Pass in Review - Military School Celebrities (Presidential Edition): Pass in Review - Military School Celebrities: One Hundred Years (1890s - 1990s), #5

By Raymond C. Wilson

From 1802 until 2017, there have been approximately 844 military schools in operation in the United States. Many well-known celebrities have attended such institutions as highlighted in the author's four previous books entitled Pass in Review: Military School Celebrities (Volume 1 thru Volume 4). In this Presidential Edition, you will read about the four military school celebrities (Ulysses S. Grant, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Jimmy Carter, and Donald J. Trump) who reached the highest office in the free world -- President of the United States and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Raymond C. Wilson
• Release date: Oct 19, 2021
• ISBN: 9781005169138

Raymond C. Wilson

Raymond C. Wilson is a military historian, filmmaker, and amateur genealogist. During his military career as an enlisted soldier, warrant officer, and commissioned officer in the U.S. Army for twenty-one years, Wilson served in a number of interesting assignments both stateside and overseas. He had the honor of serving as Administrative Assistant to Brigadier General George S. Patton (son of famed WWII general) at the Armor School; Administrative Assistant to General of the Army Omar Nelson Bradley at the Pentagon; and Military Assistant to the Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army at the Pentagon. In 1984, Wilson was nominated by the U.S. Army Adjutant General Branch to serve as a White House Fellow in Washington, D.C. While on active duty, Wilson authored numerous Army regulations as well as articles for professional journals including 1775 (Adjutant General Corps Regimental Association magazine), Program Manager (Journal of the Defense Systems Management College), and Army Trainer magazine. He also wrote, directed, and produced three training films for Army-wide distribution. He is an associate member of the Military Writers Society of America. Following his retirement from the U.S. Army in 1992, Wilson made a career change to the education field. He served as Vice President of Admissions and Development at Florida Air Academy; Vice President of Admissions and Community Relations at Oak Ridge Military Academy; Adjunct Professor of Corresponding Studies at U.S. Army Command and General Staff College; and Senior Academic Advisor at Eastern Florida State College. While working at Florida Air Academy, Wilson wrote articles for several popular publications including the Vincent Curtis Educational Register and the South Florida Parenting Magazine. At Oak Ridge Military Academy, Wilson co-wrote and co-directed two teen reality shows that appeared on national television (Nickelodeon & ABC Family Channel). As an Adjunct Professor at U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, Wilson taught effective communications and military history for eighteen years. At Eastern Florida State College, Wilson wrote, directed, and produced a documentary entitled "Wounded Warriors - Their Struggle for Independence" for the Chi Nu chapter of Phi Theta Kappa. Since retiring from Eastern Florida State College, Wilson has devoted countless hours working on book manuscripts.

Book preview

PASS IN REVIEW

Military School Celebrities (Presidential Edition)

Written by

RAYMOND C. WILSON

Author of:

Out of Necessity

Commander in Chief

Martyr of the Race Course

Custer’s Luck Has Run Out

The Men Who Saved West Point

Pennsylvania Bucktails: Civil War Sharpshooters

Wounded Warriors - Their Struggle for Independence

European Royal Bloodlines of the American Presidents

Pass in Review - Military School Celebrities (Volume One)

Pass in Review - Military School Celebrities (Volume Two)

Pass in Review - Military School Celebrities (Volume Three)

Pass in Review - Military School Celebrities (Volume Four)

If These Walls Could Talk: Huling Hotel and Pack Horse Inn

PASS IN REVIEW

Military School Celebrities (Presidential Edition)

Published by Raymond C. Wilson at Smashwords

Copyright 2021 Raymond C. Wilson

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Table of Contents

Pass in Review

Military School Celebrities (Presidential Edition)

Preface

Introduction

Ulysses S. Grant (18th President)

Grant’s Family and Childhood (1822-1839)

Grant’s West Point Education (1839-1843)

Grant’s Military Service (1843-1854)

Grant’s Civilian Life (1854-1861)

Grant’s Military Service (1861-1868)

Grant as President of U.S. (1869-1877)

Grant’s Life after Presidency (1877-1885)

Dwight D. Eisenhower (34th President)

Eisenhower’s Family and Childhood (1890-1911)

Eisenhower’s West Point Education (1911-1915)

Eisenhower’s Military Service (1915-1948)

Eisenhower as College President (1948-1950)

Eisenhower’s Military Service (1950-1952)

Eisenhower as President of U.S. (1953-1961)

Eisenhower’s Life after Presidency (1961-1969)

Jimmy Carter (39th President)

Carter’s Family and Childhood (1924-1943)

Carter’s Annapolis Education (1943-1946)

Carter’s Military Service (1946-1953)

Carter in Local and State Politics (1953-1976)

Carter as President of U.S. (1977-1981)

Carter’s Life after Presidency (1981-Present)

Donald J. Trump (45th President)

Trump’s Family and Childhood (1946-1959)

Trump’s Military School Education (1959-1964)

Trump’s Entrepreneurial Career (1964-2017)

Trump as President of U.S. (2017-2021)

Trump’s Life after Presidency (2021-Present)

Appendix 1: President as Commander in Chief

Appendix 2: Prerequisites of Commander in Chief

Appendix 3: Commander in Chief during Major Wars

Appendix 4: Military Schools and U.S. Presidents

Bibliography

About Raymond C. Wilson

Preface

Military schools in the United States were established out of necessity due to the difficulties faced by the American colonists fighting for their independence. During the Revolutionary War, British forces were commanded by officers educated at the Royal Military Academies at Sandhurst and Woolwich. Our French allies had officers educated at various military schools including reportedly the world’s first military school (Ecole Royale Militaire of Soreze). It wasn’t until 1802 that the United States established its first military school: the United States Military Academy at West Point. Under the outstanding leadership of Brevet Brigadier General Sylvanus Thayer, West Point became the model for American military schools.

Preceding the Civil War: Military schools in the United States increased to 171 institutions before the Civil War. By the onset of the ‘War between the States’, seventy-five percent of military schools in the nation focused on secondary education. Four collegiate military schools of the South (Virginia Military Institute, The Citadel, Georgia Military Academy, University of Alabama Corps of Cadets) participated as units in combat, while many other schools (including secondary schools) on both the Union and Confederate sides provided drill instructions that were vital to the initial training of their respective armies.

Following the Civil War: Military schools sharply declined after the Civil War due to the devastation of the south and its occupation by Federal forces. However, it didn’t take very long before the number of military schools began making a comeback -- reaching their peak just prior to the Great Depression of 1929. This rise in the popularity of military schools can be attributed to four factors: (1) the realization of the positive impact of military school education on young men; (2) the efforts of returning Civil War veterans; (3) the glorification of the cultural phenomena known as the ‘Lost Cause’; and (4) the swell of patriotism known as the ‘Spirit of 1898’ surrounding the Spanish American War. As a result of these four factors, the number of military schools in the United States rose to a high of 280 institutions in 1926.

During the Vietnam-era: Military schools once again lost their popularity. Progressive views dominated the field of education, as schools adopted changes such as open classrooms, student-designed curricula, and so forth. Many military schools did not survive this era. They either closed or became traditional boarding or day schools. The few surviving military schools were forced to adopt progressive ideas such as co-ed classes and more liberal arts studies.

Current situation: Of the approximately 844 military schools that have operated in the United States from 1802 until 2017, there are only 96 military schools (5 federal service academies; 12 military colleges and universities; 5 military junior colleges; 38 private secondary or primary schools; 36 public and charter secondary schools) currently in operation.

During my sixteen years of recruiting students for three reputable military schools (West Point, Florida Air Academy, Oak Ridge Military Academy), I began assembling a list of celebrities who had attended such institutions. My initial intention was to provide the names of well-known celebrities to parents so they would feel good about their decision to send their sons or daughters off to military school. Over time, my interest in this subject grew as my list of famous celebrities who have attended military schools got longer.

In this Presidential Edition, you will find four military school celebrities (Ulysses S. Grant, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Jimmy Carter, and Donald J. Trump) who reached the highest office in the free world -- President of the United States and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.

Raymond C. Wilson (author)

Introduction

Although the subjects of this book (Ulysses S. Grant, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Jimmy Carter, and Donald J. Trump) come from widely diverse backgrounds, these gentlemen have three things in common.

First, as I discussed in my book entitled European Royal Bloodlines of the American Presidents, all four of these former presidents had a common ancestor -- Emperor Charlemagne, King of the Franks. Not only was Emperor Charlemagne related to these four former U.S. presidents, he was also the ancestor of all former U.S. presidents plus the current U.S. president (Joseph R. Biden). I think the discovery of this linkage to Emperor Charlemagne is noteworthy enough to include the ancestral charts of these four former presidents in this book as well. It should be noted that most people (like myself) who have European ancestors can trace their family roots back to Emperor Charlemagne.

Second, as I presented in my book entitled Commander in Chief, all four of these gentlemen served as President of the United States and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces. Ulysses S. Grant served as President from 1869 to 1877, Dwight D. Eisenhower occupied the oval office from 1953 to 1961, Jimmy Carter lived at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue from 1977 to 1981, and Donald J. Trump occupied the White House from 2017 to 2021. I am old enough to have lived during the administrations of three of these four presidents. While assigned to the Military District of Washington from 1978 to 1980, I had the opportunity to work with the White House Liaison Office during the Carter administration. Five years later, I had the good fortune to be nominated by the Adjutant General Branch to serve as a White House Fellow during the Reagan administration.

Third, all four of these former presidents graduated from military schools. Ulysses S. Grant and Dwight D. Eisenhower attended the United States Military Academy at West Point (New York), Jimmy Carter went to the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis (Maryland), and Donald J. Trump was a cadet at the New York Military Academy in Cornwall-on-Hudson (New York). Although some critics have attempted to downplay the significance of the education Donald J. Trump received at the New York Military Academy, here are the facts:

New York Military Academy (NYMA) is a college preparatory school located north of New York City. Modeled after the United States Military Academy at West Point, it is one of the oldest military schools in the United States. NYMA was founded in 1889 by American Civil War veteran Colonel Charles Jefferson (C.J.) Wright (former Commandant of Cadets at the nearby Peekskill Military Academy).

Other superintendents of NYMA have included: Colonel Sebastian C. Jones (former superintendent of Cayuga Lake Military Academy); Brigadier General Milton Fennimore Davis (distinguished explorer, soldier, administrator, and former commandant of NYMA); Colonel Frank A. Pattillo (former commandant and assistant superintendent of NYMA); Brigadier General Nelson Dingley III (veteran of World War I and World War II); Colonel Marvin J. Coyle (West Point graduate and veteran of World War II and Korea); Major General Philip B. Toon

Reviews for Pass in Review - Military School Celebrities (Presidential Edition)

[Tom · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I was hoping the book would provide more detailed insight into each President's experience and time attending their respective military school. The author's coverage of President Grant was superficial at best. Most books on West Point that mention Grant's tenure the Academy and biographies of the president all mention how Grant eagerly watch the debate in Congress on whether or not funding should be continued for the school, thus allowing him a honorable departure from the school. And while I commend the author for highlighting Grant's service on Mexico, which he does a good job in presenting-even if only as a short summary, ne overlooks completely the true reason behind Grant's resignation from the army afterwards. Also, while Grant was not happy at only being offered a captain's commission at the beginning of the Civil War, and actively sought a higher rank and assignment. As a captain of volunteers, Grant threw himself in raising a company of volunteers and trained them most effectively for future service in the field.

The author's coverage of both Eisenhower and Carter was equally as brief. However, I did appreciate information provided on NATO's early command structure development, as brief and cursory as it was. The author correctly references Eisenhower's feelings on the first use of atomic weapons by America, but neglects to point out the irony, in light of this fact, of Ike's reliance while president of "Nuclear Arms over Conventional Forces Defense Policy".

Regarding former President Trump the author is clearly an unabashed apologist of Mr. Trump's presidency.