America's Oldest Nationwide Cadet Corps

Nine years after the turn of the last century in New York City, an Army captain named James H. C. Smyth created an organization he called 'Colonel Cody's Boy Scouts'. But, it turned out that New York's boys wanted a more military program, so shortly after its founding, Colonel Cody's Boy Scouts was reorganized as the American Naval and Marine Scouts. Time passed and the organization that Captain Smyth founded changed, grew and split. By 1960, it tottered on the edge of disaster. Several of the program's key leaders - veterans of decades of youth service - passed away in a very short period of time, and it looked like America's oldest nationwide Cadet Corps, with a heritage beginning on April 10, 1909, would soon disappear.

The organization was saved when Rear Admiral Gil Murdoch, who had been an American Nautical Cadet in the 1930's and served in the Army during World War II, organized a merger of the American Nautical Alliance with the Maritime Brigade. The two organizations, both of which had split from the organization that had originally been Colonel Cody's Boy Scouts, merged into a single entity and in September of 1960 became the American Cadet Alliance (ACA).

In the forty-five years since, the ACA has struggled to stay alive and to stay relevant as America and American teenagers have changed. In the mid-90s, the organization collapsed and all but disappeared. But, thanks for the efforts of a few key people, the ACA survived and looks like it may be on the cusp of thriving like never before.

The American Cadet Alliance Today

The American Cadet Alliance is a national organization whose mission is to "To instill in young Americans, through a multi-faceted cadet program which is physically and mentally challenging and rewarding, the importance of national pride, service to others, and maintaining a drug-free and gang-free lifestyle."

The ACA has units in several eastern states, as well as California, Texas and Puerto Rico. ACA Cadets come in three flavors: Army, Marine and Naval Cadets. For obvious reasons, the reformed ACA chose to leave Air Force cadets to the Civil Air Patrol. This hasn't hurt them, and may actually be helping them.

"We like to say that we get our heritage from the Navy, our attitude from the Marines and our growth from the Army," says Commander Joseph M. Land, Sr. CDR Land was a Sea Cadet in the Chicago area before spending ten years in the Navy. Between the Naval Sea Cadet Corps and the ACA he's spent twenty-six years working with Cadets. As the Chief of Staff of the ACA, he is their public face and is one of the key people in its resurgence. He is committed to the success and the future of the ACA.

"Our Vision Statement is 'To be the premier Cadet program in the United States, noted for its dedication to youth, quality of training, and respect for the heritage and traditions of America's Armed Forces," explains CDR Land. "That doesn't say 'the largest Cadet organization'. We just want to be very good at what we do, no matter the size of our Corps."

A Growing Program

The ACA has received more than two thousand inquiries in the past two years from potential recruits that it was forced to disappoint because there are no units near them. "At this point the formation of new units is what we need to happen," Land says. "It's not hard; I've formed something like fifteen units myself."

Forming units may be easy, but as anyone who has run any sort of Cadet unit can tell you, really making them succeed is a challenge.

"It was tough getting the unit going," says 1LT Rob Frankson. "We began with five recruits." Frankson - ACA's Officer of the Year for 2003 - is the commanding officer of the Military Cadets of New England, an ACA unit founded in Rhode Island in late 2001 by MAJ Bill MacDonald. There were other struggles as well: the ACA was changing, recruiting was difficult and the drill location varied from month to month.

Now, the unit has twenty-nine Cadets and recruits, several officers and even two adult NCOs. Thanks to great support from the Rhode Island National Guard, they drill at Camp Fogarty, a RIARNG training site. Frankson raves about the support and assistance they receive from the Guard.

1LT Frankson joined the ACA as a Cadet in 1979, a member of the Stephen Decatur Battalion in Brooklyn, New York. The unit, which was strictly Naval Cadets, met in the basement of St. John's Lutheran Church. "I'm not sure if I wanted to do it or if my mother wanted to make me do it," Frankson says with a laugh.

At the time, the ACA drilled one night a week from 5:30 until 9:00 and evenings were made up of things that are familiar to all Cadets: inspections, physical training, drill practice, memorizing General Orders, parade and drill team practice, and maps and compass. Since they were Naval Cadets, they added nautical skills to the mix; such as buoy identification, using signal flags, and ship identification and layout. They were tested on their knowledge once a month.

"I can still name all the parts of a ship," jokes Frankson, who now wears an Army uniform with the ACA. "Port and starboard, bow to stern." This still comes in handy, since the ACA is a joint-service organization and all members are expected to learn and appreciate the unique traditions and heritage of the other services. Cadets even have to learn the words to the service songs of the Army, Navy and Marines.

Back when Frankson was a Cadet, the ACA ran weekend activities that took Cadets to West Point, King's Point, the USS Intrepid Museum and on tours of Navy and Coast Guard vessels. They also participated in New York's St. Patrick's Day and Columbus Day parades, sometimes with as many as three thousand Cadets.

They also spent a lot of time fundraising. "We'd go door-to-door through the neighborhood," Frankson remembers. "The houses were right next to each other, so you could get a lot of doors fast." Frankson reports that it got them out in front of the public and gave them experience being seen and speaking. He credits the ACA with helping him get over a childhood speech problem. "It was just a great time," he says.

Frankson left the ACA and moved on to adult life, but a few years ago he started thinking about the organization. "I thought the ACA was gone," Frankson admits. But the World Wide Web came to his rescue. "I just punched in A.C.A. and there they were. Thank God for the Internet!"

Frankson is happy with the progress his unit has made since his return, appreciating every milestone his Cadets achieve, however small they may seem. "Everything we do is significant in some capacity," he says.

Non-Paid Professionals

The National Commandant of the American Cadet Alliance is Col C. R. Tornow, USMCC, a veteran of more than thirty years in uniform with both the Navy and the Marine Corps. The colonel, as you'd expect from his background as a Marine, is all about professionalism. One of his goals on taking command was to make the officer corps of the ACA a group of "non-paid professionals" who hold their own when working with members of the uniformed services. Because of his attitude, "volunteer" is not a word used in the ACA. "We've all heard that 'volunteer' mentality," Tornow states. "When someone who doesn't like a policy or order publicly announces: 'So what are they gonna do…fire me?' My response is clearly, 'Yes, I will!' Our standards are high and our policies are firm. We have had the privilege of wearing our country's uniform for over ninety-six years. It is our obligation to be professionals. And I'd rather have a small, hard corps team of dedicated military professionals than to become large and lessen our standards."

To that end, Col Tornow mandated a one year Officer Basic Course (OBC) for new adult members to teach them the basics of looking and acting the part. "It's basically a course in military professionalism and 'embarrassment prevention'," says CDR Land who also has experience as a professional leadership development trainer.

The OBC is designed for new officers or officers coming to the ACA from other organizations. Phase I Summer is a one-week resident program; followed by Phase II, which is eleven academic lessons meant to be completed one each month. It's all wrapped up by Phase III, another one-week program the following summer. Training subjects range from drill and ceremonies to graduate-level instruction in corporate communications. The result is an officer corps that reflects the dedication and capabilities of the Cadets: a group of adults that the Cadets can be proud to follow.

It seems to be working and Cadets are following; Cadet membership is way up, but new and dedicated officers - adults - are always in demand. "Getting Cadets is easy," CDR Land says. "Getting the adults to run the program is always the hard part."

Adventure Begins Here!

A lot of these adults, as well as a lot of the Cadets, are people leaving some of the other Cadet organizations that are out there. While CDR Land doesn't discourage this, he doesn't encourage it either. "I love having them, since they're familiar with Cadetting. But, we don't want to be seen as strip-mining other organizations. Also, many simply do not clear our Suitability Interview, meaning they do not have the motivation, attitude or demeanor to become part of our program."

Even so, the ACA wants to welcome Cadets from other programs who might be looking for a change and give them a chance to exercise the leadership skills they've developed. With that in mind, the ACA has created the 'Recognized Cadet Corps Indoctrination Program' (RCCI or "ricky"). RCCI takes Cadet leaders from other organizations and introduces them to the ACA in a one-week fast-tracked course based on Marine Corps' Recruit Training curriculum. "Their leadership skills are great," CDR Land says of these Cadets. "We just have to get them familiar with the culture and standards of our organization."

RCCI is held during the first week of Summer Camp and the Cadets spend the week becoming part of the ACA. At the end of that first week they pin on their permanent NCO rank - usually no higher than Cadet corporal - in time to welcome the recruits who are attending the two-week Basic Training camp.

Earned, Not Given

Annual Training is two weeks long and is based on the military recruit training model. First-timers are expected to earn the privilege of wearing the uniform and the title 'Cadet', and the tone and tempo of the training is designed to challenge them.

The Cadet rank system in the ACA is the U.S. military enlisted system. Cadets enter at grade E-1 and work their way up to E-9. The title of each grade depends on the type of Cadet - Army, Navy or Marine, but all ACA Cadets begin their time in the program as 'recruits'. Taking a cue from the Marines, new ACA Cadets remain 'recruits' until their first Summer Camp, where they are given the chance to earn the title 'Cadet'. They can promote to E-2 before that first Summer Camp, but that promotion is provisional. Once at Summer Camp, a provisional E-2 will remove his rank and again become an E-1 recruit. Only after graduating from their first Summer Camp can a Cadet be actually called 'Cadet' and be permanently promoted above the rank of E-1.

"We don't give out the title 'Cadet' without having it earned," CDR Land emphasizes. Each recruit must complete sixteen days of tough training, including drill and ceremonies, rappelling, NRA weapons safety qualification and the Engagement Skills Trainer. (Go to http://www.adventurebeginshere.org/video/atvideo.html to see a video about ACA's summer training program).

Summer Camp isn't all pushups and discipline. During the second week, the tone changes from basic military instruction to things most Cadets can't get enough of, such as shooting and rappelling. Cadets spend three days on the rifle range receiving marksmanship training from a qualified NRA instructor.

Training at Summer Camp is supervised by adults who are either ACA officers, or active duty or reserve personnel; however, the majority of the hands-on leadership is provided by the Cadet NCOs. The Cadet leadership and troop handlers arrive at camp a week early for an intense NCO Leadership Development Academy (NCOLDA), which is a combined course of instruction based on the Army, Navy and Marine Corps NCO leadership development programs.

"It's an exciting day in an ACA recruit's life, as their day of passage is just around the corner…the day they are called 'Cadet' the very first time," explained Cadet Senior Chief Petty Officer (Parachutist / Diver) Joseph M. Land, Jr., a veteran of seven years in ACA. Cadet Land, a high school Senior, is also the Senior Cadet Advisor to the National Commandant, which makes him the ACA's ranking Cadet. "Once graduated, the Cadets are part of a tight family. We are proud to be carrying on nearly 100 years of traditions."

Hands-On Leadership

After graduating from a Summer Camp, a Cadet's promotions are based on meeting fitness standards, a written exam, community service time, a leadership test and minimum time in grade and time in service requirements. For grades E-1 through E-3, which are the junior enlisted grades, each promotion has a six-month time in grade requirement. The leadership curriculum includes basic military subjects like uniforms, customs and courtesies and drill as well as leadership traits and principles. The curriculum is adapted from JROTC, but with an emphasis on the military portions.

Back at the home unit, each company's training schedule is modeled after the Guard and Reserves: one weekend a month. Weekend training varies, but is the standard fare for Cadets everywhere: drill, leadership academics, physical fitness, etc.

Cadets participate in a high-adventure training program with activities ranging from military drill and ceremonies to land survival, with an emphasis on leadership, physical fitness, drug demand reduction and community service. In the past six months, ACA Cadets have qualified as SCUBA divers, trained on a tank simulator, rappelled off a fifty foot tower, gone to sea aboard an aircraft carrier, traveled to the Pentagon, and completed skydive training (earning Cadet jump wings in the process).

1LT Frankson always tries to make drills interesting. During their April Drill, his Cadets worked on the usual, they also spent time running the Camp Fogarty obstacle course and learning 'hands-on' guard duty techniques. "We had them practicing takedowns," Frankson says. "They had a blast!"

The ACA was recently given college credit for its program. Cadets and officers alike can earn elective credits based on a leadership practicum, this can earn as many as twelve credit hours for a Cadet promoted to the Corp's senior Cadet grades of Sergeant Major or Master Chief. The ACA is the first community-based Cadet program to be given this privilege.

Cadets are the ACA's only mission

Promotion to E-3 also requires the Cadet earn the Drug Demand Reduction (DDR) ribbon. This is no simple 'give away'; to earn it a Cadet has to attend an intense train-the-trainer class given by the local National Guard Counterdrug Office. The Cadet then has to present an anti-drug talk to fifteen of his peers; only then is he awarded the DDR ribbon and partially qualified for promotion to E-3.

Having ACA Cadets instruct their peers has several benefits. The Cadets learn the importance of staying drug-free, they learn public-speaking and training skills and they provide a free service to the Guard Counterdrug Office. It has also led to an enormous benefit for the ACA: when ACA Cadets give their DDR talks, they do it on behalf of the National Guard. The Guard saves money and manpower because they don't have to send a full-time Soldier. The ACA has been so successful with these talks and taken so much of the burden from the Guard, that the ACA was presented the Fulcrum Shield Award for Counterdrug Education Excellence last October in a Pentagon Ceremony.

The Fulcrum Shield is an annual award presented by the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Counternarcotics to recognize the efforts of military-affiliated youth organizations that have successfully assisted in spreading the anti-drug message throughout their community. CDR Land, 1LT Frankson and twelve Cadets and staff accepted the award on behalf of the Corps of Cadets.

Catching the Attention of Senior Military Leadership

The presentation of the Fulcrum Shield Award is only one of several significant trips and meetings the ACA has had in the last year. They've been working hard to formalize their relationship with the Army and the National Guard, and CDR Land and his officers have attended conventions and meetings of the Association of the United States Army (AUSA); National Guard Association of the United States (NGAUS), State Guard Association of the United States (SGAUS); and the U.S. Army Reserve Ambassador's program. Further, the ACA has briefed LTG Robert L. Van Antwerp, Commanding General of the Army Accessions Command.

Lt. General Van Antwerp recently wrote, "The ACA program is aimed at producing self-discipline, physical fitness and community service in young men and women. The ACA is a respected education and training organization with strong ties to communities and influencers, and the U.S. Army Accessions Command supports their mission and their efforts." The ACA also works in partnership with the Civil Air Patrol and the Coast Guard in many areas, making ACA unique in that they provide young people with exposure to all branches of the Armed Forces.

Major General Ron Markarian has been an important catalyst in ACA's forward movement. MG Markarian has a long history of involvement with Cadets, including the California Cadet Corps, the ROTC, the JROTC and the Civil Air Patrol. (MG Markarian's Cadet training resume is beyond impressive. - Ed.) He'd been aware of the ACA and decided that the SGAUS should be more involved in supporting Cadet programs. It was MG Markarian who invited CDR Land to attend the National SGAUS convention and to give a presentation on the ACA, which was very well received. This was followed by an equally successful trip to the AUSA National Annual Meeting.

MG General Markarian wants to see good things happen for the ACA. "I would hope that someday an ACA unit could be organized and fully functioning in every community in the United States," he says. "I also see the ACA as part of the Youth Activities Program at CONUS bases, and where U.S. troops and their families are serving overseas. I see a potential for ACA units functioning in the ever-expanding Charter Schools systems, where these institutions cannot otherwise qualify for JROTC programs."

These goals and MG Markarian's past efforts led to him being invited by Col Tornow to serve on and chair the ACA's Board of Advisors, a panel of senior military leaders and corporate professionals. The Commandant and MG Markarian see the Board as an important asset for the organization. "I see the Board as strictly an advisory body on issues of concern to the ACA," Markarian says. "With a broad spectrum of experienced military leaders as members of the Board, I see it as a resource that the ACA leadership can use to help them. Our mission is to help the ACA leadership continue to expand the ACA into a viable, solvent and effective youth development and leadership program."

Joint Service, but clearly 'Hooah!'

All these efforts have paid off, especially in the development of the Army Cadet Corps (the ACA's newest and fastest-growing brigade): the Army Accessions Command is preparing to establish a formalized relationship with the ACA. This will give the ACA a measure of support that is on-par with the relationship the Civil Air Patrol Cadet Program enjoys with the Air Force.

The Accessions Command - which is responsible for Army Recruiting, Cadet Command and Basic Training - was especially excited with the idea that the ACA gives teenagers a chance to explore an Army career through a community based program. Community-based Cadets are old hat for the Navy, Marines and Air Force, but is completely new to the Army. In fact, the Commanding General of U.S. Army Recruiting Command, MG Michael D. Rochelle, is so enthusiastic about the program, he is expected to serve as the Reviewing Officer for the ACA's 2005 Annual Training graduation at Fort Stewart in late July.

The National Guard has stepped to the plate in support of ACA, recently providing ACA National Headquarters with two full-time soldiers - a captain and an NCO - to support the growth of the Corps within the National Guard. There will be several National Guard soldiers supporting ACA's Annual Training program, with duties ranging from Drill Sergeant to J-1 (Personnel).

Completing the Active / Guard / Reserve hat trick: Lt. General James R. Helmly, the Chief of the Army Reserve, has recently asked for a briefing on the ACA to determine how his troops can support the program.

The Future's So Bright...

The is a lot of excitement about the ACA's future. MG Markarian says, "I'm impressed with the interest of young men and women in serving in the ACA. They are motivated, high quality people. The ACA Officer's Corps is of similar high quality. Young Americans need to learn about ACA and become a part of this outstanding organization."

And with his efforts and the efforts of ACA's own dedicated and very professional officer corps it seems like that's inevitable.

"I started doing this over thirty years ago when I was suckered by a buddy into becoming a Cadet," jokes CDR Land. "Never in my dreams did I think that I'd be the Number Two guy for a nationwide Cadet program. With Col Tornow's vision and the support of great leaders like General Markarian, we have a lot ahead of us. It's great to see our program grow and become more recognized. In fact, ever after all this time, it's still fun!"

More information on the ACA can be found at: www.MilitaryCadets.org . The ACA's Annual Training web site is: www.AdventureBeginsHere.org .