Valley Forge Military Academy and College
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| President | Charles A. McGeorge | |
| Superintendent | J. J. Doyle | |
| School type | Private | |
| Religious affiliation | NONE | |
| Founded | 1928 | |
| Location | Wayne Radnor Twp, PA, USA |
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| Annual Tuition | $30,977 | |
| Enrollment | 577 | |
| Faculty | 49 | |
| Campus surroundings | Town | |
| Mascot | Trojan | |
| School colors | Blue and Gold | |
The Valley Forge Military Academy is a boarding school for up and coming young men grades seven through twelve, and additionally offers a co-ed 2 year junior college program. The academy is located in the Pennsylvania Main Line suburb of Wayne in Radnor Township (outside of Philadelphia). Though military in tradition and form, Valley Forge Military Academy is a college preparatory boarding institution. Alumni generally attend some of the nation's most prestigious colleges and universities, and some pursue careers in armed services.
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[edit] History
Valley Forge Military Academy was founded in 1928 at a location several miles away from the campus' current location. After a fire devastated the original single-building campus, the Academy was moved to its present site in Wayne. Baker, an Anglophile, modeled many of the Academy's drills, customs, and ceremonies after a British model. The Academy maintains loyalty to this tradition today.
[edit] Student Body
The Academy's student body comprises over 500 students, representing 38 states and 34 countries.
The cadets are grouped into 2 battalions, Mounted and Infantry. The Infantry Battalion companies are A, B, C, and G/I (College), The Mounted Battalion consists of D Troop, E Battery, Field Music, and the Regimental Band. I Company used to be named I Troop for all college cadets wishing to participate in equitation, (and was once known as I Battery for college cadets participating in artillery) but it has now been moved to the infantry batallion and named I co. From the top of the chain of command: Regimental Commander - First Captain (2 pips and a capshield) Honor Captain - Second Captain (pip and capshield) Battalion Commanders - Third and Fourth Captains (4 pips) Regimental Staff - Captains (3 pips) Regimental Sergeant Major - Command Sergeant Major (3 chevrons, 3 rockers, star and wreath) Batallion Staff - Sergeant Major/2 Lieutenants (3 chevrons, 3 rockers, star/2 pips or 1 pip) Company Commanders - Captains (3 pips) Company Executive Officer - 1st Lieutenant (2 pips) Platoon Leaders - 2nd Lieutenants (1 pip) 1st Sergeants - (3 chevrons, 3 rockers, diamond) Platoon Sergeants - Master Sergeants (3 chevrons, 3 rockers) Special SNCOs - Sergeant First Classes (3 chevrons, 2 rockers) Squad Leaders/Platoon Guides - Staff Sergeants (3 chevrons, 1 rocker) Special JNCOs - Sergeant and below (3 chevrons and below)
Color Guard Ranks: Color Sergeant (3 chevrons, 3 rockers, star also the only real Senior NCO rank a color gaurd mamber can earn) Staff Sergeant Colors (3 chevrons, 1 rocker, star a rank made up for C. "terets" Hegdepath) Sergeant Colors (3 chevrons, star) Lance Corporal Colors (1 upside-down chevron, star)
note: Prior to the 79th Corps the Color Gaurd was highly respected, but due to the current members of the Color Gaurd the corps had lost all respect for them.
[edit] Academics and Student Life
Students at Valley Forge Military Academy used to endure a six week adjustment period, known as "plebe training," upon entering the institution. During this period, students are trained in the customs and traditions of the school, British military drill and ceremonies and are given an opportunity to acclimate to the overall campus environment. The conclusion of this period occurs when the students complete the traditional requirement of earning their "Capshield," the brass crest that adorns the uniform cap. Now new cadets at this institution do not go through a plebe system; it is comparable to being grounded for 6 weeks.
Similar to most other American boarding schools, academics at the Academy are demanding and highly competitive and are complemented by a mandatory two hour "study hall" period from 7:30pm to 9:30pm each night in the students' barrack buildings.
Valley Forge Military Academy offers a wide variety of extra-curricular activities to students, including: equestrian, polo, track, riflery, rifle drill, concert band and orchestra, herald fanfare trumpets, choir, football, basketball, golf, ski, and many others. The Valley Forge Military Academy Regimental Band is world famous and has traveled to Europe many times in recent years to perform. Recently, the band was the lead group in the 2006 Lord Mayor's New Year's Day Parade in London, England.
Additionally, some students in the Academy's band perform regularly on and off-campus on the Academy's famous Coronation Heraldic Fanfare Trumpets. The unique complement of trumpets are regularly used to perform at the Academy's weekly chapel services, and are frequently booked for off-campus events, both domestic and abroad. Today the collection consists of the full complement of voices, which consists of six B-flat soprano trumpets, six B-flat tenor trumpets, two G-bass trumpets, and two E-flat soprano trumpets. The original eight heraldic fanfare trumpets have been used on numerous ceremonial occasions associated with royalty: at Westminster Abbey to herald the Coronation of King George VI, at St. Paul's Cathedral to herald the Royal Silver Wedding Ceremony, at the wedding of Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh, and at Westminster Abbey for the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.
[edit] Notable Alumni
J.D. Salinger, author, "Catcher in the Rye"
Norman Schwarzkopf, Centcom Commander, Operation Desert Storm
Edward Albee, American playwright
Warren B. Rudman, United States Senator, R-New Hampshire
Jim Detweiler, MLB player, Toronto Blue Jays
Jimmy Sturr, musician, 14-time Grammy winner
Aaron Beasley, NFL player, New York Jets, Atlanta Falcons
Julian Peterson, NFL player, Seattle Seahawks, San Francisco 49ers
Larry Fitzgerald, NFL player, Arizona Cardinals
King Simeon II of Bulgaria, Tsar of Bulgaria
Chris Doleman, Retired NFL defensive end
[edit] Trivia
Much of the movie Taps (1981), starring George C. Scott and Timothy Hutton, was filmed on the academy's campus. Many of its young stars, including Timothy Hutton, Sean Penn, and Tom Cruise, participated in a 45-day period of orientation with the students of the academy to learn to properly drill as cadets.
