THE UNITED STATES ARMY PHYSICAL Fitness School

Infantry Magazine, Jan-April, 2000

THE UNITED STATES ARMY PHYSICAL Fitness School will name its facility at Fort Benning Koehler Hall, in honor of Lieutenant Colonel Herman J. Koehler, who is known as the Father of U.S. Army Physical Training.

In 1885, Koehler was appointed Master of the Sword, responsible for physical education, at the United States Military Academy. The Army had been looking for a world-class physical educator, and Koehler was ideally suited for the USMA position. By the time he retired in 1923, he had established a standard for PT that is still second to none.

His first program at West Point included scientific measurements of the body as well as strength tests to monitor progress. He also developed the first Army PT instructors' course and wrote the Army's first PT manual.

During World War I he directed PT in the Officers and Divisional Training Camps of the National Army, often leading an entire brigade of 6,000 men in calisthenics. In addition, Koehler assisted in the physical instruction of the New York and Massachusetts National Guard regiments and helped create the recruit school of the New York Police Department in 1913.

Koehler Hall will stand as a fitting reminder of the contributions Koehler made to the Army's physical readiness.