The Tiger Battalion was begun in September 1993. They were the first Army JROTC Program in the New York City Public Schools. LTC Lee C. Anderson and MSG Joseph Houghton were the first instructors that year. The program started with 86 cadets, 43 male and 43 female. The first year was challenging as we had no uniforms and the cadets were all LET-1's.

Things improved as the instructors gained more experience in dealing with teenagers and the cadets advanced in knowledge, skills, abilities and rank. MSG Houghton left to teach in Delaware in the Spring of 1995 and LTC Anderson was the only instructor except for a substitute who knew nothing about the Army or JROTC. This semester was the toughest time for the battalion.

In the Fall of 1995 1SG J. D. Lewis and SFC Michael W. Poirier joined the instructor staff and the battalion strength was approximately 165 cadets as it is today. The Tiger Battalion was designated an "Honor Unit With Distinction" in 1997, the first in the New York City Public Schools. We began wearing the Gold Star that year. We retained the Gold Star in 2000, even though the standards had been significantly raised. However, the Standars changed shortly after that making it 960 to have the gold star. In 2000, the Tiger Battalion received 955 points. Because it was close enough, the Tiger Battalion kept the gold star. In the year 2003, the Tiger Battalion had another inspection. This time, the Tigers raked in 983 points, retaining the gold star for the third time.

The Army JROTC Program at Fort Hamilton offers a cadet the opportunity to learn and grow while being a part of a winning team. While the instruction is prescribed by US Army Cadet Command, the lessons learned are far greater than the information taught from the text books. The more a cadet puts into the program, the more he or she gets out of it. The experience gained often proves to be very important when entering college, the job market, or the military.