Cadet officers wear gold rank stars or "pips." Along with my colleagues here, we bear great responsibility to those students entrusted to our care. I look forward to welcoming you to Valley Forge Military Academy & College. Additionally, some students in the school's band perform regularly on and off-campus on the school's Coronation Heraldic Fanfare Trumpets. Current Global Measurement Campaigns & IOPs. Baker,Valley Forge Military Academy. All Listings filter applied; All Filters; VALLEY FORGE MILITARY ACADEMY Saco Wool Overcoat Coat Double Breasted 1965 RARE. They give guys the ax quite frequently at Pencey. These parts of Salingers depiction no longer seem so apt. (Long sued the school, claiming the allegations were cooked up by a trustee who disapproved of his management style. During the years of highest enrollment, in the 1960s and 1970s, Cadets of the Middle School were assigned to the "H" Company. Then they fired me., Following Lords dismissal, trustee Maj. Gen. Jessica Wright, a former undersecretaryat the U.S. Department of Defense, quit the board in support of Lord. Introduction. 1001 Eagle Road. Valley Forge is one of roughly 40 accredited . I applied online. Students of color and female cadets were admitted, if not with open arms. Once a citadel of leadership, Valley Forge today is basically a sleepaway camp for troubled kids with very little supervision, says graduate Ray Bossert, a retired Army colonel and former TAC. These young men and women work together and support each other to gain admission to the United States Military Academy, the United States Naval Academy, the United States Air Force Academy, the United States Coast Guard Academy and the United States Merchant Marine Academy. VFMAC has a British Army Garrison Sergeant Major, with William 'Billy' Mott, OBE MVO, Welsh Guards (who organized the military parades for the Royal Wedding of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, The Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II, Ceremonial Funeral of Baroness Thatcher and 13 Trooping the Colour ceremonies) as the first Garrison Sergeant Major appointed as VFMAC staff. In her 2019 resignation letter, she called the present governance structure and apathetic attitude of the trustees not only troubling but reprehensible.. So we urgently need this specific ask, what you're reading right now, to start bringing in more donations than it ever has. Those who embrace them and live into them recognize leadership isnt just a word and isnt given but earned. Several alumni who serve in the armed forces told me that nothing in their military experience has been as harrowing as their years at the Forge. The school is now being monitored by the US Department of Education for financial or federal compliance issues, which may stem, at least in part, from its sloppy handling of Pell grants. Our College has been designated by the Governor and Legislature as the Military College of Pennsylvania., He still counts earning the cap shield that marks the passage from plebe to Cadet as the hardest thing that Ive done. Priced at roughly $45,000 for tuition, room and board, it is the last military academy in Pennsylvania. Edaward Farrel 1992-1996. But it also seeks to serve as a parallel administration in exile. Theyre weakening the brand.. I resigned, said Lord, adding that he offered to stay in 2019 for the remainder of the fiscal year. Going to close soon. Valley Forge was founded in 1928 by Lt. General Milton Grafly Baker, a veteran of World War I and close confidant of West Point graduate Dwight D. Eisenhower. Some graduates pursue careers in the armed services and VFMAC has graduated one Rhodes Scholarship recipient. A prime slice of campus was sold off to developers for $1.6 million. Bossert and another former TAC singled out one Glen Mills colleague whom the Forge hired in 2016. The schools endowment has languished at about $11 million for years, which means it relies more on cadet tuition, room and board. Lord felt confident he could tackle the Forges cultural issues. The trustees are right-sizing the institution, paying off debts, and licensing the Valley Forge brand online to raise money. The buildings in the Wayne campus were named for Revolutionary War leaders. And then there was the 18-year-old cadet who never made it to graduation. They have no clue.. Valley Forge Military Academy and College. The 1981 film Taps was filmed at the school. It is the only corps of cadets in the United States to retain a traditional mounted battalion (squadron), consisting of one cavalry troop and one artillery battery. GLOBE Observer Website. The gyms, the pools have suffered because of money problems.. The academy and college were once fully residential, but the academy offers a day-student program. Effective June 22, 2010, Capt. Cadets who achieve academically and in personal efficiency and leadership are allowed additional leaves and local leaves into Wayne and to the King of Prussia mall. Valley Forge Military Academy was founded in 1928 by Lieutenant General Milton G. Baker, Pennsylvania Guard (Retired). It follows in the traditional military school format with army traditions. Founded in 1928, Valley Forge Military Academy and College offers an all-boys prep school for cadets through high school, and a two-year co-ed junior college program. Our graduates have an impactful role in the world one that requires discipline, sacrifice, and acceptance that inward focus is limiting and outward focus beyond self is what can make a difference in and for the world. But it was confronting the cap shield bullies a few days later that sent him over the edge. [24] Although Taps was presented as depicting core values in a positive light, including honor and loyalty, after the filming, LTG Pearson felt that there was an anti-military tone within the plot of the film. Those who pass are welcomed into the Corps of Cadets, which Schumacher now commanded, and rewarded with the cap shield medal, a brass badge depicting the mythical moment when General George Washington, standing on the Pennsylvania battleground for which the school was named, prayed for the survival of the fledgling American republic. While the struggle for control goes on, the physical plant keeps deteriorating, said Ray Bossert, a retired U.S. army colonel and Valley Forge alumnus who served as a senior tactical officer at the school before he quit last year in solidarity with Lord. Negative Experience. Helgeson, the schools current president, hopes for the best. Two female former cadets recalled to me how, after they were caught trying to sneak off campus, Rivera threatened to look in on their rooms at night when they slept. Current board chairman English confirmed the dissolution of the alumni association. Established in 1928, Valley Forge Military Academy and College is an international leadership institution, comprised of a middle school, high school, and college. [23] Graduates who are commissioned serve in the reserve components (Army Reserve or Army National Guard) while completing their bachelor's degrees. Amid money woes, administrators have curtailed sports, slashed courses, and assigned teachers to unfamiliar subjects, leading to an academic decline so steep that some Forge cadets complain certain colleges no longer accept transfer credits for many of their courses. Therese Dougherty, who oversaw student activities and the schools summer camp for McGeorges successors, filed a gender discrimination lawsuit in 2013 contending that administrators treated her in a condescending and demeaning manner and showed favoritism toward male employees. The corps and the rank system have since evolved. Trying to build a better view of life, something close to the impossible | Learn more about Ugochukwu Eze's work experience, education, connections & more by visiting their profile on LinkedIn Its dire, said 1988 alumnus Dan McSweeney, who said the academy had 750 students during his time, compared with fewer than 175 planned for this years class. Wood quit the Forge that year, in any case, after seven years on the job. VFMAC. VFMA is a member of the PIAA and competes in 13 inter-school sports teams, and VFMC is a member of the NJCAA, Region 19, with 11 men's and women's sports. But when a former administrator reported a different tooth-pasting attack to her superiors, they didnt do anything about it, she said. We are fighting against a people well acquainted with the theory and practice of war, brave by discipline and habit, American General Henry Knox wrote in 1776 to John Adams, who then chaired the Continental Congress Board of War. Former cadets Ryan Niessner, Jordan Schumacher, and Young Sheng are among the former cadets speaking out about their experiences at the Forge.Photographs by Devin Oktar Yalkin. The officer ranks used above were briefly reinstated in 20142016. I know what were doing. They were given uniforms, borrowed from their real life counterparts at the school and given authentic military haircuts. Artillery made their debut in the corps (as E Battery) in 1939, formerly in the machine gun role. The school is in no way close to closing. The rumors were that we were all sluts, and that we were easy, one of them told the local paper. Walt Lords appointment as president in 2018 heralded a brief period of reform at Valley Forge. We were the only adults in the building with high schoolers and middle schoolers, he recalls. Valley Forge Military Academys board of trustees numbers 14 currently, and membership is by appointment by other trustees only, as is standard practice for nonprofits. (Two of the cadets former classmates confirmed that he told them this story shortly afterward. Founded in 1928, Valley Forge Military Academy and College offers an all-boys' prep school for cadets through high school, and a two-year co-ed junior college program. Helpful. The son of working-class parents, Lord grew up in an Irish Catholic neighborhood in South Philadelphia. Niessner doesnt know how the Forge responded. Police reports obtained by Mother Jones from the last decade involve cadets as young as 13 experiencing psychiatric crises, including suicidal behavior. It merely makes them obedient. This truth helps highlight the moral clarity of dissenters such as Salinger and Schumacher, whose insubordination was a clear-eyed response to abuse, a righteous rejection of bullying masquerading as command and control. After Second Mess, cadets attend academic classes until mid-afternoon. At least five cadets I interviewed identified Rivera, a former helicopter pilot who didnt respond to multiple requests for comment, as one of the most abusive TACs. The cadets I interviewed, along with an internal list of student grievances I obtained, say the Forge frequently minimizes mental health issues, with a school nurse once scolding a student for sending up red flags that dont need to be sent up.. GLOBE Equipment. This unit is a reflection of the British volunteer Corps of Drums tradition. PMCS Valley Forge will serve grades K-12, with military programming beginning in 6th grade. When Schumacher disrupted the hazing session, the plebes were relieved, the bullies annoyed. The program's hallmark is a personalized curriculum to ensure each cadet is fully prepared for the rigorous academic, physical fitness, moral-ethical issues, and leadership challenges. Another one recalls Rivera flirting with her repeatedly and saying she reminded him of his wife. Yet Lord felt micromanaged by the trustees, including board chair John English, who served briefly in the Marines before founding a consulting firm. The cadets are, from 2014 onward, grouped into three battalions, the Mounted and the two Infantry battalions. Entrusting students in leadership roles was all well and good, but a dearth of healthy adult oversight and accountability had contributed to a culture replete with assaults, verbal abuse, hazing, and sexual violence that had resulted in police visits, lawsuits, and a cold war pitting recalcitrant trustees and administrators against reform-minded parents, alumni, and cadets. They have no clue.". She shared her story with several friends at the time (I spoke with two who confirmed this), one of whom proceeded to beat the shit out of the guy. The move evoked a vehement response from powerful alumni (including McGeorges son), who complained that Valley Forge was losing its character. Former, unused, and honorary ranks are in italics. The Forge has since cycled through eight presidents. end of submenu, closing. Valley Forge also briefly employed a former soldier named Steve Stefanowicz as a TAC overseeing middle and high schoolers, until staffers discovered hed been a key player in the Abu Ghraib torture scandal. Valley Forge Military Academy and College (VFMAC) is a private boarding school (grades 7-12) and military junior college in Wayne, Pennsylvania.It follows in the traditional military school format with army traditions. "The Guidon"[clarification needed] Valley Forge Military Academy and College, The academy's Head of School is Lauren Wochok and Robert F. Smith is the college's provost. About us. They ruled by intimidation and fear.. Valley Forge Military Academy and College has nearly a century of success providing the highest levels of education to young men and women. [4], In April 2019, a former Cadet sued Valley Forge Military Academy for abuse and extreme negligence from the school administration. At the same time, the academy modeled uniforms, crest, Alma Mater, and rank structure on those of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. Founded: 1928. Royal Wedding Duties. In another troubling case that Wood discussed with a local newspaper in 2017, four male college cadets conspired with a fifth to covertly film his sexual encounter with a drunk female cadet. The reality, for these next few months and next few years, is that we have to start finding ways to grow our online supporter base in a big wayand we're optimistic we can keep making real headway by being real with you about this. In a contemporaneous memo to the Department of Education, Wood wrote that his efforts to investigate a sexual assault complaint involving two male cadets were impeded by Gallagher, who demanded Wood cease his work. Reserve, National Guard, and Retired Officers and NCOs, serving in their respective ranks, wear the rank and accouterments of their respective service arm. In an unpublished 1995 letter to a friend and former classmate, shared with me by the J.D. (The Forge has previously denied that the funds were misdirected.) In my role, I am only the latest in a long line of stewards of the legacy of Valley Forge Military Academy and College. Once, most College Cadets in the infantry battalion were assigned to the "F" Company, but have been divided into "G", "H", and "I" Companies today. Square-jawed and warm, Lord believed the only way to save his alma mater was by listening to peoples concerns. (The board rejected the plan, citing trustees dearth of educational experience and a lack of competent curriculum guidelines, and accused the Forge of trying to subsidize its private school with taxpayer dollars.) Finally, in a decision the cadets would feel acutely, Helgeson promoted TAC J.J. Rivera, a fellow Marine, to the title of commandant. I empathize with the reason for his resignation the lack of governance and intensive micromanagement he endured through his tenure, Wright wrote. Valley Forge Military Academy has an overall rating of 2.2 out of 5, based on over 22 reviews left anonymously by employees. Levi French 1993-1997. Schumacher found respite at the stables, where he and other members of the schools mounted battalion spent hours each week dealing with the horses and dealing with ourselves. He almost dropped out when the Forge, to cut costs, abruptly disbanded its cavalry and repurposed the polo arena for paintball. Taps, a 1981 movie filmed at the Forge, follows a group of cadets who rebel violently against the proposed closing of their fictional academy. The five academies operated by military branches, including West Point, were the elite. At Taps, all cadets, except those granted "Late Lights" to study and cadets of the college, are required to be in bed. Bossert and another former TAC told me Rivera sometimes slow-walked investigationsincluding one that involved a rape. For the 2020-2021 Academic year, enrollment for the academy stands at 153 cadets and for the College at 91 cadets. The Forge, as insiders call it, resembles a cross between an East Coast prep school and a military installation. The school serves as Honor Guard to the British Royal Family on State Visits to Philadelphia. VFMA is a private, all-male, boarding and day college preparatory school for students in grades 7-12 The corps expanded to include artillery (formerly machine guns) in the late 1930s. As punishment, they were ordered to paint the commandants house. Study Hall, supervised by faculty officers in rotation, is mandatory for most cadets from Sunday through Thursday. Enrollment peaked after World War II, but by the end of the Vietnam War, 65 percent of the institutions had closed their doors. ), was named the Chaplain and Director of Character Development. 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