West Point Magazine Fall 2011

Grip Hands...

The West Point Association of Graduates (WPAOG) understands the profound importance of maintaining the unbreakable connection among members of the Long Gray Line—those of the past, those of today, and those of tomorrow.

The WPAOG is home to all graduates and their families. It is an organization funded neither by the Academy nor by dues, but rather by the generosity of people like you. Your support of the

Long Gray Line Fund helps keep Herbert Hall, your home at West Point, open and functioning, and your gifts support programs such as the Ring Melt, the 50-Year Affiliation Program, memorial services, class and society activities, career services, and graduate archives as well as communications about West Point—keeping you connected to West Point and the Corps of Cadets.

Photo: Cadet Andy Starczewski by John Pellino/USMA; This Page: John Pellino/USMA, Roger Pettengill/Academy Photo, Ted Spiegel, Charlie Graham, Major Paul D. Johnston

Dear fellow Graduates and friends:

The verdict is in, and West Point magazine is a hit! The staff and I are proud to present this, our fourth edition of West Point. Judging from all the feedback we’ve received from graduates, parents and friends, you overwhelmingly approve of the magazine’s focus and content: the amazing Corps of Cadets and the national treasure that is the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Thank you!

A hearty thank you also goes out to the Class of ’45 for their sponsorship of this issue, as noted on one of these pages. Their commitment to West Point magazine, more than 65 years after graduation, is helping bind the Long Gray Line tighter together in support of our alma mater and each other. I invite, and encourage, all classes to consider sponsorship of future West Point editions – perhaps to coincide with a reunion or other important event. It’s a great way to show your class spirit and pride to all graduates and those who love West Point.

As this edition of West Point hits your mailboxes, we will have also completely transitioned Class Notes to an online format at WestPointAOG.org . We’re particularly excited about this development because ALL graduates now will be able to read the Class Notes of EVERY class. Previously, with the subscription based ASSEMBLY, fewer than 20% of the Long Gray Line had access to Class Notes, and that number was dropping every year. Now, whether you’re a graduate deployed to Afghanistan or retired in florida, you’ll be able to check up on classmates or those who molded you–like your Beast squad leader–online at any time.

A tip of the hat to a Task force of Class Scribes that helped us put the policies and procedures together for our online Class Notes. I also want to thank the WPAOG Advisory Council who reviewed our plan and suggested that Class Notes be placed behind the member login, rather than out in the open for all to see on the internet. Everyone should keep their Class Scribe informed as they have in the past, and Scribes will post information of weddings, promotions, births, etc., along with color photos if you want instead of the black and white shots we printed in ASSEMBLY! I anticipate that, within several months to a year, the Class Notes section of the WPAOG website will become a dynamic information exchange by West Point grads, about West Point grads.

I look forward to seeing many of you at West Point and around the country as we celebrate together what it means to be in the Long Gray Line and cheer the Army team on to victory.

West Point, for Thee!

Bob McClure ’76 President & CEO West Point AOG

The mission of West Point magazine is to tell the West Point story and strengthen the grip of the Long Gray Line.

P UBLIS h ER

West Point Association of Graduates

E DITOR IN Ch IE f

Julian M. Olejniczak ’61 845.446.1517 editor@wpaog.org

E DITORIAL A DVISORY G ROUP

John Calabro ’68

Norma heim

Jim Johnston ’73

Kim McDermott ’87

Samantha Soper

A DVERTISING

Patricia DeGroodt 845.446.1577 ads@wpaog.org

A DDRESS U PDATES

Tammy flint 845.446.1642 address@wpaog.org

D ESIGN

Marguerite Smith

Opinions expressed in this magazine are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions, policy, or attitude of the U.S. Army, United States Military Academy, West Point Association of Graduates, its officers, or the editorial staff. The appearance of advertisements in this publication does not necessarily constitute an endorsement by the West Point Association of Graduates of the products or services advertised.

POSTMASTER

If this magazine is addressed to a member of the military services, no postage is necessary for forwarding (See Postal Manual, Section 159.225). If no forwarding address for this military member is available, send Form 3579 to West Point Association of Graduates, West Point, NY 10996-1607.

WestPointis published quarterly in Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall by the West Point Association of Graduates, 698 Mills Road, West Point, NY 10996-1607. Periodicals postage paid at West Point, NY 10996 and additional mailing offices. Send address changes to Tammy Flint, West Point Association of Graduates, 698 Mills Road, West Point, NY 10996-1607.

WestPointis printed by QuadGraphics.

SUBSCRIPTIONS

Subscriptions may be ordered for $35 online at WestPointAOG.org; by calling 800.BE.A.GRAD; or by sending a check to WPAOG, West Point magazine, 698 Mills Road, West Point, NY 10996-1607.

As you read this issue of West Point magazine, remember that many members of the Long Gray Line currently are deployed in combat. We honor all those who served or are serving and those who have fallen.

28

Crossroads Africa

Established in 1958, this “progenitor of the Peace Corps” has provided cadets with insight into foreign cultures since 1961.

IN T h IS ISSUE

6 It’s Not Your father’s Camp Buckner: Cadet Leader Development Training

CLDT returns first and second class cadets to Camp Buckner for intensive field training based on lessons learned in Iraq and Afghanistan.

8 Welcoming the Class of 2015

Cadet Basic Training or “Beast Barracks” now is more soldierskills oriented, with two mentally and physically demanding “Challenges,” followed by the traditional March Back to barracks.

11 Yearling Buckner 2011

One month of intensive field training culminates in a seven-mile run back to barracks.

12 The Top Ten Reasons to Attend an Army home football Game

What makes Michie Stadium one of the top collegiate football venues in the nation?

14 Developing Team Captains of Significance

Developed in the aftermath of the 2006 Duke lacrosse team incident , this program promotes team cohesiveness and effectiveness.

22 head Point from West Point

This cadet-developed device records what an individual soldier sees while patrolling on foot or by vehicle. Cost for the device: $300.

27 The West Point Museum in Peace & War

The museum traces its roots to weapons captured during the Revolutionary War.

37 Prep School R-Day

Candidates participated in the first Reception Day for the newly relocated U.S. Military Academy Preparatory School at West Point.

18 Ghosts of West Point Past

Is the 47th Division of barracks really haunted? The Superintendent’s Quarters? here is a halloweenappropriate tale of West Point past.

2 from the President

4 from the Superintendent

40

46

A Letter from the Superintendent

Cadets served in military, physical, and academic individual advanced development experiences in places like Beijing, Rabat, and Dushanbe; Washington D.C. ; and forts Bragg, Lewis, hood, and other posts Armywide. They worked in a major international physics consortium in southern france; on water and primary school projects at remote villages in honduras and Costa Rica; and excelled at the U.S. Army’s air assault, airborne, and sapper schools and other key military development programs. They led their fellow cadets in the demanding crucible of Cadet Basic Training (CBT), Cadet field Training (CfT), and Cadet Leader Development Training (CDLT) at our local training sites, with support from an excellent U.S. Army Task force.

The new class of 2015 has begun to confirm its strong promise of accomplishment. It completed summer CBT with confidence and a can do attitude, led by an equally inspired cadet cadre. At the end of their CBT, we led our new cadets back on a demanding ruck march from Camp Buckner to West Point, joined by 179 graduates of West Point--our largest turnout in the history of the alumni march! The Class of 2015 then proudly joined the Corps of Cadets during their acceptance day parade on the Plain, and they are off to a very good start in plebe academics.

Our “Cows”, The Class of 2013, swore their Affirmation Oath in Roscoe Robinson Auditorium, an oath that formally establishes their commitment in service to the U.S. Army. And the new graduating Class of 2012 marked an important and traditional rite of passage, Ring Weekend. Their speaker was General David Rodriguez, Class of 1976, newly designated Commander of United States forces Command. he spoke with eloquence and authenticity about the unforgiving operating environment of the 21st Century and of the extraordinary capacity of our junior leaders to adapt and innovate to accomplish their tough missions.

The Cadet honor Code supported by the Cadet honor System remains paramount in the lives of every cadet and our leaders. Every day at West Point we reinforce the fundamentals of our honor code, one that our cadets will adhere to for the rest of their lives. We recently spoke to each Class in turn about the primacy of the honor code and the choices they make each day as future leaders; choices that must be guided by their integrity. None of this is easy, but all of it is fundamental to their future success as leaders and as citizens. We celebrate the diverse presence of cadets from every state in the Union and from 53 countries around the world. But in this one domain, we embrace a collective and unifying principle that commits all cadets to our code of honor; to an ethos that is essential in defining our profession.

We are working hard to build a new West Point Leadership Development System that is inclusive of everyone in the community, including our graduates. Its focus on outcomes for our officers is

something we will share with OCS and with ROTC. We look forward to sharing more about this approach to leader development in future issues of West Point magazine.

Let me close where I began, by connecting the rigorous and relevant cadet and officer leadership development experiences of this past summer with our mission. We labor each day to “educate, train, and inspire the Corps of Cadets…to develop leaders of character.”

That is our reason for being, our obligation to our U.S. Army, and the overarching purpose of every academic course, athletic contest, and parade on the Plain. It is also the basis for the singular commitment of the staff and faculty. As you have honored the mission of West Point in your own lives, we are setting the conditions for the success of the next members of the Long Gray Line.

Thanks always for your heartfelt and enduring support of your alma mater.

Army Strong!

David h. huntoon, Jr.

’73 Lieutenant General, U.S. Army 58th Superintendent, U.S. Military Academy

Solicitation of Thayer Award Nominations

Annually, WPAOG presents the Thayer Award to a great American who is not a graduate of the Military Academy and whose lifetime of service exemplifies Duty, honor, Country. The recipient must be willing and able to receive the award at West Point and make an acceptance speech to the Corps.

The Thayer Award Policy and nomination process is posted at WestPointAOG.org/ThayerAward.

WPAOG is now accepting nominations for the 2012 Sylvanus Thayer Award. Any graduate, USMA Class, or West Point Society may submit a nomination. nomination letters are due to the Secretary of the Thayer Award Committee not later than november 7, 2011.

for more information contact Bridget.Suarez@wpaog.org; 845.446.1512.

It has been a relevant and rigorous summer of field training at West Point, and one that included a series of exciting and challenging opportunities in the military, academic, and physical domains for our cadets around the globe. As we begin the academic year, let’s review the highlights:

It’s Not Your father’s Camp Buckner: Cadet Leader Development Training

“CLDT is, by far, the best training at West Point,” according to CDT Drew Webster ’12. “Better than [Yearling] Buckner and Beast Barracks.”

There was a time when Camp Buckner training was for cadets who had just completed their first year at West Point (Yearlings), while members of the first class (rising seniors) held leadership and staff positions. Although each week included five days of hard training in combat arms and inspections on Saturday morning, each weekend included movies, swimming, sailing, canoeing, and a hop (dance). That Camp Buckner continues for the yearlings, except it has been cut from two months to one month—spent almost entirely in the field. That extra month at Camp Buckner now is devoted to Cadet Leader Development Training—for the first and second classes—and likewise is spent almost entirely in the field. It gives the first class cadets an intensive dose of field training and realistic cultural immersion during their last summer before graduation.

In the mid-sixties, Vietnam villages sprang up at military installations across the United States. Nowadays, they are simulated villages in Iraq or Afghanistan—with a twist. The training at West Point includes about 80 contractors—natives

of Iraq, Pakistan and other middle-eastern countries—who speak Arabic and typically another language, such as Kurdish. They act as sheiks and key inhabitants of these villages or portray interpreters working for the military. Some Americans, taught appropriate phrases in Arabic, portray additional villagers.

“This year we wanted to get them in the woods… living there.”

Master Sergeant Joel Lundak, NCO in charge, Department of Military Instruction

Major Jeffrey Pickler ’01, a company tactical officer, found the training right on target. “Everything they’re hit with is very realistic and brings back memories of things I experienced in Iraq and Afghanistan. Americans are so business-oriented: they want this, they want that, and they want it right away. Over there, you’ve got to plan on two hours and maybe—maybe—you’ll get 15 minutes of real business done at the end.”

Photos: Marissa Carl/WPAOG

Camp Shea simulates an ethnically-divided town consisting of the majority Hudsonites and the minority Highlanders. The day before, a raid had taken place. Today, the Americans were on a humanitarian mission, but they had to overcome various obstacles. First, the platoon leader had to identify the village elder. If he or she doesn’t speak to the Sheik/elder first, the townspeople will riot. After finding him, the real negotiations eventually can begin.

According to Major Lennox, “In this particular town, it’s all about building relationships. It’s about learning and applying leadership and negotiation skills. They have to be able to reason with the Sheik… maybe aggressively, but at no time do they use arms or act aggressively. The platoon leader has a lot going on and a lot to keep track of… it’s intellectually challenging. They learn that the

decisions they make absolutely create the environment they’re in. Each time, it’s different how it plays out.”

According to Colonel Casey Haskins ’82, head of the Department of Military Instruction, “We really have to teach them how to solve problems instead of teaching solutions. They have to figure it out— and it can get really ugly at first. The cadets spend the first four days feeling sorry for themselves; then the transformation begins. I realize that we’re not going to change the Army, but for three years I’ve changed every cadet that’s come through here. We expect far more than what the Army says is good enough.”

Go to WestPointAOG.org/cldt to see how this training is changing West Point leader development.. 

“This is not just three weeks of training but insight towards a 12-month deployment, where, if they don’t take the time to learn the culture and the environment, it causes problems.”

Major Matthew Lennox, Committee Chief, Department of Military Instruction

Welcoming the Class of 2015

They came to Eisenhower hall in the early morning hours of June 27, 2011; 1,250 strong, many accompanied by parents, relatives and friends. After receiving a briefing in small groups in the auditorium, they were given 90 seconds to say their goodbyes. Then the future cadets were marched off by the Cadet Basic Training cadre while family members visited various sites around post, passing time until the Oath Ceremony that evening.

The new cadets were issued an avalanche of initial equipment and supplies, including a basic uniform of white short-sleeved shirts and gray trousers, and taught the basics of marching and saluting. Their training would continue in the heat and humidity and culminate with two training challenges. The first, the Goeke Challenge, named in honor of Lieutenant Christopher S. Goeke ’08, had squads rapidly moving to various testing stations to attempt a modified indoor obstacle course, apply first aid to a simulated casualty, run the stairs in Michie Stadium, paddle a raft on Lusk Reservoir, demonstrate proficiency in rescue carries, and flip some huge tractor tires.

A month later, they negotiated the more advanced Neel Challenge, named in honor of Lieutenant Phillip I. Neel ’05. These challenges required teamwork and technical and tactical knowledge in addition to strength and endurance. 

Photos: Marissa Carl, Jay Olejniczak/WPAOG

Traditionally, Beast Barracks, or Cadet Basic Training, ends with a talent show followed by a March Back to the cadet area early the following morning. Inclement weather forced the talent show indoors, but the weather improved by the time the first new cadet company left before dawn on August 8, 2011, accompanied by 160 graduates. At the victor Constant Ski Slope, the March Back paused until all the New Cadet Companies had arrived. Then, the cadre and new cadets marched the final two miles down Washington Road, led by the banner bearing the newly adopted motto of the Class of 2015, “For Those We Lead.” Reorganization Week was followed by the Acceptance Day Parade on August 13th, in which the Class of 2015 marched for the first time as part of the Corps of Cadets.

Photos: Marissa Carl/WPAOG, Kathy e astwood

Yearling Buckner 2011

When the Class of 2014 concluded their Camp Buckner training with a seven-mile run back to barracks, the east coast was bracing for temperatures near 100 degrees Fahrenheit with humidity to match. But that did not stop various members of the leadership team, staff, and faculty, including the Superintendent, Lieutenant General David huntoon ’73, from assembling at Camp Buckner at 6:00 a.m. to join them.

The Yearlings had completed a month of combat arms training that included the traditional “Slide for Life” and weapons qualification, Infantry, Engineer, Artillery, and Signal skills, plus a healthy dose of field training. The hidalgo Challenge, named in memory of Lieutenant Daren hidalgo ’09, tested them on land navigation, fire support, Soldier First Responder (combat first aid) skills, and urban operations. A culminating field training exercise that involved little sleep and a limited number of MREs (meals ready-to-eat) was described as a “three-day Ranger School.”

In one or two years they will return for a second month of intense tactical exercises (Cadet Leader Development Training) to reinforce the skills learned this year and prepare them for duty as platoon leaders. 

Photos: Tommy Gilligan/USMA

Top The Ten Reasons to attend an Army Home Football Game

Michie Stadium, consistently ranked a top college venue, is the place to be for Army home games. here are the top reasons why:

Saturday Morning Parade

Every good day starts on the Plain, as it should.

Black Knight Alley

Pre-game hot spot with concessions, giveaways, tests of skill, and displays.

Regimental March-On

At each home football game, one regiment (1,000 cadets) marches onto the field just prior to the kickoff.

The BeST Tailgates

It’s actually fun to walk through the parking lots and see all the variants!

The Rabble Rousers

More than just cheer leaders, they perform, lead cheers and fire the victory cannon after Army scores. They also keep the Corps of Cadets at a fever pitch during football season!

halftime Show

The Military Academy Band, pee-wee football, awards, and contests of skill.

Parachute Team

These athletes deliver the game ball to the 50-yard line, and photos cannot do them justice.

The Twelfth Man

The Corps of Cadets, 4,000 strong, forms a cheering section like no other!

Cannon Blasts & Cadet Push-Ups

These post-scoring rituals are events in and of themselves—especially when Army rolls the score up near 50.

Our national Anthem

Everyone in Michie Stadium stands for our National Anthem, often sung by a cadet on the field.

And if that doesn't convince you to come to

a home

game—here are

11. Michie Stadium Food

12. hudson Valley Scenery

more reasons!

13. Bumping Into Long-Lost Friends

14. Music, Music, Music

15. Real Army Mules and Mule Riders

16. homecoming and Reunions

17. A-Man, Black Knight & Army Mule Mascot

18. Rabble Rousers and Cadet Company Mascots Lead Team Onto Field

19. Other Army Sporting events

20. The Alma Mater

Photos: Courtesy WPAOG ARchives

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Photo: Courtesy WPAOG Archives

The March 2006 Duke lacrosse team incident sparked numerous discussions about a team captain’s roles and responsibilities among former Army and Navy lacrosse team captains and leadership instructors. These graduates created Team Captain Leaders to support athletic leaders in our nation’s colleges and have conducted over 200 hands-on sessions since. Over the past four years, Team Captain Leaders has created an operational leadership framework that allows team captains to create actionable plans based on their roles and responsibilities, leadership style, and team dynamics—all in support of team goals.

In 2010, the West Point women’s soccer team participated. Ranked seventh pre-season in the Patriot League, they won the regular season championship with the fewest goals-against in the history of the Patriot League. Coach Stef Golan stated, “Colonel Johnson’s work with our team leaders completely solidified our team culture. Our team chemistry was the best it has ever been, potential issues were identified early, and our players had a clear plan as to how they would deal with those potential problems. For the first time in a long time, we did not have any drama get in the way of what we tried to accomplish.”

The program consists of two sessions of two to three hours each, with an additional reinforcing session at the mid-point of the season. With team captains and informal team leaders all participating, session one focuses on understanding both the past and current year to form a clear image of how the team will be led and what they will try to accomplish. Session two focuses on team dynamics and a plan of action to prevent negative defining moments while posturing the team for success every day.

Session One

Coup d’oeil is a French military term (literally “glance”) meaning instinct. The best teams know intuitively what others on the team will do, where they will be, and how best to attack the defense. They can’t gain coup d’oeil without knowing themselves, their team members, and how to best integrate all of the players so that they truly are a team. The first step is to raise their situational awareness.

When asked to iterate their assumed roles, one group responded with: “We form team unity, maintain culture and traditions, serve as role models, are approachable by anyone on the team, motivate, enforce standards, keep the team focused, and mentor junior players.” These are all leader-oriented tasks that would be discussed with the coach and changed from assumed to assigned roles.

Next, responsibilities are discussed. By couching this in terms of “to whom,” the team captains realized that they have some farreaching responsibilities. One team captain replied, “To ourselves and our team.” As we explored deeper, with help from the informal leaders, it expanded to include “coaches, alumni, family, fans, West Point, the Corps of Cadets, our athletic department, and the United States of America.”

The team captains and leaders soon appreciated that there are second and third order effects for every decision they make.

Hockey team leaders were asked to describe the team posture when they played their worst during the past season. Reasons for not playing well ranged from worrying about their opponent and having a gut feeling they couldn’t win to academic and other requirements. Asked to describe their positive defining moments, they said everyone was on the same page, winning was on our minds, we were goal oriented and “hungry,” on an even keel emotionally, and felt that we owned the rink. Now they knew what they wanted to avoid and how they wanted to be postured before every competition. They also understood that some negative defining moments are preventable by proactive leaders.

The leadership next must define their legacy, and this is done by studying last year’s leaders. By evaluating how the team captains from last year dealt with these critical moments, this year’s leaders gain an understanding of the importance of this aspect of their job. On one team, the previous team captains “were opposite personalities who cancelled each other out, condescending when the team was not performing well, silent when we were losing, and did not get along.” At this point, we ask the current team captains if this is the way they wanted to be remembered. A swim team leader group stated, “We want to be role

SCIMAN rEMAET C A pTAINS DEFINING MO GOA r OlES/rESpONS

models in and out of the pool,

Each team member is analyzed.

communicate with everyone, have a strong work ethic, be known for stopping the negativity and keeping the team serious during the dry season, leave a legacy, and win.” Now these leaders have the framework they need to be consistent and visionary in leading the team.

Experienced leaders do four things well: lead by example, set and enforce standards, build and sustain morale, and model moral courage. Since no one is great at everything, we examine ways to share these tasks based on individual strengths. On one team, no leaders felt their strength was in setting and enforcing standards, although all six felt capable of leading by example. A healthy discussion followed, with two informal leaders volunteering to take on the standards task. It was visibly apparent that the formal team captains felt a huge weight had been lifted from their shoulders; they would have help in running the team.

Session Two

The first objective is to understand all of the team connections, including those of the leaders. The second is to identify all informal leaders and their connections. The third is to identify all cliques on the team and how they are connected (or not) to other players and the leaders. Finally, the leaders evaluate each player in terms of buying into the program, off-the-field risk (academics, discipline, etc.), strength of work ethic, and potential to influence others (positively or negatively). A team dynamics map is used to detect leadership gaps and leadership leverage points as well as to understand the critical mass of the leadership guild (formal and

informal leaders). Certain leaders are assigned to both leverage teammates and mitigate risks that selected teammates may pose to the team.

Finally, it is important to brief the coach to align what the team captains hope to accomplish with the goals of the coaches and set the stage for coach assistance in achieving a championship season. The process develops coup d’oeil for the leadership but also builds consensus and provides the confidence to act decisively during the execution phase of the plan. It also gives the team captains the tools to make their job easier and more rewarding because they now have a framework that, at a minimum, will increase communication between the coach and the leadership team, and at best will set them up to win the right way by implementing an all-encompassing plan of action.

The members of the first class on the Army football team conducted their initial sessions in late July of this year. After an effective first session that included downplaying negativity (“Just let it go!”), the leaders mapped the team connections and found several key areas that needed action, including assigning leaders to improve communication between the offense and defense and with special teams and mentoring the incoming plebes. Missing were the general platitudes of leadership, such as “focus” and “lead by example.” In their place, individuals were assigned specific tasks involving specific team members. In session parlance, it is called “pinning the rose” by assigning each leader specific responsibilities for improving team cohesion, esprit and effectiveness.

Photos: Marissa Carl, Jay Olejniczak/WPAOG

Left: first classmen on the football team consider new approaches to leadership. Right: Colonel Johnson and Paul Cino open the session.

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B Y MARISSA CARL

In October 1972, then-Cadet Feeley, the assistant brigade adjutant, was asked to spend the night in Room 4714 of the 47th Division because two plebes claimed to have seen a ghost there. Cadet leadership, however, chalked it up to a Halloween joke or a prank related to the upcoming Army-Navy football game.

“I was asked to go over and investigate,” he says. “It turned into going over after Taps to stay in the room—and to not let anyone know it was going to happen—to see if I could catch anybody.”

One of the plebes volunteered his bed to Feeley, and the other, then-Cadet Jim O’Connor ’76, stayed, going to bed early while Feeley stayed up studying for a thermodynamics exam he had the next day. At about 1 a.m., Feeley went to sleep in the bed nearest the hallway, but about an hour and half later he woke up.

“I could see my breath, and it felt like somebody was pushing down on my chest with their hand. Well, actually, not on my chest. It felt like the hand had gone below, into my chest.”

Eventually, with a strong effort, Feeley was able to turn onto his side, now facing the divider that separated him and the plebe who lived in the room.

“I’m looking at the divider, looking around the room, thinking ‘what the heck was all that about!’ and, ‘I can see my breath still,” he says. “So I started to roll over on my elbow to look at the wall, and this guy is sticking out of the wall!”

Feeley says he could see the man from about his chest up, and he was leaning through the wall, as if leaning out of a window. His uniform looked as though it was from the early 1800s and was buttoned up. He wore a tall hat with a feather and had a moustache.

“But the worst thing for me was that he had no eyes,” says Feeley. “Just bright bulbs where eyes are supposed to be. And we just kind of stared at each other.”

Feeley then waved his hand in front of the ghost’s face to see if there would be any reaction, and there was. He then moved his hand up closer and pushed it through the front of the face, but jerked it away immediately.

“It felt like having my hand in a freezer,” he says. It was at this point Feeley felt the need for backup.

…continued on p.20

“I walked over to spend the night with no thought in my head that there was a ghost in there,” says John Feeley ’73, a retired lieutenant colonel. “I was going to take care of a discipline problem.” But that night, 39 years ago, is the reason Feeley, age 60, still sleeps with a light on.

Cadet John feeley '73

Photos: Marissa Carl/WPAOG; courtesy WPAOG archives

News clippings

A West PoInt se A nce

In 1972, psychic demonologists Lorraine and Ed Warren were asked by Major Dean Dowling ’63 to lecture at West Point. After their two-hour program on paranormology and demonology, officers asked Lorraine if she would be willing to go to the Superintendent’s quarters in hopes of communicating with some rather obvious spirits.

Bill Knowlton ’70, the son of General William Knowlton, Class of January ’43, Superintendent at the time, says that some of the most prominent stories regarding Quarters 100 deal with the basement, which was heavily used as an office by Superintendent Sylvanus Thayer and his staff in the early 1800s.

One story concerns Abigail, Thayer’s sister who also acted as housekeeper, and her breadboard, which has a spot on it that refuses to stay dry. The other revolves around a bed that randomly gets tousled, as though someone has been sitting on it.

“I can verify that the breadboard appears wet,” Knowlton says. “Though I can’t say what that is a result of. Maybe it’s just humidity in the room.”

Sergeant Andre Rush, who was the senior enlisted aide for the Superintendent from 2005 until the summer of 2011, has given more than 500 tours of Quarters 100 and can verify that many of the stories are true. “The VIPs [I’ve given tours to] all think I’m full of it,” he says. “Until they see the perfect buttocks print on the bed.” He also tells a similar tale about a housekeeper and her breadboard, but his version involves a woman named Molly and her burnt breadboard, which continues to emit heat to this day, as if someone is still kneading bread on it. “Me and Molly have a very long history,” he says. “A very long and disturbing history.”

Rush, who has interacted with the ghost numerous times himself, says she is not shy. In the summer of 2010, he was coordinating the movement of some of the household goods from Quarters

…continued on p.21

To hear Jim O’Connor recount his experiences, go to WestPointAOG.org/ghosts.

throughout the years attest to reported paranormal experiences at West Point.

Photos: Jay Olejniczak/WPAOG; courtesy WPAOG archives

…continued from p.18

“I was keeping half an eye on this guy, and I yelled over to O’Connor and told him to get up. The guy coming out of the wall didn’t do anything, and then O’Connor came around the divider, and I turned to him and looked at him and said, ‘Do you see what I see?’ and he said, ‘Yeah, that’s the guy!’ ”

Soon after, the stories went viral, and the ghost became widely known as “The Pusher.” Media outlets, including the The New York Times and Newsday, covered the story, and about half a dozen theories of who the ghost was and why he was there circulated the campus.

That doesn’t, however, mean cadets have not spent the night there. This year, Cadet Andrew Wilhelm '12, The Brigade Morale Welfare and Recreation Officer, and his staff are coordinating a room-decorating contest for Halloween. Cadets from four rooms will win the opportunity to stay the night in Room 4717.

Timothy O’Neill, a retired Lieutenant Colonel who started his 15 years at West Point as an instructor in the Department of Behavioral Science and Leadership in 1976, wrote a novel about the events surrounding Room 4714 after meeting Feeley at a Halloween party in 1984. Most of the characters featured in the book, titled Shades of Gray, are based on real people, including the author himself.

“I’m an experimental psychologist by education,” he says. “And this is not an uncommon sleep disturbance, called sleep paralysis.”

O’Neill says our brains have switches that essentially deactivate the major muscles when we sleep, so that we don’t just get up and walk around while we’re sleeping. Sometimes though, often between 3 and 4 a.m.—the witching hour—we come out of a shallow sleep and the switch doesn’t get flicked back.

“The body doesn’t know that we’re waking up, and the muscles are still paralyzed, so essentially it feels as though we’re being pushed down in bed,” O’Neill says.

He adds that many of the instances reported in West Point barracks seem to be cases of sleep paralysis accompanied with hypnagogic hallucinations, which means we’re half awake, but some of our dream content is still present—like a waking dream.

While sleep paralysis is not uncommon, there are no official statistics on the number of those affected.

“Most of the time we don’t remember if we go right back to sleep; memories like that don’t get encoded in the brain,” says O’Neill, who can remember being affected by sleep paralysis at least once himself. “If you stay awake [though] it gets logged in long-term memory, and that’s where haunting stories from all over the world come from.”

In the fall of 1986, after writing the book but before it was published, O’Neill was asked by a West Point instructor to interview some cadets who had encountered “The Pusher.”

“I explained to them what it was and also did a short hypnotic regression,” says O’Neill, who based a couple scenes in Shades of Gray on these hypnotic regressions.

Ken Kerst, USCC Facilities Planner, says that to the best of his knowledge Room 4714 was converted into a study room after the 1972 incidents, and it still is, despite West Point’s increasing need to house more cadets.

“That’s probably a good idea!” says Feeley, who has been back to the room only once.

Tales of “The Pusher” nevertheless seem to have a long life ahead of them. Just last year, the SyFy channel tried to film an episode of “Ghost Hunters” at West Point, but, due to the timing and availability of facilities, the show never got taped.

“I think it’s a big part of the history of West Point,” Feeley says. “I’d love to go back to the room if I could—I’m not going to sleep in it though!”

Go to WestPointAOG.org/ghosts to read what cadets in G-4 wrote about the ghost in 1972. 

Photo: Marissa Carl/WPAOG

“A group of my friends and the officers teaching me thought I’d gone nuts.”

–John Feeley ’73

The “haunted ” 47th Division of barracks.

A West PoInt se A nce…continued

from p.19

100 to Quarters 103 for Lieutenant General David Huntoon ’73 and his family while construction started on the Superintendent’s house.

“One of the movers called me in hysterics,” he says. The mover told Rush that he heard a lady whispering in his ear while he was moving things out of the basement. Then he saw a lady standing eye-level outside the basement window – an area that is hollowed out but impossible to stand in.

“I was very, very, very, very, very skeptical of ghosts,” Rush says. “But in short term she made me a believer.”

Knowlton also says that a bedroom upstairs is rumored to be favored by the spirit of General Douglas MacArthur’s mother. Warren says the officers took her to Mrs. MacArthur’s room but didn’t tell her anything about the history of the room or the rumors surrounding it.

“Though it’s very strict at West Point, the officers all opened their collars and sat down on the floor with me,” says Warren, who was immediately aware of Mrs. MacArthur.

“I wasn’t sure if it was his wife or his mother, just that it was a woman with great influence over him,” she says. “Then I asked her, and she responded that she was his mother.”

According to General Knowlton’s memorandum of the events, Warren said at the time, “There is a lady in this room. She is not old, very domineering, athletically inclined, and really not quite a lady.”

The Knowlton children tried to conduct séances of their own over the years, but these yielded no concrete results. Lorraine’s investigation did. While touring the house she says she also communicated with President Kennedy while she was in the room that he stayed in during his 1962 visit.

Near the end of her visit, she also encountered the spirit of a black soldier in uniform who appeared very sad. “The officers present said that no black man had ever served here in that capacity, and I wasn’t offended, but I know what I saw,” she says. The next morning, Lorraine and her husband boarded a flight to give their lecture at Boston University. About halfway through the program, they were interrupted by an urgent call – from General Knowlton. According to Warren, he said, “You were absolutely right; there was a black man here in that capacity. Can you come right back?”

It is now storied that the soldier was named Greer. The Academy Archives did some research at the time to uncover details, but nothing solid about his identity ever has been recorded.

The Warrens couldn’t come back to West Point until the next year, at which time they tried to help the present spirits accept their death and pass on. “And we certainly hope that has happened,” Lorraine says. 

My military background made me strong.

Ours made us strong MBA candidates.

Our full-time MBA programs immerse you in a collaborative environment that takes your leadership skills to the next level. Choose our two-year program or our one-year accelerated program. Whether you’re a veteran or on active duty, you may qualify for generous merit- and need-based assistance, and our Veterans Club offers support throughout the Johnson experience, from applicant to alumnus.

Learn more or register for an admissions event at johnson.cornell.edu/military.

MBA AppLicAtion deAdLines: Round 1 applications due october 12, 2011

Round 2 applications due november 30, 2011

Photo: Jay Olejniczak/WPAOG

Imagine a system mounted on a vehicle or on a dismounted soldier that discreetly records eye-level images of the environment as the vehicle drives along or the soldier patrols an area. Imagine the intelligence such a system could provide if it automatically and accurately time-stamped the images, added Global Positioning System (GPS) data, and combined the images to create 360˚ panoramic pictures. Using commercial, off-the-shelf equipment and open-source software, Lieutenant Roy Ragsdale ’08 developed a prototype of such a system. While a computer science major in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, he designed and built proto-types costing about $300 each.

The vehicular version, Photo Trail, takes clear pictures at speeds up to 60 miles per hour, while the soldier version, Head Point, attaches around a standard Kevlar helmet and adds fewer than 10 ounces of weight. In effect, Head Point is a concealed, portable, imagery intelligence device that captures points of interest along patrol routes, in villages and district centers, and at check points. It collects multiple sets of data from various dismounted activities at remote sites and enables operators to observe multiple sectors or areas of interest. The optional 100- or 360-degree views provide a soldier's perspective of points of interest and various foreign nationals encountered.

Characteristics

The production version of Head Point mounts six small web cameras that cover a 360 degree field of view and a small housing for data management electronics. The power supply can be built-in or carried elsewhere. Head Point provides data easily importable into nearly all mapping, planning, and tracking systems used by tactical commands. Other key characteristics:

• Geographically referenced

• Time stamped by the global positioning system

• Ruggedized to resist rain and dust

• Integrated to interface with Google Maps and ArcView systems

• Data stored on the helmet can be sent via a USB connection to, or removed from the helmet and inserted into, an external device for processing/viewing

• Onboard storage of 16 gigabytes

• Camera sensor resolution from one to three megapixels

• Automated capture with an optional manual trigger for “photos of interest”

Operational Concept

Head Point provides the most flexible possible capability to capture highly relevant imagery to provide current intelligence and influence operations. Every soldier can act as a sensor on an ever-changing battlefield. The imagery captured covers the breadth of an objective area as well as specified targeted areas of interest, with analysis yielding persons of interest. Since the images are time-stamped, analysis of changes over time is possible. In a partnered role, the system captures the level of detail necessary to build accurate population-centered assessments at the village level so units can better familiarize themselves with an area during mission rehearsals. Head Point’s mobility and overall soldier-focused design allows a commander to see exactly what his soldiers see across the battlefield. With facial recognition and optical character recognition software, the imagery also can provide intelligence on the locations of insurgent and terrorist safe-houses.

future Work

Head Point is now being designed and produced by a government contractor in Virginia. Colonel Grant Jacoby, the Computer Science Program Director, and Lieutenant Ragsdale, a squadron intelligence officer for a cavalry regiment currently deployed, serve as the function verification and validation customers, respectively. A number of Head Point prototypes were delivered to Ragsdale's regiment in Afghanistan during September of 2011 for field testing. In effect, a "disruptive technology" idea that Cadet Ragsdale developed as a First Classman in 2008 will now help serve units in his regiment only three years later. If the prototypes perform as predicted, Head Point will provide another example of how the academy’s intellectual capital supports the operational needs of the Army. 

Head Point from West Point

Photos: Tommy Gilligan

Photos: courtesy of authors.

In Grateful Acknowledgement for their Generous Gift Supporting the Future of West Point magazine

Photo:

“My favorite animal is the mule. He has more horse sense than a horse. He knows when to stop eating and when to stop working.”

harry S. Truman

West Point Museum in Peace & War

Capturing History: the

“20,000 infantry rifles…with bayonet and sling…artillerymen’s tools, pikes, sabers…160 [artillery pieces], munitions wagons, limbers, etc., most of them captured at Saratoga and Yorktown…an inscription on every piece taken from the enemy stating the place where it was captured; these trophies serve as do many cost-free monuments to their glorious triumphs.” Thus did a 1784 visitor describe the spoils of war stored at West Point in two windowless warehouses on a bluff overlooking the Hudson River.

Although the traditional date of the founding of the West Point Museum is given as 1854, many artifacts in the collection predate the founding of the Academy in 1802. After the victory over the British at Saratoga in 1777, various captured military materiel was brought to fortress West Point for storage and re-distribution. Remaining are the camp drum of the British 9th Regiment of Foot captured at Saratoga; a mortar captured at nearby Stony Point; and a Brown Bess musket re-stocked at West Point and stamped “U.S.” With the founding of the Military Academy in 1802, the ordnance stores also became tools of military instruction. Major George Fleming, an early instructor, reportedly took excellent care of the ordnance items. Later, collections of art, geological and ethnographic specimens, and other military items were acquired by various departments. By 1838, space was allotted in the new academic building for some of these collections.

That the collection was organized in some manner by 1843 is revealed in a letter from Lieutenant Miner Knowlton, Class of 1829, to Lieutenant James Duncan, Class of 1834, requesting a specific artifact from the Dade Massacre in Florida for “our Musee d’Artillerie.” Duncan promised to send an artillery sponge staff personally recovered on the 1835 battlefield. This staff is perhaps the first piece specifically acquired for the West Point collection, but it was the War with Mexico, 1846-48, that firmly established both the Academy and the Museum. The commander of our expeditionary force, General Winfield Scott, sent sections of flagpoles from captured Mexican forts to the superintendent, describing them as “precious trophies of the valor and skill of our gallant little army” ably assisted by graduated cadets such as

President Polk directed that other war trophies be sent to West Point, and, in 1849, battle flags captured from the Mexican army arrived. Cadet Philip H. Sheridan, Class of 1853, noted that the Corps

B Y D AVID R EEL AND M IC h AEL M C Af EE W EST POINT MUSEUM

received “the trophy flags and bore them up to the Plain amidst the roar of forty 18-pounders which echoed and re-echoed through the Highlands.” Upon the recommendation of the Board of Visitors, Superintendent Robert E. Lee, Class of 1829, opened the Ordnance Museum to the public in 1854. Until Taylor Hall was completed in 1909, the museum was housed in several academic buildings. In 1858, the War Department sent the British colors of the Seventh Regiment of Foot, captured in 1775, and an Anspach-Bayreuth color surrendered at Yorktown to West Point. Both originally had been given to George Washington by Congress. The Civil War brought so many artillery projectiles that the weight threatened to collapse the floors of the museum. As the United States became a world power, the number of trophies increased rapidly.

After World War I, the French 75mm cannon that fired the first American shot of the war and numerous machine guns were added. During World War II, the Museum was closed and a scrap drive caused the loss of many irreplaceable ordnance items. The ensuing victory brought trophies, such as Goering’s diamondencrusted baton and the flag that flew over Dachau when it was liberated. General Eisenhower ’15 returned with a gift from France—a sword carried by Napoleon as First Consul. The boots and campaign hat worn by General Joseph W. “Vinegar Joe” Stillwell ’04 when he marched out of Burma and the Medal of Honor awarded posthumously to “Sandy” Nininger ’41 also joined the collection. In 1948, the first professional curator and director was assigned, and the collection was re-named the West Point Museum.

When the riding hall was renovated into an academic building in 1958, the museum moved there, in close proximity to several academic departments. With the purchase of the Ladycliff College campus, however,

the museum closed in 1988 and reopened a year later at its current site in Olmsted Hall. More recent additions include a French Renault tank, the ballistic case of a “Fat Boy” atomic bomb, a Davy Crockett tactical nuclear weapons system, and the World War II Sherman tank displayed at Abrams Gate. Nevertheless, the gallery depicting the history of West Point remains a favorite with visitors.

Currently, the Museum is showcasing its impressive collection of Civil War artifacts in an exhibit titled “Touched with Fire.” Each item in the exhibit is a relic of the men and events of the conflict which divided our nation. Highlights include the bugle that sounded the last recall prior to the surrender at Appomattox; the bronze medallion presented to MAJ Robert Anderson for defense of Fort Sumter, and the first Medal of Honor. The current display will remain on view until the Spring of 2012, when the second in a series of four ‘Civil War’ themed exhibits will be presented during 2011-2015, marking the 150th Anniversary of the American Civil War.

The staff of the West Point Museum is passionate about their maxim…“Preserving America’s Military Heritage.” For as long as American democracy has been entrenched at West Point, so have the collections of artifacts and art that aid in the development of the Long Gray Line. Today these historic relics of our past are preserved by a highly trained staff of museum professionals which last year achieved accreditation from the American Association of Museums (AAM), the highest national recognition for a museum.

The West Point Museum is open daily from 10:30 a.m. to 4:15p.m. (Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years day.) Admission is Free. For additional information call 845.938.3590

Above far left to right: Union Troops Capturing Confederate fort by DeNegri; 8th Infantry Regiment flag; watercolor by cadet Ulysses S. Grant, 1843; Olmsted hall; Sword and pistol of General Jonathan M. Wainwright, 1906, and pen used to sign Japanese surrender documents. Below far left: British kettle drum captured at Saratoga, 1777. Below: Cadet uniform of George S. Patton; Parrott medal. Robert P. Parrott, Class of 1824, designed the rifled Parrott gun of Civil War fame.

Each summer, hundreds of cadets travel around the world as part of the West Point summer enrichment program. Although many cadets expect these programs to provide them with an exciting trip overseas, all return with a new understanding of the importance of being cross-culturally competent. They begin to recognize that their military missions will send them to far-off places where they lack language skills and cultural knowledge.

To prepare our future officers for these missions, the Department of Social Sciences directs the Conflict and Human Security Studies Program, a program that places cadets with non-government organizations to live and work with the local population. Immersing themselves in the daily culture allows them to delve into the customs and beliefs of a foreign group, granting them a deeper understanding of why people behave the way they do and how they adapt to their particular environments. Few experiences are more life changing than those enrichment opportunities that take place on the continent of Africa.

Africa offers cadets a glimpse into a world of extraordinary contrasts. Cadets witness abject poverty in the slums of Dar-esSalam, Tanzania, juxtaposed with the mansions of the country's elite. Cadets see the results of unfathomable violence in the form of missing limbs that were hacked off during the civil wars in Rwanda and Sierra Leone, yet experience the warmth and generosity of the African people. No one returns unchanged from these experiences.

One of the Academy's longest running internship programs is Operation Crossroads Africa, a non-government organization that places cadets in villages to work in construction, teaching and healthcare. Cadets live in these villages for more than six weeks, becoming an integral part of the village fabric. Although cadets do humanitarian work and share skills and knowledge that may be lacking, inevitably they learn more about themselves through another's prism. They learn that joy does not always come in the form of an iPad or car, but in the simple interactions of neighbors sharing food when others have hit hard times. Despite the crushing poverty present in many of the areas where cadets work, they learn the true meaning of generosity and become introspective about their own perspectives. This introspection shapes more competent and culturally sensitive junior officers.

Cadet Experiences

Cadet Aaron Woods ’12 worked on three different projects with a local non-government organization in Larabanga, Ghana: building additional classrooms for an overcrowded local school;

teaching mathematics and English in kindergarten to fifth grade; and planting a community vegetable garden to improve the village diet. Most importantly, he experienced a totally different culture with different religious beliefs and concepts of time.

“The area we lived in was a completely Muslim community. Their religion dominated their everyday life from prayers to gender roles. Even though we were of different religions, they welcomed us into their homes and lives. They took us to see their mosque, even though it was not Hillel with the Koran. I believe everything I learned about the religion of Islam, from its customs to beliefs, will help me in my future interactions with Muslim peoples.”

“There are several sayings in Ghana like “T.I.A. (This is Africa)” and “GMT (Ghana Maybe Time)”. Time to the people in that country was not finite. In fact, our host once told us that, “We need to be the masters of time, not let time be the masters of us”. This concept was at first frustrating to me, coming from a very structured military environment where time is everything.”

Cadet Josiah Van’t Land ’12 is no stranger to other cultures: he visited cousins living in Dakar, Senegal, in the spring of 2010 and travelled to Honduras during the spring of 2011 to work at orphanages. In Larabanga, Ghana, he participated in a community development project to plant a vegetable garden to improve the nutrition at a community school and also taught classes. Through this intercultural experience, however, he learned more than he taught.

“Almost nightly, we would sit around the fire talking with Hussein and Al-Hassan, our twin-brother hosts, and discuss poverty in the north, the corruption of the government, Islam and Christianity, and other topics. I was able to gain an entirely new perspective on Western countries developing poor nations, and how some people are sometimes overlooked.”

He also emphasized the contrast between the complexities of life in the Western world and the simplicity of life in Larabanga.

“I was reminded how much we have in America, and how focused we are on material objects. Life is incredibly simple in Larabanga. The kids we stayed with had two soccer balls and a few pads of paper. That

Opposite: Cadet Devin Redding ʼ12 helps fishmongers in Ghana. Cadet David Lowe ʼ12 during a public service broadcast. Cadet Redding testing students for hIV.

Above: Cadet Joshua Vanʼt Land ʼ12 and some of his students in Ghana.

Operation Crossroads Africa was established in 1958 by Dr. James h. Robinson, who foresaw a "clear, honest, hard-hitting program" in which young North Americans would work at the grassroots level with young Africans. he envisioned young people "building bridges of friendship to Africa" and living the organization's motto: "make a difference for others, see the difference in yourself."

The programs of Operation Crossroads Africa are designed to promote understanding of Africa and the African Diaspora based on the belief that one can truly enter another culture only by living and working in it. Called the "progenitor of the Peace Corps" by President John f. Kennedy, Operation Crossroads Africa has sent over 11,000 persons to more than 40 African countries, twelve Caribbean countries, and Brazil in pursuit of its goals.

The global war on terrorism has emphasized the need for welldeveloped cultural skills at the basic unit level, more so than at any other time in recent military history. Young West Point lieutenants now must have these skills during their very first deployment—often within a year of graduation. Cross-cultural skills, both general and specific, ideally are developed simultaneously with leadership, tactical and administrative skills. Military cultural research currently is a rapidly developing field with few established standards or measurements, but the needs of the end users—the operational commanders in the field—are of significant importance. Colonel (Retired) Gayle L. Watkins, Ph.D., and Randi Cohen, Ph.D., exhaustively researched “Cross-Cultural Competence and USMA Cadets” and presented their results in December 2009. They found that operational commanders identified five specific skills or characteristics of crossculturally competent junior officers: be willing to make mistakes but overcome the problems and maintain a sense of humor; seek out interactions and experiences; discover, identify and properly apply local customs; recognize his/her own culture and respect other cultures; and establish and build relationships with someone in another culture.

was it. They played soccer almost every moment of the day that they weren’t in school. That was all they had, and they loved it. They were always laughing and smiling and never complained that they only had a few toys.”

Most troubling to him was the difference in work ethic and the concept of time. Not all cultures are as concerned with making progress or as cognizant of the clock.

“They are much more laid back than we are, typically only working four or five hours a day. They do what they need to survive, and that’s it. They have very little sense of time and kept lecturing us about not letting time be the master of us. It will happen when it happens.”

For almost two months during the summer Cadet Devin Redding ’12 worked in Elmina, Ghana, alongside members of the Central and Western Fishmongers Improvement Association, an organization that provides vocational training, micro financing, and educational services for female fishmongers and their families, a marginalized and under-educated group in Ghana.

“I spent many hours helping fishmongers dry, salt, and smoke fish while learning about their livelihoods and the work they have done with the Association. With information gathered about their lifestyles, businesses, and needs, I compiled narratives to be used for fundraising and as supplemental materials for grants. Additionally, I partnered with another volunteer to apply for a grant from the African Women’s Development Fund in support of the Association’s vocational training programs.”

Another important aspect of her experience was working to counter the continuing threat of the human immunodeficiency virus throughout Africa. Many cadets participating in Operation Crossroads Africa taught safe sex and were involved in radio broadcasts and other means of educating the villagers about this deadly disease and how it can be avoided.

“Yesterday I traveled to Shama, a village in the Western Region of Ghana, to meet with representatives from the Environmental Protection Agency, Ghana Health Service, Registered Nurses Association, Department of Environmental Health, and Department of Social Welfare. I have travelled to hospitals and villages where members of the Association live to test children for HIV, and helped to put on educational drama productions and seminars.”

In their 2009 study, “Cross-Cultural Competence and USMA Cadets, Colonel (Retired) Gayle L. Watkins, Ph.D., and Randi Cohen, Ph.D., concluded:

“The bottom line, however, is this: according to operational commanders, cadets need to develop culture-general skills prior to their first deployment as lieutenants, and the United States Military Academy’s international Academic Individual Advanced Development program offers cadets an excellent way to develop these skills prior to commissioning.” 

Photo: Courtesy of author.

Dr. Ruth Beitler poses with photos of memorable exchange experiences.

Thayer Road between Pershing Barracks and Bartlett Hall looked like a construction site on the morning of August 23rd, as the Department of Civil and Military Engineering unleashed the cadets majoring in civil engineering with hammer, wrench and trowel. While one group plied hammers and power saws to build a wooden shed in two modules, another took up wrenches to construct a one-third-scale, steel-frame structure that, in the past had been built inside a classroom for training. Although the vertical members were steel, the horizontal members, bolted between them like parts of a giant Erector Set, were fiberglass.

Down the road, on the rooftop parking area adjoining the B level of Mahan Hall, another group took up trowels and levels to build several concrete block structures with a non-hardening, instructional mortar, noted Colonel Karl F. Meyer ’84. Although the wooden shed was a continuing, all-group project that would be moved by forklift to Mahan Hall later that afternoon to house the Rabble Rousers’ Spirit Tank that roams the end zone at Michie Stadium during home football games, the steel frame structure and concrete block structures would be disassembled before each group rotated to the next station.

operations Hammer, Wrench & Trowel:

2011 STRucTuR eS PRojecTS DAy

Photos: Jay Olejniczak/WPAOG

The Dean, Brigadier General Tim Trainor ʼ83, approves.

“it’s just following plans and executing,” said Cadet michael Crimmins ’12. “The hardest part was getting started.”

B Y J ULIAN M. O LEJNIC z AK ’61

Before starting on the steel frame structure, Cadet John Wetzel ’12 anticipated that lifting the beams and getting them at the right angles would be the most challenging part of the exercise. He was right. Time after time the cadets resorted to shims and hammers to compensate for deviations from the square as they hoisted the beams into place and attempted to set the bolts. Similar challenges faced those constructing the wooden shed, with the added disadvantage of having to make adjustments for any minor errors in measurement and cutting or nailing by the groups of cadets that preceded them. Only those working in concrete could add or subtract mortar in order to make the adjustments required by line

and level, but speed was sacrificed in the process. They faced the additional challenge of having to cut concrete blocks into halves for every second course at the doorway, but George Markuson was on hand with 35 years of masonry experience to show them how.

Lieutenant Colonel Craig E. Quadrato ’91 said, “This exercise gives the civil engineering majors experience working with materials, experience that will be useful throughout the semester as the cadets take their design courses.” Meanwhile, at least one group of cadets—the Rabble Rousers—will be happy that their Spirit Tank has a new garage. 

You know you’ve seen it…but can you remember where?

Those individuals who correctly identify where at USMA the item shown in the picture below is located will be entered in a drawing to win a $25 gift card to the WPAOG Gift Shop!

Send your entry to editor@wpaog.org by November 30, 2011.

The winner of this contest will be announced in the Winter issue of West Point magazine and in First Call.

Employees of West Point, WPAOG, and their families are not eligible.

Photos: Marissa Carl, Jay Olejniczak/WPAOG, courtesy WPAOG archives.

Left: fastening a beam into place is not as easy as it looks here. Right: Squaring a corner on a concrete block structure.

West Point Alumni Job Fair

Sponsored by the West Point Society of DC and the National Capital Region Army Navy Country Club - Arlington, Virginia Friday, December 2, 2011

You are invited to meet with representatives from up to 33 employers from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. on December 2nd in Arlington, Virginia. Companies may also invite you for more in-depth interviews between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Open only to West Point graduates! Candidates who cannot attend this event may participate in a “virtual” West Point Job Fair. See website for details.

www.WestPointJobFair.com WestPointJobFair@aol.com

BY T ED S PIEGEL

“It’s been awesome to come here. We all were interested in having a taste of cadet life for a week—it’s good—makes you want to be a cadet.” This comment from a 16-year-old drew a chorus of nods from his squad mates during West Point’s week-long Summer Leaders Seminar. They were psyched as they prepared to brave the challenges of Camp Buckner’s Leader Reaction Course. They soon would tap brains and brawn to successfully negotiate an up-close and personal “preview of coming attractions.”

For their $350 registration fee, these top-notch scholars received an immersive introduction to West Point’s rigorous educational challenge. Clad in Army tee-shirts, formed into squads led by West Point cadets, they participated in a series of intensive one-day academic experiences taught by faculty members (candidates could pick any three of 15 offerings) plus an energetic training sampler at Camp Buckner, runs at dawn, and team sports in the afternoon.

Cadet Captain Pamela Baker attended SLS in the summer of 2007: four years later she is the cadet in charge. “Right now, I have 54 cadets that I am in charge of, as well as 500 candidates each week— making sure that everything runs smoothly. We’re showing the SLS candidates what West Point is about, what the mission is, what life here is like, and posing the question, ‘Is this something that you would be interested in doing?’

“Four years ago, I was pretty set on the Naval Academy and went to their SLS before I came to West Point’s. Here, my cadet squad leader answered all of our questions, gave us a good idea about what cadet life was like, and what the mission of the Academy really is— you’re going to be an Army officer. We’re here to commission leaders of character in the United States Army. It really gave me a sense that I wanted to come here. It was great.”

When asked what concerned her most as she interacted with 1,000 of the best and brightest high school students in the country, Baker replied, “For me personally, it’s looking at their motivation to be here—are they here because their parents want them to go to West Point? Do they know what it means to be in the military service— what kind of commitment they’re making? Do they have the ability to lead, the desire?”

Photos: Ted Spiegel

Above and far left: Teamwork in evidence during the Leader Reaction Course.

Left: Cadet Captain Pamela Baker ’12 reviews the day's events with officer in charge Lieutenant Colonel Amy Meeks ’94, who was Cadet Captain of SLS in 1993.

Lieutenant Colonel Amy Meeks ’94 was the cadet in charge in 1993. Now she is the Associate Director of Admissions and the officer in charge of SLS. Her job is to assure that the cadets take home their own growth experience as leaders. Leadership is the overall topic of a seminar that has “Leaders” as its middle name. Whatever session they are in, it is topic one.

Listen to West Point Radio interview with Lieutenant Colonel Meeks at WestPointAOG.org/WPRadio.

In an electrical engineering class with Major Matthew Rapp, they wanted to know more than how to solder an electrical array; their most passionate questions were about soldiering. Rapp’s response was frank:

“When you become a platoon leader, most of the time you are the greenest one there. You’re typically going to have a platoon sergeant with sixteen or seventeen years in the Army. That’s an interesting dynamic. You have to assert your authority, yet you have to be learning all the time, on-the-job.”

Dr. Len Marella ’57 kicked off a day-long session on Leadership and Ethics with his theory: “The way I look at leadership, it is a combination of caring, plus character, plus competence; and leaders of character—what this institution is all about—discover the truth, decide what is right, and have the courage and guts to commit accordingly. Moral courage is easy to define but tough to

do. Moral courage occurs when one of your values is being violated, and you’re going to do something about it, but you’re going to take some heat for it. That’s why they call it guts.”

Victoria Serra’s parents were both Air Force KC-135 pilots: “I really like SLS—it’s different than I expected. Our cadet sergeants answered all of our questions about cadet life; they told the truth about everything. After going to the classes, I realize it’s a pretty rigorous curriculum. All the courses I took this week were really hands-on: Chemistry and Life Sciences, Electrical Engineering, and Ethics and Leadership. Amazing instruction. They let us mess around with robots worth thousands of dollars. I was kind of unsure at first whether I was going to apply; that’s why I came. Now I definitely want to apply.”

The closing remarks of Colonel Deborah McDonald, Director of Admissions, were realistic and hopeful: “I believe that the greatest generation lies within this audience today. You are coming of age at the most turbulent time in our history. We have been at war for ten years, longer than at any other time in our nation’s history. The world is on fire with civil unrest and in an economic downturn. We don’t know what will happen next. Great accomplishments come under great pressure. I’ve seen you operate at the Leader’s Reaction Course: I’ve seen you innovate to accomplish the mission. Whatever you choose to do, whatever course you focus on, I know you will succeed.”

Photos: Ted Spiegel

“Sticking to your morals, choosing something that might not be enjoyable, is stressful, hard, but you know the end result is right: instead of taking the easy way out, cheating, stealing. West Point is one of the most difficult academic schools; it’s physically demanding, militarily demanding, but you still have to go by the honor code—live your life honorably. Thirty years later, it will have made every one of us a better person.” Participant Mitch heflin, Wayzata, Minnesota

Above: A group of SLS participants. Upper right: Trying out a weapons simulator.

Right: hands-on classes included Electrical Engineering.

On July 18, 2011, the U.S. Military Academy Preparatory School Class of 2012, 244 cadets candidates in all, arrived at Eisenhower Hall. They are the first preparatory school class to occupy the new, $104 million campus relocated to West Point due to the mandated closing of Ft. Monmouth, New Jersey. Similar to the Reception Day for the West Point Class of 2015 held a month earlier, they were briefed, separated from any family or friends accompanying them, administratively processed, and taught basic military skills.

That afternoon, they participated in an indoor oath ceremony due to threatening weather and had five minutes to say goodbye to family and friends before beginning a month of Cadet Candidate Basic Training under the supervision of a cadre of 76 West Point cadets filling positions from battalion commander (similar to the King of the Beasts at the Academy) to squad leaders. Included in

the summer cadre are a number of cadets who were prepsters just a few years ago. Marksmanship and land navigation are emphasized.

When the academic year begins, the prepsters will concentrate on mathematics, English, sports/physical fitness, and military skills administered by a school staff and faculty of 52. Unlike Plebes, the cadet candidates enjoy privileges common to enlisted soldiers in the Army (which they are), such as weekend passes and automobiles, if they meet school standards. According to Colonel Edgar Rugenstein ’83, the school commandant and dean for six years, “We do not want this to be another plebe year.” Of the 244 cadet candidates, 90 are athletes, while 28 come from the active Army, eleven from the National Guard, and four are Reservists. The class includes 55 African Americans, 47 Hispanics and 22 of other ethnic origins. Thirty-six are female. 

PREP SCHOOL R-Day

Photos: Marissa Carl, Jay Olejniczak/WPAOG

B Y J ULIAN M. O LEJNIC z AK ’61

THE CADET MESS HALL

BY THE NUMBERS

Courtesy of John Fitzsimons

nine

figures atop Washington’s stained glass window: Sport, Training, Peace, War, Service, Sacrifice, volunteers, Labor, and Education

2.8

52

Portraits of Former Superintendents

milliOn

annually meals served

2,100: Pounds of beef for one taco meal

2,200: Pounds of sirloin steak for one Steak Night

15,000: Pounds of chicken tenders annually

284,000: Slices of bacon annually

156,000: Slices of Canadian bacon annually

300,000: Containers of yogurt annually

635,400: Containers of 1% chocolate milk annually

712,800: Containers of skim milk annually

Photos: Sylvia Graham, Jay Olejniczak/WPAOG

number of statues in dining area: SChOLARShIP | PhYSICAL v IGOR LOYALTY | MILITARY LEADERShIP 4

Food Production Workers

74

15,600 JARS OF WEST POINT PEANUT BUTTER ANNUALLY

15

Flags of states, territories, district of Columbia, & the nation

Battles/wars in Class of ’44 stained glass window: Chippewa, Buena vista, korea, Indian Wars, Gettysburg, Bull Run, D-day, St. Mihiel, MeuseArgonne, vietnam, San Juan hill, Philippine Insurrection, and the China Relief Expedition. Although the 14th panel depicts two cadets and an excerpt from Scott’s Fixed Opinion praising the contribution of graduates during the War with Mexico, it also commemorates the 1943 Army Air Forces bombing raid on the oil fields at Ploesti, Romania.

Photos: Sylvia Graham, Jay Olejniczak/WPAOG

Gripping Hands

General Officer Promotions (Since July 1, 2011)

The Secretary of Defense has announced that the President has nominated:

Lieutenant General Charles h. Jacoby, Jr. ’78, U.S. Army, for appointment to the rank of general.

Major General William T. Grisoli ’76, U. S. Army, for appointment to the rank of lieutenant general.

Major General Joseph e. Martz ’79, U. S. Army, for appointment to the rank of lieutenant general.

Major General David G. Perkins ’80, U. S. Army, for appointment to the rank of lieutenant general.

Brigadier General Ralph O. Baker ’82, U. S. Army, for promotion to major general.

Brigadier General heidi V. Brown ’81, U. S. Army, for promotion to major general.

Brigadier General Lynn A. Collyar ’79, U. S. Army, for promotion to major general.

Brigadier General John A. Davis ’80, U. S. Army, for promotion to major general.

Brigadier General Patrick J. Donahue II ’80, U. S. Army, for promotion to major general.

Brigadier General Charles W. hooper ’79, U. S. Army, for promotion to major general.

Brigadier General Paul J. LaCamera ’85, U. S. Army, for promotion to major general.

Brigadier General Sean B. MacFarland ’81, U. S. Army, for promotion to major general.

Brigadier General Kevin W. Mangum ’82, U. S. Army, for promotion to major general.

Brigadier General Austin S. Miller ’83, U. S. Army, for promotion to major general.

Brigadier General Camille M. nichols ’81, U. S. Army, for promotion to major general.

Brigadier General Warren e. Phipps, Jr. ’82, U. S. Army, for promotion to major general.

Brigadier General Jeffrey J. Snow ’83, U. S. Army, for promotion to major general.

Brigadier General Kenneth e. Tovo ’83, U. S. Army, for promotion to major general.

Brigadier General Thomas S. Vandal ’82, U. S. Army, for promotion to major general.

Brigadier General Bert K. Mizusawa ’79, U. S. Army Reserve, for promotion to major general.

In May, a category EF-5 tornado ravaged two Missouri communities. Colonel Anthony hofmann commands the kansas City District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which constructed eight school facilities, two fire stations and 346 housing units. A few days later, his district confronted the largest flood in Missouri River history, which inundated farmland and threatened communities. Meanwhile, he coordinated a reach-back mission contracting/executing construction projects in Afghanistan Engineer District North. “Many are unaware that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is the largest public engineering, design and construction management agency in the world,” he says.

Brigadier General Ray Winkel passed away on August 30 after a long battle with cancer. Head of the Department of Physics for 22 years, he demonstrated unflinching devotion to high standards of discipline, integrity, and scholarship which were reflected in every graduate of West Point. His heartfelt love for cadets, faculty, the Academy, and the discipline of physics had a profound impact on all those who knew him.

“Grip hands—though it be from the shadows—while we swear as you did of yore, or living or dying, to honor the Corps, and the Corps, and the Corps.”

—Bishop Shipman, 1902

1969 Dolan Inducted into Ranger hall of fame

Gary E. Dolan, an attorney in Massapequa, New York, was inducted into the U.S. Rangers hall of fame on July 27, 2011 at fort Benning, Georgia. he received a medal and a plaque in the hall of fame’s permanent legacy hall. In 1970, Dolan was a platoon leader in Co. C (Ranger), 75th Infantry, in Vietnam. While over-flying a long range reconnaissance patrol team in heavy contact, he learned that they were unable to recover the body of a fallen Ranger. Dolan immediately had the pilot hover over a tree so he could climb down through the triple canopy, recover the body, and direct the safe extraction of the team. he also accompanied numerous similar patrols on the ground and continued to advocate support for the Ranger causes long after leaving active duty. These vary from websites to lecturing on the Ranger style of leadership to corporate executives.

Gilbert Receives Inaugural Wendell H. Gilbert Award 1954

Brigadier General (Retired) Wendell H. Gilbert, Austin Peay State University Vice President for Development and University Relations for 17 years, 1981-98, was honored with the inaugural Gilbert Award at a luncheon on February 1, 2011. In 2002, he was named Deputy to the Governor of Tennessee for Homeland Security.

NASA Grads Witness Final Space Shuttle Launch

Pete Nicolenko ’83, left, and Bill McArthur ’73, in Firing Room 4 at the Kennedy Space Center following the successful launch of Atlantis on STS-135, the final mission of the Space Shuttle Program, on July 8, 2011. Pete is the Deputy Director of Launch Vehicle Processing at the Kennedy Space Center and was the STS-135 Assistant Launch Director. Bill, a 2011 Distinguished Graduate, is the Space Shuttle Orbiter Project Manager at the Johnson Space Center, responsible flight readiness and on-orbit operations.

Leaving a Brick By Brick

A thoughtful, timeless gift or tribute: honor or memorialize a loved one, classmate, friend, or coach in a significant, lasting way.

The West Point Association of Graduates Brick and Paver program allows you to etch a meaningful inscription on a brick that is placed in the historical grounds surrounding the James K. Herbert Alumni Center. The walkways serve as visible places for a permanent, elegant remembrance to visitors entering the building from Mills Road and surrounding parking areas.

This is truly a unique opportunity to recognize someone in a manner that will become part of West Point history. Both bricks and pavers are offered, and payment options are available. Call 1.800.BE.A.GRAD for more information, or visit WestPointAOG.org/Bricks & Pavers WEST POINT

for Golf’s Most historic Event…

The Masters Golf Tournament

The Masters–like West Point–is all about tradition, with a history dating back to 1934. All-time greats like Sam Snead, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Byron Nelson, Ben hogan, and Phil Mickelson all have won multiple green jackets. The 2012 Masters Tournament promises to continue its legacy of greatness. This is your opportunity to see it first-hand!

Along with ADMISSION to the Tournament on Friday, your tour package includes the following highlights and more:

 Three (3) nights’ deluxe accommodations at the Grand hyatt Buckhead (or similar accommodations) in Atlanta, GA

 Welcome hospitality desk and arrival gathering

 Full breakfast, daily

 Golf outing at a “Premiere” Atlanta-area course

 Masters Golf Tournament viewing social–including food and beverages

 Deluxe, round-trip motorcoach transfers to the Masters Golf Tournament

 Special admission to the Executive Club (which includes deluxe food, beverage and open bar all day long)

Tour participants are limited due to number of admission tickets available: make your reservation now!

Vinson Hall Retirement Community

WHERE THE EXCEPTIONAL BECOME EXTRAORDINARY.

Add your name to our Expansion Priority Program List

Home since 1969 to commissioned military officers and their immediate family members, Vinson Hall is now also open to GS-14 and above federal employees from agencies such as the Departments of State and Defense, the CIA, and Foreign Service class level 1, 2 or 3.

During this new stage of g roowth and reenova v tion, Vinson H Hall l will add d 75 new apa t rtmeent h homes over thhe e next three years, ranging in size from 1,200 to more than 2 1 ,100 0 square feet e , as w well as a new community y center.

This is a quiet communnity characterizeed d by matuure treees, walking paths and lovely landscapinng, located in M McLean, Viirginiaa, just across the Potomaac from W Washington, D.C.

The tiimme to act is now! V Vinson Hall of fers a residennt-focused d lifestyle perf fectly suited d t to the e e extraordinary p people who o live herre.

w

6251 Old Domminiion Drive McLean, Virginia 22101

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Are you ready to extend your success into the lives of others? Academy Leadership is looking for leaders who want to develop their own successful leadership business. Our unique Lead2Succeed™ process combines the West Point and Naval Academy leadership development programs with today’s successful corporate philosophies to create the most powerful leadership training programs available. We are looking for passionate business leaders who want to share their knowledge and experience to help managers achieve their personal and professional goals. If you have been a senior executive or business owner, you’ll discover profound meaning in your next career as an Academy Leadership Afliate.

We are accepting applications for all U.S. and Global markets. Please send your resume to afliate@academyleadership.com for consideration.

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Also available now: A l limited number of existing apartment homes! WP3Q11 VNHL-012 Priority Prog Ads Final_West Point 7.125x4.75 5/31/11 2:00 PM Page 1 Official Supplier of United States Military Academy for the Following classes 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1958 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1968 1969 1970 1971 1975 1976 1977 1979 1981 1982 1984 1985 1986 1988 1999 2003 2004 2005 2006 2010 2011 2012 2013 Balfour can replace Class Rings, miniatures, and wedding bands for the above listed back dated classes. Contact Jayne Roland at Balfour. Phone: 201-262-8800 or Email: balfourna@optonline.net 17471 0911 ©Balfour 1970–2011, all rights reserved.

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11

Veteran’s Day Rucksack March

While most Americans are sleeping in, over 1,000 cadets will be jogging and marching 12 miles up and down the hills of West Point to honor our veterans and raise money for veteran-oriented charities.

Veteran’s Day Celebration Concert

The U.S. Military Academy Band presents a concert of patriotic and martial music in Ike hall at 7:30 p.m.

DECEMBER 16

Winter Graduation

The final graduation ceremony of 2011 is small in size but just as impressive and just as significant to the participants as the traditional graduation in May.

October 20 The SOSh Run

The ss307 international relations term paper is due today, and many upper class cadets will don costumes as they rush to the office of the department of social sciences to turn in their assignment as close to the deadline as possible.

The Army-Air Force football game is in Colorado this year, as the West Point cadets open the quest for another Commander in Chief's trophy.

november 5

December 2-3

hudson Valley holiday Concerts

The U.S. Military Academy Band offers an evening performance of music appropriate to the holiday season at Ike hall at 7:30 p.m. on December 2 and reprises its performance of the previous evening with a matinee offering at Ike hall at 2:00 p.m. on December 3.

BranCh

Go Army! Beat navy!

The Corps of Cadets and the Army football team travel to FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland, for the 112th Army-Navy Game; kickoff is at 2:30 p.m.

novemBer 10

deCemBer

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NOVEMBER 2-5

Thinking beyond Boundaries: Contemporary Challenges to U.S. foreign Policy

College students from across the nation and around the world gather at West Point to discuss problems facing the United States in the world community.

Upcoming events suggested by West Point staff & faculty. Events for february-April should be sent to editor@wpaog.org by Nov. 15, 2011 .

1

Past in Review

conversions, setting two scoring records—20 total points and four touchdowns. The final score was 24-0 in favor of Navy. Emrich was knocked unconscious twice but recovered.

Army-nAvy Foot BALL

B Y J. Ph OENI x, E SQUIRE

“A favorite play is for one team to form a V with the biggest men in the point and a little, fast running man with the ball within. Then at a signal the whole mass rushes forward and through the opposing line, and the little man slips through if he can and runs for the goal with the ball.” –Letter, Cadet harold Palmer howard, Class of 1891, November 30, 1890

The first football game between the cadets of West Point and the naval cadets of Annapolis was played on the Plain at West Point on November 29, 1890 because Dennis Michie, Class of 1892, asked Navy to issue a challenge that could not be refused. It would be West Point’s first intercollegiate football game, but Navy had been playing since 1879. Since cadets were not allowed to leave the Academy grounds, Michie agreed to pay half of Navy’s travel expenses, and every cadet agreed to charge $0.52 to his store account for the purpose.

Navy’s captain, Red Emrich, scored two touchdowns in each half and kicked two

Army quarterback Kirby Walker also was knocked unconscious twice but had to be carried from the field the second time. Spectators at the event, including naval officers from ships anchored in New York City, numbered 1,000.

Army sought to avenge the embarrassing 24-0 loss to Navy, and permission for an unprecedented “away game” was given. Michie then persuaded Harry L. Williams, a former star at Yale, to coach two days a week without compensation. Although Navy was heavily favored, Army won convincingly, 32-16. The estimated 3,000 attendees heard active cheering from both sides! When the players returned to West Point by train on Sunday evening, the Corps of Cadets carried them up the hill from the station. Even though Navy won the next two games, Army-Navy football

had become a tradition before the 1894-98 hiatus when Oswald H. Ernst, Class of 1864 and Superintendent, 1893-98, recommended that the series be discontinued because he felt that “the excitement attending it exceeds all reasonable limits.”

An unidentified Navy goat appeared at that inaugural game in 1890, and in 1893 the Navy commandant requested that El Cid, the goat mascot of the USS New York, attend the game. Navy won. In 1899, the first Army mule attended the game in Philadelphia, and Army won. Legend says that it kicked the Navy goat into the stands, but this cannot be confirmed. A Navy goat from the USS New York returned in 1900, and Navy won. The tradition of goat and mule mascots continues to this day, with the first resident Army mule mascot being Mr. Jackson in 1936. He saw three consecutive national championship teams (1944-46) during his dozen years of service.

1992-96 was Army’s last winning streak (5); Navy’s is 2002-2010 (9). Neither team had won more than five consecutive games until 2007. Now, after 111 games, Army trails in the series, 49-55-7 (no games were played in 1894-98; 1909; 1917-18; 192829). The last time the series was tied was in 2004 at 49-49-7. The 2011 game will be at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland, near Washington, DC, at 2:30 p.m. on December 10. Be there! Beat Navy! 

Presumably, the first known collegiate football game was played between Princeton and Rutgers on November 6, 1869—using a round rubber ball. Each team had 25 players, a goal counted one point, and the first team to score six points won. Rutgers prevailed, 6-4. A week later, the second game— extended to eight points—was won by Princeton, 8-0.

By 1875, the familiar, egg-shaped, leather-covered ball debuted. Two years later, team size was reduced to 15 (nine linemen and six backs) and a time limit of 90 minutes was set for a game. By 1882, a team had to advance the ball at least five yards in three plays to retain possession—and the team was reduced to eleven players. By the time of the first Army-Navy game, a touchdown was worth four points, while conversions after and safeties were two points each.

Photo: USMA Archives.