Eastern Military Academy

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Eastern Military Academy is a defunct academy founded in 1944 in Connecticut by Roland R. Robinson, a former mathematics teacher at Peekskill Military Academy (also defunct), and his brother-in-law, Carleton Witham. Relationship with the local town was poor from the start, and in 1948 the school was moved to Cold Spring Hills in Long Island, New York.

At its new location, the school was based in one of the largest mansions ever constructed in the United States, Oheka Castle, built by Otto Kahn, a multimillionaire. Following Kahn's death in 1934, his heirs had little interest in the estate, and the town of Huntington briefly used it as a retirement home for municipal employees.

EMA was organized for most of its existence as a battalion, with a band company, troop (using horses stabled a few miles away), two infantry companies of high school and junior high school students, a company of children sixth grade and below, a company of day students, i.e. students who did not board in the school, battalion staff of two to four members, and a four member color guard. For several years of very high enrollment, the school organized as a brigade.

Robinson and Witham died within six weeks of one another in the summer of 1968, leaving the school in the hands of Alice Robinson, Robinson's widow, and Witham's sister. According to an article in Newsday on September 30, 1968, she was then the first woman ever to head a military academy in the USA. In 1970 she sold the school, without notifying the long time Dean and new Headmaster, Leopold Hedbavny, or alumni, to three investors. These investors immediately took out a three million dollar bank mortgage, although they had paid Mrs. Robinson only $50,000 plus stock in their new corporation for owning EMA, and stock in several other of the ultimately nine schools they bought. All nine schools were eventually closed following the taking out of large mortgages.

In 1955 the Army granted EMA status as an honor Junior ROTC unit. From 1951 to 1968 students ninth grade and up were taken to a military training base, Camp Smith, for a week in May for riflery training and practice. This continued at a base in New Jersey until 1975, the same year the school lost its honor rating. In 1977 the Army struck it from the rolls of recognized Junior ROTC units, and removed all military supplied equipment, mostly M-1 Garand rifles (prior to 1955 cadets used Springfield M1903 rifles). In 1979, enrollment was down to just ninety from a high of over 350. The school was closed after a fire had been set in the dormitory floors.

In the late 1970s, as the school was declining, two groups of disgruntled staff broke away and founded the General Douglas MacArthur Military Academy and the Marine Military Academy.

The school newspaper was called The Guidon. The yearbook was The Saber. The honor society (based on academic grades, military rank, being a class officer, and participation in sports and clubs) was the Order of the Key. At various points the school had a chess club, camera club, glee club, chorus, ham radio, equestrian, swimming, riflery, fencing, basketball, baseball, varsity and junior varsity football teams. EMA also hosted one of the first chapters of the Lions Club to be based in a school.

The battalion commander held the rank of Major. On dress uniforms this took five stripes, on uniform of the day a diamond shaped pip on the collar. The battalion adjutant and company commanders were captains (four stripes and three circular pips, the battalion adjutant additionally had four rockers beneath the stripes). Platoon leaders were generally lieutenants (three stripes, first lieutenant had two circular pips, second lieutenants one). A sergeant major, always part of the battalion staff, was the highest ranking "noncommissioned" rank, and had two stripes with two rockers and a diamond in the center. (Officers were addressed by "Sir", and were saluted.) Each company would generally have a first sergeant, with two stripes and a diamond. Each platoon would have a sergeant, with two stripes. Corporals would also have two stripes, but wear them very low on the sleeve instead of high on the shoulder. Private First Class ("PFC") was awarded to any lowest ranking cadet (privates) who went a full month with fewer than ten demerits, which was also the limit for higher ranking cadets to be advanced in rank. Rank was lost for excessive demerits, one rank for the first fifteen in a month, and an additional rank for each additional ten demerits.

In parades officers and the sergeant major carried a saber, first sergeants carried a carbine, two members of the color guard carried the American flag and the school flag, the band had their instruments, the troop their horses, and the infantry companies and older day students carried a rifle.

For a few years EMA had an armored unit based on some surplus Armored Personnel Carriers. Operating these when gasoline prices began rising became prohibitively expensive, and two were given to the New York City police department. One was allegedly buried on the school grounds. At the funeral of President John F. Kennedy the riderless horse following Kennedy's caisson bore a saber from EMA which had been presented to the White House by the senior class of 1962 on their class visit to Washington.

An alumni association was formed in 1969, and still exists with its own website on Yahoo! Groups.