West Point Magazine Spring 2011

The 100th n

faculty and cadets as well.

10 On THE COVEr

Four Days in February: An Army Story Army Hockey defeated American international College indoors at West point and outdoors in Connecticut and helped cadets develop as leaders on and off the ice.

meet the Weltons

He teaches Sharia (islamic) law, and she is a native speaker who teaches persian (Farsi). They are not your typical Army couple.

26

Chasing Legends

Four cadets dashed from rome to paris, London, and Scotland in search of the secrets of TheDaVinciCodeand Angels&Demons

in TH i S i SSUE

16 Branch and First post

Seventy-eight percent of the Class of 2011 received their first choice of branch; 21% will serve overseas for their first assignment.

20 global programs in the Department of Law

Included are the Kimsey Scholars in Washington, DC; the Point-to-Point program in Liberia; and the second War Crimes Staff Ride.

24 Two for Texas

The Brigade Honor and Respect Captains are both from Texas but followed very different paths to West Point.

32 Taking the High ground

Over the past three years, cadet project groups have developed West Point’s first satellite for launch in March 2012.

36 Fort Sumter, South Carolina

On April 12, 1861, Confederate Brigadier General Beauregard, Class of 1838, ordered the bombardment of Fort Sumter, commanded by Major Anderson, Class of 1825.

38 Ambassadors of Song

The Cadet Glee Club gave its first concert in 1903; it is now the most popular and well known cadet group.

it easier for wounded soldiers and civilian accident victims to recover from amputations.

2 From the president

3 From the Superintendent

4 Letters to the Editor

going for the gold at the Collegiate nationals

40

The West Point Parachute Team won 13 gold, five silver and three bronze medals, and Kurt Yeager ’13 was named Most Competitive.

35 Start the Days!

42 gripping Hands

48 past in review

The Class of 2011 show, “The West Story … Story,” took satiric aim at the foibles of staff,

Dear Fellow graduates:

The staff and i are excited to share this second issue of West point magazine with you, and trust that you’ll find something different or interesting about the military Academy that you didn’t know before. While the graduate combatants that fought at Fort Sumter may be something we all remember from military history class, as you’ll see in this issue, today’s cadets are designing satellites for outer space, tracking the DaVinci Code and challenging the best intercollegiate ice hockey teams in the Holleder Center and outdoors. goArmy!

in this issue you’ll also find something new, and that is a return envelope that will give you an opportunity to send a tax-deductible donation that will support West point magazine. We believe it is important to keep everyone informed of what is going on at the military Academy—that’s why we started this publication and are sending it to as many people as we can. Your support is critical to our being able to do so into the future.

many of you have heard me say this before, but the circulation trend lines for our previous quarterly publication, ASSEmBLY, were undeniable. Fewer than 10,000 of our 48,000+ living graduates subscribed, and that number was decreasing steadily. For those who did subscribe, 85% had graduated prior to 1986—our current living graduate midpoint. The remarkable story that is the U.S. military Academy and the wonderful cadets that soon will lead our nation’s Army around the world was not reaching the majority of graduates, and certainly not the American public. West point magazine will remedy that and bind us ever tighter as graduates to each other, and to the institution that shaped each of our lives: the United States military Academy at West point. Although this magazine is being mailed without charge to all graduates, nothing is cost-free and our ability to continue doing so depends on your help. i urge each of you to consider sending a donation to support West point magazine, particularly as there are no annual dues to be a member of the West point Association of graduates. grip Hands with each other, and with your alma mater, by supporting West point magazine! in closing, i want to thank each of you for your support and enthusiastic approval of this magazine. i look forward to seeing you all back here for reunions, athletic or other events, or whenever you’re in the Hudson Valley. West point, for Thee!

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

pUBL i SHE r

West point Association of graduates

E D i TO r in C H i EF

Julian m. Olejniczak ’61 845-446-1517

jay.olejniczak@wpaog.org

E D i TO ri AL A DV i SO r Y g r OU p

John Calabro ’68

norma Heim

Jim Johnston ’73

Kim mcDermott ’87

Samantha Soper

A DVE r T i S ing

Joyce Jones 845-446-1520 ads@wpaog.org

A DD r ESS Up DATES

Tammy Flint 845-446-1642 address@wpaog.org

D ES ign

impel Creative

All letters to the editor are considered for publication, usually in condensed format.

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.

p OST m ASTE r

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.

West Point is 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.

West Point is printed by QuadGraphics.

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.

Bob mcClure ’76 president & CEO West point AOg

A Letter from the Superintendent

One of the most significant elements is West point’s remarkable reputation across the international landscape for all of the above and for its gold standard in education. For example, our continuous international connections in the past century with partnership military academies from St Cyr to the national military Academy of Afghanistan have been very important in our mutual development. Our sustained contact with senior allied military leaders is supportive of both professional military-to-military exchanges and indirectly supports theater security cooperation plans in our combatant commands. in times of regional crisis, those contacts and connections can produce favorable outcomes for national security objectives. in all these ways, West point is engaged on many worldwide fronts and remains connected to the U.S. Army and the nation.

One such front is the study of language and culture. That study at West point has taken on many new dimensions in the past several years. probably the most dramatic step—at once both academically and professionally enriching—is the semester abroad program. in the past decade alone, we have increased the number of semesters abroad from a handful to over 140 this year. in addition we have expanded our advanced individual academic development (A i AD) program in the spring and summer during which cadets often give up their leave to participate in short duration cultural immersion opportunities. For two to six weeks they pursue both their language studies and develop a rich understanding of the 21st Century global landscape, from Shanghai to Santiago, and from Amman to Athens. The message from the U.S. Army and the United States military Academy to our cadets is clear: new cultural perspectives matter, and at some point in your future leadership roles, this time spent abroad can pay off in substantive ways for your mission and for your nation. in learning about another way of life, they are improving their language skills, bringing back to West point a much richer educational experience, and setting the conditions for a more successful life of selfless service.

We have just returned from a trip to Japan and China to visit some of our Semester Abroad cadets, to renew partnerships with counterpart military academies and universities, and to tell the story of West point to senior leaders from both the U.S. and our host countries alike. in Japan, we met with the senior leadership of the national Defense Academy (nDA) at Yokosuka, their joint service military academy. Begun with guidance from general Douglas macArthur in 1952, nDA has had a long and positive relationship with West point; we have recently conducted a semester abroad program between our two schools. We were warmly welcomed at nDA by Dr. makoto iokibe, their president, given a comprehensive briefing and tour of the impressive infrastructure, and met with several Japanese cadets who had recently studied at West point. We committed to sustaining this important relationship, and considered ways to broaden our participation. We also met with the Chief of the Japanese ground Self Defense Force, gEn Yoshifumi Hibako, at his headquarters in Tokyo, and recalled his own recent trip to USmA. At each stop, the name of “West point” and the value of our cadets and officers was respected, honored, and admired.

in China, we traveled to nanjing, where we were able to restart our relationship with the people’s Liberation Army University of Science and Technology, an exchange begun by the initiative of former Superintendent Lieutenant general Christman over a decade ago. in Changchun, northeastern China, we met with the president and senior leaders of Jilin University, and spent time with five of our cadets participating in a semester abroad program. Finally, in Beijing, we met with the senior leaders of peking University and with five other cadets who are also studying at that prestigious school. Our cadets are rapidly improving their skill in handling the 3,500 characters of mandarin, while learning each day about the extraordinary culture of the world’s largest population. They are a long way from the cadet mess hall, but their oppor tunity to learn about dim sum and duck in the day-to-day life of Beijing is in sui generis.

Contextually our visit to China was auspi cious, with Secretary of Defense gates having just spent time in Beijing, and with Hu Jintao of the visiting Obama in Washing ton, DC, during our visit. Our cadets are a key element in rein forcing that strategic intent of increased mil-to-mil exchanges. in the long term, ca dets who can visit and understand the cultural importance of such places as the great Wall of China or the imperial city of Kyoto, who see the difference between our market place economy and those economies unique to Asia, and who live among the people of any major nation state abroad are far better prepared to use critical thinking skills in whatever mission they will face in their future as leaders of character for the U.S. Army and the nation.

West point will continue to encourage this kind of travel for all the reasons known so well to our graduates—and well supported by the donations of many of our graduates. A bottom line? The newest leaders of the Long gray Line will bring new skills, new sense, and new sensibilities to this volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous contemporary operating environment. All of that will have a certain payoff down the dusty roads of their professional future as leaders of character.

Army Strong!

David H. Huntoon, Jr. ’73 Lieutenant general, U.S. Army 58th Superintendent, U.S. military Academy

The idea of West point—its ethos of honor, leader development excellence, extraordinary academic standards—conveys many things to many people.

Lieutenant general Huntoon at Tiananmen Square with cadets neil Kanneberg (Cape girardeau, mO), Louisa Anchondo (Lockhart, TX), Sean Flynn (plymouth, in), Sarah Jeon (La mirada, CA), Briana Bailey (Lihue, Hi), as well as major mike mcDermott (Aide de Camp), and interpreter Angela.

I just finished reading (2nd time) the inaugural issue of West Point. Thank you for a great magazine for the Grads. The stories were all interesting and the interweaving of past, present and future has me looking to the next edition. Thank you, AOG, and the dedicated staff that produced this fine magazine.

—John

Wanted to tell you how much I liked this new West Point alumni magazine. The whole product—edit quality, look and feel, price— is worthy of our graduates and our institution. Congratulations!

—Neal Zuckerman ’92

i was quite pleased to receive the first issue of the new magazine, and i must say it is a great step forward. my whole family enjoyed both its content and more timely look and outlook.

The new magazine shows West point in a more positive, forward-looking manner more in tune with both our current graduates and those old guard who want to maintain contact with our wonderful school that has, and still is, giving much needed leadership in the country and world. great job!

—Thanks,

I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed the Inaugural Issue! I found the format very enticing. From the layouts to the artwork to the texture of the paper, it was really very compelling. I thought the content was strong and interesting. I also liked that it covered a wide variety of the West Point community— from honorees, to the First Captain, to clubs, to academic enrichment to Corps Squad sports. I think the academic enrichment pieces were key. I look forward to the next issue.

—Kurt Krummenacker ’95

Congratulations on the Inaugural Issue of West Point magazine. I have read it cover to cover. Magnificent! Best regards,

—Tom Claffey ’58

A very good magazine. Good variety of subjects.

—Larry

West Point, Winter 2011, arrived yesterday, and Ruth and I immediately shared it cover to cover. As veterans of the print world (Time, Life, Broadcasting) we send out collective congratulations on a splendid and spiffy Inaugural Issue! Type faces, layouts, generous bleeds, splendid photography (great shot of the Dean), DCA by the Numbers and The Days pull you in and cogent copy. Hurrah for print … it’s alive and well at West Point!

—Chuck and Ruth Windsor, ex-’61

Nicely done magazine. I passed my copy along to a football prospect who is being recruited by Navy.

—John

Moncure ’72, Ph.D.

—Frank

Geist ’60

Partlow ’60

—Dan Robinson ’68

Polanowicz ’84

Reading the Winter 2011 issue of West Point made me proud to be a member of the Long Gray Line. As a VP at a Silicon Valley semiconductor company, I put the lessons learned at the Academy and in the Army to work every single day of my life and hope that my efforts actually serve to improve the quality of life in the United States of America and the people who work for me.

Jim Dillon ’93

Both in concept and with the initial issue, I think you have succeeded on a grand scale. Keep up the good work and let me know if I can help.

I want to compliment you and your team on an outstanding publication to keep the Long Gray Line abreast of the activities at West Point. The articles are short, sweet, diverse, and informative. I like that approach. Great job!

—Rich Enners ’ 71

I have just received my first copy of West Point magazine, and I must say I am very impressed. It is a professionally crafted and extremely well done magazine. Your mission is to tell the West Point story, and if this first issue is any indication, you are off to a fabulous start. I believe it has major potential within much wider circles than members of the WPAOG. I plan to pass my copy on to our children, as I know they will appreciate and enjoy the articles. You’re off to a great start; good luck on Issue 2.

—Bill

O’Meara ’59

I just wanted to let you know that I received my copy of the Winter 2011 West Point magazine and have enjoyed reading it front to back. I especially like how you put in facts/figures in several sections. The format was fun to read, informative and caught your eye. The “Past in Review” was a great page, and I enjoyed learning more about the history of West Point.

—Julie Coley, Parent of 2004

Congratulations on the inaugural issue of West Point magazine!! I like it and fully agree with the rationale for its creation. It was long overdue. I think the magazine is attractive, well designed and the articles are well written. Good effort and the type of alumni magazine that one would expect of a leading university.

—Don McGrath Pride of the Corps ’74!

What a terrific inaugural issue of West Point! We’ve been stealing it off of each other’s desks to read it. The design is beautiful, and the content compelling. Can’t wait to hear how it is received by your readers. Again, congratulations!

From @rakornacki @WPAOG Many thanks for the inaugural edition of the West Point magazine. Well done. A good mix of cadet & graduate life. Thank you.

From @dcasman @WPAOG Loved it. Read it cover to cover.

From @jkramez @WPAOG I LOVE IT. But my opinion may be biased.

From @lazzarij @WpAOg just got mine in the mail … excellent.

tweets!

Michael L Robertson: Very engaging publication. i read it cover to cover.

Jerry Buchanan: Very well written and a great read. Keep them coming!

Matthew Kirt: i enjoyed the first issue. good balance between personal stories and what’s going on at the Academy. Keep it up.

Robert Smentkowski: good mix of current academy news and alumni accomplishments.

Kerry Trahan: Visually stunning.

Sylvanus Thayer [a pseudonym, undoubtedly]: i received it this week! Fantastic job. great layout and articles; it was a good read!

John Thurman: Unique, creative and refreshing. it is an engaging look into the world in and around West point. The design and format take it to another level … a magazine that is a breath of fresh air!

Chris Valentine: received it yesterday. Very well done. great articles and the center print was excellent.

Kelly Ward Manion: LOVE it!!! Especially the piece on Army Football!

— Kristen Pironis, USNA Alumni Association & Foundation

“I’ve worked with undergraduates and graduates and post-docs at Yale; I’ve worked with senior scientists at Rockefeller University. These young men and women [from West Point] who I bring on board in my laboratory have the capability of performing well at any of those institutions. If these cadets—this orga nization—are great at solving a complex biological problem topic ossification], then the next biological problem is just a matter of changing out test tubes. We’ll be applying the same problem solving, the same techniques, the same rigor.”

“Heterotopic Ossification” is a challenge to pronounce, let alone understand. Heterotopic: growing at an abnormal place. Ossification: the formation of bone; the unintended growth of bone mass in soft tissue. Now, let’s eavesdrop as Cadet Woo Do ’11 briefs the faculty of the Department of Chemistry and Life Sciences on pioneering research that a group of seven cadets, working in the laboratory of Dr. Ken Wickiser, are performing within the framework of a Carnegie Mellon University-West Point bioscience/Network Science Center project.

“Heterotopic ossification leads to the development of bone spurs at the site of amputation. The reason that it is so significant for us as West Point cadets and people who are interested in the Army medical system is that we have a lot of people returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with traumatic injuries who then undergo amputation surgery. Those amputation sites often subsequently develop an overgrowth of bone spurs in the flesh surrounding the impacted area. Those bone spurs are painful, and they will significantly hinder the patient’s ability to use a prosthetic device.

“Currently, the methods used to treat such symptoms involve surgery and radiology. We know that both of those have significant negative implications. We hope to pre-empt those problems by using small interfering ribonucleic acid (siRNA). We know that siRNA can interfere with mRNA molecules [the genetic middlemen

in biology] ference level pression to the bone-creating helping in the development of a location-specific therapeutic to repress the particular genes responsible for the proliferation of bone growth.”

Do’s slides convey not only the medical problems which arise after severe impact injury—he projected radiological images showing bone-spur expression—but also the risk analysis necessary to detect unintended cellular damage from the therapeutic siRNA. Presentation skills gained as the leader of West Point’s championship Model UN Team and the self-confidence that helped him earn a Rotarian Ambassadorial Scholarship were apparent as Do addressed an audience of Ph.D.s and colonels.

He went on to explain how the cellular uptake of these therapeutic siRNAs must be limited to the trauma site. The Carnegie Mellon-designed siRNA, is encapsulated in a star polymer gel for transported to the trauma site via injection. There it interferes with the functions of the three genes known to play key roles in heterotopic ossification. “If we used a viral-vector to introduce the siRNA into the patient, it would negatively affect the bone formation process throughout the body. That would be very undesirable.”

Left: no morphological change to human cells after the introduction of the biopolymer.

Do was speaking for a team of seven cadets variously in their second, third and fourth years at West Point. The cadets’ research task is to search for any unintended cytotoxicity—damage to normal cells— that might be created by the new therapeutic. They are cross-checking that the siRNA is optimally encapsulated by the transporting gels and delivered to the targeted cells. They also want to confirm that the gel, once it has transported the siRNA to the damaged cells at the trauma site, is not toxic to normal tissue elsewhere in the body as it degrades.

Crothers’ in the Department of Chemistry—to fashion an experience where I would use physical chemistry techniques to study synthetic and naturally occurring small RNA structures. I was fortunate to be part of the team that discovered and first characterized riboswitches …. accurately described as ancient gas gauges that measure the amount of a needed biomolecule.”

Leaving Yale in 2004, Wickiser joined the Laboratory of Molecular Neuro-oncology at Rockefeller University. When he learned that West Point was in need of what he had to offer, “high affinity” went to work. Soon he was teaching advanced courses in the Academy’s Department of Chemistry and Life Sciences and fashioning a realworld research program offering the most advanced cadets customized opportunities to challenge and expand their capacities.

“Our collaboration with Carnegie Mellon will go a long way to reducing the pain and suffering of many soldiers as well as benefiting the general public who have amputations and accident-related injuries. We are dealing with a lot of unknowns. What role does sudden impact play? After trauma, the balance of proteins in the affected cells will change. It’s not understood how that works, but we do understand that when that balance shifts, uncontrolled bone growth can occur.

“The Carnegie Mellon drug [for treating heterotopic ossification] is designed to knock down the concentrations of some of those proteins, inhibiting those [bone] spurs. We are trying to develop a sense of whether the drug they have produced has unintended side effects. A real question is, ‘If I have a drug which attacks those proteins, what is it doing to the rest of my biological network?’ That’s a complete unknown.”

Dr. Wickiser, now a civilian faculty member, mentors his research team from a strongly empathetic base. When he graduated from West Point in 1992, he occupied much of his leave time before reporting to aviation training with a return visit to the Los Alamos National Laboratory. He had been very impressed by a three-week stint doing bench research the previous summer and wanted to “expand his scientific horizons” before he got caught up with aeronautics. Seven years later he left the military and started to fill up the envelope he had addressed to himself during his graduation summer leave at Los Alamos.

His pathway back to West Point began with enrollment at Yale for a Ph.D. based on research he would perform in molecular biophysics and biochemistry.

“I chose to join two different labs—Ron Breaker’s in the Molecular Cellular and Developmental Biology Department and Donald

That search for cytotoxicity is the responsibility of Dr. Wickiser and his cadet team. They are hard at their task as you read this. Technically, they are sub-contractors to Carnegie Mellon under a $2.9 million contract with the Department of Defense, which was well aware of one valued side-effect of the contract. With West Point as a research partner, the funding will help advance the future of Army medicine through enhancing the education of some of its future leaders. Dr. Wickiser has mentored his team to proficiency in a broad range of biological assay techniques, including chemical analysis, spectrophotometry, and light microscopy. They have learned the bench techniques necessary to perform mammalian cell culture, reverse transcription, and DNA and RNA extraction. Looking for unintended cellular damage, their observations of the transporting polymer/therapeutic siRNA interaction at the nanometer level will directly impact t he drug’s final configuration. Armed with Bioinformatic software, they can collect and communicate their findings to their teammates at Carnegie Mellon. This promising genetic solution to heterotopic ossification can only advance to the clinical trial phase if it passes the Wickiser team’s scrupulous “millions-of-cells” inspection.

Right: Healthy human umbilical vein endothelial cells before the introduction of the biopolymer.

problem and effective as is needed to solve this heterotopic ossifications problem. To have a team of talented, hard-working cadets is, in my opinion, a very common-sense approach. No single one of them is going to solve this, but working together as a team, backing each other up, and performing complementary experiments and analysis of the data we will do what’s needed to solve this biological problem.”

Wickiser is both an idealist and a realist: “I’ve tried to generate a lab that is self-sufficient. We need to challenge the people at the top of their class. Most educational systems are designed to service the mean. The upperclassmen and the cadets in the team who have a few more years here work as a team—if one is off post interviewing for medical school or representing the Academy, the underclassmen can step in and keep the assays going. There are only a few cadets who can do this, but I have essentially combed the general chemistry rolls to see who the high-fliers are, and I ask them ‘Are you interested in biological research? If you are, let’s get you away for the summer to Carnegie Mellon or the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center or over to Yale or MIT, see how you perform.’ If they can hold their own in someone else’s lab for just three weeks and are excited and want to springboard off that, then I’ll bring them onto my team.”

Throughout West Point, departmental research centers provide essential academic challenges for both faculty and students. Cadet Jeremy Smith ’11 is a case in point. A Marshall Scholar who has been one of Dr. Wickiser’s team leaders, Smith will spend a year Cambridge before going on to medical school. This enterprising arrived with 17 advanced placement tests under his belt Plebe year with second-year courses.

formative experience was a West Point sponsored visit to a program in Kenya. “A research teammate and I went to study malaria and HIV,” said Smith. The range of his non-academic experiences matches his advanced placement track founded and leads the Ultimate Frisbee Team and is Charge of the Ethics Team:

traveling competing in Ethics Bowls around the counsort of become an ambassador and a resource for the Office’s Cadet Public Relations Council, the Simon the Department of Social Sciences.”

top two percent of his class, Smith is one of a dozen who have qualified to attend medical school. This spring he is a cadet captain and commander of Company B-4. Ten years downrange, may well be in a medical unit deployed outside the United States, drawing on the broad range of experiences that followed as result of his early journey from Texas to West Point.

Luis Rivas is the third heterotopic ossifications research team member from the Class of 2011. All three (Do, Smith and Rivas) bound for medical school, with interesting detours en route. graduating from high school in Puerto Rico, Rivas spent a at the U.S. Military Academy Preparatory School to improve English and math skills. He now ranks 38th in a class of more 1,000—relishing the hands-on cellular research he does with Wickiser. Upcoming, another “prep” experience.

“I’ve been accepted to the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences Medical School. I’ll be going there in four years, after I’ve served as an Infantry officer. I really don’t want to give up the

opportunity of being a platoon leader; it only comes once in a lifetime,” said Rivas. “After that experience, knowing what the soldiers I am deploying with are going through because I actually perienced being a soldier hand, I’ll be able to relate them and their families better as a health care provider.”

In spite of their varied pathways, all three of these young men will claim West Point as their academic home town due to their common experience in conducting advanced research with Dr. Wickiser. 

“We need to challenge the people at the top of their class. Most educational systems are designed to service the mean …. There are only a few cadets who can do this, but I have essentially combed the general chemistry rolls to see who the high-fliers are, and I ask them ‘Are you interested in biological research?’”

—Dr. Ken Wickiser

Four Days in February: An Army Story

BY Jim J OH n STO n ’73

it’s Friday night at the Holleder Center, and the Tate rink ice is sparkling. The Black Knights are entering the home stretch of a long Atlantic Hockey Association campaign. immediately ahead are two games against the American international College Yellow Jackets. The first is at West point tonight; the second, at Hartford tomorrow afternoon. Both games are must-wins.

The excitement of Division I ice hockey is, without a doubt, the passion of Army’s players, but the time “down below” in the cadet area is just as important to the Army hockey program. There, the focus is on being cadet-athletes and developing Army officers. The two aspects of Army hockey are ultimately, about rock-solid commitment mission, and the team’s mantra: jersey before.”

The genesis for this article was Sam Johnson ’82, then Army’s tor. He observed that the academic Army’s hockey team was a remarkable should be told. That theme evolved of conducting interviews, watching attending games. Along the way, that Coach Brian Riley’s program founded on tenets that apply ing military teams. More than Coach Riley was “tough on the often, however, I learned how out for one another. Their esprit palpable. As several of the cadets do everything together.”

Friday, the pre-game countdown p.m., when the 27 Black Knights Holleder Center. Waiting for cadet managers Jonathan Greaney, and Will Rust. Typically, they along with strength coach Pete head trainer Tim Kelly, to prepare supplies, and players for the game. into the arena, they transitioned Some listened to music on iPods.

soccer ball near the locker room. Many meticulously taped their hockey sticks with the help of Tom Doran—TD— director of hockey operations. TD is revered as the guy who “makes it all go,” performing many duties. Before games he is the armorer who inspects the sticks and carefully sets them into numbered racks outside the locker room.

Coach Riley had invited me to stand next to the bench during the game. (Tim Kelly laughingly referred to the invitation as “an allaccess backstage pass.”) When I arrived at the rink, Coach said, “You can go anywhere. You can even speak to the team before the game, if you want to.” I declined his offer, but did listen to his pre-game speech.

That speech took place precisely at 5:20 p.m. in the team’s inner sanctum locker room. There, Coach Riley delivered a passionate

two-minute pep talk to set the tone for the game. He noted how hard they had prepared that week and challenged them (using strong, “soldier” language) to “dominate on their home ice.” From that point on, the team’s mood turned very serious.

photographers, and children—a lot of them. The kids—boys and girls—adore the players. A pack of a half dozen or so 8- to 10-yearolds with Norman Rockwell smiles had infiltrated the ice-level A Club hospitality area. Wide-eyed and bundled in black and gold Army gear, they jostled for position to catch a glimpse of the players or get a glove tap from their favorites, who would momentarily stride by like gladiators. To the left, between the locker room and the Army bench, a line of small hands stretched down from first row seats, straining for a high-five from coaches Rob Haberbusch and Trevor Large, and members of the support staff, who would be marching past en route to their battle positions in the bench area.

As 7:00 p.m. approached, the locker room door quietly opened and, at ten-second intervals, the Black Knights individually appeared. Now, they were wearing their game faces. Each walked to a designated rack just outside the locker room, selected a stick, tapped

Photos: John Pellino/USMA, Danny Wild/USMA

Save by Jay Clark!

gloves with officer representative (OR) Major Steve “Ski” Sucharski, Tim Kelly, TD, and the cadet managers, and disappeared into the corridors of the Holleder Center. Moments later they poured onto the ice in a burst of energy reminiscent of the first lap of the Indy 500—six seniors leading the 27 Army Black Knights.

Senior goalie and alternate captain Jay Clark is one of the team’s top academic performers. He has a lot of company on the Dean’s list. In fact, 21 of the 30 members of the team (including cadet managers) made the list. That was the best academic performance of West Point’s 25 intercollegiate sports teams. Selected as league scholar-athletes, sophomore goalie Ryan Leets and junior forward Kyle Maggard, along with sophomore defenseman Cheyne Rocha, actually achieved grade point averages above 4.0.

Academic performance aside, playing goalie is a curious endeavor. Hockey insiders with tell you that goalies are “a bit different.” Think about it. Their mission is to prepare for a frenetic hour (two hours of clock time) of tracking a rock-hard rubber disk traveling at 100 miles per hour through a melee of attackers and defenders. Several times each game, the melee will bowl them over with the force of a fullback barreling into a defensive back. Goalies do this on ice, wearing skates! Jay Clark plies this daunting craft very well. In fact, Major Sucharski said Jay was among the best goalies in Division I. Before practice on Thursday, Jay had been among those directed to give me a few minutes for an interview.

Asking Jay for an example of how he implements mental toughness, I expected to hear about laser-like focus and blocking out the confusion in front of the goal. He thought carefully, however, and delivered

He cited the example of their performance in summer field training. Jay, by the way, also spent three weeks of his summer in Kenya, working in a malaria and HIV research center.

Equally insightful were the other seniors. Pat Copeland, a defenseman, is a personable and unassuming team co-captain. He commented on game-time leadership by saying all of his teammates could wear the captain’s C on their jerseys; that leadership was pervasive on the team. This was something I had also heard from hockey communications director Ryan Yanoshak (“Shak” to the players).

Forward and three-time letter winner Chris Spracklen—Spracks —has back injuries that have kept him off the ice this year. Nevertheless, he has remained fully engaged with his teammates as the team scribe. His blog Faceoff with Spracks is linked into www.goarmysports.com and distributed to the alumni-based Army Hockey Association. It provides glimpses of the collective character of the team. At times, his commentary is laugh-out-loud entertaining, sharing the news regarding the players’ nicknames, holiday wish lists, and life on the road. By the way, there seems to be a running debate on the team centered on who is the best dresser. Many say it is Drew Pierson. Others say Drew just thinks he is! Chris has continued to contribute in other ways such as helping the Plebes become acclimated to managing their time while playing hockey at West Point.

Game time on the Black Knights’ bench.

a fascinating three-minute essay. It began with his belief that there was “no reason for not being successful” and transitioned into how the lessons of Army hockey have contributed more to his teammates’ success as cadets than any other aspect of their West Point training.

I asked forward Joey Ammon, son of Colonel Craig Ammon ’84, who the team enforcer was—the guy who was expected to deliver the BIG HIT to send a message to an overly aggressive opponent. (Earlier, Pat Copeland had thought hard about the question before allowing that sophomore defenseman Cody Ikkala had, earlier in the season, delivered a memorable check in defense of a teammate. I had also heard that alternate captain junior Marcel Alvarez was a “force” during games.) Joey explained the Army approach to playing hard, saying that every player was expected to be aggressive and avoid penalties. The combination of physical toughness and discipline are fundamental to Army hockey.

Drew Pierson was the last senior interviewed before Thursday’s practice. I had already heard a lot about Drew. A day earlier, the head officer representative (OR), Lieutenant Colonel Wiley

Photos: John Pellino/USMA, Danny Wild/USMA

Drew Pierson battles against American International.

Thompson ’89 (there are eleven ORs representing many academic departments and USMA activities), had characterized Drew as the most social of the players, someone who seemed to know a player on every NHL team. Later that day, Coach Riley described Drew as invariably upbeat, saying he never seemed to have a bad day at West Point. Like the others interviewed, Drew was poised and articulate. Asked about the challenge of leading after a loss, he said he always thought about what he could have done better, analyzed the overall team performance, and then carefully picked his spots to encourage his teammates. Drew went on to say that, above all, he kept in mind that Army hockey was about playing with heart

A major theme in Army hockey is to represent the Academy well and honor predecessors who wore the Army jersey. One symbol of Army hockey is Derek Hines, Class of 2003. On September 1, 2005, Derek was killed in action in Afghanistan. The initials D.H. and Derek’s photograph are displayed throughout the team facility. Furthermore, two awards ensure Derek’s legacy as an unselfish, inspiring, and hardworking teammate will not be forgotten. One award honors the person who has displayed an extraordinary amount of support to Army hockey, and a second recognizes the most deserving unsung hero in all of Division I collegiate hockey. Behind Coach Riley’s desk is a modest shrine to Derek: a plaque

bearing his name and number, propped up behind his hockey stick. Asked about the display, Coach Riley quietly explained that he had received an email from Derek a few days before his death, noting the military value of lessons learned in hockey. Coach Riley said the email meant more to him than any of his coaching honors.

When the puck was dropped Friday night, the game quickly developed into an all-hands battle fought on the ice and the bench. The team’s four lines rotated through 40-second exhausting sprint-shifts, followed by short recovery sessions on the bench. The reserve goalies had their role as well, slamming the gate open and shut as shifts changed. There was a lot of noise unique to hockey: crashing into the boards, skates slicing and shaving ice, the incessant clack of the sticks, and the staccato smacks of slap shots. The flow and shape of a hockey game are continuously changing: read and react in Coach Riley’s words. Preparation is paramount; still, during the game, all three coaches were constantly searching for something to give a player an edge in the next shift.

On the ice, momentum changes fast. Friday night’s contest unfolded in distinct phases. Outshot in the first period, Army was down a goal at the break; however, the Black Knights took the opening faceoff in the second period and seemed to be skating

Bill Day, Kyle Maggard, John Clark, Mike Hull, and Drew Pierson celebrate the victory at East Harford.

The Black Knights

Players

Joey Ammon ’11

Jay Clark ’11

pat Copeland ’11

Cody Omilusik ’11

Drew p ierson ’11

Chris Spracklen ’11

marcel Alvarez ’12

Jack Barnes ’12

Danny Colvin ’12

Bill Day ’12

mark Dube ’12

mike Hull ’12

Bret Larson ’12

Kyle maggard ’12

Alex mcrae ’12

pat r yan ’12

Bryant Skarda ’12

They relentlessly goal, rapidly building a 5-1 lead by way of Plebe Brian Schultz’s first career goal, a goal by junior forward Bryant Skarda, and junior Mark Dube’s three-goal hat trick (one guy in the stands actually tossed his hat onto the ice). In the midst of the barrage, Coach Riley shouted, “Don’t ease up!”

Army was sky high at the end of the second period; however, midway in the third, the Black Knights were fighting to hold onto their lead, following a three-goal burst by American International. In fact, the game seemed to contract into a series of frantic attacks by the Yellow Jackets in the closing minutes. Jay Clark and the inner ring of the Army defense held, repelling the Yellow Jackets’ repeated assaults. Time and again, bodies flew, sticks clacked, and Clark blocked the puck, preserving a tenuous 5-4 Army advantage. Finally, the frenzy ceased with a minute left to play. With the American International goaltender pulled, senior forward and co-captain Cody Omilusik gathered in a loose puck and scored an empty-net goal, sealing the 6-4 victory. As the Black Knights filed off the ice, I noticed Coach Riley was pensive, undoubtedly relieved to have won and already thinking about Saturday’s game.

At noon the next day, the Black Knights were back at it, after their two-hour bus ride to cavernous Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Connecticut. There they would play West Point’s first outdoor game in more than a decade in blustery weather that was “North

Jon Bobb ’13

John Clark ’13

Cody ikkala ’13

r yan Leets ’13

Cheyne rocha ’13

mike Santee ’13

Andy Starczewski ’13

Anthony Cadieux ’14

mike Henderson ’14

Dax Lauers ’14

Brian Schultz ’14

Managers

Jon greaney ’12

Will rust ’12

Anthony Kratz ’13

Country” temperature ing. Driving into the parking lot, I surveyed the tailgaters and found myself thinking about ice fishing.

Wearing eye-black to reduce the glare and extra thick socks to combat the cold, the Black Knights slugged out a 4-1 victory, completing a three-game, season sweep against American International College. Points for assists or goals were tallied by junior Mike Hull (4), Mark Dube (3), Bryant Skarda (3), Danny Colvin (2), Cody Omilusik (2), and junior alternate captain Marcel Alvarez (1). In goal, Jay Clark turned back 31 shots. The weekend ended with Army having secured four hard-earned points in the Atlantic Hockey Association standings.

Looking back on my four days with the team, I thought about my conversation with leading scorer and co-captain Cody Omilusik— “Omi.” Lieutenant Colonel Thompson and Major Sucharski had noted that Cody had a special athleticism and energy; he was among those who were the heart and soul of the team. He is also a favorite among the younger fans at Tate Rink. Cody smiled as he recalled the day he had reported to West Point, which he had never seen before R-Day. He said the cadet cadre kept demanding to know why he was gazing around. His reply had been that he had never been to West Point and just wanted to see it. This R-Day vignette is humorous to any grad, but it is also remarkable. Consider the faith Cody had in West Point and the Army hockey program. Between high school and college, he—and most of the other Black Knights—had

Photos: Danny Wild/USMA

experienced the relative independence hockey dreams in the junior hockey most Division I players. These so for the education, for the camaraderie, to become Army hockey players

There is a fourth cornerstone of emphasis on being a family. As a lot together. They have traveled teams such as lacrosse and soccer. They are considering taking on Also, they make a special effort players and supporting members this year, the team has maintained their beloved former head OR deployed to the National Military the current and former Black ways. Collectively, they are a tribute initially established by Coach Olympic Gold Medal coach Jack 1951–1986) and continued by Army from 1986–2004). Most cadet-student-athletes are learning Any U.S. Army Soldier will be Point hockey player as a platoon

West Point Welcomes Boo Corrigan

New Director of Intercollegiate Athletics

a wealth of leadership to his new post as a proven administrator with experience in all areas of revegeneration, external affairs, staff management and leadership.

His chief responsibilities at Duke included the oversight of the Blue Devil corporate partnerships and the marketing, promotions, ticket, internet operations, sports information and video services departments. prior to arriving at Duke in August of 2008, Corrigan oversaw notre Dame’s corporate relations and marketing as an associate athletic director for five years.

the wherewithal to achieve to their highest ability and to provide our coaches with the opportunity to win championships, and build leaders of character. We will strive for our cadets to achieve great success in their academics, military training and athletic endeavors. i look forward to serving as part of the Army team at West point.”

Boo Corrigan, senior associate athletic director at Duke since August 2009, was named Director of intercollegiate Athletics at West point in February 2011. He has 18 years of experience in the field of college athletics and previously worked at notre Dame, his alma mater, and navy. Corrigan brings

“First and foremost, i am honored to have the opportunity to work at the United States military Academy, the West point leadership and the U.S. Army,” Corrigan said. “it is my privilege to serve those proud Americans that serve our country and to be at the greatest leadership institution in the world.”

“i want to say specifically to our cadet-athletes that we will provide them the opportunity and

“We are excited about the selection of Boo Corrigan to be Army’s athletic director,” Lieutenant general Huntoon said. “He has wide experience in helping to lead a Division i athletic department and has excelled at the highest levels. He brings to the military Academy a wealth of experience at some of the nation’s elite athletic programs.”

Corrigan also spent nearly three years as the associate athletic director for marketing at the naval Academy and was intimately involved with the re-branding of the Annual giving Campaign (The Blue and gold), resulting in an increase of 75% in year-over-year donations. 

Co-captain Cody Omilusik

Boo Corrigan meets with West Point Association of Graduates President Bob McClure ’76 during an office call in February 2011.

BY THE NUMBERS

Alaska: 34 graduates.

South Korea: graduates.

italy: SEVEN graduates. 18

Germany: 95 graduates.

3

21%

Three locations will receive only one graduate: Qatar; Fort Story, Virginia; and Dugway Proving Grounds, Utah. of graduates will serve their first assignment overseas.

Hawaii: 50 graduates.

ToP FIve Stateside Installations

Fort Bliss, Texas: 63 graduates assigned; top three branches are infantry, Field Artillery, and Armor.

Fort Hood, Texas: 127 graduates assigned; top three branches are infantry, Armor, and Engineers.

Fort Campbell, Kentucky: 80 graduates assigned; top three branches are infantry, Field Artillery, and Engineers.

Fort Bragg, North Carolina: 78 graduates assigned; top three branches are Engineers, infantry, and Field Artillery.

The triumph can’t be had without the struggle.

—Wilma Rudolph, Olympic Gold Medalist

Photo by Tommy Gilligan

Global Programs in the DePARTMenT Of LAW

In 2010, the Department of Law had its most successful Advanced Individual Academic Development Program ever. In addition to starting two new programs, the Kimsey Scholar Program and the Point-to-Point Program, the department sent 84 cadets to academic internships all around the country and the globe.

The Kimsey Scholar Program, supported by and named for James Kimsey ’62, brought together some of the best and brightest students from the four military academies for a three-week internship and leadership development program in Washington, DC. Six West Point cadets, Sam Roddy, Alex Panosian, Sean Boniface, and Maria Casaletto, all Class of ’11, and James Smith and Matt Bourdeau, both Class of ’12, joined two midshipmen, one Air Force Academy cadet and another from the Coast Guard Academy to make up the first class of Kimsey Scholars. Each was assigned initially to a highprofile internship with the Federal government, including the White House, Supreme Court, Congress, Department of State, Office of the Director of the Secret Service, Army General Counsel’s Office and Army Executive Strategy Group. In the second part of the program, the scholars participated in four leadership colloquia.

The essence of the Kimsey Scholar Program is to maximize the opportunity for military students to interact with our nation’s most successful leaders in a personal setting. This past summer, the scholars shared a meal and lengthy discussions with Kimsey, ABC News Correspondent Sam Donaldson, sports entrepreneur Ted Leonsis, and former Deputy Secretary of the Treasury, Robert Kimmitt ’69.

To put the high level access into perspective, Ted Leonsis had to take a brief cell phone call during the meeting. When he returned, he apologized and stated, “I had to take that call … it was Commissioner Stern. I just received final approval to buy the Washington Wizards.” All the leaders provided candid answers about their successes and failures in life and the lessons they had learned. The scholars were extremely positive about the program, and some deemed it the most meaningful experience of their lives to date.

The Point-to-Point Program was the brainchild of Department Head Colonel Maritza Ryan ’82. Taking up the challenge that former President of Ireland Mary Robinson made during her speech at West Point’s inaugural Center for the Rule of Law Conference, Ryan decided to create a plan to help what has been labeled the worst slum in the world, ironically West Point, Monrovia, Liberia. The Point-toPoint Program is a five-year academic study of the laws and culture of Liberia incorporating a comparative analysis of American law and policy. The goal is to develop specific recommendations for Liberian and American policy makers to develop the rule of law in the war-torn country historically linked to the United States.

West Pointer Mike Boulegeris ’83 and philanthropist Mike McCord donated the funds to support the full program. In 2010, Cadets Chuck Cannone and Chris Benedict, both Class of ’11, were selected. They were joined by an Air Force cadet for a three-week venture into Liberia. In this life changing experience, the cadets were given unparalleled access to national and international leaders and visited the most devastated areas of the nation, including the Women’s Center in West Point, Monrovia. They spent the intervening time developing their film-supported thesis for the 2011 Gender Justice Conference in April 2011. Seldom has the work of cadets had the possibility of bringing about real change for an entire nation: multiple Liberian, international and American agencies already have requested copies of their findings. Cadets Megan Holt and Brian Solmonson, both Class of ’12, will continue this noble work in the summer of 2011.

In addition, the Department of Law sent four cadets to study war crimes in places from the mass graves of Srebrenica to the courtrooms of The Hague during the second War Crimes Staff Ride. Two cadets spent three weeks working for the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, also in The Hague; one worked

for the Department of State in Geneva Switzerland; and two worked in Berlin. Seven experienced incredibly realistic and strenuous training with the FBI’s hostage rescue team in Quantico, while two worked with Wounded Warriors as part of the Paralympics program. Dozens worked for local law enforcement agencies or district attorneys from their home towns. Others worked for high profile judges from Federal Judge Malcolm Howard to the Veteran’s Claims Court and even the Supreme Court itself. Three corporations (Wal-Mart, Raytheon & Audia Group) sponsored cadet interns this past summer and provided incredible real-world experience. Cadet Malcolm Railey ’11 shared a flight in the private jet of the Audia Group CEO for an inspection of Eastern European factories that included a stop at Saint Andrews for a round of golf.

The cadets prepared reports and briefings about their experiences, received academic credit, and strongly recommended them to the Classes of 2012 and 2013. “I believe in the program as one of the best learning opportunities cadets will have in their years at Academy,” said deputy head Colonel Dave Wallace. 

Author, General Petraeus by Greg Mathieson

“You can see by the huge percentage of Department of Law personnel who play a role in the development and maintenance of this program that, after teaching and mentoring, organizing these opportunities for our cadets may be the most important thing we do,” added Wallace.

Left: James Kimsey ’62 with his scholars in Washington, DC. Upper Right: general David petraeus ’74 took the time to meet the cadets while in Washington to address Congress. Lower Right: Cadet Chuck Cannone ’11 greets villagers in Liberia.

the origins of the 100th night Show presumably extend back to 1884. the class of 1887 history notes that, as Plebes, they enjoyed “the first ‘hundredth night entertainment’ ever held at West Point.”

this much is relatively certain: the dialectic Society was authorized as a literary and debating society in 1824. in december 1860, following the sectional discord that greeted the election of abraham lincoln, the dialectic Society presented an entertainment entitled “ toodles.” Well received by cadets and faculty, it is considered a forerunner of the later 100th night Shows.

a “hundredth night entertainment” was held in 1885 and 1886, but none in 1887. there is a poem in the slim “howitzer 1893” entitled “one hundred days till June” that may have been part of an entertainment. the equally slim volumes for 1892, 1894 and 1895 appear to be programs for their 100th night Shows.

this title of this year’s entertainment, “a West Point Story … Story,” is a not-so-veiled reference to exhortations that cadets hear to “tell the West Point Story” when away from the academy. 

Photogra P hy by r oger Pettengill/ a cademy Photo

The Brigade Honor & Respect Captains

Cadet martin Harris ’11, Brigade Honor Captain

At one time in the distant past, it was common for Plebes to be required to loudly proclaim, “All I am, and all I ever hope to be, I owe to my first detail Beast Barracks squad leader.” In the case of the Chairman of the Honor Committee and Brigade Honor Captain, that would not be true. For him, it was his second detail squad leader. For Harris came to West Point the hard way, enlisting in the Army shortly after graduating from James E. Taylor High School in Katy, Texas; completing basic training and airborne school; and reporting to B Company, 3rd Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, about two weeks before his new unit deployed to Baghdad, Iraq. There he worked his way up from ammunition bearer to gunner for a 60-mm mortar. He returned to Fort Bragg with a combat tour under his belt and the coveted Combat Infantryman Badge. He considers his tour in Iraq as the best time of his life thus far:

“We were deployed with approximately three days notice to secure the Haifa street area in Baghdad for the elections on January 31, 2005. My company took over a palace that we nicknamed Predator Palace:

it was directly on the Tigris River. From this palace we ran our operations from within our enemy’s safe haven. When we first arrived, the best description I can give of the situation is ‘Cowboys and Indians.’ Stores would not open for fear of criminals and insurgents hurting them. Assassinations occurred almost daily, oftentimes in broad daylight,” said Harris.

“I think that, due to the outstanding leadership within my battalion, we were able to turn this dismal situation into something that was manageable for the people who lived there. By the time we left, there were noticeable changes in the people who lived in the area. They would reach out to our leaders and give them good intelligence that we could use to track down insurgents and weapons caches. I believe I was blessed to have served with such an outstanding unit early on. The men I served with kept me alive and helped us complete our mission thoroughly.”

Back at Fort Bragg, he applied to West Point and was sent to the U.S. Military Academy Preparatory School at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, for a year. In 2007 he reported to Cadet Basic Training in June as a 21-year old with a self-admitted chip on his shoulder because of his prior combat service and greater maturity. His second detail

squad leader also was a prior service soldier and told him that he that he would accomplish nothing here on his own. He told him that he must earn everything here day-by-day to succeed, but the key to success was to help his peers in those areas in which he excelled. Then that favor would be returned when he needed it most. Harris first accepted the fact that West Point wouldn’t be easy and then accepted the fact that his fellow cadets were his peers, even though they had not yet experienced combat. In the not too distant future, they would be the platoon leaders protecting his right and left flanks in combat.

Another epiphany involved the flawed notion that West Point guarantees you success. In reality, Harris believes that West Point merely provides the opportunity to succeed. All of the notable graduates in history were leaders of character who, when faced with obstacles, acted while embracing the values that the Academy instills: choosing the harder right over the easier wrong and not being content with a half truth if the whole truth can be won, as expressed in the Cadet Prayer.

Harris played on the rugby team as a Plebe and then managed the women’s tennis team the next three years. As an economics major, during one summer he worked with Installation Management Command in the Washington, DC, area on overall budget projections. He served as honor representative until selected as Chairman of the Honor Committee during his third year. While training and preparing for this duty, he and his staff determined to solidify cadet control over the honor system, especially during honor boards. The solution decided upon was to select eight outstanding honor committee members and designate them as rotating honor board presidents. This pivotal new policy has helped maintain a consistent approach to this most important of duties—enforcing a true cadet honor code.

Cadet Christina Tamayo ’11, Brigade respect Captain

Cadet Tamayo’s culminating experience at West Point has her selection as Respect Captain. In the Respect Program, dealt with suicide prevention, sexual assault counseling, mental health issues, and various command climate problems (and cesses) that have made her passionate about the implementation and continuing improvement of the program. In the simplest terms, leadership involves accomplishing your mission and care of your soldiers, and sharing a mutual respect is critical Army leaders at all levels of command. That is why a defining moment in her cadet career was her assignment to the 705th Explosive Ordnance Detachment at Fort Polk, Louisiana, Cadet Troop Leadership Training during the summer of 2009.

Tamayo came to West Point from Humble, Texas, where she varsity golf and the alto saxophone in the Humble High marching band, spending a year as one of two drum majors. An all-state soloist on the saxophone, she also played piano with the worship band, Second Power, volunteered with the youth group of her church, St. Mary Magdalene, and at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in the summer.

Chinese was her choice of language at West Point, and engineering psychology is her academic major, with computer science as her engineering track. She played Women’s Team Handball for three years, until an injury at the College Nationals sidelined her for surgery. Continuing religious activities include the Catholic Choir and the United Catholic Fellowship. She has traveled to Cambodia, Thailand, and Laos with an organization called Journeys within Our Communities, living in villages and teaching hygiene, and also worked in stem cell research laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

But it was the soldiers and non-commissioned officers of the 705th that had a significant impact on her life. She was impressed by the integrity and character of the soldiers she met, even though required to train wearing a Kevlar bomb suit that weighed over 75 pounds while doing push-ups, pull-ups, and sprints. The most physically taxing event involved carrying a 155-mm round that weighed over 100 pounds while wearing that bomb suit. She did it in the summer heat and humidity of Fort Polk.

Perhaps her most interesting mentor was a Specialist 4 who she selected as her driver. He had been a driver on his last deployment to Iraq and was indispensable during convoys in training or when responding to actual calls for the disposal of live ordnance at the Joint Readiness Training Center.

Tamayo branched Military Police Corps and selected the 42nd Military Police Brigade at Fort Lewis, Washington, for her first assignment. The motto, “Do right; fear nothing,” was the overall motto of Beast Barracks back in the summer of 2007. Now she follows a new guideline for her actions, that of the Respect Creed: “Treat others with dignity and respect; expect the same from those around them.”

Photos: Tommy Gilligan, John Pellino

Cadet Tamayo presents a token of appreciation to Lieutenant general Thomas p Bostick ’78, Deputy Chief of Staff g -1, following his address to the Corps of Cadets during the 35th Annual Henry O. Flipper dinner at Washington Hall in February 2011. The annual dinner is held to recognize the leadership, perseverance, and personal courage of the first African-American graduate of West point.

c HASING

in search of the holy grail

o ur plan was simple—it was the execution that was complex: examine dozens of locations within four major cities in Italy, France, and the United Kingdom while chasing a legend.

Left: Temple Church, London. Right: Angel crest within the entrance to the rosslyn Chapel. Right: Around Edinburgh.

late May 2010, four cadets—Adam Barsuhn ’12, Colby Brunette ’12, Kelley Duke ’12, and Sofie Myers ’13—and the author departed for Rome, Paris, London, and Edinburgh to insert ourselves into the physical world described within two novels by Dan Brown: Angels & Demons and The Da Vinci Code. The academic value of this trip was threefold: experience Brown’s books by entering the physical spaces represented by him; enter a world of art, philosophy, literature, and history; and develop our abilities to read, write, sketch, and photograph.

We imagined that this experience would turn inside-out the experience of reading: we would enter the locations within his fiction and then bring his fictional world into the actual physical spaces he described. We wanted to find out how our experience of a text would be challenged or changed by being “there” and collectively reading sections of his books “on site.” We also wanted to create a public record of our experiences by means of a blog (www.chasinglegends. wordpress.com) and a Facebook group (“Chasing Legends 2010”).

Departing West Point one afternoon last spring, we arrived in Rome the following morning and decided to visit the nearest location on our agenda: Saint Peter’s Square. The walk from our hotel to the Square took us along the Vatican City wall—a towering barrier that gave no hint of what lay within. There we discovered our first link to Brown’s text:

Walking around Rome on our first day, we were in awe of our surroundings. Everything from the endless black cobblestone streets and plazas, to the arches, columns, spires, and statues that greeted us everywhere, made us eager to begin our investigation. The next day we examined the grounds around and within Vatican City, swarmed the Vatican museum and stood in awe beneath the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. We then climbed to the top of Saint Peter’s Basilica, where we regained our breath while enjoying an incredible view of Rome from its highest structure. We also had a great view of a site we were very excited to see: Castel Sant’ Angelo. On the next day, Sunday, we focused on the churches and chapels showcased in Angels & Demons. We dodged church-goers and tourists to visit the churches of Santa Maria del Popolo and Santa Maria della Vittoria, were among hundreds within the grand, archaic Pantheon, enjoyed the festive openness of Piazza Navona, and finished with a visit to Castel Sant’ Angelo.

Within Angels & Demons, the protagonist Robert Langdon (scholar, sinologist) is racing against a 24-hour clock to prevent the destruction of a significant portion of Rome. Within his tumultuous day, he visits these same locations to find clues that will take him to his eventual goal—the castle of illumination. In three long days we had visited and spent considerable time at each of the major sites detailed in Langdon’s adventure. Because we were not scheduled to depart for Paris until Tuesday, we spent Monday exploring ancient Rome. Seeing the Colosseum and the Roman Forum—and walking through the ancient grounds— proved to be an unexpected bonus.

“The relief was elliptical, about three feet long, and carved with a rudimentary face—a depiction of the West Wind as an angellike countenance. Gusting from the angel’s mouth, Bernini had drawn a powerful breath of air blowing outward away from the vatican … the breath of God. This was Bernini’s tribute to the second element … Air … an ethereal zephyr blown from angel’s lips.”

Walking around the ruins of Rome gave us a new perspective on our travel. We knew that we would see the old, the holy, and the mysterious locations. What we did not anticipate was having opportunities to explore locations not relevant to Robert Langdon’s adventure that proved relevant to our overarching theme of art, philosophy, literature (and history).

—Angels & Demons, p. 254

Left: Bernini’s angelic “West Wind” at St. peter’s Square in rome. Center: Climbing to the top of St. peter’s Basilica, the stairs curve endlessly clockwise—then narrow, twice. So it goes when chasing a legend. Right: making the claustrophobic climb up the dome of St. peter’s Basilica rewarded us with this stunning view across the square and beyond.

Next we traveled by rail from Rome to Milan and arrived in Paris the following day. We had but 48 hours in Paris to visit the Saint-Sulpice Church, the Louvre, and Notre Dame. We found that Saint-Sulpice and Notre Dame may share the same physical dimensions, but they are a study in contrasts. Saint-Sulpice is a surreal, dark, un-crowded place, its ceiling appearing to be sketched in perfect charcoal and lead on muted white drafting paper. Notre Dame appears busy, meticulously maintained, but flashy and touristy. Nevertheless, seeing the brass line in the floor and up the obelisk within Saint-Sulpice directly brought us into the world of The Da Vinci Code. We proceeded along the Rose Line while following the text of the book. That we were living the book was exhilarating; knowing that they actually had filmed scenes here only added to our sense of excitement.

Following the Da Vinci path within the Louvre revealed a certain amount of artistic license: there is no “thundering iron gate” near the Caravaggio. Furthermore, the Caravaggio painting is quite large—roughly eight by twelve feet—and we estimated that it would take at least two of us to remove it from the wall. In Brown’s book, one person unrealistically does it. We continued down the

framed the trip in more abstract, but strategic, terms: “I have traveled by plane, train, subway, bus, and foot in Rome, Paris, and London; these experiences alone could comprise a perfectly respectable bucket list.”

grand gallery, surrounded by works of Bellini and Raphael, and found Da Vinci. Pausing between the Mona Lisa and Veronese’s Wedding of Cana, we were no closer to solving her mysteries or finding the grail, but we were keenly aware of numerous other great treasures that demanded our attention. We separated and explored as much of the Louvre as possible during the remainder of the day. Exhausted, we wanted a second day at the Louvre but had to keep our eye on the chase. We departed with a handful of highlights: following the

Rose Line in Saint-Sulpice, spotting a grail in Saint-Sulpice, and seeing the Mona Lisa, La Pyramide Inversée, and other wonders within the Louvre.

Taking the “chunnel” to London, we checked into The Victory Services Club and found seats available for Macbeth at Shakespeare’s Globe. Over the following four days we visited the British Museum, the British Library, the Tower of London, and Temple Church. Within the British Museum, we found an exhibition central to our quest: “Italian Renaissance Drawings.” We discovered subtle new sketching and drawing techniques; found incredible drawings thankfully preserved; and acquired new inspiration for our sketching and drawing efforts. Returning to Robert Langdon’s path, we found Temple Church nestled within a maze of residential sprawl. Seeing the ten effigies at Temple Church brought us as close to Brown’s text as the Rose Line in Saint-Sulpice had.

We departed London and arrived in Edinburgh later that day.

The temperatures were much lower than in Rome, and a penetrating, damp chill replaced the perfect weather we had enjoyed for the first days of our trip. Nevertheless, the natural beauty of the country surrounding Edinburgh nicely complemented the spirited and unique people encountered as we approached the “holy grail” of our trip: Rosslyn Chapel.

We asked Fiona (the education coordinator for Rosslyn) for a prehours visit of the chapel; she gave us 30 minutes to explore and record nearly any portion of the incredible building. Though we were very thankful that she was able to accommodate us, we realized, upon entering Rosslyn, that we finally had met our match. Although we had conquered Rome, Paris, and London—and the wondrous churches and museums in each city—Rosslyn’s intricate grandeur challenged our comprehension and stunned our “experienced” eyes. Within Rosslyn, we were devoured by detail and confused by a flood of unique symbols. We did find a special history of Rosslyn, however, that supports Brown’s plot within The Da Vinci Code and adds a wide array of beliefs and conspiracy theories not mentioned by him. The St Clair family is indeed deeply rooted in Rosslyn history.

ca∂e† kelley ∂uke

Left: Amid the treasures of the Louvre in paris. Center: The brass line at the Saint-Sulpice Church extends across the floor and up this obelisk. Right: Four cadets with their feet firmly planted in the midst of knowledge at the British museum.

Fiona also confirmed that there is something mysterious buried, in armor, they believe, beneath one wing. It remains a mystery to this day.

cade†

colby brune††e

Having explored Rosslyn, we discovered something in the Visitor’s Center: a modest cup that reminded us of a theme within our trip that had kept us constantly engaged. What is the “holy grail,” and is it real? We found clues and connections—common symbols of cups, crosses, and the fleur-de-lis—at geographically separate sites. More importantly, though, we learned from the travel and the locations that we visited. We discovered theoretical connections directing us toward the grail, and we followed Robert Langdon’s odyssey through two books and four major European cities. Moreover, we had experienced texts, art, literature, philosophy, and history in a far more enriching, significant, and exciting environment than we could have hoped or imagined.

We returned to West Point having found unexpected sights, perspectives, and talents. We discovered cultures and food that brought context to the surrounding museums, chapels, and churches. We flew to Italy and then moved 1,200

miles north to Edinburgh. We walked nearly everywhere, losing ourselves in our surroundings but never losing the trail. We are planning to chase the legend again shortly after this year’s graduation. Please join us for Chasing Legends 2011: Prepare to sprint!

Epilogue

When we departed, I challenged my students to read, interpret, and record their experiences variously in journals, sketches, and photographs. Regardless of their experience or comfort with a technique, I encouraged creativity, initiative, and taking risks. When they stopped to sketch, write, or photograph, I also stopped and took part in the experience. We frequently shared results and often were surprised by what had captured the other’s attention. It was a remarkable experience that would bring added perspectives to classroom discussions and have a lasting influence on all who participated. 

This trip would not have happened without the funding from the West point Association of graduates through the Office of the Dean. We also received generous donations from rev. Lloyd and Helen nelson, mr. garth Whitacre ’95, mr. Stuart myers, mr. mark Cade, and mr. Frederick Ulrich.

considered perception and sketching: “Sketching was a major part of how I experienced things. The exhibition on Renaissance sketching in the British Museum served as my muse. Writing, photography and sketching were not the only aspects of this trip; every member of this team helped me perceive the world in new and exciting ways.”

Left: At i m pei’s famous glass pyramid at the Louvre. Center Left: The effigies at Temple Church. Center Right: The author at the Apprentice p illar in rosslyn Chapel.

Right: The St Clair family crest.

Interior of Rosslyn Chapel.

HE TEACHES SHAriAH (iSLAmiC) L AW AS THE DirECTOr OF THE inTErnATiOnAL AnD COmpAr ATiVE LEgAL SYSTEmS prOgr Am; SHE TEACHES pErSiAn AnD DirECTS THAT prOgr Am in THE DEpArTmEnT OF FOrEign L AngUAgES. HE iS A rETirED ArmY ATTOrnEY WiTH mULTipLE DEgrEES. SHE WAS BOrn in TEHr An, ir An, ALSO HAS EArnED mULTipLE DEgrEES, iS A nATi VE SpEAKEr OF pErSi An (FArSi), AnD A U.S. ArmY WiFE. THEY ArE nOT YOUr TYpiCAL miLiTArY COUpLE.

In 1999, Dr. Mark Welton, a Judge Advocate General’s Corps officer who earlier had taught here in 1979–82, received an invitation from the dean to return to teach at West Point. He did so until retiring in 2001, when he continued on as a civilian professor. A graduate of Stanford University and the Georgetown School of Law, he was commissioned into the Judge Advocate General’s Corps in 1976. As a German language major, he met his wife Jaleh in Germany while participating in a semester abroad program from Stanford. She, a chemistry major from Mills College in Oakland, California, also was participating in the program. They were married in 1973 in Georgetown. During their years together, she earned a Master of Business Administration degree from Northwestern State University of Louisiana, while he earned advanced degrees in law from the University of Virginia.

Each year approximately 25 cadets major in International and Comparative Legal Studies, but additional cadets majoring in foreign languages or international relations also take courses in the program. Interest in Islamic law has increased greatly at West Point and at other colleges and government institutions where Dr. Welton lectures on the subject. He often receives emails from cadets he has taught and others to whom he has been referred who are deployed in combat and development roles in Iraq and Afghanistan. Many of these emails discuss issues or ask questions arising from their exposure to problems of Islamic law directly or indirectly connected with their mission.

In class discussions, question arise in four particular areas: the Islamic law of armed conflict and its relationship to jihad: the law relating to gender and gender relations; the differences between Sunni and Shiite approaches to the law; and issues of law and governance in the Muslim world, generally the idea of government based on the Shariah, especially involving Iran and, more recently, whether similar developments might occur in Egypt and other countries in the Middle East.

According to Dr. Welton, “jihad is a concept poorly understood in much of the West and a doctrine in flux throughout the Islamic world. It has numerous meanings but is most commonly viewed as struggle or effort, including armed struggle, if necessary. As a legal doctrine, it often followed events rather than led them, meaning that, as Islam expanded in the early centuries, it required reinterpretation to justify expansion of Islamic realms, different from its original defensive meaning. But it is clear that it must be authorized by proper legal authority, not just anyone (including someone like Osama bin Laden, who is not a qualified jurist). That it is now used by such (legally) unqualified people as a justification for political ends indicates that the concept is in a state of flux, like much of the Shariah in the modern world.”

On events in Iran and Egypt, he opines: “Many scholars (for example, Reza Aslan and Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na’im) have spoken and written about an “Islamic Reformation” now occurring in the Muslim world (especially the Middle East). While certainly not identical to

Photo: Charlie Graham

the European Reformation, the causes and characteristics of the Islamic Reformation bear some very interesting resemblances to the European and reflect a (often violent) struggle between religious, state, and individual authority that characterized the great revolutions of Western history, beginning with the Papal Revolution of the 11th–12th centuries through the German Reformation and the English Revolution of the 16th and 17th centuries, up through the French and American ones of the 18th century. Iran, Tunisia, Egypt, and other countries of the Islamic world are experiencing similar struggles for political and legal authority between religion, state, and individuals, triggered in part (as was the European Reformation) by advances in technology (especially translation of texts then and today’s use of communications technology), increased commerce, and exposure to the ideas of others. The Shariah plays an important role in this contest. Whether the outcome will be similar to that of western history—eventual displacement of religion from government into civil society and growing secular authority with an emphasis on individual liberty—remains to be seen, but it is not primarily a case of Islam versus the West, as often portrayed here, but much more of a revolution/reformation within the Islamic world that has consequences for the rest of the world.”

Jaleh Welton began teaching Persian as a pilot program in academic year 2007–08. At that time the program was limited to two semesters for language majors of the second and first class (juniors and seniors). The following year, two semesters of instruction were available for

mathematics, science and engineering majors. During the third year, four semesters of elementary and intermediate language instruction were offered. By the fourth year, 75 cadets were studying elementary Persian while 14 had reached the intermediate level. A second instructor in Persian was hired last July for academic year 2010–11.

Although one might assume that language majors have been at the forefront in assimilating this new language in the curriculum, there are some very bright cadets in the engineering major who are interested as well. Mrs. Welton adds, “As a matter of fact, most of my best students tend to be science majors.”

Instruction is not limited to language alone. Both elementary and intermediate students also receive supplemental instruction in cultural aspects as well. Of these, the most popular with cadets are food, customs, and traditions. Coverage of food its and preparation varies from watching YouTube videos, such as Persian Food Safari, to discussing how traditional bread is made. The celebrations revolving around the Persian New Year always attract interest, as do stories about family and private life in Iran, especially the etiquette involved when one is invited to an Iranian home. As a result, the cadets leave with an appreciation for life in the Middle East, including both the differences and similarities.

Together, the Weltons provide a unique insight into and perspective upon an area of the world and a belief system that are growing increasingly important every day to the Army and the nation. 

Together, the Weltons provide a unique insight into and perspective upon an area of the world and a belief system that are growing increasingly important every day to the Army and the nation.

BY C ADET

Taking the High Ground: West point’s First Satellite

BlackKnight1 is a three-year, multi-disciplinary engineering project requiring cadets in West Point’ s electrical engineering, computer science, mechanical engineering, and systems engineering programs to develop, design, build, integrate, test, and launch West Point’s first satellite.

pAUL D EmEO ’11 A n D mAJO r T O m pU g SLEY

Space research has become a vital part of modern science, especially for the United States. Essential to our national interests, space systems also have become a part of our daily lives through consumer products from GPS to cellular phones and pay-per-view television. Such space technology discoveries have kept the United States ahead of competitors on the world stage and facilitated higher standards of living for many Americans. For decades many graduates have been on the forefront of the space program with NASA, but for almost three years now, West Point cadets and faculty have been working on their own all-Army satellite.

For the military, Joint Space doctrine envisions operations in space as “a force multiplier that enhances [our] ability to provide intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance to soldiers on the battlefield. Space operations improve military operations such as missile detection, environmental monitoring, satellite communications, and spacebased positioning, navigation, and timing.” Realizing that such roles can only increase in the future, it is clearly important for West Point to produce graduates with the knowledge and experience to lead future forces when space operations play an ever greater role in battlefield success. Space is the ultimate high ground, and high ground is always a premium in military operations.

Department of ElectriEngineering and Computer Science (EECS)— through its ad hoc Small Satellite Research Group (SSRG)—set out in 2008 to develop a comprehensive capability for space systems development at West Point to give cadets the opportunity for hands-on experience with space systems. Meeting the operational research needs of the Army and other Department of Defense organizations was a second goal. The research group adopted a direct strategy: Develop at West Point the facilities, knowledge, and experience needed to design, build, test, launch, and fly relevant space systems, with cadets performing most of the work under the guidance of qualified faculty and staff experts. Collaborators have included the West Point Department of Physics and Nuclear Engineering, through its new Space and Missile Defense Command Research and Analysis Center; the Army Space Operations proponent; and Boeing Corporation and its subsidiary Spectrolab. This entire team is responsible for the Black Knight 1 satellite project.

Black Knight 1 is known in space systems lingo as a “1U CubeSat.” This sets its size and shape—a cube 10 centimeters (about 4 inches) on a side—and its mass—one kilogram (or just over two pounds). Small satellites like Black Knight leverage the incredible miniaturization possible with modern electronics and micro-electromechanical systems or MEMS. In this little cube are carefully fitted a command computer, a radio transceiver, a positioning device, a complete power system, and a payload. The current payload is

a custom camera, designed by the cadets from commercial parts, capable of withstanding the stark conditions of space. Each pixel will cover about 500 meters of the earth’s surface, so this is not spy satellite performance, but it is a terrific lesson for cadets on the economics of sensors. Higher resolution alone easily could have consumed the entire project budget. These modest images also are simpler to store in on-board memory for later downloading to the West Point Ground Station, yet another part of the Black Knight plan.

The project design elements—a camera and communications relay capability—are proof-of-concept for satellites the Army could launch on very short notice in the future to support specific combat operations.

Successfully receiving images transmitted from orbit is the primary objective, but there are important milestones to reach. The Black Knight team must build facilities and the right body of knowledge for a full program of small satellite research at West Point. In this regard, a clean room and vacuum chamber are nearly in place. A ground station must follow for monitoring and controlling the satellite and receiving and processing the images that it produces. Second, courses and programs must provide an environment where cadets can become adept at spacecraft development. The Army’s Functional Area 40 Space Operations proponent played a key role here by agreeing to provide top Space Operations officers for faculty assignments while honoring this faculty experience as promotion-qualifying.

“We are gaining a wealth of information from developing such a tremendous project. It is no simple task but well worth the endeavor.”

cadet Ken Hettler ’11

Cadet z ach Abrams (mE 2010) doing Solid Works 3D modeling of the Black Knight 1 satellite.

Solar Array (SA) and Electrical power System (EpS) testing. These tests validated the design and capability of the SAs and the EpS for space flight.

“When the Army created Functional Area 40, Space Operations— open to all officers—we were impressed by ideas being discussed at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. George Friedman’s book on grand strategy, The Next 100 Years, is thought-provoking. Since much of satellite design is related to the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science discipline—and we are always looking for Army-relevant projects—we had to try this,” said Colonel Gene Ressler ’78, Head of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.

final milestone is vitally important, innovative and technical. The unique positioning system planned for the satellite work! To keep cost and power consumption low, Black Knight will not use rockets or navigation jets as larger craft Rather, it will turn itself by tugging the earth’s magnetic field with its own internally generated magnetic field. One challenge remains—how to gracefully the turning motion once it is started? this purpose, Black Knight will carry pods filled with powder. As the satellite turns, physics dictates the powder initially will stand still but gradually speed turn along with Black Knight. Meanwhile, friction between powder grains will consume a bit of energy, providing just the right type of damping needed for smooth positioning. If all works as expected, this subsystem alone be a significant contribution to the state-of-the-art of small satellites.

With the Class of 2011 team now building upon two years of work by teams from the Classes of 2009 and 2010, the focus is now on creating a flight-worthy version of the satellite, writing final software, planning launch operations, and completing system-level environmental and thermal tests. One additional focus is the Projects Day competition on April 28, 2011. Last year’s team took top honors among all 17 of EECS presentations, a record this year’s team hopes to match. But every cadet knows the real goal is a satellite available for launch no later than June 2011. Once in space, Black Knight 1 will be one of only a handful of satellites developed solely by Army personnel.

Through the Black Knight 1 Satellite Project and other ongoing space education activities of the Military Academy, cadets are gaining an understanding of space-based technologies and how they apply to Army problems, seeding our future Army leadership with essential knowledge while establishing both the physical and educational infrastructures to continue for the long term. This combination of success and commitment has bred more of both. The Army Space Experimentation Review Board has recommended Black Knight 1 for launch, assigning it second priority among nine projects submitted with a launch date of March 2012. Additionally, the National Reconnaissance Office, a key DOD agency with space-related missions, has stepped forward to offer sponsorship for the successor to BlackKnight 1. First-stage design and prototyping of a more advanced satellite will begin in 2012.

While BlackKnight 1 is a terrific start, the vision of a comprehensive satellite development capability will require much more work and additional investment. All partners involved, including the National Reconnaissance Office, have pledged their continuing support, but space experiments are resource intensive. All opportunities to expand support network will be valued and carefully considered, as they always have been. The team—including cadets—is strong, optimisand ready to sustain and grow. The future for space science and engineering at West Point looks bright as our Army continues to seek the high ground. 

“This really is a unique project because we’re actually getting to take part in something that affects the Army. We’ve got an opportunity to learn a lot from each other and see how all different disciplines come together to make this project work.”

cadet Paul DeMeo ’11

Black Knight 1 Team during projects day 2010. The team won the department’s “Best Overall Project” award.

Top: Cadet paul Demeo ’11, project leader, and Black Knight 1. Left: The student and faculty designed and built experimental passive attitude control and dampening system. The board also includes the antenna separation system, antenna splitter, separation control circuitry, and the antenna mounting hardware. The board is lovingly known as the “Utility Board.” Right: Early bread board work, design concepts, and prototyping of the utility board.

The first of four exhibits commemorating the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the Civil War opens. Some of the artifacts on exhibit include: the first medal of Honor presented to Jacob parrott; a fragment of the Fort Sumter Flag; a gunner’s stool and the first and last projectiles fired at/from Sumter; a Confederate torpedo; and a bugle from Appomattox. The initial exhibit, “Touched with Fire,” will open by graduation Week.

Mr. Bill Campbell, chairman, Intuit, and Mr. Howard Shultz, chairman, president and CEO, Starbucks, will speak as part of the West Point Leadership Center’s Class of 1983 Distinguished Leader Series.

MAY 12-13

—David M. Reel, Director, West Point Museum

MAY

May 21: Graduation for the Class of 2011. “for freedom We fight.”

June 12 through the Labor Day Weekend:

The USMA Band will open the “Music Under the Stars” concerts at the Trophy Point Amphitheatre on Sunday, June 12th, with a celebration of the 236th Army Birthday. Free concerts continue all summer on Sunday evenings at 7:30. For more information, visit www.westpointband.com or the West Point Band Facebook page.

Following the success of the first-ever Alumni Glee Club reunion at West Point in 2007, the Alumni Glee Club will perform again this year during the USMA Band Concert at Trophy Point at 7:00 p.m. The 2007 concert was a smashing success, featured graduates from 1952–2001 (50 full years), and proved that our old grads can still carry a tune.

June 27

The 18th Annual Alumni Golf outing. Reconnect with alumni, former classmates, and your alma mater. All graduates and their guests are invited. In addition to 36 holes of golf and some great meals, participants can stay in the cadet Barracks. Details online at www.westpoint.edu/daa

June 9–11

August 13: Acceptance Day. no longer new Cadets, the Class of 2015 formally takes their place in the United States Corps of Cadets.

August 15: First Day. First day of classes for academic year 2011–12.

The 11th Annual grad marchback. Since 2000, graduates have had the opportunity to accompany the new Cadets on their march back to West point at the end of Cadet Basic Training. A limited number of graduates may accompany cadet companies for the full 12-mile march, and an unlimited number may participate in the 2-mile march from the Ski Slope. Full details available at www.westpoint.edu/daa

The West point Leadership Center is sending three representatives, including the director, to the 41st Annual St. gallen Symposium in St. gallen, Switzerland. The subject is “Just power.” Subareas include the power of politics and arms, money and ownership, leadership and authority, and values and ideas. JULY

August 7–8

R-Day for the Class of 2015, when they all get to meet The Cadet in the Red Sash and learn how to step up to a line, salute and march

—Larry Smith ’62, Glee Club Reunion Committee

Fort Sumter, South carolina

On April 12, 1861, the Confederate commander of Charleston, South Carolina, initiated the bombardment of the Union garrison at fort Sumter, beginning the American Civil War.

Ironically, it was Brigadier General Pierre G.T. Beauregard, Class of 1838 and West Point Superintendent from January 23 to 28, 1861, who ordered the firing upon the fortress commanded by Major Robert Anderson, Class of 1825. The previous day, Beauregard had demanded the evacuation of the fort, but Anderson had refused, even though low on supplies and ammunition.

Anderson’s small force originally had garrisoned Ft. Moultrie, and Fort Sumter was still under construction. Deeming Ft. Moultrie indefensible under the circumstances, Anderson surreptitiously moved his small force and about 20 dependents to Fort Sumter on December 26, 1860 and continued to improve the bastion. Captain Abner Doubleday, Class of 1842, senior captain of the 1st U.S. Artillery, led the first Union troops onto the island, encountering civilian construction workers from Baltimore who generally favored the secessionists.

When the Confederate bombardment began, Edmund Ruffin of Virginia fired the first shot against the Union forces. The first shot in response was fired by Abner Doubleday, its target the battery on Morris Island. The Confederate bombardment continued unabated for 34 hours, burning down the quarters, destroying the main gates, battering the gorge walls, and engulfing the magazine in flames—its door jammed shut due to heat and the impact of a cannon ball. Late in the bombardment, the flagpole was struck by a shell, causing the flag to fall, but it was raised again. Upon departing, Major Anderson brought the flag out with him.

As the fort was evacuated, the Union forces fired a salute, and the troops marched out to the tune “Yankee Doodle.” The salute was agreed to by Beauregard:

“Apprised that you desire the privilege of saluting your flag on retiring, I cheerfully concede it, in consideration of the gallantry with which you have defended the place under your charge.”

Secretary of War Simon Cameron sent this message to Anderson on April 20, 1861:

“I am directed by the President of the United States to communicate to you, and through you to the officers and men under your command, at Forts Moultrie and Sumter, the approbation of the Government of your and their judicious and gallant conduct there, and to tender to you and them the thanks of the Government for the same.”

When the war was over, on the fourth anniversary of the bombardment, April 14, 1865, a ceremony was held in which the original flag was again raised over Fort Sumter. After Brevet Major General Anderson died in France on October 27, 1871, he was buried at West Point, wrapped in the Fort Sumter flag.

Read more about the bombardment at: www.westpointaog.org/netcommunity/ FortSumter. 

Ambassadors of Song

We ST Po I n T, for Thee

“My favorite songs to sing are, and always will be, the West Point songs. These—with the addition of Shenandoah, The Last Words of David, Mansions of the Lord and others—like the Long Gray Line itself, stretch through the years of a century told.”

cadet Kathryn Leonard ’13

When the iranian hostages were released in January 1981, initially they were brought to the Thayer Hotel at West point and welcomed with a stirring performance by the West point glee Club. This past January, many of the former hostages returned to West point to commemorate the 30th anniversary of their release. Again, the glee Club provided a highlight performance. Both the cadets and the former hostages were moved. “When we sang for the iran hostage survivors, it was just such a powerful experience, it was indescribable,” said Cadet matthew Demartino ’13.

One of the most visible and well-known organizations at West point, the glee Club dates to 1903, when an official Cadet glee Club gave its premiere concert. in 1933, the club became a permanent extracurricular cadet activity with 25 singers. now the authorization is 80. One of the

most prestigious college choirs in the United States, its motto is “no fun without music; no music without fun.”

Throughout its history, the glee Club has performed in the nation’s finest concert venues, including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Tanglewood, the Hollywood Bowl, and Boston’s Symphony Hall. Likewise, it has appeared with many major American orchestras, such as the Boston pops, the Buffalo philharmonic, the Syracuse Symphony, the Dallas Symphony, the West point Band and the U.S. Army Band. The group has shared the spotlight with such notable entertainers as Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Dinah Shore, roberta peters, Tony Award winner Lea Salonga, and Billy Joel.

in 2008, the club recorded a live concert for pBS with pianist marina Arsenijevic, and since then, marina at West point:UnitythroughDiversity has aired on pBS stations across the nation. The glee Club has participated in the inauguration of president nixon, the First Anniversary 9/11 memorial Service at ground zero, Super Bowl XXX i X, Yankee Stadium games, the grand Opening of Epcot Center, the return of the hostages from iran in 1981, and the 30th anniversary of their return.

in April 2009, at the Academy of Country music Awards Show, the club sang “Til the Last Shot’s Fired,” a song honoring American soldiers of every generation, with Trace Adkins. The club recorded the song with

him the previous year. glee Club Director Constance Chase says, “it was a thrill to perform live before a live audience of thousands and millions of television viewers.”

in October 2008 at Carnegie Hall, the club performed the rimsky-Korsakov opera, “The Tsar’s Bride,” in russian, with the Opera Orchestra of new York and a roster of international opera stars as soloists. “When i visited Carnegie Hall with my grandfather in elementary school, he told me i was lucky to be there—lots of people would never even see the inside of that famous building,” says Cadet Kelley Duke ’12. “Six years later, as a plebe, i found myself on its stage, singing The Tsar’s Bride.” The cadets learn situational adaptability in settings like these, where they are the only amateur musicians in a professional setting, collaborating with the most accomplished musicians in their respective fields. The influence of glee Club membership continues on well after graduation. On April 25, 2010 in Washington, DC, the cadets performed with the West point Alumni glee Club and cite this as one of their favorite experiences, performing with their predecessors in The Long gray Line. The cadets will be scattered across the globe when the Alumni glee Club returns for its second concert at West point on July 31, but any glee Club cadets near enough to attend will be invited to join in the Alma mater, in the same way that the current members of the glee Club invite alumni to join them onstage when they perform the Alma

“Between the friends I’ve made and the amazing places I’ve sung, I can’t imagine a better cadet experience. Glee club is the best part of my day.” cadet Margaret Lough ’11

mater on the road. Director Constance Chase is involved in planning the musical aspects of the reunion and will be one of the musical directors, along with LTC Jim Keene, West point Band commander, and William Cosby, former glee Club director. planned for next year are “hometown concerts” in Tuxedo park, nY, and Stamford, CT; a joint concert with Kick, a community choir from narvik, norway; and a collaboration with the new Jersey Youth Chorus and the West point Band. Another exciting addition is the first-ever January rehearsal retreat scheduled for 2012, made possible by the marcia H. randall Cadet glee Club Endowment, established in January 2011. Her remarkable commitment to the Cadet glee Club will ensure that the club and its director have flexible funding for retreats, commissioning music, as well as performance opportunities. The late robert D. randall ’56 and his wife marcia have generously supported many West point programs over the years, including Army athletics, the West point Association of graduates, and the Class of 1956. 

“The best part about Glee c lub is singing the Armed Forces medley and watching as veterans from so many different times and services stand up to be honored. I am never so proud to be going into the Army as those times, and I am so privileged to meet such people.”

c adet Shige clark ’12

Going for the at the Collegiate Nationals

Between December 18, 2010, and January 2, 2011, the West Point Parachute Team trained and competed in the Collegiate Nationals at Eloy, Arizona, safely executing over 1,160 jumps and winning 13 Gold, five Silver and three Bronze Medals. The winner of the Most Competitive Collegiate Competitor designation, considered the National Collegiate Champion, was Cadet Kurt Yeager ’13:

“I heard about the Parachute Team tryouts as a Plebe from a second classman in my company. He convinced me to try out, and I made the team in February. My first jump was a tandem jump with Colonel [Thomas A.]

including that first tandem. I fell in love with the sport from the first jump and plan on skydiving long after I graduate.”

Yeager was born in San Dimas, California, and attended Damien High School in nearby Upland, wrestled, threw discus, and was a member of both the debate and mock trial teams. At West Point, besides parachuting, he enjoys working out and snowboarding. He also plays the bass whenever possible for the de-stressing effect music has.

Both of his grandfathers served in the military, one as an Army Engineer in World War II and the other as an Air Force pilot. The father of his paternal grandfather’s was awarded the Silver Star in World War I and received a battlefield commission. His father was an F-14 Top Gun pilot in the Navy, and his brother is a 2009 Annapolis grad and a Navy SEAL. With such a background, he always has been interested in a career in the military. His father, brother, and grandparents all said that it was the most rewarding job they had ever held. He chose West Point as the academy that would challenge him while providing the most opportunities to develop as a future officer. He selected engineering psychology as his academic major for the research opportunities and interesting classes and because he aspires to be like the engineering psychology officers teaching at the Academy.

“To me, competitive skydiving combines an incredible sport with the competitive spirit. The ‘rush’ I initially received came from the actual act of jumping out of a ‘perfectly good airplane.’ Now that ‘rush’ comes from an intense desire to achieve excellence in the sport,” added Yeager.

By Julian M. Ole J niczak ’61

He competed in both freefall and canopy accuracy events at the National Collegiate Tournament this year. “While I enjoy both events immensely, I would have to say that nothing can beat the sensation of 60 seconds of freefall with a teammate while trying to build as many formations as possible. I believe I was extremely lucky twice during the nationals. For the accuracy competition, I was the last out of the plane. This allowed me to observe the canopies below me and their behavior in the high winds at the time. After watching other jumpers fall short of the target, I adjusted my landing pattern. Then, on my first freefall jump of the competition, I forgot to apply de-fogging spray to my helmet visor. Other jumpers had forgotten as well, and their masks fogged up during their jumps, affecting their performance. Luckily for me, my mask never fogged up, and I was able to see my freefall partner.”

His advice to high school students coming to West Point? “Learn to manage your time. I believe the most successful cadets are those who have the discipline to plan and follow a schedule that balances their studies, physical development, and leisure time.” It looks like Kurt Yeager has mastered his time management challenges. 

The West Point parachute team recently spent spring leave in corsica, France, training with the 2nd Foreign airborne Regiment of the French Foreign legion. a Marine corps c-130 from Stewart Field was used as transport and the jump platform for the week.

Watch

Cadet Kurt Yeager ’13 with his two gold medals.

Gold Medals

C LASSIC ACCURAC y—NOVICE C LASS

Kurt Yeager ’13

2-WAy FREEFALL FORMATION SK y DIVING

Christian Beckler ’13 & Kurt Yeager

4-WAy FREEFALL FORMATION SK y DIVING griffin Strader ’11, Brett Jack ’12, Dan Sullivan ’12 & Chris Ligget ’12

6-WAy SPEED FORMATION SK y DIVING griffin Strader, Annibal Lopez ’11, mike White ’11, Brett Jack, Chris Liggett & Dan Sullivan

These are the first West point gold medals ever in the 6-way speed formation.

Silver Medals

C LASSIC ACCURAC y—NOVICE C LASS

Erin mcShane ’13

SPORT ACCURAC y—M ASTERS C LASS

Brett Jack

SPORT ACCURAC y—INTERMEDIATE C LASS

mary Collins ’12

2-WAy FREEFALL FORMATION SK y DIVING

Erin mcShane ’12 & Brian reasonover ’13

Bronze Medals

C LASSIC ACCURAC y—NOVICE C LASS

Steven Lee ’13

SPORT ACCURAC y—M ASTERS C LASS

Dan Sullivan

SPORT ACCURAC y—NOVICE C LASS

Brian reasonover

Gripping Hands

1955

McNair, First Chief of Army Aviation Branch, Receives Abrams Medal from AUSA in October

MG (Ret.) Carl H. McNair, Jr. was awarded the Creighton W. Abrams Medal from the Association of the United States Army on October 25 at the Association’s 2010 Annual Meeting and Exposition in Washington, DC. He has spent four decades enhancing the role of Army Aviation on the battlefield, commanding the Aviation Brigade at Ft. Rucker, AL, during 1974–75 and commanding the Army Aviation Center from 1980 to 1983. He has logged over 4,000 flying hours, with 1,500 of them in combat.

1959

malek Accepts 2011 Horatio Alger Award

Frederic V. malek, founder and chairman of Thayer Lodging group, received the 2011 Horatio Alger Award in recognition of his personal and professional success despite humble and challenging beginnings. malek accepted the award on April 8, 2011, in Washington, DC. recipients have overcome great adversity to achieve admirable accomplishments, serve as examples of achieving the American Dream, and offer countless hours and resources to help others in need.

Frederic V. malek was born and raised in Berwyn, illinois, where his father, the son of Czech immigrants, worked as a truck driver. When malek was older, he worked at a brewery, bakery and meat packing plant. He was the first person in his family to attend college, graduating from West point in 1959 with a degree in engineering. After West point, malek served three years as an Airborne and ranger-qualified infantry officer, and was assigned to a Special Forces unit in Vietnam.

1965

1953

Brown receives Distinguished Alumnus Award from Pitt

On October 8, 2010, General Arthur E. Brown became the 32nd of 7,000 Graduate School of Public and International Affairs graduates to receive the award recognizing individuals whose outstanding professional accomplishments bring honor to GSPIA and inspire students as role models. Said Pitt Provost Dr. Patricia Beeson, “General Brown is one of our most distinguished alumni. His career exemplifies what the whole University is really about.” Brown’s distinguished 36-year military career culminated in appointment as Vice Chief of Staff of the Army. He also served two tours in Vietnam and as deputy superintendent at West Point.

General Brown spoke of the lessons he learned from his favorite instructors at GSPIA, in particular the value of knowing theory to complement experiential knowledge, the need to appreciate diversity, and understanding the importance of communications in the conduct of international affairs.

Bucha’s Medal of Honor to Stay at West Point

Paul Bucha loaned his Medal of Honor to Army co-captain Stephen Anderson and the team prior to the Army-Navy game. It was to be returned following the Armed Forces Bowl, but after Army’s 16-14 victory over Southern Methodist University, Bucha agreed to its display with the Armed Forces Bowl trophy at the Kimsey Center. Bucha had one condition: “No signs to indicate what the medal is.” The Medal’s aura should stand on its own, Bucha believes.

“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

provost patricia Beeson and graduate School of public and international Affairs Dean John Keeler present award to general Brown.

1953

Schweitzer receives AAAS Science Diplomacy Award

The American Association for the Advancement of Science, the world’s largest general scientific society, awarded glenn E. Schweitzer, a tireless advocate for international science cooperation and the role of science in foreign relations, the 2010 AAAS Science Diplomacy Award in February 2011. During 1985–1992 and since 1994, Schweitzer served as director of the Office for Central Europe and Eurasia at the U.S. national Academies in Washington, DC. Specifically, Schweitzer is being cited for his efforts to engage russia and iran in science diplomacy.

Beginning in 1963, he was the first science officer stationed with the U.S. Embassy in moscow. in 1999, Schweitzer began developing relationships with iranian scientists and facilitating cooperation between the U.S. national Academies and the iranian Academy of Sciences. Schweitzer’s 1999 report, “The pervasive role of Science, Technology, and Health in Foreign policy,” led to the establishment of the Office of the Science and Technology Adviser to the Secretary of State and underscored the links between the State Department’s science and technology capabilities and strategic goals.

1987

Romero Appointed in Colorado

The Governor of Colorado has appointed Dwayne Romero as the executive director of the state’s Office of Economic Development and International Trade.

1974

Dempsey to be next Army Chief of Staff

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates has recommended to President Barack Obama that he nominate Army Geneneral Martin E. Dempsey to be the next Army Chief of Staff. Dempsey is commander of the Army Training and Doctrine Command at Fort Monroe, Virginia.

1969

St. Onge named to South Carolina post

Former Commandant of Cadets, major general (retired) robert St. Onge ’69, has been named as the Secretary of the South Carolina Department of Transportation.

Distinguished Graduates for 2011 named

The West Point Association of Graduates proudly announces the Distinguished Graduate for 2011:

General (Retired) William Richardson ’51

Major General (Retired) Carl McNair ’55

Dr. Lewis (Bob) Sorley ’56

General (Retired) Dennis Reimer ’62

Colonel (Retired) William McArthur ’73

Szelwach Named to Veterans Affairs Advisory Committee

1984

DeAntona new Brigade Tactical Officer

Colonel Joseph DeAntona III will oversee West Point’s Brigade Tactical Department, directly responsible for the day-to-day command and discipline of the Corps of Cadets.

1990

Celia Szelwach has been selected to serve as a member of the Department of Veterans Affairs Advisory Committee on Minority Veterans. Appointed by the Secretary, the Committee consists of Veterans who represent respective minority groups and are recognized authorities in fields pertinent to the needs of the minority group they embody. Dr. Szelwach is the Program Manager for Women’s Health at Atlas Research, particularly focused on rural, women, and minority Veterans. Since 2007, she has served as founder and director of Women Veterans Network (WOVEN) served on the Department of Veterans Affairs Advisory Committee on Women Veterans, 2006–2009.

1981

Schneider New Maine Attorney General

William J. Schneider, a former Green Beret and Army Ranger, is embarking on his latest assignment: prosecuting criminals. The new state attorney general is armed with a pocket-sized copy of the U.S. Constitution. He said he refers to the document often, even in informal gatherings when someone poses a mind-boggling legal issue. “I’m able to go right to the Constitution.”

1983

Feige elected to Alaska State House of Representatives

Eric Feige was elected to the Alaska State House of Representatives from District 12, the largest house district in Alaska, for a two-year term. At the House Majority organizational meeting, he was elected to be a co-chair of the Resources Committee, something of a coup for a freshman legislator. In addition, he was seated on the Transportation, Education, and Joint Armed Services Committees.

Women of class of 1980 Inducted into Army Women’s Foundation Hall of Fame

The women of the Class of 1980, as a group, were inducted into the Army Women’s Foundation Hall of Fame at the Foundation’s 3rd Annual Army Women in Transition Symposium & Hall of Fame Luncheon in Washington, DC, on March 17, 2011. Said Army Women’s Foundation President, Major General (Retired) Dee Ann McWilliams, “They have shown extraordinary dedication, valor, and patriotism through their service careers, and their sacrifices have contributed greatly to our country.”

Hayes Receives 2010 Wilkins Award for Excellence in Legislative Leadership

South Carolina Senator Wes Hayes was chosen unanimously to receive the Excellence in Legislative Leadership Award from the Riley Institute at Furman University. Having served in the Statehouse since 1985, he is the current chair of the Senate Ethics Committee and serves on the following Senate Committees: Banking and Insurance, Education, Finance, Medical Affairs, and General. He currently chairs the subcommittees dealing with public education in both the Finance and Education Committees and has been an advocate for fair and equitable funding for public schools and has worked to increase availability of early childhood education.

1990

noles Appointed Chair of Alabama Humanities Foundation

The Alabama Humanities Foundation announced the selection of Jim noles as chairman. A partner with Balch & Bingham LLp in Birmingham and a member of the firm’s natural resources and environment law section, he earned his law degree from the University of Texas. prior to law school, he served as an Army UH-1H helicopter pilot. His recently published books include A pocketfulofHistory:FourHundredYearsofAmerica-OneState Quarter at a Time and mightybySacrifice:TheDestructionofan AmericanBomberSquadron,August29,1944. The Foundation pursues a statewide mission for exploring, experiencing and enhancing the enjoyment and study of the humanities throughout Alabama.

Williams Honored by Intelligence Community

Lieutenant General (Retired)

James A. Williams was honored on December 5, 2010, for a lifetime of distinguished service to the nation and the Intelligence Community with the presentation of the National Military Intelligence Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award and recognized as the first ever Fellow of the National Military Intelligence Foundation.

He was joined by his wife Barbara, daughter Karen, son Steve and wife Nell, and two grandchildren. Williams was feted by scores of colleagues, friends, and officers. At age ten, Jim Williams volunteered as an aircraft spotter for the 2nd Anti-Aircraft Region during World War II. Only 39 years later, he was the first West Point graduate to progress from lieutenant to lieutenant general in the intelligence career field.

Williams was commended by President George H.W. Bush and General Keith Alexander ’74, Director of the National Security Agency, while former DIA Directors Ed Soyster ’57 and Pat Hughes served as honorary co-chairs. The current DIA chief, Lieutenant General Ron Burgess, commended Williams for his many contributions since retiring, to include serving on the Board of Visitors of the National Defense Intelligence College for 15 years and overseeing the development of its research program and a major curriculum overhaul. Williams gave special kudos to his wife, who had accompanied him on this long journey and helped him reach his goals.

—Colonel (Retired) William C. Spracher ’70

1975

farrell named Distinguished Member of U.S. Army Signal Regiment

General Dynamics C4 Systems announced that Colonel (Retired) Pete Farrell, director of training for communication networks, was inducted recently as a Distinguished Member of the U.S. Army Signal Corps Regiment at Fort Gordon, Georgia. Farrell joined General Dynamics in 2003 after retiring as deputy commander of the Army’s Signal Center following a 27-year career in the Army. The Distinguished Member of the Regiment program was instituted in 1986 to recognize personnel who have distinguished themselves in service to the Army Signal regiment.

Lieutenant general (retired) Jim Williams ’54 with Lieutenant general (retired) Ed Soyster ’57, another former Di A Director, and LTg ron Burgess, current Di A Director.

Houlihan Recognized by Raytheon for Business Development excellence

Ellen Houlihan was recognized for her extraordinary contribution to Raytheon Company growth during an annual Business Development Excellence dinner. The award recognizes critical achievements addressing Customer Focused Marketing. Ellen and her team won a highly competitive U.S. Air Force program to replace legacy encryptor products fielded over the last 25 years. This positions Raytheon well in long term market, upgrades, and future encryption products, domestic and international. Ellen leads business development for Protected Satellite Communications within Raytheon.

1992 Astronomy Prize to Ransom

perdew ’89 and Dyer ’85 at “Vetrepreneur Success intensive” in Santa monica

Kelly perdew and phil Dyer joined several other highly successful military veteran entrepreneurs to empower aspiring military veteran entrepreneurs to start and grow their businesses at the “Vetrepreneur Success intensive” in Santa monica, California, on January 27–28, 2011. Six winners of a national essay contest received two all-expense paid days of personal, high-level, hands-on business mentoring. perdew won Season Two of Donald Trump’s “The Apprentice” and is very active in supporting fellow military veteran entrepreneurs. phil Dyer, a serial entrepreneur and a national financial educator for the military Officers Association of America, is co-author of “V iCTOrY: 7 Entrepreneur Success Strategies for Veterans.”

Dr. Scott ransom, an astronomer at the national radio Astronomy Observatory, received the American Astronomical Society’s Helen B. Warner prize on January 11, 2011, at the society’s meeting in Seattle, Washington. The prize is awarded annually for “a significant contribution to observational or theoretical astronomy during the five years preceding the award.”

An Experiment in Social Media

everyone, we’re extending our reach and getting connected with new people everyday. Twitter is like the real world in the sense that some of your engagements are consistent and ongoing and some are more fleeting. Either way it’s all about sharing with other people. What can be really fun are the chance encounters. Eavesdrop on this recent example—an encounter with a Boston-based boutique wedding film and photo company:

Nieubreed: “You all are serving our nation in a different kind of way by capturing the most precious moments of our lives” ~mom of our @WPAOG bride

WPAOG: @nieubreed sounds like a great compliment to me!

Nieubreed: @WPAOG We’re honored! Wedding will be @ WP in July. In Jan our groom was a Navy Man. What’s better: an Army or Navy wedding?

WPAOG: @nieubreed What’s better?! I’m pretending you didn’t ask that. #BEATNAVY Be sure to stop in and say hi to us when you’re here!

Nieubreed: @WPAOG haha funny because our Swift Intruders hovercraft groom said Go Navy! Eternally epic rivalry! We love it! Here’s to both!

WPAOG: @nieubreed Repeat after me. BEAT NAVY!

First it was Facebook. We built the WPAOG Facebook page with no real strategy other than having a billboard out there where everyone else seemed to be. Okay, bad plan, but we learned quickly that Facebook is not about that. It’s more like the real world. People who always have something to say. People with opinions. People who oh wait people. Of course! It’s all about people. A stranger from halfway around the world who told us that she had a lost class ring in her possession and was ready to find the owner. A woman who shared beautiful pictures of her new grandchild. The Marine

Sergeant and Viet Nam Vet who expressed heartfelt gratitude to the Long Gray Line for “past, current and continued valiant and noble service to our great country.” Another one of our favorite postings—the spirit video of the little girl and her dog. She places a biscuit down and chants “NAVY chow NAVY chow ...” as the dog stares intently at it. The minute she says “ARMY chow” the dog gobbles it up and she shouts GO ARMY! How’d she do that?

Then there was Twitter. This was like learning another language. And while it’s not for

Even if you aren’t familiar with Twitter you get the gist of that. The conversation was quick, yet personal and fun. It adds a personal dimension to the Long Gray Line. And maybe @nieubreed will come visit us at Herbert Hall in July.

—Kim McDermott ’87

What began as an experiment has become a prominent outlet for [West point’s] alumni communications.

—The Lawlor review, Spring 2009

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Past in Review

D e D i CAT e D M AY 31, 1897

“For the true soldier and officer never forgets what he owes to the men he commands.”

The inscription is simple: “In memory of the Officers and Men of the Regular Army of the United States who fell in battle during the War of the Rebellion this monument is erected by their surviving comrades.” It is built of granite with a monolithic shaft 46 feet tall and five feet six inches in diameter, designed by Stanford White, surmounted by a statue of Fame sculpted by Frederick MacMonnies.

The initiative began at West Point because it was felt that the sacrifices of the Regular Army officers, non-commissioned officers and men had received scant notice, as the press of the time generally publicized the accomplishments of local volunteer units.

Colonel (then Lieutenant) Hasbrouck, Class of May 1861, after dinner one night in September 1863, suggested including the of all officers and of the Regular

that the standard of subscription vary $27 for a major general to $7 for a lieutenant (approximately six percent of one month’s

The site was dedicated on June 15, 1864, MG George B. McClellan delivered augural address: “We have assembled to consecrate a cenotaph which shall our children’s children, in the distant of their fathers’ struggles in the days great rebellion.” He then praised the the many volunteers but noted that would raise monuments to their dead. we of the regular army have no States to for the honors due our dead. We to the whole country, and can neither nor desire the general government perhaps invidious distinction in our

Little more was done for decades, but by October 29, 1889 the funds raised were invested in bonds worth about $63,000, and on February 21, 1890 the Adjutant General authorized construction. The firm

The original figure of “Victory” was deemed unacceptable, however, and the present statue of “Fame” was provided at no additional cost.

The quarry that supplied the granite shaft was located at Stony Creek, CT, and was known for producing large stones. It took 13 days, with an actual running time of 38 hours, to cover the 191 miles from the quarry, including a trip across the Hudson by boat at Newburgh. The shaft was raised by means of a wooden hinge, a stage, and a sand jack, because a 103-foot derrick constructed earlier was destroyed in a gale.

Army who were killed in action or died of wounds on the monument. That idea served as a needed catalyst, and an association formed. By October 9, 1863, it was resolved that the superintendent be president and

of McKim, Mead & White won the design competition with their dignified, graceful design well suited to the site on Trophy Point. The other entries tended to resemble the present-day Brandenburg Gate in Berlin.

Dedication ceremonies were set for May 31, 1897. LTG (Retired) John M. Schofield presented the monument to the government, and the Honorable David J. Brewer, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, delivered the main oration. In proudly noting that the names of all ranks appeared on the monument, the Secretary of War said, “for the true soldier and officer never forgets what he owes to the men he commands.”

There are 188 officer names and 2,042 enlisted names commemorated. 

Photos: Sylvia Graham, USMA Archives

The Lady of Fame.

The 46-foot polished granite shaft arrives via rail at Trophy point.