In 1926, the school purchased the estate of Frederick Gilbert Bourne, of the Singer sewing machine company, which featured a 110-room mansion, Indian Neck Hall, overlooking Great South Bay, Long Island.

The school had extensive boarding facilities and attracted many sons of the wealthiest Catholic families in the northeastern United States.

Its academics were held in the highest regard and although LSMA did not require its students to take Regents Examinations, they never found this to be an issue.

Another academic benefit of not being a Regents program was that the faculty were not bound by a rigid curriculum, which widened the school's latitudes when it came to classes.

For example, in English classes students would often read books that would never have been permitted in a Public School setting (e.g. Kurt Vonnegut, Evelyn Waugh, Bernard Malamud).

This was led by a command-rank officer (usually a Colonel or a Major), who served as the school's SAI (Senior Army Instructor).

In the summer of 1976, Brother Roger Chingas led a group of students in dismantling an Opus One pipe organ which was about to be destroyed in a church in Albany NY.

Esplanade veranda provided a scenic view of the vast Parade Field and the Great South Bay beyond.

Sometimes the cadets wore "Full Dress" uniforms with brass buttons and breastplates, sashes, gold brocade, and medals.

It also housed a small kitchen where students could order and pay for meals not part of the school lunch program.

The active Military staff took security for these weapons very seriously and the FBI was summoned if any were found missing, although that rarely happened.

Transgressions by underclassmen were punished by being forced to clean them with a mop or scrub brushes, depending on how strict the senior class felt like being.

"Pete's Island" is a large parcel of undeveloped salt marsh directly to the west of the boat basin, which can only be accessed over a single wood bridge.

This open shore front area of about 100 acres is designated by the State as "Protected Wetlands Habitat" including "Ludlow's creek."

A typical day began at 6:15AM with Reveille and hall formation when a head-count was performed and the "floor prefect" (a Brother aka "monk") would read the daily notices, followed by 1/2 hour for bathroom, dressing and bed making (the bed had to be made with "hospital corners" and have a flipped coin bounce when striking the blanket).

The LSMA campus, on the shore of the Great South Bay and adjacent to protected marshlands, provided an ideal environment for such studies.

Because LSMA was in the Catholic league with Diocesan high schools ten times its size, it was often tough to be competitive.

Adjusting to at a new school is difficult enough for most kids, but new entrants to La Salle faced their own unique set of challenges.

Accumulation of 20 or more demerits for lower classmen and 15 for upperclassmen on a given week resulted in "Post Duty" which was not standing guard as was required in the regular Military.

This meant the offending cadet was made to do work maintaining the Academy grounds such as raking leaves, cleaning up litter, emptying trash bins, etc.

Fortunately, an excess of demerits could be offset by the accumulation of "Merits," which were usually awarded for excellence in drill or inspections, or for doing favors for upperclassmen and sometimes Faculty members.

In the 1970s La Salle fielded an excellent soccer team, largely composed of Latin students who grew up playing the game.

During parades for guests, the Cadet Corps would muster on the West side of St. Joseph's, so they could be seen coming around the south end of the building.

The following are a description of several annual activities: The pride of LaSalle Military Academy was the La Salle Rifles trick drill team, which maintained a tradition of excellence throughout its entire existence.

The team was founded by then-cadet Louis De Thomasis '57, who later became a Christian Brother and the school's Headmaster and later President.

The La Salle Military Academy Drum and Bugle Corps was well known on Long Island and would frequently be invited to local parades.

Considered one of the two specialty companies in the regiment, the D+Bs were a presence on campus and would provide the military feel of the parades and ceremonies.

The JROTC Military was made optional, and so cadets attended classes side-by-side with non-military, "Prep" students.

La Salle was the school of many famous people, including Hollywood movie director John Frankenheimer, former New Hampshire Governor and White House Chief of Staff John H. Sununu, two Nicaraguan Presidents, Luis Somoza Debayle and his younger brother, Anastasio Somoza Debayle,[2] and former U.S.

Congressman from New York John M. Murphy (1971 graduation speaker), in addition to Bill Donohue, the President of the Catholic League .