA disappear. His experiences as a Cadet inspired him and he rallied a handful of dedicated officers to save the ACA from extinction.

Even though the ACA survived, the decline in membership continued, and by the late 1980s it was again on the edge of disappearing. Then-MAJ Charles R. Tornow assumed responsibility for the ACA in the mid-1980s, serving as the chief of staff. 

Under BG Tornow’s leadership, the ACA began returning to its former stature as a national organization. He moved National Headquarters to New Jersey and in 1997 ordered a nationwide expansion. Today, the USAC includes units across the country from California to New York and Florida to Maine. 

In 2006, the American Cadet Alliance established a temporary National Headquarters in Dayton, Pa. In 2008, the former Millersburg Military Institute, in Millersburg, Ky., was purchased as the Corps’ headquarters, and as the National Cadet Training Center, serving as a training and communications hub available to all Cadet programs.

Part of BG Tornow’s vision was the U.S. Army Cadet Corps, which was added in 1989. The U.S. Army Cadet Corps quickly became the largest element in the ACA. On Nov. 20, 2007, the ACA board of directors announced that on April 10, 2009 – the 100th anniversary of the ACA –  the U.S. Naval Cadet Corps and the U.S. Marine Cadet Corps would be disestablished, leaving only the U.S. Army Cadet Corps.

While there are certainly some military schools with a heritage dating back to the 1800s, only the USAC – as a nationwide Cadet Corps – can claim a historical background of 100 years.

The USAC will continuously strive to provide Cadets with the most intensive, hands-on Army experience available. With legislation pending to establish the USAC as the official, community-based Cadet Corps of the U.S. Army, we are forging strong partnerships throughout the Army.

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