United States Disciplinary Barracks

On May 21, 1874, Congress approved the establishment of the United States Disciplinary Barracks (USDB), formerly the United States Military Prison at Fort Leavenworth. The original prison was once a quartermaster depot, supplying all military posts, camps, and stations in the Indian Territory to the West. It has been the center of correctional excellence in the military for over 130 years, housing the most notorious service members in the armed forces, including maximum-custody inmates and those with death sentences. On October 5, 2002, retreat was played for the last time in front of the eight-story castle inside the old USDB, and another era started with the occupation of a new modern correctional facility.

Chief of Staff Peter J. Grande of the USDB has worked in the military correctional field since the mid-1970s. A certified corrections executive with the American Correctional Association, Grande is a former enlisted correctional specialist and retired United States Army Military Police Corps lieutenant colonel. He is also the USDB historian and a member of the Fort Leavenworth Historical Society, drawing extensively from the USDB photograph collection.