The Peacock Military Academy was a

college-preparatory school A college-preparatory school (often shortened to prep school, preparatory school, college prep school or college prep academy) is a type of secondary school. The term refers to state school, public, Independent school, private independent or p ...

San Antonio, Texas San Antonio ( ; Spanish for "Anthony of Padua, Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the List of Texas metropolitan areas, third-largest metropolitan area in Texa ...

. It was founded in 1894 by Wesley Peacock, Sr., who envisioned "the most thorough military school west of the Mississippi, governed by the

honor system An honor system, trust system or honesty system is a way of running a variety of endeavors based on trust, honor, and honesty. The honor system is also a system granting freedom from customary surveillance (as to students or prisoners) with ...

, and conducted on the principles of a cultured home." The Academy was chartered in 1904 and became one of the first

JROTC The Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) is a Federal government of the United States, federal program sponsored by the United States Armed Forces in high schools and also in some middle schools across the United States and at US mil ...

schools recognized by the Department of War which detailed Colonel George Leroy Brown there as the first commandant of cadets and professor of military science and tactics. Later staff would include future President

Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was the 34th president of the United States, serving from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, he was Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionar ...

, Adjutant General Henry Hutchings, Adjutant General Arthur Knickerbocker, Colonel Charles C. Todd, and many other graduates of

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...

. The cavalry branch of the Academy, in Dallas, helped establish the 124th Cavalry Regiment of the Texas National Guard, and the naval branch in Corpus Christi was the first of its kind authorized by Congress. Following World War I, a forerunner of the

Department of Veterans Affairs The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a Cabinet-level executive branch department of the federal government charged with providing lifelong healthcare services to eligible military veterans at the 170 VA medical centers an ...

leased the Academy for the rehabilitation of over 5,000 veterans. During World War II, Adjutant General J. Watt Page asked the Academy to conduct a training school for Texas Defense Guard officers. The second Training and Research Unit, "Camp Peacock", was established in October 1942 and succeeded in creating the standard model of training until 1956. In 1956, Adjutant General Kearie Berry asked the Academy to assist in the establishment of a permanent professional military education institute for

Texas Military Forces The Texas Military Forces (TXMF) are the principal instrument through which the Texas Military Department (TMD) executes security policy for Texas, which has the second-largest population and border in the United States. The Texas Military Forc ...

which resulted in the Texas National Guard Academy. Donald Peacock was inducted into the Texas Military Hall of Honor in 1982 for his contributions. By its closing in 1973, the Peacock Military Academy was nationally recognized as the "West Point of Texas" and had graduated over 15,000 cadets, many of whom served and commanded in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and the Korean and Vietnamese campaigns of the

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

Notable alumni

* Paul McDonald Calvo * Virgilio Elizondo *

King Vidor King Wallis Vidor ( ; February 8, 1894 – November 1, 1982) was an American film director, film producer, and screenwriter whose 67-year film-making career successfully spanned the silent and sound eras. His works are distinguished by a vivid, ...

* Joseph Franklin Wilson

Media

* The Immortal Alamo

References

{{authority control Schools in San Antonio Defunct United States military academies 1894 establishments in Texas Boarding schools in Texas Preparatory schools in Texas Military high schools in the United States 1973 disestablishments in Texas

Notable alumni

Media

See also

References