The Captain General Gerardo Barrios Military School (

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

: ), abbreviated as the EMCGGB, is a

military academy A military academy or service academy is an educational institution which prepares candidates for service in the officer corps. It normally provides education in a military environment, the exact definition depending on the country concerned. ...

El Salvador El Salvador (; , meaning " The Saviour"), officially the Republic of El Salvador ( es, República de El Salvador), is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south b ...

. It was established in 1868 and is named after

Captain General Captain general (and its literal equivalent in several languages) is a high military rank of general officer grade, and a gubernatorial title. History The term "Captain General" started to appear in the 14th century, with the meaning of Command ...

Gerardo Barrios José Gerardo Barrios Espinoza (24 September 1813 – 29 August 1865) was a liberal Salvadoran military general and politician who served as President of El Salvador from 12 March 1859 to 26 October 1863. Barrios was a liberal and supported the ...

who served as

President of El Salvador The president of El Salvador ( es, Presidente de El Salvador), officially known as the President of the Republic of El Salvador ( es, Presidente de la República de El Salvador), is the Head of State, head of state and Head of Government, head ...

from 1859 to 1863. It is located in

Antiguo Cuscatlán Antiguo Cuscatlán ''(colloquially known as Antiguo)'' is a municipality in the La Libertad Department (El Salvador), La Libertad department of El Salvador, and its eastern tip lays in San Salvador Department part of the Metropolitan Area of San ...

, Santa Tecla, La Libertad.

History

In 1867, a

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

military mission to

assisted President

Francisco Dueñas Francisco Dueñas Díaz (3 December 1810 – 4 March 1884) was a Salvadoran politician and member of the Conservative Party who served as President of El Salvador on four different occasions: 3 May 1851 to 30 January 1852, 1 February 1852 to ...

in establishing a

for the country, which was opened on 21 February 1868 under the name Military College. The school was established in

, Santa Tecla, La Libertad. Instructors at the military academy include military officers of

Prussian Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an e ...

, Chilean,

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

, and Salvadoran descent.Bosch 1999, p. 12 The name of the school was officially changed to the Captain General

Military School, after the President of El Salvador from 1859 to 1863, on 28 January 1927 by a presidential decree ordered by President

Pío Romero Bosque Pío Romero Bosque (1860 – 10 December 1935) was a Salvadoran politician who served as president of El Salvador from 1 March 1927 until 1 March 1931. He also served as the vice president of Alfonso Quiñónez Molina from 1 March 1923 to 1 Mar ...

. The name was again solidified by another presidential decree on 25 August 1965 by President General

Julio Adalberto Rivera Carballo Julio Adalberto Rivera Carballo (2 September 1921 – 29 July 1973) was a Salvadoran politician and military officer, who was the 34th President of El Salvador, in office from 1962 to 1967. Early life and career Rivera was born in Zacatecolu ...

.A commemorative plaque was installed in 1982 that commemorated the Class of 1936 which helped President General

Maximiliano Hernández Martínez Maximiliano Hernández Martínez (20 October 1882 – 15 May 1966) was a Salvadoran military officer and politician who served as the president of El Salvador from 4 December 1931 to 28 August 1934 in an acting capacity and again in an officia ...

put down a indigenous and communist revolt in 1932. During the

military dictatorship A military dictatorship is a dictatorship in which the military exerts complete or substantial control over political authority, and the dictator is often a high-ranked military officer. The reverse situation is to have civilian control of the m ...

of 1931 to 1979, the school was referred to as the "School of the Presidents" since many Presidents attended the military academy. The school accepts more students than how many actually become military officers. Those who endure the exercises and practices of the school graduate and become officers.Bosch 1999, pp. 3–4 The first women began attending the school in 2000. On 30 November 2018, the Star of Captain General Gerardo Barrios was established and is awarded to military officers who graduate from the school. The school has a song called the "Himno de la EMCGGB" or "Hymn of the EMCGGB."

Notable alumni

Presidents of El Salvador

Salvador Castaneda Castro Salvador Castaneda Castro (6 August 1888 – 5 March 1965) was President of El Salvador from 1 March 1945 to 14 December 1948. He had previously served as Interior Minister under President Maximiliano Hernández Martínez. He was elected unoppos ...

(1888–1965) –

(1945–1948) and Director of the Gerardo Barrios Military School (1930–1931) *

Arturo Armando Molina Colonel Arturo Armando Molina Barraza (6 August 1927 – 18 July 2021) was a Salvadoran politician and military officer, who served as President of El Salvador from 1972 to 1977. He was born in San Salvador. He served between 1 July 1972 and 1 ...

(1927–2021) – President of El Salvador (1972–1977) *

Óscar Osorio Óscar Osorio Hernández (December 14, 1910 – March 6, 1969) ruled as a member of the Revolutionary Council of Government from December 14, 1948 to September 14, 1950. He was President of El Salvador from September 14, 1950 until Septemb ...

(1910–1969) – President of El Salvador (1950–1956) and member of the Revolutionary Council of Government (1948–1950) *

(1921–1973) – President of El Salvador (1962–1967) *

Carlos Humberto Romero General Carlos Humberto Romero Mena (29 February 1924 – 27 February 2017) was a Salvadoran army general politician who served as President of El Salvador from 1 July 1977, until his overthrow in a coup d'état on 15 October 1979. Early li ...

(1924–2017) – President of El Salvador (1977–1979) and

Minister of National Defense A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in som ...

(1972–1977)

Ministers of National Defense

Rafael Humberto Larios López Rafael may refer to: * Rafael (given name) or Raphael, a name of Hebrew origin * Rafael, California * Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, Israeli manufacturer of weapons and military technology * Hurricane Rafael, a 2012 hurricane Fiction * ''R ...

(born 1937), Minister of National Defense (1989–1990)Bosch 1999, p. 119 * Juan Antonio Martínez Varela (1999–2004) *

René Merino Monroy René Francis Merino Monroy (born 30 December 1963) is a Salvadoran vice admiral who serves as the incumbent Minister of Defense of El Salvador under President Nayib Bukele. Early life René Francis Merino Monroy was born on 30 December ...

(born 1963) – Minister of National Defense (2019–present) *

David Munguía Payés David Victoriano Munguía Payés is a former Salvadoran Army general and was Minister of Defense of El Salvador from 2009 to 2011 and again from 2013 to 2019. Biography David Victoriano Munguía Payés was the Director of the Captain Gene ...

(birth unknown), Minister of National Defense (2009–2011, 2013–2019) * René Emilio Ponce (1947–2011) – Minister of National Defense (1990–1993)

Other military personnel

* Guillermo Alfredo Benavides (birth unknown) – Director of the Gerardo Barrios Military School (1989–1990) and ordered the 1989 murders of Jesuits *

Roberto D'Aubuisson Roberto D'Aubuisson Arrieta (23 August 1943 – 20 February 1992) was a Neo-fascism, neo-fascist Salvadoran soldier, politician and Death squads in El Salvador, death squad leader. In 1981, he co-founded and became the first leader of the ...

(1943–1992) –

Death squad A death squad is an armed group whose primary activity is carrying out extrajudicial killings or forced disappearances as part of political repression, genocide, ethnic cleansing, or revolutionary terror. Except in rare cases in which they are ...

leader, President of the Legislative Assembly,

presidential candidate A candidate, or nominee, is the prospective recipient of an award or honor, or a person seeking or being considered for some kind of position; for example: * to be elected to an office — in this case a candidate selection procedure occurs. * t ...

Jaime Abdul Gutiérrez Jaime Abdul Gutiérrez Avendaño (5 April 1936 – 9 August 2012) was Salvadoran military officer and politician. He was one of the leaders of the 1979 Salvadoran coup d'état which overthrew President General Carlos Humberto Romero and establ ...

(1936–2012) – Chairman of (1980), Vice President of (1980–1982), and member of (1979–1982) the

Revolutionary Government Junta , national_anthem = '' Himno Nacional de El Salvador'' , image_map = LocationElSalvador.svg , capital = San Salvador , common_languages = Spanish , religion = , demonym = Sal ...

Bosch 1999, p. 32 * Juan Francisco Emilio Mena Sandoval (unknown), Military officer who lead a mutiny during the Final Offensive of 1981Bosch 1999, pp. 84–85 * Domingo Monterrosa (1940–1984) – Ordered the El Mozote massacre

Academy directors

*Dr.

, 1927 *General Ramón González Suvillaga, 1927–1930 *General

, 1930–1931 *Lieutenant Colonel José Avendaño, 1931–1932 *Colonel José Antonio Lorenzana, 1932–1937 *Colonel Alfonso Marroquín, 1937–1938 *General

Eberhardt Bohnstedt Eberhardt Julius Georg Waldemar Bohnstedt, also sometimes spelt Eberhard, (22 July 1886 – 3 October 1957) was a German general and commander of the 7th Infantry Division in 1939. He is most well known for being the director of the Military S ...

, 1938–1939 (

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

) *Colonel Zorobabel Galeno, 1939–1940 (

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

) *Lieutenant Colonel Roberto L. Christian, 1941–1943 (

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

) *Colonel Rufus A. Byers, 1943–1946 (United States) *Colonel John F. Schmelzer, 1946–1948 (United States) *Colonel Henry C. Learnar, 1948–1949 (United States) *Colonel Ramón A. Nadal, 1949–1953 (United States) *Colonel Luis Lovo Castelar, 1953 *Colonel Antonio Valdéz, 1953–1955 *General Manuel de Jesús Córdova, 1956–1958 *Colonel Luis Roberto Flores, 1958–1960 *Colonel Francisco José Mijango, 1960–1961 *Colonel Carlos Guzmán Aguilar, 1961 *Colonel Rafael Cruz Garrido, 1961 *Lieutenant Colonel Oscar Rank Altamirano, 1961 *Colonel Mauricio Rivas Rodríguez, 1962–1963 *Colonel Carlos Amaya, 1963–1964 *Colonel Carlos Infante Guerra, 1964–1967 *Lieutenant Colonel José Fernando Sigui Olivares, 1967–1969 *Colonel Juan Antonio Martínez Varela, 1969–1971 *Lieutenant Colonel Agustín Martinez Varela, 1971–1972 *Colonel Julio González Palomo, 1972–1973 *Colonel José Luis Ramón Rosales, 1973–1976 *Colonel Anibal Velarde Figueroa, 1976–1977 *Colonel José Antonio Corleto, 1978 *Colonel Sócrates Roberto Echegoyén, 1979 *Colonel Rafael Humberto Larios, 1980–1983 *Colonel Luis Adalberto Landaverde, 1983 *Colonel Ricardo Antonio Castellanos, 1985–1986 *Colonel Jesús Gabriel Contreras, 1986–1987 *Colonel Oscar Edgardo Casanova Vejar, 1987–1989 *Colonel Guillermo Alfredo Benavides, 1989–1990 *Colonel Ricardo A. Casanova Sandoval, 1990–1992 *Colonel Julio César Grijalva, 1992 *Colonel Nelson Ivan Saldaña Araujo, 1993 *Colonel Alvaro Antonio Calderón Hurtado, 1993–1995 *Colonel

, 1996–1997 *Colonel Luis Mario Aguilar Alfaro, 1998–1999 *Colonel Simón Alberto Molina Montoya, 2000 *Colonel Luis Mario Aguilar Alfaro, 2000–2001 *Colonel Ricardo Benjamín Abrego Abrego, 2002 *Colonel José Luis Alvarado Guevara, 2002 *Colonel Willian Igdalí Moreno Segovia, 2003–2004 *Colonel Julio Armando García Oliva, 2004–2005 *Colonel Roberto Edmundo Rodriguez Abrego, 2006–2007 *Colonel Roberto Artiga Chicas, 2007–2008 *Colonel Walter Mauricio Arévalo Gavidia, 2009 *Colonel Francisco E. Del Cid Díaz, 2010 *Colonel Julio Héctor Hidalgo Martínez, 2010–2012 *Colonel Félix Edgardo Núñez Escobar, 2012–2013 *Colonel Walter Jacobo Lovato Villatoro, 2014 *Colonel Carlos Alberto Ramírez Hernández, 2014 *Colonel José Roberto Saleh Orellana, 2014–2017 *Colonel Mario Ernesto Argueta Vásquez, 2017–2019 *Colonel Roberto Ulises Santos Romero, 2019 *Colonel Franklin Bladimir Gavarrete Galdamez, 2019–present

Notable professors

José Napoleón Duarte José Napoleón Duarte Fuentes (23 November 1925 – 23 February 1990) was a Salvadoran politician who served as President of El Salvador from 1 June 1984 to 1 June 1989. He was mayor of San Salvador before running for president in 1972. He los ...

(1925–1990) – professor of mathematics, later President of El Salvador (1984–1989)

References

Citations

Bibliography

External links

Archived website
{{Antiguo Cuscatlán 1868 establishments in El Salvador Military academies Universities in El Salvador