---
category: U.S. Government
location: Fort Benning, Georgia
start: 1946
summary: The U.S. Army School of the Americas at Fort Benning trained hundreds of
  Nicaraguan National Guard officers who later formed the leadership of the Contra
  army.
tags:
- organization
- u.s.-military
- contra-war
---

The U.S. Army School of the Americas at [Fort Benning](/places/fort-benning/) trained hundreds of [Nicaraguan National Guard](/organizations/nicaraguan-national-guard/) officers who later formed the leadership of the [Contra](/organizations/contras/) army. The school was part of the U.S. military education program that produced the officers who served both the Somoza regime and the Contra war.[^1]

### Training Contra Leaders

[Anastasio Somoza](/people/anastasio-somoza/) cited the American military training program when pleading with U.S. Ambassador [Lawrence Pezzullo](/people/lawrence-pezzullo/) not to abandon his National Guard: "They have been fighting Communism just like you taught them at [Fort Gulick](/places/fort-gulick/) and Fort Benning and [Fort Leavenworth](/places/fort-leavenworth/). Out of nine hundred officers we have, eight hundred or so belong to your schools." [Enrique Bermúdez](/people/enrique-bermudez/), who became the [FDN](/organizations/fdn/)'s military commander, was a graduate of the School of the Americas. The institution became notorious for training Latin American officers who were later implicated in human rights abuses, death squads, and drug trafficking throughout the region.[^2]

[^1]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Ch. 4.
[^2]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Ch. 4.