History of the Corps of Cadets:
 The
history of the Corps of Cadets traces back to when the college
was founded in 1873, and the first class of students (which
included a woman) asked that military training be a part of
the curriculum. Since then, North Georgia College & State
University has been one of only six 4-year military colleges
and is the only 4-year, Liberal Arts, coeducational, Military
College in the United States.
Since 1877 the Military Department has been fully organized
under the direction of United States Military Officers, with
necessary supplies and equipment provided by the Federal Government.
Records indicate the first such shipment was received during
the last week of December 1876.
In June 1916, when Congress passed the act officially establishing
ROTC, North Georgia was the only college in the state to take
immediate advantage of the terms of the act. The college immediately
increased its usefulness and influence within the state by
qualifying for the Senior Division ROTC Program and was one
of the first colleges to adopt and institute the General Military
Science Program.
Military Science is a required course for the Senior Military
College (SMC) status of this institution. Although North Georgia
College & State University provides for Army ROTC only,
its "Hall of Fame" members come from all the military
branches. Over the years NGCSU has been renowned for it's
ability to produce exceptional Infantry officers. The program
does, however, commission exceptional officers in all Army
branches to include Aviation, Armor, Engineer, Field Artillery,
Military Police, Military Intelligence and many more.
In 1986 the Corps of Cadets officially adopted the name of
the unit as the "Boar's Head Brigade". The name
came from the Boar's Head on the Department Crest approved
by the Adjutant General on August 11 1937.
The Boar's Head was a part of the family crest of James Oglethorpe,
the founder of Georgia and is a symbol of fighting spirit
and hospitality so deeply a part of Georgia's heritage and
the spirit of North Georgia College and State University .
Although the design of the Corp's crest has undergone several
changes, the Boar's head has remained constant. The sense
of honor, devotion to duty, and desire to be the best has
also remained constant at NGCSU.
Today NGCSU ROTC proudly claims among its alumni many General
Officers including one four-star General and two of the six
General Officers of the Georgia National Guard.
Corps of Cadets Involvement in Our Nation's Wars
Following the Civil War, the abandoned U.S. Mint property
in Dahlonega was given to the State of Georgia for educational
purposes-- thus the birth of North Georgia College & State
University. Originally named North Georgia Agricultural College,
the institution was established in 1873 as a land-grant school
of agriculture and mechanical arts, particularly mining engineering.
As area gold mining resources were depleted and responsibility
for agricultural education was assumed by the University of
Georgia, the mission of the College evolved into one emphasizing
arts and sciences. Since that time, North Georgia College
& State University has been producing quality graduates
and military officers dedicated to excellence in service and
prepared to defend our nation's interests.
World War I - World War II
From its conception, the Corps of Cadets produced infantry
officers. Although the Corps has had an artillery platoon
and a Signal Corps unit, the main emphasis has been upon infantry
training. Those students who chose to accept a commission
upon graduation from NGC were assigned to the Infantry branch
of the Army. This was the case during World War One.
Most of the officers commissioned from NGC were commissioned
into the National Guard or the Army Reserves. At this time
the United States did not possess a regular Army "large
enough to defend the nation properly" It was thought
that few, if any nations would have the desire to attack the
United States. The Army, its reserves, and the National Guard
were used more in response to emergencies within the national
boarders, not as a means to project power and an instrument
of foreign policy as it is today. The Army itself was maintained
at a level high enough to protect American interests in the
Western Hemisphere. It was not prepared for the upcoming war
in Europe.
The training of the officer corps and the troops was kept
to bare necessities. The officer's training was limited to
what was learned in the service academies and at colleges
like NGAC that taught Military Science. The Army possessed
a poorly-trained corps of junior officers. The dominant military
philosophy of the time was that "vast bodies of untrained
men can accomplish anything when opposed by trained troops."
This philosophy became quickly outdated in the twentieth century
as modern weapons and tactics brought war into a science and
art form in its own right.
World War I soon proved to be one of the most costly wars
in human history. The weapons used were far more advanced
than the tactics utilized by the rival armies. Trench warfare
became dominant on the battlefield and thousands would die
in minutes as vast bodies of men charged machine guns on open
ground. Even though technology took its toll on soldiers,
it was the lack of adequately trained officers that took the
heaviest toll. Officers found themselves ignorant and incapable
of leading soldiers, their commanders found themselves unable
to adapt their tactics to the modern weapons. Many of these
officers were recruited off the streets, others were National
Guardsmen, or Reservists, who had little or no experience
in the ways of war. It soon became obvious that there needed
to be a better source from which to draw trained officers
for the Army and the nation's future needs.
The solution to the manpower problem has its roots in earlier
officer training programs. Legislators and military leaders
analyzed the success of these programs, including North Georgia
Agricultural College, and created what they thought to be
the best possible solution. The solution they devised later
became known as the Reserve Officer Training Corps.
The American Literary, Scientific, and Military Academy founded
in 1819 and later named Norwich University, implemented the
first military training into its curriculum. Following the
beginning of the Civil War, the Merril Act of 1862 provided
federal grants and funds to those universities and colleges
that taught military tactics. Later Acts of Congress provided
for the equipment and personnel to man such institutions.
These early programs were the precursors of the modern Reserve
Officer Training Corps.
The National Defense Act of 1916 officially established Army
ROTC in its modern form. First known as the Student Army Training
Corps, the Reserve Officer Training Corps was established
in a direct response to the First World War. The war placed
an unexpected, and grossly underestimated, burden upon the
commissioning programs that existed at the time to produce
qualified officers for the armed forces of the United States.
The establishment of Army ROTC was designed to produce a greater
number of qualified junior officers for the Army through courses
of instruction leading to a commission as a second lieutenant
in the United States Army or Army Reserve.
The first graduating class to be commissioned by Army ROTC
numbered 180 officers and graduated in 1920. During the following
school year, 1920-1921, over 90,000 young men enrolled in
both junior and senior Army ROTC programs nation wide with
1,070 commissioning at the end of the year.
Army ROTC is separated into three divisions. The first division
of Army ROTC is Junior ROTC. Army JROTC is designed to be
implemented in high schools. Senior Army ROTC is designed
for College level students desiring a commission in the United
States Army. Academy level ROTC refers to those students attending
and seeking a commission through the United States Military
Academy at West Point. The goals of these divisions of Army
ROTC are essentially the same, to develop highly intelligent
officers for the Army and to help American youth learn leadership
and responsibility.
The Armed Forces of the United States learned their lessons
from World War One. They recognized the need for a well-trained
officer corps, and more importantly, a well-trained corps
of junior officers. The junior officers are the more immediate
leaders of the military, if they are not competent in their
jobs, the military will suffer heavily. As one officer stated,
until that time it had been "overlooked or forgotten
that all our wars have been unnecessarily prolonged, and thousands
of lives have been recklessly sacrificed on the battlefield
through the ignorance of untrained officers."
The Reserve Officer Training Corps was designed to provide
well-trained junior officers for the reserve forces and the
National Guard. The best of these officers were placed on
active duty with the regular military. It was still believed
that the United States "does not need a large standing
army ... but it does need a great surplus of trained officers."
ROTC was designed to supply that surplus.
The Korean Conflict
At the beginning of the Korean War, NGC was what was referred
to as an Infantry Branch School. In short, the cadets that
were commissioned from NGC received commissions in Army Infantry.
The cadet was commissioned as an infantry officer regardless
of his grades or his major field. This changed in 1952.
On September 20, 1952, North Georgia College officially became
a Branch General ROTC Program. As a result of this change
in commissioning policy, cadets from North Georgia College
could now commission into any branch within the Army. A cadet's
grades, major field of study, preferences, performance evaluations,
and camp scores were now placed into a packet and sent to
the Department of the Army for evaluation. This accessions
board determined which branch to assign a cadet. After commissioning,
the new Second Lieutenant would then be sent for specialized
training at a Branch Service School, the predecessor to the
modern Officer Basic School. This is the same commissioning
process that is still used today at NGCSU.
This major change in policy proved to be at a great advantage
for NGC and the Corps of Cadets. This policy shift attracted
students of a greater academic caliber. No longer predestined
to be an infantry officer, a new breed of cadet came to NGC
to seek a commission in one of the other Army branches. New
Regular Army Cadre was assigned to NGC, giving the military
program a more well rounded pool of experience in the Army.
Overall, the change in policy gave the cadets a greater range
of possible futures within the Army.
World War Two proved to be the deadliest war for NGC alumni
in general, but the Korean War proved to be the deadliest
conflict for a single class. In all, twelve alumni were killed
in action in the Korean War. Five of those twelve were from
the Class of 1950. All five were killed less than a year following
their commissioning and deployment to the Korean theater.
These deaths stunned the Corps of Cadets. Many of the Cadets
had been friends of the officers and still had fresh memories
of their comrades.
In response to this tragedy, the Senior Class of 1951 chose
to erect a memorial to their fallen friends. The class decided
that the memorial would take the form of an archway that still
stands in front of Price Memorial. The members of the class
raised the funds for the memorial’s construction and
built the archway themselves. The five members of the Class
of 1950 that the memorial is dedicated in honor of are:
Henry C. Camp
Charles J. James
Malcom A. Gribbs
David L. Palmer
John W. Haddock Jr
The Vietnam Era
The Vietnam Era was a time that brought many changes to the
Corps of Cadets at North Georgia College. NGC was still relatively
isolated compared to other colleges. Dahlonega was still a
rural community with not much contact with the outside world.
This was beginning to change as the 1960's progressed.
Colonel Edward M. Chamberlain, a cadet during this time,
fondly recalls that there was a sense of naivete that prevailed
about campus. The campus population was overwhelmingly middle
class and conservative. The pop culture that is usually associated
with the 1960's did not exist on the NGC campus or in the
Dahlonega area. To the students of NGC, the 1960's "counter
culture", and the "Cultural Revolution" did
not exist. The most socially rebellious act committed by the
students was obtaining alcohol and going to a popular area
off campus to drink and socialize with friends.
During this time all able-bodied men were required to participate
in the Corps of Cadets. Except for veterans and those physically
disqualified, few waivers were granted. This policy guaranteed
a large number of cadets within the Corps. There were over
nine hundred cadets within the military program, including
the male commuters who were not exempt from participation
in the military program. The Corps was so large that it took
up four dormitories, Sirmons, Gaillard, Sanford, and Banes.
Most Corps functions, such as drill, PT tests, Squad and Platoon
Progress, and others were conducted on Wednesday mornings.
This led to the institution of Saturday morning classes, which
made up for those classes that cadets missed on
Wednesday mornings.
Unlike other, more urban, colleges, the attitude of the students
at NGC was overwhelmingly in support of the Vietnam War. There
were no demonstrations or protests against the United States
involvement in Vietnam. The students believed in the principle
for which the nation was fighting and were well aware that
most of those who were to be commissioned were going to be
sent to serve in Vietnam. Indeed, as Colonel Chamberlain points
out, the heaviest percentage of commissions from NGC at this
time were in the Combat Arms. Even if a cadet was not branched
Combat Arms, he was most likely detailed to a combat branch.
As the war in Vietnam began to wind down and the size of
the Army began to decrease, the college administration began
to reassess the policy requiring all male students to participate
in the Corps of Cadets. The general mood of the nation was
anti-military and anti-Vietnam. This sentiment was beginning
to show among the students of NGC. The college was beginning
to suffer difficulties in recruiting new students with its
policy on the military program. In 1972, in an attempt to
ensure the survival of both the college and the military program,
NGC President Dr. John H. Owen changed the policy requiring
all male students to participate in the military program to
the form that it exists in today. Only resident males were
now required to participate in the military program. Within
a year the number of cadets shrank from around seven hundred
to less than three hundred.
The change in the participation policy was the best possible
decision that could be made concerning the Corps at the time.
This change opened the college to a much wider variety of
students, students who would not attend if they were required
to be in the military program. The Corps would now be made
up of mostly cadets who consciously chose to be cadets. The
cadets would be more highly-motivated and more interested
in the military way of life.
The most important change in the Administration of the Corps
of Cadets came when the offices of the Professor of Military
Science and the Commandant of Cadets were combined. In 1972,
North Georgia College received approval from the Department
of the Army to combine the two offices "giving the senior
Army officer responsibility for the total military program."
This authorized the Head of the Military Department to assume
duties as both Professor of Military Science and the Commandant
of Cadets. Colonel Harold A. Terrell Jr. was the first officer
to serve in both positions simultaneously.
The position of Assistant Commandant of Cadets was created
to supervise the daily activities of the Corps of Cadets.
The Assistant Commandant would report directly to the Commandant,
relieving him of the burden of the daily monitoring of the
Corps. The first Assistant Commandant of Cadets was Major
Lawrence R. Kenyon, a graduate of NGC in 1961. Two college
tactical officers were created to assist the Assistant Commandant
in his daily affairs. The number of tactical officers has
since changed to four.
As Professor of Military Science, the Head of the Military
Department is "responsible to the Dean of the college
for academic matters pertaining to the ROTC program of instruction."
The Commandant of Cadets is responsible to the Dean of Students
for "administering the Corps of Cadets in a matter compatible
with policies, rules, and procedures established for all students
and consistent with the requirement of North Georgia College
as a military college."
The most significant change for ROTC in general came in 1964
with what has since become known as the ROTC Revitalization
Act of 1964. The Act was passed by Congress to ensure the
"flow of qualified Reserve officers." The act established,
for the first time, scholarships for those wishing to commission
in the armed forces. The act also established a two year program
for students that had not completed the first two years of
the ROTC program. These students had to first complete six
weeks of the basic course, then they would enter the advanced
course and complete the last two years. This act greatly increased
the flow of qualified officers into the regular and reserve
forces. Many students chose ROTC to help pay for their education,
then decided to make a career of the military.
In 1973, the Department of the Army modified ROTC policy
to allow the entrance of women into the program. As a result
of this change the entrance of women into the Corps of Cadets
at NGC was guaranteed. Until that time the Corps had been
traditionally all male. The first female cadets were unable
to wear uniforms due to the fact that Supply had no female
uniforms to issue. Major David Spearman, NGC's Military Recruiting
Officer stated that the new female cadets would be expected
"to carry responsibilities on equal footing with their
male counterparts." NGC female cadets have proudly lived
up to that expectation. The first ten female cadets entered
the Corps of Cadets late in 1973.
In 1975, the first six NGC female cadets were invited to
preview what they would experience at Advanced Camp the following
summer. The cadets observed camp training activities from
basic marksmanship to tank training. The female cadets were
anxious to participate in every facet of military training.
Army officials at Fort Bragg stated that the NGC female cadets
proved that "women can and will try any of the activities
inherent in traditional summer camp training."
May 1976 saw the commissioning of the first female cadet
from North Georgia College. Cadet Janet Walls became the first
female cadet to receive a commission as a Second Lieutenant
in the Army. Walls was commissioned through the two year commissioning
program created by the ROTC Revitalization Act. At the time
of her commissioning, Wall was the commanding officer of the
women’s ROTC program. At that time women were placed
in a separate unit within the Corps of Cadets. It was not
until the 1980’s that females were cycled into the regular
Corps.
War on Terrorism
Most recently, North Georgia College & State University
alumni have been and are still currently deployed around the
globe in the War on Terrorism. These alumni include the likes
of MAJ Patrick Duggan, who served in Afghanistan with the
Army's Special Forces. Also fighting in the War on Terrorism
are 1LT Kitefre Oboho and 1LT Alan Kehoe, both assigned to
the 75th Ranger Regiment. Most recently called to action are
graduates from the Class of 2004, which include Joseph Latella,
Dusty Pinion, and Jason Lewis, all platoon leaders with the
48th Brigade Combat Team.
Undoubtly, North Georgia College & State University alumni
will continue to excel throughout the Army during the War
on Terrorism and beyond. These graduates all began at the
same place, here in Dahlonega, Georgia. You can follow their
footsteps and become leader of leaders. Attend North Georgia
College & State University, The Military College of Georgia.
To set up a personal visit and tour, call the Cadet Recruitment
Center at1-888-413- 9366. Or, e-mail our staff here.
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