United States Army Cadet Corps - History

History

The United States Army Cadet Corps was founded as the Colonel Cody’s Boy Scouts by Captain James H. C. Smyth on April 10, 1909, at the First Presbyterian Church in Manhattan, New York. Shortly thereafter, the Colonel Cody’s Boy Scouts was reorganized as the American Naval and Marine Scouts. The American Naval and Marine Scouts continued to evolve and on August 16, 1927 the organization was incorporated under the laws of the State of New York as the New York Junior Naval Militia, Inc. Early in 1929, the organization split and its founder, as well as a number of senior officers, incorporated the Junior Naval Reserve, Inc., on February 19, 1929.

Early in 1938, during the heightening of World War II, the War Department instructed the Secretaries of State to require all organizations using the words Naval, Militia and Reserve as a part of their corporate name to rename their organizations so as not to cause public confusion regarding their relationship to the Armed Services. To comply with this request, the Junior Naval Reserve, Inc. reincorporated on June 14, 1938 as the American Nautical Cadets, Inc., and on November 2, 1938, the New York Junior Naval Militia, Inc. changed its name to the Maritime Brigade, Inc.

As a result of reorganization, due in part to a number of mergers with other, smaller, Cadet Organizations, the American Nautical Cadets, Inc., reincorporated on October 3, 1956 as the American Nautical Alliance, Inc. The organization came full circle on September 15, 1960 when the American Nautical Alliance, Inc. and the Maritime Brigade, Inc. merged to become the American Cadet Alliance, Inc.

The USAC (United States Army Cadet Corps) was created in 2000 and it was the fastest growing Brigade in the USAC, in comparison with the Naval Cadets and Marine Cadets.

Then in 2007, the decision to phase out all of the brigades except for the Army was made. This decision was made due to the high interest in the Army brigade and lack of interest in the Marine and Naval brigade. Along with the support from the US Army Reserve and Army National Guard, in April 2009 this transition was completed.