West Point Magazine Summer 2011

Planned Giving

“George always said that West Point had given him the opportunity for a fulfilling future, and he had a great need to give back,” explains Mary Ellen. “He felt like it was his mission.” In the latter part of his

life, George decided to set up two charitable remainder trusts through West Point. The trusts provided Mary Ellen with a yearly stream of income. After her lifetime, the balance will go to West Point to be divided between the sailing team and the academic department. “He thought of everything, and the West Point Association of Graduates helped him through the entire process of setting up the trusts,” she says. “The trusts are a gift of love because you never know what will happen in life. To know that your loved one will be taken care of for the remainder of their life is a beautiful last gift.”

“Th E T ru STS A r E A GIFT OF LOVE.”

Colonel George E. Lear ’50 and mary Ellen Shepherd

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

Dear Fellow Graduates and Friends:

White hats flew high in the air over michie stadium following the graduation of the Class of 2011, and although I have the honor of attending many ceremonies during a cadet’s 47 months at the military Academy, the command of “Class Dismissed!” still sends chills of excitement through my spine every year. The number of living graduates now totals nearly 49,000 from almost 80 classes, and each has felt that special rush of adrenaline unlike any other.

The West Point Association of Graduates (WPAOG) welcomes our newest members, and we’re excited to share their story and the magic that is West Point with all graduates and the American public via West Point magazine. As stated in our by-laws, “the Association shall be dedicated to furthering the ideals and promoting the welfare of the united states military Academy, and to supporting and serving its graduates.” This magazine is our primary print means of engaging everyone who supports West Point and wants to help us promote the ideals of West Point best embodied in its motto: Duty, Honor, Country.

As you can see by the feature articles in this issue, West Point graduates continue to make significant contributions in service to our nation around the world. They, and the cadets currently at the military Academy, further the ideals of West Point by their example of selfless service in Iraq and Afghanistan, in the classroom, and across America. many other graduates do so by recruiting, mentoring and guiding future cadets, sponsoring visiting teams or clubs, or through philanthropic gifts that are so essential to providing that margin of excellence that makes the West Point experience unique.

Your assistance in providing that margin of excellence, in the form of time, talent, and resources, is going to be more important than ever as our nation and our military face inevitable budget tightening in the coming years. Our support as graduates and friends, particularly through the superintendent’s Fund for usmA needs and via the Long Gray Line endowment for WPAOG graduate services, is how we can ensure West Point’s ideals and values will be there in the future for those who“ follow close order behind.” Please be as generous as you can.

The Class of 2015 has now started Plebe year and begun its journey through the military Academy, a journey that will end with white hats thrown into the air four years from now. I look forward to having my spine tingle on their graduation day, as they join the Long Gray Line in service to our Army and nation.

West Point, for Thee!

Pub LI s H er

West Point Association of Graduates

eDITO r I n C HI e F

Julian m. Olejniczak ’61 845.446.1517

jay.olejniczak@wpaog.org

eDITO r IAL A D v I s O r Y Gr O u P

John Calabro ’68

norma Heim

Jim Johnston ’73

Kim mcDermott ’87 samantha soper

A D ver TI s I n G

norma Heim 845.446.1516 ads@wpaog.org

A DD ress uPDAT es

Tammy Flint 845.446.1642 address@wpaog.org

Des IG n marguerite smith

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

PO s T m A s T er

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

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

bob

’76 President & CeO West Point AOG

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Subscriptions may be ordered for $35 online at WestPointAOG. org/Poop Sheets; by calling 800.BE.A.GrAD; or by sending a check to WPAOG, West Point magazine, 698 mills road, West Point, NY 10996-1607.

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

mcClure

34 Gr ADuATIOn 2011:

26

True Faith and Allegiance: 150 Years of Civil War Oaths at West Point

Oaths mark important milestones in the lives of cadets, but the oaths sworn today remain heavily influenced by the Civil War.

Army rugby

rugby is a relatively new sport at West Point and a club sport at that, but the Army teams that speak of scoring a try on a pitch are dedicated national competitors every season.

9 Cadet uniform Factory: by the numbers

rigadier General Tim Trainor promises no “seismic shifts” as the 13th oard but a systems engineering approach to fine tune the curriculum and allocation of resources.

view the online version of this magazine at www.WestPointAOG.org/netcommunity/wpmag

view the online version of this magazine at WestPointAOG.org/netcommunity/wpmag

I n THI s I ssue

6 every soldier Has a story: The West Point Center for Oral History

10 The “I” in research: Projects Day 2011 research requires intelligence plus personal passion and motivation, as exemplified by the results displayed annually at Projects Day.

14 Follow me! The new West Point Leadership Center

The new West Point Leadership Center aims to expose cadets to best practices and reach out to the Army as well.

17 solicitation of Thayer Award nominations

23 It's In the bag!

r-Day Issue

29 The Thayer Hotel: A Historic Landmark emerges as a Contemporary Destination

30 Iron eagles: Keeping Freedom Alive in the skies of Afghanistan members of the Class of 2005 in the 4th Combat Aviation Brigade are on their second deployment in the War on Terror, this time in Afghanistan.

36 Greening the Gray: recyclemania at West Point recycling receives a shot in the arm at the Academy, despite the worst winter in years.

38 Fifth Annual General of the Armies John J. Pershing reflective essay Award

40 West Point Competitive Clubs notch six more national Championships

This u.s. government-owned and operated apparel manufacturing facility is one-of-a-kind in more ways than one.

De PA r T men T s

2 From the President

4 From the superintendent

13 start the Days!

24 sandhurst

42 Gripping Hands

48 Past in review

PHOTO essAY

A Letter from the Superintendent

The Class of 2011 completed its four-year journey here in a grand send off at michie stadium, and was the beneficiary of an historic Graduation banquet. And the Class of 2015 demonstrated its own bright promise on reception Day in late June. Here are some of the highlights:

In April we hosted the sandhurst Competition at Camp buckner, on a cold and blustery day in which 50 teams from throughout the world participated in a rigorous and physically demanding military stakes. The sandhurst competition measures military skills and critical thinking in a timed series of obstacles and field craft challenges. each company at West Point fielded a team of nine cadets and trained for the event for three months in the middle of their tough second academic semester. Other teams came from usnA, usAFA, rOTC and six other countries. since 1993, either the united Kingdom or Canada always has won sandhurst. This year that all changed with a dramatic victory by company b3, with F4 placing second! Well done.

Our club teams continued to demonstrate exceptional success with boxing, judo, orienteering, pistol, and men’s team handball winning national championships and triathlon and model un coming in second in the world. Our men’s rugby team went undefeated in their regular season, and the women’s rugby team won Army’s first national championship in the sport by defeating Penn state at stanford university.

During Projects Day this year, the academic excellence of our first class cadets, so well taught and mentored by our faculty, was on display. This year’s multidisciplinary display of the bionic foot, an exoskeleton, robotics, unmanned aerial vehicles, and many other projects spoke to both the excellence of the curriculum and the relevance of independent cadet research in support of our soldiers and our Army. several of these projects, sponsored by such organizations as the national security Agency and DArPA, included partnerships with the other service academies and produced affirmations from senior scientists and military leaders.

Thanks to all of you for your unwavering support to West Point and your active participation in the recruitment of new cadets. The entering Class of 2015 arrived on reception Day, 27 June, and by

every metric they are clearly headed for success. We received well over 14,000 applications for 1,250 spaces this year. Our Army will continue to be well served by this high quality cohort of future Leaders of character.

Our Chief of staff of the u s. Army, General martin e. Dempsey has visited West Point several times in the past months, and most recently spoke to the graduating Class of 2011 about their future and the Army’s high expectations. General Dempsey emphasized the values of trust, discipline, and fitness in his remarks and expressed confidence in the Class’ future contributions to the nation as newly commissioned officers. He is a 1974 graduate of West Point and also a former instructor and assistant professor in the Department of english with graduate degrees from Duke university and two other schools. He has a distinguished record of leadership in many senior assignments, most recently as the acting commander of us Central Command and as the Commanding General of the Training and Doctrine Command.

Finally, our most important rites of passage at the united states military Academy are marked with heartfelt ceremony that speaks to our proud traditions and the future promise of our graduating cadets. This was clearly the situation for the Graduation and Commissioning Ceremony of the Class of 2011.

Their graduation week was filled with West Point Class reunions, Distinguished Graduate Award recognitions, a special performance of the military District of Washington’s Twilight Tattoo, award ceremonies for our graduating First Classmen, a superbly executed graduation parade, and a strong presence throughout of Class families and friends.

We also were honored to host the First Lady of the united states, mrs. michelle Obama, as she addressed the graduating class at the Graduation banquet. saturday of graduation week overcame days of gray rain with a sun drenched celebration of four hard years of education, training and inspiration as the Class of 2011 executed a magnificent graduation ceremony at michie stadium. Additionally, we were honored to have the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of staff, Admiral mike mullen, as our graduation speaker. Our 1,030 new leaders of character from West Point now are serving as second lieutenants for the nation, and we could not be more proud of the Class of 2011 as they begin their journey as commissioned officers of the united states Army.

Army strong!

David H. Huntoon, Jr. ’73 Lieutenant General, u s. Army 58th superintendent, u.s. military Academy

Photos: Tommy Gilligan/

It was a remarkable spring here at West Point. In every major element of our program, our cadets achieved substantive and memorable success as scholars, athletes, and leaders.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of staff, Admiral mike mullen, handing a diploma to a ranking cadet.

Let

• Indoor and outdoor space available.

• Floor to ceiling gothic windows and fireplace.

• Can accommodate up to 200 guests.

• Event staff can recommend preferred local caterers.

• State-of-the-art technology and on-site assistance.

Every Soldier has a Story:

The West Point Center for Oral History

Histories of the Civil War abound, but what if you could actually hear the voice of George Pickett, Class of 1846, describing his charge up Cemetery Ridge at the Battle of Gettysburg? Or that of James Longstreet, Class of 1842, Pickett’s superior officer, who reluctantly supervised the assault even as he was convinced of its foolhardiness? What if you could listen to John J. Pershing, Class of 1886, relating the euphoria of Europe on the arrival of the doughboys in France to join World War I, or of Dwight Eisenhower, Class of 1915, regarding his concerns on the eve of the Normandy Invasion?

Over the past quarter century or so, historians have increasingly looked to personal stories as a foundational element in their work. Now, with the arrival of new technologies, the opportunity to create primary source material is at our disposal.

In 2008, the West Point Department of History established the Center for Oral History, aiming to build the world’s largest and most sophisticated archive of personal memories, recorded with high-definition video cameras and up-loaded to a website where they can be used by cadets as a teaching tool and by the general public simply as a way to learn more about the soldier’s life. The center’s motto is “Every soldier has a story...Here is where the story is told,” and indeed, the vividly-told tale is the primary building block of this exciting new virtual library scheduled to go live online later this year for the use of cadets and others.

Colonel Lance Betros ’77, History Department Head, hired Todd Brewster, a veteran of ABC News and Time magazine, as the center’s first director. Under his tutelage, more than 200 interviews already have been conducted, including those with former National Security Advisor Lieutenant General Brent Scowcroft ’47; former presidential candidate and West Point Thayer Award recipient H. Ross Perot; former Secretary of State General Alexander Haig ’47; Gulf War hero General Fred Franks ’59; and such legendary West Pointers as Pete Dawkins ’59 and Barry McCaffrey ’64. Although these famous and powerful people offer important insights, the core of the archive is composed of something even rarer to the historical record: the voices of common soldiers describing their boots-on-the-ground experiences. Imagine not only the voices of Longstreet and Pickett, but those of the grunts under their leadership recalling the slaughter and despair.

While the center has interviewed veterans of every conflict from World War II forward (and has a rare interview conducted with a British veteran of the trenches of World War I), the focus of its most recent work has been on Iraq and Afghanistan. “Oral history is a precious fruit,” says Brewster. “The quicker you get to it, the greater the chance for important detail and color.”

The Center’s approach is unprecedented:

even as a war is being fought, its history is being recorded, one voice at a time. Gradually, the archive will become the most thorough historical source on the first American wars of the 21st century. West Point envisions the Center for Oral History as something more than a repository. Given the high quality of its film assets, the interviews will serve as the raw material for documentary films commissioned by the Center. The first such film, based on extensive interviews with members of the Class of 1967, will be finished later this spring and unveiled at a Center for Oral History gala in October featuring Center for Oral History Advisory Board member Ken Burns as guest speaker. “Ken recognizes the important work we are doing here at West Point,” says Brewster of the PBS filmmaker, “and how the stories we are recording will help future historians come to terms with these times.” 

West Point Thayer Award recipient ross Perot during an interview session.

Photos: Tommy Gilligan, Sylvia Graham

different stocked sizes

Full Dress buttons

of materials and salaries/benefits of all staff is deducted from cadet pay

265 line items made of gray 19-ounce worsted wool

64,000 100%

2,960 of thread (about the distance from West Point to Ecuador!)

miLes

15 ,000 YArDs of gray 19-ounce worsted wool

17 ,000 YArDs of trouser stripe

40 ,000 YArDs of white belts

42 ,000 YArDs of black braid on Full Dress coats

58 ,000 YArDs of all cloth used

Photos: Tommy Gilligan

“Research is a leader development tool at West Point. The Army ethos often requires junior leaders to subsume to the team. The typical Army officer uses the word ‘We’ 80% of the time and the word ‘I’ 20% of the time. We use research to get our emerging leaders to take ownership of their own decisions; when they determine the direction of a year-long project or decide to divert from original assumptions at some midpoint, I want them to own that decision. The Army cannot take too much individualism, that is for sure, but we do need leaders that are confident in their own expertise and put it to work in ambiguous and evolving environments.”

t‘‘I’’ he in research: ProjectS Day 2011

Colonel John Graham ’87, associate dean for research and director of the Network Science Center

Projects Day at West Point is where such individualistic passion for research and life-long learning is on display every year. Fourteen departments offer 250 senior Capstone presentations. While underclassmen sprint between academic buildings to gather a sense of where potential majors might take their inquiring minds, guest experts from industry, academia and the Defense establishment take notes on research their funding has advanced. And there is an undertone of competition for merit prizes, both within departments and across the lines of academic disciplines.

Projects Day kicked off at 8:00 a.m. on April 28, 2011 as six cadets presented five papers pertaining to developing and fielding laser weapons systems. Earlier these were presented in Monterrey, California, with 450 Ph.D.s at the Directed Energy Professional Society’s Systems Symposium.

Cadet Paul Peterson’s paper, “Computational Thermal Model for Destroying a Mortar with a High Energy Laser,” was described by its author as “highvalue–like all the other research I am doing at West Point. I feel that people actually will use the technology that I’ve been researching. Some of my friends at other colleges are doing research that will demonstrate their academic knowledge, not its applicability.”

Cadet Ted Yang’11 commented about his contribution as a systems engineer, Quantifying Future Qualities of the Laser System: “I believe that our team’s laser weapons research is not only very serious, but also extremely beneficial. The physics and civil and mechanical engineering departments are highly proficient at looking at things from a data standpoint. But as we were trying to make a laser system into an actual counter-rocket/artillery/mortar system, we discovered that there is a lot more to the challenge than simply shooting down the target.” Yang was clear about his role:

“While most systems engineering projects at West Point engage a group of systems engineering majors, this one required me to work with cadets majoring in mechanical engineering, physics, law–all the other pieces. Probably a more realistic scenario, more like what I will encounter from this point forward. Systems engineering does provide a whole new way of looking at things: on the logistical side we have to know how well the system will survive terrain. We have to look at human resources, ammunition, the fuel that will be necessary, and what vehicles can be used to transport the system. It’s extremely important to bring those things into the picture.

“We also have to be concerned with limiting secondary effects of our systems…By conducting research that utilizes value-focused thinking, we’re going to be able to capture the bigger picture. Through feedback from the laser community, we at West Point will

be able to put weights to each of those necessities and establish what the value of a laser counter-measure system is in comparison to other systems…The best part of this effort is that our evaluation approach is not limited to this system; it can be applied anywhere.”

Among the teams of judges circulating on Projects Day were four serving soldiers who would determine the Scott R. Clark Innovation for Soldiers Award. Cullum Hall’s Pershing Room was filled with Chemistry & Life Science Department displays, but they were there to view just one—the combat outpost protective wall modification devised by Cadet Gerrit Van Ommering ’12.

“This is called the modified sand-filled barrier for soldiers. The problem we were looking at was soldier protection around combat outposts. The current system uses fabric-sided, sand-filled Hesco barriers that are 3 ½ foot square by 4 ½ foot tall… It’s meant to be filled by a tractor, so sand is dumped into the entire barrier to provide small arms and blast protection. Problems arise when we expect units to set these up in restricted terrain, where we’re not able to get heavy tractors out to them. We expect soldiers to fill this huge volume by hand with shovels. That takes a long time and during that setup they are extremely vulnerable to enemy fire. We initially looked at high-tech solutions like foam filler, spider silk, steel honeycombs, ballistic combs, but the problem with those was either high cost or weight.

“So we tried to think outside the box. West Point taught us to look at other research and take the time for a literature review. The Army recommends a foot of sand for stopping small arms fire, so we asked, ‘Can we take this already existing system and divide each cell into two sections by utilizing an extra gate from another Hesco barrier kit? The one-foot section nearest the soldier can be filled first, and then the remaining two-and-a-half foot section can be filled after that. This allows us to build a hasty defense against small arms fire to protect the soldiers as they fill up sandbags or shovel sand into the rest of the barrier. When we tested this, we were able to reduce fill time for a hasty defense by 65%. We don’t see this as a final solution; we see it as part of the solution to getting a small arms hasty defense quickly.

“We took our prototype to Picatinny Arsenal for testing at the end of March. We filled it with a foot of sand and fired AK-47s, Draganov Sniper Rifles, and a 240mm machine gun with a velocity of 2,800 feet per second…from 15 feet. The rounds only penetrated six inches into the barriers. Working with an already existing system, we have created an inexpensive modification that provides soldiers a faster fill time. We think it’s ready to be implemented now, and it can help soldiers get that hasty defense quicker.

Pondering “Preventing Facial Injuries in boxing: Designing Headgear for Fighters,” by Cadets Laura Chachula & marie Timm.

“Our team went to the Soldier Design Competition at MIT. We beat MIT and brought the first place trophy back to West Point. There was a panel of 16 judges representing science, the military, and industry. The commanding general of the Research Development and Engineering Command, as well as the command sergeant major of Army Materiel Command were there. This project wasn’t about winning as much as it was getting this soldier protection solution. We were very happy with the response that we got at MIT from the Army Materiel Command. We’d like to see this modification integrated into the production process so that Army units can receive it with the hasty defense modification already in place.”

The Clark Award judging panel awarded second place to the combat-modified sand-filled barrier. First place went to a fourcadet team whose project description sounded like a multi-million dollar Department of Defense effort: Supplying Tactical Imagery to Command Headquarters (STITCH) is an innovative aerial vehicle and computer system that provides accurate, timely mapping imagery, in the form of a geo-rectified photo-mosaic, to forward deployed commanders over target areas they specify within a several mile radius. STITCH will supplement mapping data already in use by providing specific imagery of target locations.

Colonel Grant Jacoby, computer science program director for the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, evaluated the impact of the cadets’ work: “This system, costing approximately $1,500 (or 1/3,000th of the cost of a Predator), can easily be fielded down to the company level—there is nothing out there that can compete with this.”

The STITCH team harvested awards— “Most Innovative” at the MIT Soldier Design Competition, “Best Project” from the

electrical engineering department, the Clark “Innovation for Soldiers” Award, and second place in the prestigious Rochester Institute of Technology Student Design Competition. The real reward sought by the STITCH project was stated by Cadet Michael Weigand ’12: “Infantry officers want this info in the next 30 minutes so they can plan an operation without waiting a week to get a satellite repositioned or arrange a flyover. This system is designed so that a single soldier on the ground can quickly assemble a styrofoam UAV [Unmanned Aerial Vehicle], hand launch it, and have the UAV fly to a target area designated by the soldier by using a small laptop. The UAV automatically will fly a route over the target area and take a collection of photos that are automatically stitched together using available sensor data. Then an aerial map is wirelessly transmitted back to the soldier, and the UAV automatically returns to its launch point…If you used the unit over a contaminated area, it’s essentially disposable since it only costs $1,000. The key to the STITCH program is the use of commercially available components.”

While a WPAOG-sponsored civilian prep school student, Weigand bought a ten-dollar remote control car, a Garmin GPS unit, and a microcontroller and programmed the microcontroller to drive the car according to route inputs from the GPS. In his third year at West Point, he devised a STITCH predecessor—a styrofoam UAV that could give an infantry company an ‘eye-in-the sky.’ Outbound to the Infantry, he feels that “the experience that I have had in research at West Point has made me a more creative problem solver and given me the confidence that I can overcome any challenge I’m facing through persistence. Finding solutions and applying them will make my unit more successful.”

Listen to a West Point Radio interview with Colonel John Graham at wpaog.org/netcommunity/wpradio. 

Photos: Ted Spiegel

l eft: Cadet michael Wiegand ’11 explains the sTITCH project. right: The Adaptive Hearing Protective system.

West Point Museum civil War Sesquicentennial exhibit

aUgUSt through SPrINg of 2012

G us T 23

StrUctUre ProjectS Day

First class civil engineering majors erect typical small structures in the materials used in their design courses. These include an 8’ x 12’ wooden shed, a scale-model steel frame structure, and masonry walls.

Thayer Award Presentation

The first of four exhibits scheduled for the sesquicentennial is “Touched by Fire.”

Army sports Hall of fame dinner

this year, 12-year lacrosse coach james “ace” adams (four national titles); randy cozzens ’85 (men’s basketball); edgar garbisch ’25 (football, tennis); Katie Macfarlane ’04 (women’s basketball all-time scoring leader); Bob Novogratz ’59 (football, wrestling); lauren rowe ’03 (women’s soccer, track & field); Mike Scioletti ’89 (baseball); & administrator jimmy Wallace (38-year athletic trainer) will be inducted into the army Sports Hall of Fame.

September 16

August 13: ring Presentation for the Class of 2012

On the traditional ring Weekend, members of the graduating class assemble near Trophy Point to formally receive their rings in a ceremony conducted by the Commandant of Cadets.

National Conference on ethics in America

6OCTOber

Former secretary of Defense robert m. Gates will be the 54th recipient of the West Point sylvanus Thayer Award.

Homecoming Weekend for the Classes of 1991, 1996, 2001 & 2006

Traditionally, junior classes gather at reunions during homecoming Weekend, while the more senior classes gather prior to Graduation in may.

OCTOBeR

september 14

nininger Award Presentation

The Alexander r. nininger Award for valor at Arms is named in honor of Lieutenant “sandy” nininger ’41, the first Army recipient of the medal of Honor (posthumously) during World War II. The award, sponsored by Jean and Doug Kenna ’41, first was presented in 2006.

Grand Opening of the center for Oral History

Noted documentary film maker Ken Burns will be one of the dignitaries present at the formal dedication of the West Point center for oral History.

October 21

the Ncea, sponsored by the West Point class of 1970, promotes awareness among undergraduate students of ethical issues in collegiate communities and professional career fields. each year, over 180 students representing more than 60 academic institutions participate. s eptember 30 17-19

upcoming events suggested by West Point staff & faculty. events for november–January should be sent to editor@wpaog.org by August 15, 2011.

Cadet erin Anthony building a concrete block structure

Follow me!

The new West Point Leadership Center

Three armed American soldiers in battle gear approach a small building and greet several people gathered there. One is clearly a muslim cleric, or Imam. Another, apparently recently wounded, is an Afghani national police officer, while the third wears the field uniform of a nATO officer. This is the second day of the term-end examination of negotiation for Leaders, conducted by the Department of behavioral sciences and Leadership on Constitution Island, across the Hudson river from West Point. The officers teaching this course, including major Aram Donigian ʼ98 and major Zachary mundell ʼ99, also are involved with the West Point negotiation Project, an element of the rapidly evolving Leadership Center.

Photo: Sylvia Graham

negotiation for Leaders

As the cadets attempt to negotiate an agreement regarding sharing limited personnel and resources in the face of renewed threats to police checkpoints and local schools, a distraught Muslim mother joins the group. The cadets have 25 minutes to use the techniques they have been taught to reinforce relationships and concentrate all parties on shared interests rather than on their initial rigid positions. The role players are neither cadets nor volunteers but trained actors who have played their roles before and prove to be dedicated champions of their respective causes. They also provide the cadets with a realistic approximation of situations they may face in the not-too-distant future.

As one 2007 graduate of the course noted about his first deployment to Afghanistan, “As an Infantry platoon leader, I negotiated with local officials and governmental leaders on a daily basis.” Another added, “These ideas are so important that I reached out to the West Point Negotiation Project team…to help my company leaders learn the principled negotiation system.” One older graduate remarked, “I wish we had such a course available when I was a cadet. It would have been invaluable to me as an advisor in Vietnam.”

General Martin E. Dempsey ’74, Chief of Staff of the Army, in a recent article in the Armed Forces Journal stated, “Negotiation will soon be added as an attribute in our leader development strategy and incorporated into our leader development curriculum and training.”

The West Point Negotiation Project enhances the ability of U.S. Army small unit leaders to conduct negotiation in complex and challenging situations by focusing on effective negotiation, and particularly, principled negotiation. Specifically, the project studies the art and science of negotiation; distributes effective negotiation practices; develops improved negotiation models and strategies; produces training materials; exchanges ideas with practitioners and scholars; encourages multidisciplinary collaboration at West Point; and is a consulting resource for the Army. It evolved as graduates who had taken the negotiation course communicated with their former instructors for additional assistance while deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan.

Recently, an article authored by Jeff Weis, Aram Donigian, and Jonathan Hughes, “Extreme Negotiations,” appeared in the November 2010 issue of the Harvard Business Review. Jeff Weiss is an adjunct professor in Behavioral Sciences and Leadership, the director and co-founder of the Negotiation Project, and one of the Vantage Partners who provide the intellectual core of the curriculum, as is Jonathan Hughes. “U.S. military officers around the globe confront this sort of challenge every day, patrolling in hot spots like Afghanistan and Iraq, attempting to persuade wary local leaders to share valuable information while simultaneously

trying to distinguish friend from foe, and balancing the need to protect their troops with the need to build indigenous support for America’s regional and global interests. The business and military contexts are quite different, but leaders in both face negotiations in which the traps are many and good advice is scarce.” The West Point Negotiation Project is making “good advice” a lot less scarce for our young military leaders.

West Point negotiation Conference

At the West Point Negotiation Conference in March 2011, cadets from other service academies and ROTC units received a crash course in negotiation, heard from panels of junior officers recently re-deployed from Iraq and Afghanistan, and then practiced scenarios similar to those used in the negotiation course term-end exam.

mcDonald Cadet Leadership Conference

The next major initiative of the West Point Leadership Center will be the annual McDonald Cadet Leadership Conference beginning in the fall of 2012, thanks to the generous support of Diane and Bob McDonald ’75, Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Procter & Gamble.

Appreciative to West Point for the experience he gained here, he commented upon the reason for his gift. “There is no greater skill to learn and practice than leadership, and there is no greater place to learn and practice that skill than at West Point. With its outstanding faculty and facilities, surrounded by leaders of character from West Point and the best universities in the world, it’s the ideal location for this conference. For Diane and me, it was only natural to invest in developing the leaders of the future by endowing this annual conference at West Point.”

The West Point negotiation Conference practical exercise at West Point in march 2011.

McDonald guarantees one thing: “The conference will create a seminal experience for leaders of character from the best universities around the world and West Point cadets to learn and practice leadership. We will seek to provide the very best resources in the world to enhance the experience, including West Point faculty and global business leaders.”

West Point and the Leadership Center will receive a significant amount of assistance in launching the conference. McDonald already has blocked out time in his schedule to be an active

World Leadership Conference

This conference will bring prominent international strategic-level leaders and academics to West Point to discuss the most pressing leadership challenges facing the world.

The Class of 1983 Distinguished Leader series

The Class of 1983 Distinguished Leader Series has been endowed by the Class of 1983 and will be formally recognized at their 30th Reunion. As a result of their gift, small groups of cadets will continue to have the opportunity to discuss leadership with top global leaders who visit West Point. Due to the number of leaders who visit annually, it is anticipated that approximately 300-400 cadets may enjoy an intimate and inspiring dialogue with proven leaders across a wide spectrum of national and international organizations.

participant and pledges to “be involved in the planning, sharing of my own experiences, and reaching out to gain the services of other business and military leaders to ensure the conference is a success.”

Reflecting upon his time as a cadet, a commissioned officer, and a leader in corporate America, McDonald remains “thankful to West Point and the Army for the leadership experience I gained at a young age. We would like, through this conference, to incubate leadership learning and leadership experience for all of the participants.”

Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army Reserves, Harry Shablom

’83 recalled “the early 1982 joint visit by General Alexander Haig, 59th Secretary of State, and U.N. Ambassador Jeanne Kirkpatrick to West Point and their discussions with a small group of cadets. While not the purpose, the Distinguished Leader Series guest leaders and opinion leaders who participate will have gained inspiration and respect for West Point and its product. Finally, the ability of our class to visit and participate as observers in the series is a nice way to achieve continued engagement with the gift.”

black and Gold Leadership Forum

Another educational series is the Black and Gold Leadership Forum, which likewise features prominent figures from all walks of life, again allowing cadets to interact with them in an informal, small

Photos: Sylvia Graham, Negotiation Conference

left and top: role playing during the team end examination in negotiation for Leaders, behavioral science and Leadership. lower right: The West Point negotiation Conference practical exercise in march 2011.

“I found the negotiation with the afghan National Police chief to be the most difficult, but we were able to come up with a creative solution. I could certainly see myself in that exact scenario when deployed. I am very glad I attended the conference.”

cadet ji Kim ’11, U.S. Military academy

group setting. The difference is that the Black and Gold cadets actually travel to meet the leaders on their “home turf,” so to speak. Although the majority of cadets given this opportunity are behavioral science and leadership majors, the trip sections are open to other cadets with a genuine interest in leadership as well.

Leadership Fellows

A capstone of the Center will be the creation of knowledge about leadership by means of research centered upon three fellowships: leadership science, generalship and military sociology, and applied psychology and human performance. These three yet-to-beendowed fellowships will provide the nucleus for research and publications as well as mentorship for related cadet research projects.

For more information on the West Point Negotiation Project, visit: wpnp.org.

Editor’s note: Support from donors such as Bob and Diane McDonald and the Class of 1983 illustrate the commitment of the Academy’s graduates to strengthening West Point’s position as a premier leadership development institution; enhancing the center’s ability to impact all cadets taking basic and advanced leadership courses today; and expanding cadet leadership development opportunities for tomorrow.

developmental experiences, and leadership dialog. no other undergraduate institution in the world possesses such a powerful integrative entity and the center’s future efforts will ensure West Point remains the pre-eminent undergraduate institution in the world dedicated to creating leaders of character.”

Colonel Thomas Kolditz, Professor and head, Department of Behavioral Science and Leadership

Solicitation of Thayer Award Nominations

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

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

WPAOG is now accepting nominations for the 2012 sylvanus Thayer Award. Any graduate, usMA class, or West Point society may submit a nomination. nomination letters are due to the secretary of the Thayer Award committee not later than november 7, 2011.

For more information contact bridget.suarez@wpaog.org; 845.446.1512.

“The West Point Leadership Center is rapidly growing its ability to act as the focal point for advancing leader development at the Academy because of its unique ability to integrate the creation of new leadership knowledge,

The Thayer Award room.

“No room for ArmY ruGbY: StarS ”

Dave Geib carries the ball against Penn state, supported by (from the left) Lelan namy ’12, Kallen ryan ’11, and marshall moten ’13

shining like a jewel, the Anderson rugby Complex rises above the green turf of Warrior Field. named in recognition of the generosity of Penny and Lee Anderson ’61, the athletic facility is state-of-the-art. Its location, at West Point’s northernmost tip, reflects the grit and the grace of West Point rugby: to the north, a gravel parking lot at the base of storm King mountain; to the east, freight train tracks and the Hudson’s shipping lanes. The water treatment plant guards the southern approach, and a wooded 50-foot bluff backstops the western perimeter. If you climb to the top of the bluff, as the cadet-athletes sometimes do together, you will find an 18-inch brass bell on a wooden beam bearing twelve silver military identification tags, memorials to former West Point rugby players killed in action. The bell is engraved with the word BROTHERS.

Research for this article began a few days before Christmas, when, by chance, I met Head Rugby Coach Rich Pohlidal at the Jones’ Farm Store in Cornwall, NY. A former colleague at WPAOG, he and I exchanged a few ideas and agreed to meet again. In the past six months, I have become a fan of rugby and the cadets who play it. In particular, I like the sentiment in one of assistant coach Bill LeClerc’s lyrical descriptions of rugby. Born in New Zealand and a veteran of U.S. National Team campaigns and top-level competition around the world, Bill is also a deep student of the game and a joy to be around. One afternoon, as he talked tactics, he shifted into fluent French: “Le Rugby fait d’un garçon un homme et laisse à cet homme un esprit de garçon.” Rugby makes a boy a man and keeps a man a boy. He attributed the words to legendary French team captain Serge Blanco. They resonate at West Point, where the sport is about the exhilaration of high-stakes play set in the context of serious work.

Enhancing this work-play culture is rugby’s marvelous language. The field is a “pitch.” Roman numeral XV means “side” (or squad). The game is governed by “laws.” Shoes are “boots.” Touching the ball down in the in-goal area results in a “try.” In the locker room, teammates often address each other as “brother” (alluding to Shakespeare’s version of Henry’s speech at Agincourt). At a match, you hear teammates encouraging one another as “boys” in what seems to be a rugby tradition having applications in combat units and probably, John Wayne movies.

Actions, however, define the team’s style of leadership. Kallen Ryan ’11, a stout, front-row prop, is the unassuming, poised captain. Vice captain David Geib ’11 is a gifted flyhalf and veteran of 50 matches, while the work ethic of Logan Goldstein ’11 has earned him unofficial captain status as a player-manager.

The ethos of West Point Rugby is a fusion of selflessness and accountability. In a 2010 Rugby World magazine article, Samuel Aidoo ’10, a Ranger before matriculating to West Point, recalled platoon leaders who had played rugby: in their world there was “no room for stars.” Director of Cadet Activities Colonel Craig

Flowers observed that, to a man, the cadets value team success more than individual accomplishments. Indeed, the cadets acknowledge a try with a brief handshake or a congratulatory pat on the back, nothing more.

Former players and Army officers often are invited to speak to the team. Lieutenant General David E. Grange, Jr. a veteran of World War II, Korea, and Vietnam, spoke about intellectual focus and commander’s intent. A week earlier, Colonel Brian Mennes ’88, a brigade commander in the 82nd Airborne Division, and Lieutenant Colonel Will Huff ’91, a battalion commander in the 82nd, gave the pep talk, telling the cadets their future soldiers will need “high-speed leaders” who are always “turned on,” coaching,

Photos: Team by Danny Wild; r ugby Bell, Anderson Center by Tommy Gilligan

Will Holder ’13 kicks against navy.

instilling values, and sometimes parenting. Effective leaders, they said, moderate their emotions and find personal accolades “mildly amusing.”

Wanting to play as a team and doing so are two different things, however, and rugby is mentally and physically complex. At an early age, flyhalf and kicker Will Holder ’13 learned the game from his father, Rob Holder ’89 (Will’s mother Ann [Wanner] Holder is also an ’89 West Point grad). Will, who has played against top under-17 competition in England, described the game as an art form and said experienced players can sense when a team’s play is “off-beat.” He pointed out that there are rapid shifts into offense, defense, and transitional modes. When carrying the ball, the player must instantaneously decide whether to pass, run, hold the ball, or kick it as tacklers bear down on him.

Watching game video with the coaches, I realized they see the fifteen players as a continuously adjusting pattern and look for breaks in the form. For example, a player out of position on a defensive line, which is always in a state of flux (imagine a flight of geese), stands out immediately. Within the pattern, sub-elements are continuously redeploying along the line of gain and in depth.

A match is hundreds of gambits with the ball dramatically changing location in seconds. So, being in position in relation to the opponent and one’s teammates is critical, and players learn to “see with their ears.” At practice one afternoon, the team studied video of a kick-off on the flat-screen TV. Coach Pohlidal grilled them: “Tackles are an individual responsibility; however, defense is a team responsibility. If you play defense as an individual, you’re done!” Playing under physical duress (there are almost no timeouts and few substitutions), players operate on the brink of exhaustion. All of them are nickedup and playing through pain.

In 2010, 23 firsties graduated from the team, so the 2011 XV had to mature as the season unfolded.

Nevertheless, in early April, Army had two wins and no losses in Rugby East, a highly competitive, eight-team league in the Collegiate Premier Division. Win number three against

resilient Dartmouth, however, sparked no celebrations. A week later, Coach Pohlidal said the team’s performance had caused him to reassess his strategy and that he had begun teaching deeper offensive deployment, allowing players a second or two more to react to the defense. Victories at Delaware and Ohio State indicated Army was on the right track, but the next opponent would be an experienced, well-coached Penn State team.

Preparation for Penn State was intense. Two days before the match, on a cold, wet afternoon, the 68 players jogged out onto the practice pitch. There, they worked on maintaining velocity through tackles, repeatedly wrapping up teammates in red “tackling suits” and taking them to ground. Among those directing the practice was assistant coach Justin Hundley, a native of South Africa and a Penn State alumnus. He is highly respected by the players, as is assistant coach Major Nate Conkey ’00 of the Department of Physical Education and the All-Army Rugby Team. Veteran coaches Bill LeClerc and Sean Donellan, an expert on conditioning, complete the staff. Officer representatives assist with off-the-field duties. They are led by Colonel Tom Hiebert ’87, former West Point rugby team captain and a professor in the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership. On game days, he is typically in uniform, pacing the sidelines, giving tours of the facilities, or attending to other details. Yearling player/ manager Tom Custer rounds out the very active support staff. The cadets bring a variety of experiences and capabilities to the team. For example, Trevor Mitchell ’12 had deployed with the 3rd Ranger Battalion prior to being accepted at West Point. He plays scrumhalf and functions as an on-the-field coach of the forwards. Flanker Lelan Namy ’12 is also a leader on and off the field; his parents attend every match. Playing the number 8 position is Marshall Moten ’13, who has explosive power. His parents reside at West Point, where his father is deputy head in the Department of History. Among those in the front row is Andrew Hansche ’11, known as an especially tough player. Earlier this year, he received Rugby East Player of the Week honors, an award rarely bestowed on a forward. Andrew is also a Mechanical Engineering major with a 3.46 GPA.

On April 23rd, the “boys” squared off against the Nittany Lions at Warrior Field. The coach had warned them that Penn State (his alma mater), as well as other top competition, would not be intimidated unless the cadets gave them reason to be. Sure enough, in the opening minutes of the match, Penn State repeatedly surged forward, scoring the first try. Army found its rhythm, however, and the teams traded scores. At the break, Army led, but a major penalty left the cadets playing a man short for the first seven minutes of the second half.

Photos: m arshall m oten by Danny Wild, Nate Conkey by Tommy Gilligan

marshall moten ’13

major nate Conkey ’00

Throughout the second 40 minutes, Army built momentum. The cadets scored five electrifying tries: Marshall Moten burst through the center for one, and winger Ben Leatigaga ’11 broke free four times along the left touch line, leaving defenders grasping at his green boots. The final score was 50-26 in Army’s favor; a solid performance against a strong opponent.

A week later, the league championship match against rival Navy took place as spring was breaking out in the Hudson Valley. By two hours before game time, the neighborhood around Warrior Field had taken on a carnival atmosphere. Approximately 2,000 spectators had gathered, milling through vendor tents, playing on the practice pitch, and enjoying tailgates. In the south bleachers, 85 inner-city youth from New York City, participants in Play Rugby America, eagerly awaited the match. At 5:00 p.m. sharp, driving Irish fiddle music from The Last of the Mohicans heralded the appearance of Kallen Ryan leading his “boys” through the south goal and onto the pitch, where they lined up next to Navy players for the National Anthem. Immediately, the size differential struck me. On average, the midshipmen were noticeably taller and seemed to outweigh the cadets.

The teams battled over the next 80 minutes (“Not a lot of style points,” the coach later would say). Hard-hitting and scrappy Wells

Lange ’13, Tim Dean ’11, and Aaron Retter ’13 (his brother Jason played on the Navy XV) helped set the defensive tone. Throughout the match, bursts by Dave Geib ’11 and virtuosic Latu Vahai ’11, an international cadet from Tonga, helped establish offensive position. Late in the match, Ben Leatigaga intercepted a pass and sprinted across the goal: Will Holder’s conversion gave Army a 10-point lead. Navy responded with a three-point penalty kick. Then, the suspense built.

Players do not know exactly when a match will end, because the referee keeps the official time, stopping his watch when a player is injured. Well, the Navy match and Army’s season would play out after the scoreboard clock had expired. With the score Army 34 and Navy 27, the clock registered 80:00, but play continued. Navy had the ball and was advancing to within a few feet of the Army goal. Time and again, the cadets’ defensive line held. Finally, a minute or so into injury time, the referee’s whistle ended the epic struggle. The cadets were Rugby East Champions!

Photos: Tommy Gilligan

ben Leatigaga ’11 eludes a navy tackle, supported by Tejay espy ’12.

After the Navy game, the team finally celebrated, gathering on the field for team photographs before running the gauntlet set by teammates in the hallway outside the locker room. Still, they seemed to keep it all in perspective, going out of their way to shake hands with young fans and thanking them for coming to the match. In his postgame speech, Coach Pohlidal praised the team’s determined play, the inspiring support of Logan Goldstein, and the work of the supporting staff and players. The game ball was presented to Major Nate Conkey, revered by the team and preparing to deploy to Afghanistan later in the week.

Major Conkey’s imminent deployment was a reminder that grit will be the dominant mode of the cadets’ futures. They are aware of the service and heroism of former Army ruggers, and, every day, they think about First Lieutenant Ben Britt ’05, who was killed in action while on a dismounted patrol with the 101st Airborne Division in Iraq. His parents, Mary and Dave Britt, donated the equipment in the weight-training room that is named in their son’s memory. Talk to a Plebe such as Sherman Pruett, who greeted me on the sidelines, and you will realize all of the 68 cadet-athletes are on a mission. They also take extreme pride in wearing their alma mater’s black and gold and being “boys” playing a global sport. Now they also have a championship and an indelible identity as Brothers, which they will wear forever as proudly as their West Point rings. 

Editor’s Note: At season’s end, the Men’s Rugby Team competed in the quarter finals of the national championship. The West Point Women’s Rugby Team, which deserves an article of its own in a future issue of West Point magazine, won its national championship.

Photos: Tommy Gilligan

Trevor mitchell ’12 with the ball, supported by (from left) Wells Lange ’13, Graham Warner ’12, Justin Turner ’11, and Lelan namy ’12 .

Graham Warner ’12 at the traditional rugby post-game celebration.

It’s Bag! in the

I Love a Parade!

4 White Waist belts

8 White shoulder belts

1 Cartridge box

6 Pair White Gloves

2 breast Plates

2 breast Plate Pockets

2 Waist Plate buckles

2 Waist Plate Pockets

1 brasso Cleaner

uniformly speaking.

1 Pair Trousers

1 black belt with Gold Tip and buckle

1 Pair epaulettes

18 White Crewneck undershirts

18 Pair Drawers, 2 Athletic supporters (men)

18 Pair briefs, 3 Jogging bras (Women)

16 Pair black Dress socks

6 White short sleeve shirts (men)

4 White short sleeve shirts (Women)

1 Athletic shirt

4 Pair Athletic shorts

12 Pair Athletic socks

1 Pair Athletic slides

1 reflective belt

1 bathrobe

2 Packages of Handkerchiefs

2 u.s. Insignia

2 Cadet Patches

2 u.s. Flag Patches

1 Pair Cufflinks

1 rain Cover for Hat

While new Cadets receive uniforms and other items all summer (and well into their Plebe year), here is what they are issued on their very first day! This is only one part of the logistical support for reception Day (or r-Day) that requires about 60 permanent employees, 25 reservists, 23 summer hires, 20 barbers, over 60 food service workers, many volunteers, and more to make it happen!

Curious about what new Cadets are allowed to bring with them on r-Day? Find out at wpaog.org/netcommunity/rdaylist! 

Hoo-ah Gear!

velcro u s. Army Patch

1 Identification necklace

1 ballistic eyewear

1 Pair Knee Pads

1 Pair elbow Pads

1 entrenching Tool

2 Plastic Canteens with Cups

1 Wet Weather Poncho

1 Large rucksack set (mOLLe)

1 rifleman set (mOLLe)

4 brown Towels

7 Ammunition magazines

1 Weapons Cleaning Kit

1 Weapons manual m4

1 blank Adapter m4

1 Lensatic Compass

1 swiss seat

2 snap Links

1 Pair rappelling Gloves

1 military Flashlight with batteries

1 Insect repellent

1 sun screen

1 Foot Powder

1 Camouflage stick

1 First Aid Kit

sweet Dreams!

2 mattress Covers

1 Pillow

3 Pillowcases

6 sheets

1 Gray blanket

1 Comforter

1 Poncho Liner

1 Compression bag

1 black sleeping bag

1 Green sleeping bag

1 Cover

1 sleeping Pad

Photo: Mike s trasser/ us MA Public Affairs Office

“The first West Point victory in the Sandhurst competition in 18 years!” (Company B-3)

Lieutenant General David H. Huntoon, Jr. ’73

true Faith and allegiance: civil War

150 Years of at West Point

I (state your name) do solemnly swear that I will support the Constitution of the United States and bear true allegiance to the National Government; that I will maintain and defend the sovereignty of the United States paramount to any and all allegiance, sovereignty, or fealty I may owe to any State or Country whatsoever, and that I will obey the legal orders of my superior officers and the Uniform Code of

on april 18, 1861, the Plebe class marched to the c hapel to pledge their oath. Nine southern cadets refused. after the first cadet declined, the other southerners stamped their feet in support. the rest of the cadets reacted with a “unanimous hiss.” Shocked by the spectacle, cadet tully Mcrea, an upperclassman, noted, “Never before did a cadet refuse the oath of allegiance.”

Reception Day, now the last Monday in June, the Academy inducts new cadets into the Corps of Cadets and the U.S. Army. Among the many events on that long, stressful day is a briefing from a military attorney. He details a cadet’s commitment to the nation before witnessing each candidate’s signature of USMA Form 5-50, which includes the cadet oath. Failure to sign this oath immediately terminates a candidate’s appointment.

R-Day ends with the cadet candidates marching through the sally ports of the barracks and onto the Plain. Resplendent in their whiteover-gray uniforms, the new class forms up, and the Commandant of Cadets leads them in a repetition of the cadet oath.

Raise your right hand and repeat after me:

I (state your name) do solemnly swear that I will support the Constitution of the United States and bear true allegiance to the National Government; that I will maintain and defend thesovereigntyoftheUnitedStatesparamount to any and all allegiance, sovereignty, or fealty I may owe to any State or Country whatsoever, and that I will obey the legal orders of my superior officers and the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

June 27, 2011 marks the 150th consecutive year that West Point cadets have pledged that oath (the “Uniform Code of Military Justice” phrase was added in 1951). Midshipmen at the Naval Academy and Air Force Academy cadets also must raise their right hand on their first day. Only at West Point, however, is the exact wording of the oath prescribed by Federal law. The origins of Congress’ unique imposition of an oath for West Point lie in the country’s–and the Academy’s–greatest crisis, the American Civil War.

American officers have sworn an oath since the ratification of the Constitution in 1789. The oath prescribed by War Department regulations from 1790 through 1861 required everyone in uniform, including officers, non-commissioned officers, musicians, and privates, to swear or affirm “true faith and allegiance to the United States of America.” Cadets may have taken this oath upon admission; they certainly took it upon commissioning. Before that time, we know cadets signed a document in January of their Plebe

year promising to serve a certain number of years and to obey the orders of officers appointed over them. In 1839, the federal statute changed, and each cadet had to “pledge my word of honor as a gentlemen” to agree to obey all rules, especially those of the President and the officers appointed over him. In 1852, the cadet oath became the same “true faith and allegiance” oath from 1790.

The Cadet Oath

The oaths established prior to 1861 failed to survive the Civil War. West Point itself was threatened by war as Abraham Lincoln’s election sparked smoldering sectionalism among cadets and faculty.

On November 19, 1861, Cadet Henry Farley from South Carolina was the first cadet to leave, and six others South Carolinians soon followed. As the southern states seceded, dozens of other cadets (and several officers) departed to serve in the Confederate army.

On April 12, 1861, former cadet Farley, now wearing Confederate gray, fired the first mortar rounds on the Union garrison at Fort Sumter commanded by Major Robert Anderson, Class of 1825, a former West Point artillery instructor. The commander of the attacking force, General P.G.T. Beauregard, Class of 1838, recently had been relieved as superintendent of West Point and resigned his commission; his role was particularly irksome to northerners, many of whom became deeply embittered toward the Military Academy.

The next day, Secretary of War Simon Cameron, angered that West Pointers had led the southern attack, ordered all officers, professors, and cadets to take an oath to the United States in front of a magistrate from Orange County, New York.

Graduation day on May 6, 1861 required another oath of allegiance from cadets before they could receive their diplomas. When the newly commissioned officers walked into the mess hall, they were greeted with thunderous applause. Lincoln ordered another oath for all officers on April 30. On May 13, the 133 cadets remaining at the Academy assembled to take the Oath of Allegiance. Two Kentuckians refused and were dismissed from the Academy.

West Point cadets and officers who fought for the Confederacy brought the wrath of politicians onto the Academy. Lincoln criticized the turncoats, who “proved false to the hand which pampered them.” Secretary of War Cameron blamed the defection of West Pointers for the size of the rebellion and denounced the graduates’ “extraordinary treachery, which could be traced to a radical defect in the system of education” at the Academy.

The Senate proved even more critical. Senator Zachariah Chandler from Michigan declared, with unmatched hyperbole, that, “West Point Academy has produced more traitors within the last 50 years

than all the institutions of learning and education that have existed since Judas Iscariot’s time.”

The worst was yet to come. Twice, once in 1861 and once in 1863, Congress brought a vote to the floor to stop funding the Military Academy and therefore, close it. Each time the measure failed, but there were senators prepared to, as Senator Chandler declared, “abolish West Point Academy.”

On August 3, 1861, Congress passed a law creating what we today call the “cadet oath.” The bill declared that any cadet or graduate of the Military Academy who took up arms against the United States would be deemed guilty of desertion. If convicted, the graduate would be sentenced to death. West Pointers, and only West Pointers, were covered by the new law. Despite the high numbers of politicians, jurists, and professors who defected to the South, Congress directed its considerable ire at West Point. Why?

The “Ironclad” Oath and the Commissioning Oath Congress passed another law on July 2, 1862, establishing an even tougher, more prescriptive oath to ferret out Confederate sympathizers in government. The 176-word “ironclad oath” applied to every public official, including those in uniform. It had a promissory clause toward future behavior, but it also included a section to ensure that no one previously had supported the Confederacy. The “background check” portion of the oath generated heated controversy before and after the war, until Congress finally repealed it in 1884.

Until then, West Pointers took the cadet oath and the “ironclad oath” on their first day. They took them again in January of their Plebe year and finally on graduation day. After 1884, the cadet oath remained on the books. So, too, did the last section of the “ironclad” oath. The promissory clauses at the end of that oath became the officers’ oath. At West Point’s graduation ceremony, the Commandant of Cadets concludes the ceremony with these words, “Raise your right hand and repeat after me:

I (state your name) do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States of America against all enemies foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.”

Opposition to West Point flourished in the nineteenth century. In the 1830s, critics like Davey Crockett objected to what they saw as a West Point military aristocracy that used the taxes of the poor to pay for the education of the sons of wealthy Americans. During the Civil War, Northern opinion harshly condemned officers who received a government-sponsored education and then fought against the United States. Finally, Congress, particularly the Republicans, saw West Point officers who remained in the Army as pro-slavery Democrats.

The Naval Academy did not suffer from the same level of Congressional attacks, despite many midshipmen leaving Annapolis for service in the South. Congress did not perceive the threat from that institution to be as serious as the one from the Military Academy. West Point had far higher prestige, and its graduates included the President of the Confederacy, Jefferson Davis, Class of 1928 and almost all of the high-ranking military officers in the South.

The 1862 commissioning oath reflects the efforts of the Lincoln Administration and Congress to rid the federal government of Confederate sympathizers and spies during those dark days.

“Against all enemies foreign and domestic” describes the problem of fighting the Confederates. In many ways, the South was both a foreign and a domestic enemy. While the “true faith and allegiance” clause was a throwback to the 1790 oath, the section that states “I take this obligation freely…without purpose of evasion” was an attempt by Congress and President Lincoln to guarantee loyalty.

Oaths punctuate the beginning, middle1, and end of the cadet experience at West Point. The oaths represent the purpose of the Military Academy to create commissioned officers of character for the U.S. Army. Today, professional military education at West Point inculcates the oaths’ values. In fact, the Academy’s motto, “Duty Honor Country,” uses different words to describe the loyalty to the national government found in the oaths. Few cadets, however, know that the oaths were written during the Civil War. 

1The middle ceremony is the Affirmation Ceremony. It was added in the latter half of the 20th century to ensure cadets understand their obligation to serve in the uS Army once they begin their third academic year, whether they graduate or not.

new cadets rendering honors during the oath ceremony.

THe THAYer HOTeL A Historic Landmark emerges as a Contemporary Destination

If you’ve had the pleasure of staying or dining at the Thayer Hotel recently, you’ve experienced some of the remarkable transformations taking place there, just within the Thayer Gate entrance to the united states military Academy at West Point. These changes follow a long history of visitor housing at West Point that began in 1825, when a need emerged for a place that the board of visitors could use when they met at the Academy, as well as for visiting families and friends. The sale of wood from the surrounding area provided the $18,000 needed to build the first hotel on Trophy Point, which was erected in 1829. A three-story brick wing was added to the wooden structure in 1850 and other, smaller wings followed in 1870 and 1879.

before the age of the automobile, the old hotel was “the” social center for cadets and their families. A contemporary writer, Lew beach, described the hotel as also attracting personalities famous in business, politics and society, including many foreigners… “Hops and music were regularly provided and furnished nightly entertainment for guests.”

early in the 20th century, the original hotel was deemed obsolete and uncomfortable: few bathrooms, inadequate heating, and very small rooms. It was replaced in 1926 by the Thayer Hotel at its present location; an imposing castle-like structure overlooking the scenic Hudson river…modeled after a medieval fortress with gothic windows, crenellated roofs, and turrets. named for Colonel sylvanus Thayer, superintendent during 1817-33, the hotel was built as a selfsupporting component of the Academy that has played host to presidents, ambassadors and movie stars through the years. As time marched on, however, the 1926 structure also became outdated and needed repairs. Though it was eventually remodeled and renovated,

the rooms were tiny by contemporary standards, décor resembled that in other federal buildings, and as an experience it was lacking entirely at least in the kind of experience most travelers want. The hotel changed management again and again. Finally, it was leased by graduates who saw the potential, loved the Academy, and thought it was time to make the hotel a true reflection of the magnificent heritage people associate with West Point.

Grads who visited or stayed at the hotel over the last generation truly would not recognize the Thayer today. On the outside, much looks the same although it now includes the Zulu Time rooftop bar and lounge, outdoor café in summer, and beautiful landscaping to set the tone for one-of-a-kind weddings on the lawn. but on the inside, recent renovations have brought forth a hotel that never even existed before. The interior now includes rich wooden paneling, period furniture, luxurious carpeting, Academy-themed decor, and fewer but larger tastefully decorated rooms; many named for well-known grads, and others named in recognition for lesserknown West Pointers sponsored by family members, friends or classmates. As a business resource, it includes elegant yet well-equipped contemporary conference rooms having state-of-the-art technology. Locally, the hotel understandably has become a destination for its magnificent sunday champagne brunch: heavily-laden tables overflowing with every conceivable delicacy and free-flowing champagne, accompanied by softly-played, live piano music.

The Hotel Thayer has finally emerged as an experience unto itself for travelers venturing to West Point. 

Photos: m arissa Carl/WPAOG, h otel Thayer

IRON EAGLES

On February 20, 2011, Captains Ryan Plowey and Ryan Beissinger, both Class of 2005, formed a combined flight crew for an attack weapons team (Fastgun 43/44) supporting Belgian, German, U.S., and Afghan troops in contact near the Quandahari Belt. Flying an AH-64D Longbow Apache and pushing weather minimums, they fought to get to the friendly location. Upon arrival, they found a break in the cloud layer and saw insurgents with rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) and small arms (AK-47s) in a village near the friendly forces. As the insurgents opened fire, Plowey and Beissinger cleared all friendly elements from the area and attacked with 10 x 30-mm gun runs. Although insurgents directly engaged the aircraft with three RPGs and small arms fire, Plowey and Beissinger continued to attack until the friendly ground element could retreat to safety. Their efforts saved the lives of a number of International Security Assistance Force Soldiers.

They are just two of the men and women of the 4th Combat Aviation Brigade (Iron Eagles), including over a dozen Army aviators of the Class of 2005, under the command of Colonel Dan Williams ’85. They provide aviation support under challenging conditions of weather and altitude to the armed forces of a number of NATO allies, as well as American forces across all of Afghanistan. Before this deployment, they did the same in Iraq and still retain their gung ho attitude and sense of humor.

During 2008-2009, over 20 members of the Class of 2005 filled the junior officer ranks and served as platoon leaders during the successful deployment of the 4th Combat Aviation Brigade to Operation Iraqi Freedom. Currently, 13 graduates of the class of 2005 serve with the Iron Eagles in Afghanistan, many as company commanders. Based out of Fort Hood, Texas, the 4th Combat

Aviation Brigade is on its fourth deployment in support of the Global War on Terror.

The brigade supports U.S. and NATO forces with attack and reconnaissance, air assault, medical evacuation, VIP transport, heavy lift, resupply, and general aviation including refueling and air traffic control services across all four regional commands in Afghanistan. Regional Command-North includes German, Hungarian, Norwegian, and Swedish forces; Regional CommandEast has New Zealand, Australian, and British Forces; Regional Command-South aids British, and Canadian Forces; and Regional Command-West supports Spanish and Italian Forces. All support both conventional and special operations forces and their operations have been partnered with Afghan brothers-in-arms, establishing credibility for the government and securing the local populace.

some members of the Class of 2005 in Afghanistan: Captains Kivioja, Powell, Lindsay ryan, beissinger, Plowey, and emily Cahill.

Captain ryan beissinger commands Echo Company, 2nd Battalion, 4th Aviation (Task Force Mustang) and has conducted security/reconnaissance missions for his classmate, Captain Gregory Ambrosia, as B Company, 1st Battalion, 87th Infantry, patrolled through remote villages and took fire from insurgents. During one such mission he received an urgent but familiar radio transmission: “We’re taking heavy fire from the village to our east. Need suppressive fires and need you to find and engage the enemy!” Beissinger said, “Everything becomes extremely personal when you know exactly who you’re providing support for on the ground, and that your brothers are taking fire.”

“Beis,” grew up in Winter Haven, Florida and competed on the snowboard team as well as playing intramural rugby and football at West Point. He majored in systems engineering, was a National Defense intern in the U.S. Senate, and qualified airborne. Assigned to the 4th Combat Aviation Brigade after flight school as an Apache Longbow Pilot (AH-64D), he served in the 4th Attack Reconnaissance Battalion, 4th Aviation, as an attack platoon leader, co-pilot gunner, and air mission commander in Iraq. His most memorable experiences have involved leading soldiers in combat, coordinating with NATO allies by supplying U.S. rotary wing support, serving as officer in charge of a Joint Tactical Air Control team embedded with Hungarian, German, and Afghan elements for a month, and supporting U.S. conventional, Special Forces, and NATO ground elements. “The constant challenge in Afghanistan is simple, yet difficult,” he added. “Do more with less.”

Command-East. He previously deployed with the brigade in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2008 as a flight platoon leader and later as a detachment commander.

He says it has been memorable watching Forward Operating Base Sharana and his corner of Afghanistan literally being built up around him for the first time, “truly seeing the expeditionary capability of the American Soldier in a modern counter-insurgency operation.”

Captain Kyle Kivioja, from Carrollton, Texas, was involved with Officers’ Christian Fellowship and commanded Company H-4 during his last semester at West Point. He majored in U.S. History, was assigned to the 4th Combat Aviation Brigade after flight school, and currently is the aircraft maintenance officer for 404th Aviation Support Battalion, Task Force Provider, in Regional Command-North. Responsible for expediting critical aircraft repair parts throughout Afghanistan, he has accomplished this mission using American and German aircraft as well as U.S. Air Force aircraft piloted by Afghan officers in flight training.

He previously deployed with the brigade to Iraq in the summer of 2008 as an assistant S3/Battle Captain. “It has been an amazing experience working with the unsung heroes of the brigade, the Soldiers of the Aviation Support Battalion.”

“These Soldiers may not be flying the missions, but they are turning the wrenches, refueling the aircraft, cooking the food, transporting the vehicles and performing a myriad of other missions that enable the brigade to be a successful, combat-efficient, fighting force. There have been many logistical challenges, but we have always overcome them, and I could not be more proud of our accomplishments.”

“Overall, just being around the NATO forces (Germans, Norwegians, etc.) here at Camp Marmal, working with them, and seeing how they conduct operations has been an unforgettable experience. In particular, I developed some really good friendships with officers in the German logistics battalion, friendships that I believe will last well after this deployment is over.”

“At West Point,” says Captain benjamin Watt from Monrovia, California, “I majored in volleyball with some aeronautical engineering mixed in.” He was assigned to the 4th Combat Aviation Brigade after flight school, served in the Air Assault Battalion as a platoon leader, then battalion plans officer, and currently commands Bravo Company, 3rd Battalion, 4th Aviation Regiment, Task Force Gambler, in Regional

Captain David Thomas Powell, originally from Summerville, South Carolina, and best known to his classmates as the “Voice of Army Sports,” was an announcer for cadet radio station WKDT for three years. An economics major, he joined the 4th Combat Aviation Brigade after flight school and now commands Alpha Company, 3rd Battalion, 4th Aviation, Task Force Mustang. Previously he served with the brigade in Iraq in 2008 as a flight platoon leader and then as battalion plans officer.

Leading and commanding in combat have been memorable experiences. “There is no greater honor than to be trusted with the sons and daughters of our great nation. Every day has presented a new challenge, but we’ve overcome a great deal of adversity as a team, and it has been extremely rewarding.”

Captain nick Cahill with Afghan children.

Captain Kevin ryan commands Charlie Company, 4th Battalion, 4th Combat Aviation Brigade, Task Force Gambler. Over the past four years he also served as platoon leader, Battle Captain, and assistant S3. “Currently I command an attack helicopter company responsible for attack weapons team coverage throughout the Regional Command-East area of operations, specifically the provinces of Paktika, Paktya and Ghazni.” He adds that his favorite story from this deployment “is classified... but the punch line is me being inverted with an MI-8 in a 120-knot dive.”

Captain nicholas Cahill, originally from Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, grew up playing hockey and lettered all four years at West Point while majoring in civil engineering. Unlike many of his aviation classmates in Afghanistan today, he was assigned to the 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade after flight school but also deployed and flew in support of the surge in Iraq. He is now an assistant operations officer with 3rd Battalion, 4th Combat Aviation Brigade, deployed in Regional CommandWest as part of Task Force Comanche, and the only member of the Class of 2005 assigned there.

Due to its remote location, TF Comanche is a “go anywhere, do anything for everybody” aviation unit. We “have had the opportunity to work with an assortment of customers from different branches, agencies and countries while supporting a

wide range of mission types,” he said. Highlights during his current command have been the occasional visits with his wife Emily, who is stationed far away in Regional Command-North, especially “when my leadership released me for a couple of days to fly and surprise her with a visit on Christmas Eve.”

Personnel officer Captain emily Cahill is assigned to Task Force Mustang along with Beissigner, Powell, and Plowey. She knew most of them back at West Point, and Ryan Plowey was her husband’s roommate in flight school. Husband Nick will replace Captain Powell as commander when the unit redeploys. “Unfortunately, Nick and I are separated by 400 miles (or so) and don’t really get to see each other often,” she said. “I have made it to Shindand (where he is located) for two 24-hour visits, and he came here for approximately 72 hours over Christmas, but it is a fourhour flight by helicopter.”

She continues, “Lindsay Ryan is a commander in our Aviation Support Battalion and was my best friend’s roommate at West Point. Her husband, Captain Nicholas Ryan ,02, is in our task force. A few of us occasionally get together at the local restaurant (aka the Atrium) for a few hours.”

“There are quite a few other West Pointers in our task force. At one point, our S-1, S-3, S-4, S-6 and XO were all West Pointers, and of the ten company commanders in our current task force, six are grads.” 

Captain Dave Powell with Lieutenant Colonel best ,93 and crew before a mission.

Graduation “For freedom we fight”

Class Facts

number OF Gr ADuATes: 1,030 including 171 women, 100 hispanic, 86 Asian/Pacific Islanders, 51 African-American; 11 Native American, 147 u.S. military Academy Preparatory School graduates, and 16 combat veterans

AssIGnmenTs: Army—1,028, Navy—one, marine Corps–one

InTernATIOnAL C ADeTs: Ten (Albania, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Colombia, Dominican republic, Georgia, Kenya, republic of Korea, Paraguay and Tonga)

Gr AduATIOn sPe Aker: Admiral mike mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of staff.

The Class of 2011 is West Point’s 213th graduating class and the 32nd to graduate women. There were no graduating classes in 1810 and 1816, but there were two each in 1861, 1917, 1918, 1922, and 1943.

FIrsT C APTAIn/HIGHesT CADeT PerFOrmAnCe sCOre: marc C. Beaudoin, Chelsea, maine

CLA ss PresIDenT: Joseph Simon II, Tampa, Florida

vALeDICTOrIAn: Kelly E. macDonald, Carlisle, Pennsylvania

rOTArY AmbA ssADOrIAL sCHOLArs: ryan m. Brod, robert r. Burgin, Salvatore J. minopoli, Kathryn J. murphy, and Nathan B. ramia

TOP 10 HOnOr Gr ADuATes: marc C. Beaudoin, Kyle A. Volle, Kenneth A. Friede, Woo Song Do, Andrew W. Scholle, michael D. Theising, Nathan C. hedgecock, Andrew A. Beck, Karl K. Schoch, matthew D. Bolian

TrumAn sCHOLArs: marc Beaudoin and Kelly macDonald

HerTZ FeLLOW:

Thomas r. Dean

mArsHALL sCHOLAr: Jeremy D. Smith

Photos: Tommy Gilligan, John Pellino/

Gr ADuATIOn DInner sPeAKer: First Lady michelle Obama

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has an apt slogan: “reduce, reuse, and recycle.” The story of the RecycleMania collegiate competition coming to West Point shows how a group of cadets and officers energized the Corps to a renewed interest in recycling.

Cadet Joseph bailey ’12 , the “recycling Linebacker,” captures the undivided attention of Dr. Adam Kalkstein’s little daughter.

The need for a recycling Program

For the last several years, West Point has had a recycling program, but it suffered from modest emphasis and a lack of that most precious asset at West Point: time. The program was simple in concept; the Fourth Class cadets picked up recycling once a week from each cadet room and placed it in centralized recycling receptacles in the cadet area for transfer to West Point’s Recycling Center off-post. But the program had problems. Multiple cadet teams examined different aspects of the recycling system and came to similar conclusions the system just wasn’t functioning to expectations at the cadet level. The Plebes either failed to pick-up the recycling or the recycling mistakenly ended up in the trash. The project teams determined that the key to success was simple: make recycling convenient and a part of everyday cadet life.

What is recyclemania?

RecycleMania is a friendly, intercollegiate, recycling competition designed to increase awareness of and strengthen recycling programs at the university level. RecycleMania measures several categories of waste and recycling and involves 630 colleges and universities across the United States, including every service academy except Navy. The competition begins with two trial weeks in January, so schools can get their systems in place, and finishes with eight weeks of competition, held this year from February 6 to April 2.

RecycleMania includes five different participation categories, but West Point is most competitive in two. The first is the “Grand Champion” division, which combines trash and recyclables to determine the rate of recycling as a percentage of overall waste generation. The second is the “Stephen K. Gaski Per Capita Classic,” that ranks schools based on which school can collect the largest combined amount of paper, cardboard, bottles, and cans per person.

sign us up!

West Point’s current participation in RecycleMania is a serendipitous coalescence of several team initiatives. In mid-December 2010, the groups finally negotiated a plan for the Corps to turn in their recyclables to a room in the basement of Washington Hall and for Cadet Activities to give a nickel back for each New York State redeemable. In late November, the idea to participate in RecycleMania came from Major Andrew Pfluger ’01, Department of Geography & Environmental Engineering and a project group in EV300 consisting of Cadets Kelley Duke, Zack Lankford, and Josh Evans, all Class of ’12. Why not compete? It is what cadets do best, and the opportunity was too good to pass up or delay for another year.

A snowy/rocky start

Despite being officially registered, West Point’s participation in RecycleMania was still a murky proposition in January. A major set-back was due to the weather, West Point’s snowiest January in recent memory.

A second factor was limited cadet involvement in the initial planning phases. As of January 2011, only one cadet position in the Corps was dedicated to environmental issues: the brigade assistant S4 for energy and the environment. It was still unclear as to how best to get cadets informed and involved.

Getting a few cadets in the Department of Geography and Environmental Engineering to promote the program, however, proved easier, and Cadet Devin Redding ’12 volunteered to be the cadet-in-charge.

spreading the Word

The cadet RecycleMania team quickly took the lead in spreading the word to the Corps. In lieu of formalized positions, the cadets established a recycling chain of command consisting of volunteers at the company level.

Then, a meeting with Coca-Cola in mid-February 2011 produced the idea of creating a public service video. The cadets chose to resurrect the popular “Barracks Linebacker” character, with a slight twist. Cadet Joseph Bailey ’12, a football player and Environmental Engineering major, became “Recycling Linebacker” to remind cadets about the importance of recycling. The video played in the mess hall during a Spirit Dinner two weeks before the competition ended and now is a hit on YouTube as well.

West Point Gets results

After several weeks of competition, it became evident that West Point was not bad at recycling as an institution. Going into the fourth week, West Point ranked in the top five in RecycleMania’s Per Capita Classic. While West Point ended up finishing 27th of 363 universities, it also finished in the top third of all schools in the “Grand Champion” division. Equally important, the redeemable bottle and can operation was a resounding success despite not starting until two weeks into the competition. The Corps went from a modest program to recycling over 62,000 bottles and cans during the competition. The top cadet company, Company A-3, recycled over 5,300 redeemable and 6,300 non-redeemable bottles and cans during the period. Cadet Company C-3 finished second, and Cadet Company H-3 was third. Wait until next year! 

Photos: Sylvia Graham and the author

Plebes at recycling Center. Cadets ellen Chamberlin, Derek Hartman, michael Hoffman, and seth maxfield, all Class of 2014.

“Hopefully, by the time I come back for my five- or ten-year reunion recycleMania is still intact. I would like to see how something I helped pioneer at West Point progresses.” cadet jon Hendricks ’12

In the words of the Dean, “Go Army, Beat Trash”!

john j. Pershing award Writing

“What the academy stands for has always been my guide throughout my military career, and to have approached the high ideals of duty, honor, and service to the country that are the real spirit of West Point, has to me a meaning that nothing else has. the longer I live, the further I have gone on in the Service, the more I reverence the things that inspire the heart and soul of young men at West Point. I can only add that West Point has again, in this war, demonstrated its usefulness and justified itself a hundred times over, in furnishing to this great american army in europe the splendid men who have served here in the old West Point spirit.”

Those are the words of General of the Armies “Black Jack” Pershing, Class of 1886, commander of the American Expeditionary Force of World War I.

Lieutenant General (Retired) John H. Cushman ’44 decided to do something to bring Pershing’s opinion back into the cadet experience. He developed a plan for a writing contest based upon the quotation, the plan was submitted to the Commandant, and upon approval, adopted by the Simon Center for the Professional Military Ethic (SCPME)as an in-class writing assignment. Along with Mrs. Anne Mudd Cabaniss, the widow of Colonel Jelks H. Cabaniss, Jr. ’44, Cushman was the primary sponsor of this award through the West Point Association of Graduates and the SCPME. Their inspiration and generosity helped to establish the Pershing Award.

In 2007, the first award recipients were announced for the John J. Pershing Reflective Essay Award. The winning essay for this year’s competition was from Cadet Brian McBee ’11 of company G1. He received a gold Pershing medallion and his name has been placed on the Pershing Award Plaque located in the First Captain Pershing

museum room on the second floor of the Old First Division of Barracks, Building 747.

Herewith, the final paragraph of McBee’s winning essay. Read the essay in its entirety at WestPointAOG.org/netcommunity/ pershingaward2011.

“West Point means many different things to many people. Reflecting on my time spent at the academy, I am left with the conclusion that life is full of adversity, but by remaining focused and true to yourself, any challenge can be overcome. I have learned that you must remain true to your higher standard and values, even if they are not popular; you must continually strive to develop yourself and your subordinates; and you must never give up on your dreams. After all, whether you win or lose, the greatest gloryinlifeistofindyourselfstandingattheendofagreat challenge knowing that you have given your all in pursuit of your dreams. Then might you understand the immense satisfaction which comes only after facing great hardship head-on, knowing that you are a warrior at heart, and that you never quit.” 

Photos: Kathy Eastwood, Pointer View

West Point Competitive Clubs Notch SIX More National Championships

Orienteering captures ninth consecutive Intercollegiate championship

The West Point Orienteering Team traveled to Pacheco state Park, near Hollister, California, in April for the u s. Intercollegiate Championships and successfully defended its national title for a eighth consecutive year, competing against teams from around the nation over the three-day competition. Cadets Jordan Laughlin ’11, Keith Andersen ’12, Hannah burgess ’12, Kevin Culberg ’11, and Plebe Zach schroeder took overall top school and club collegiate honors.

Team Handball Wins collegiate national championship for fifth consecutive year

West Point black beat Air Force b, 52-23, and West Point Gold beat Air Force A, 31-29, in their opening matches in the men’s competition at the Collegiate national Championships for 2011 hosted by the Air Force Academy in Colorado. Team black then handled the university of north Carolina easily, 32-18, while Gold similarly bested Texas A&m, 31-23. In the semi-finals, black destroyed Air Force A, 46-26, and Gold turned away Carolina, 24-20. West Point black then played West Point Gold for the championship (again) and won (again), 40-28. Gold again took runner-up honors.

most valuable Player honors went to rickey royal ’11, while Top Goalie honors were awarded to his classmate, Tim Wagner, for the second consecutive year. royal scored eleven times in the championship game, while brenden reber ’12 added seven goals.

The most exciting game came in the women’s finals, as West Point black faced perennial power university of north Carolina. battling back from a five-point deficit, the women tied unC but then lost by a penalty shot in the last twelve seconds. Plebe Patricia O’Toole, most valuable Player, led West Point’s comeback with seven goals. West Point Gold placed fourth in the women’s competition. Overall, Army has won the team handball championship 24 times since

formed at West Point in 1976. major michael Tilton ’00 is the current head coach and officer-in-charge.

Men’s boxing Team Wins fourth consecutive collegiate boxing championship

In the eastern regional Championships at Penn state, Army swept the field, earning nine gold and three silver medals in the twelve weight classes. seven wins were by knockouts, and all twelve Army boxers qualified for the national Championship at West Point. In the championship tournament, Army boxers fought in the finals in nine of the twelve weight classes and scored 38 points to overwhelm navy (24) and third place Air Force (23).

Team co-captain Terrell Anthony ’11 won his third straight 139-pound national title and was named outstanding boxer of the tournament. Team co-captain steve Henao-escobar ’11 won his second national title at 147 pounds, while ryan Johnson ’12 (175 pounds), and Yearling mikus Igaunis (195 pounds) each won their first national titles. Cadets who finished second included Plebe ethan Isaacson (112); Danilo Garcia ’11 (125); Yearlings Langston Clarke (132) and Jon maddux (185); and Andre shinda ’12 (heavyweight). Anthony’s victory came over Air Force, while Henao-escobar beat Coast Guard, and Iguanis defeated another Air Force opponent.

Pistol Team Wins Third consecutive national collegiate championship

In the Free Pistol competition, Army finished second with a score of 2,012 to Ohio state’s 2,022. In the standard Pistol match, Army won with a score of 2,121, and Ohio state was runner-up with 2,117.

In the final event, Air Pistol, Army won with a total score of 2,224, and Ohio state took second with 2,191. Competing against 13 invited teams, Army won the national Championship with a score of 6,357. Ohio state was second (6,330), The Citadel third, and navy fourth.

Photos: Tommy Gilligan/

men’s Team Handball champions at the Air Force Academy.

men’s boxing champions at West Point.

bY Ju LIA n m . O L e J n ICZAK ’61

six cadets made All-American, and Coach Duston saunders was named Coach of the Year. Yearling Heather Deppe as the overall Women’s Pistol Champion and named First Team All-American. The Army Pistol Team has been invited to represent the united states at the World university Games in shenzhen, China in August.

Women’s rugby Wins 2011 national collegiate championship

Army won the women’s national championship by defeating Penn state in the finals, 33-29, at stanford. Penn state had won the previous two national titles, and brought a 20-0 record to the championship game. Penn state scored twice early to take a 12-0 lead, but Army answered with three scores in three minutes, all scored by sara Lee ’11 on runs of 25, 50, and 75 yards. Penn state then tied the score at 19-19, but sara scored twice more before the half to provide Army with a 33-19 lead! Army was held scoreless in the second half, but a relentless defense allowed Penn state only ten points.

Judo Team Wins 2011 collegiate national championship

For the first time in the 50-year history of collegiate judo, Army won both the men’s and women’s advanced and novice team national championships, facing a total of 150 competitors representing 33 colleges and universities. Last year, the cadet team won the championship by unseating perennial champion san Jose state in the men’s advanced division at College station, Texas, 20-13.

The championship was held at West Point, and 23 of 29 cadets won a medal. First and second place finishers earned points toward qualification for the u s. Olympic Team, and all first place finishers were invited to the university World Games in China in August.

Cadet Joshua sandhaus ’11, a brown belt, defeated black belts from san Jose state and boston College before winning his final bout against Yearling John barnes in the 66-kg class. Cadet sun-Won Jung ’12 placed second in the 81-kg class, and Josiah mcCoy ’11 placed second at 100 kg. Plebe Justin Adkins placed second at over-100-kg, and Cadet Art Lin ’12 took a third at 60 kg. This gave the men’s advanced team a decisive victory, 15-6, over san Jose state.

The women’s advanced team dominated the competition with first place finishes from Plebe Julite Talavera at 48 kg, Yearling Larisa

Tudor at 70 kg, and Plebe Kristen Hernandez in the over-78-kg division. second place finishers were Yearlings Katherine Donohoe and Catherine Clarke-Pounder plus team co-captain Danielle munoz ’12. Heather Purkey ’12 (63 kg) and Plebe elizabeth Posey (70 kg) earned third place honors.

both men’s and women’s novice teams also finished in first place to complete the team’s sweep of team national championships on the 50th Anniversary of the national Collegiate Judo Association. 

Women’s rugby champions at West Point.

Gripping Hands

2011 Distinguished Graduate Awards

On May 17, 2011, five graduates of the Military Academy received the Distinguished Graduate Award presented by the West Point Association of Graduates. Bestowed annually, the award is given to those graduates whose character, distinguished service, and stature draw wholesome comparison to the qualities that West Point strives for, in keeping with its motto: “Duty, Honor, Country.”

General William R. Richardson ’51. Richardson’s 35 years of Army service culminated as Commanding General of the Army’s Training and Doctrine Command, where he ensured that Army schools and training centers provided demanding, realistic training.

Major General Carl H. McNair, Jr. ’55. McNair helped shape the future of Army Aviation and mentored a generation of Army aviators.

Dr. Lewis “Bob” Sorley ’56. Sorley’s 20 years of active Army service were followed with enduring contributions to our nation as a military historian and biographer, especially as regards the Vietnam War.

General Dennis J. Reimer ’62 . Reimer dedicated 41 years to the Army, culminating in an assignment as the 33rd Army Chief of Staff.

Colonel William S. McArthur, Jr. ’73. McArthur became a central figure in American and international exploration of space including six months on the International Space Station. He was directly responsible for the development of close relationships with international astronauts and served as the primary interface with Russian Air Force and Space Agency officials.

Full citations for each recipient are located at WestPointAOG.org/ netcommunity/dgacitations.

1974 Dempsey Nominated to be Next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs

General Martin Dempsey ’74 , Chief of Staff of the Army, has been nominated to succeed Admiral Mike Mullen as the next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

1976 Odierno nominated to be next Chief of staff of the Army

General raymond T. Odierno ’76 has been nominated to succeed General martin Dempsey ’74 as Chief of staff of the Army.

Brigadier General David Clinton Allbee

brigadier General David Clinton Allbee ʼ70, Professor, usmA, and Head of the Dept. of Chemistry and Life science, retired on may 31, 2011 after 41 years of distinguished service to the Army and the military Academy. During his tenure, brigadier General Allbee saw over 24,000 cadets pass through the halls of the science building and 35% of the Long Gray Line admitted to the Academy. He was instrumental in the creation of the Photonics research Center and served as its first director; served on the Admissions Committee for 20 years; and brought the conception and design of the new science Center to fruition. brigadier General Allbee’s steadfast devotion to leader development and of academic excellence have made an indelible mark upon West Point, the Corps of Cadets, and the united states Army.

1970

Photos: Tommy Gilligan/

“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

West Point Distinguished Graduates for 2011: sorley, reimer, mcnair, richardson and mcArthur.

Photo credit: Master Sgt. Jerry Morrison

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Past in Review

A statue of MG John Sedgwick, Class of 1837, stands facing Battle Monument on Trophy Point. Sedgwick fought at Vera Cruz, Cerro Gordo, Churubusco, and Chapultepec during the War with Mexico, garnering two brevet (honorary) promotions for bravery. He also fought the Seminoles, Cheyennes, Kiowas, and Comanches; monitored the Cherokees on the Trail of Tears; and took part in the Mormon expedition. He was known as a good and honest man who took care of his soldiers. His men, in turn, rewarded his devotion with the nickname “Uncle John.”

During the Civil War, he was wounded twice at Glendale on June 30, 1862 as he rode into battle while ill. Then he was promoted to major general and returned to command his 2nd Division, II Corps, at Antietam in September. Wounded thrice when his division was destroyed in a trap, he returned to command the 23,000-man VI Corps early in 1863, performing satisfactorily at Chancellorsville in May.

As Meade later advanced the Army of the Potomac into Pennsylvania, he encountered Lee at Gettysburg on July 1 and called upon Sedgwick to advance his corps from Manchester, MD, as soon as possible. Uncle John marched his corps through the night, sometimes singing, sometimes in silence, covering 34 miles and arriving at 5 p.m. on July 2 to be used as reinforcements.

A bachelor who enjoyed a good practical joke, he often walked the front lines to show his contempt for enemy fire. At Spotsylvania on May 9, 1864, he just had voiced his opinion that the Confederate snipers couldn’t hit an elephant at such a long distance when he was killed by a Confederate marksman. There is an equestrian statue honoring Sedgwick at Gettysburg, a tall obelisk at his grave in Connecticut, and an imposing Sedgwick monument with a cannon stands across from the cemetery, but the most interesting homage to him involves his statue at West Point, dedicated on October 21, 1868. Because of his concern for his soldiers and his fondness for practical jokes, a tradition arose that his spirit would assist cadets experiencing difficulties in academics, but receiving this assistance required a bit of risk on their part; a little contempt for “enemy fire.”

A recent survey of cadets indicated that fully 90% were aware of the Sedgwick legend and 5% actually had spun his spurs in hopes of academic intervention. The greatest number of cadets recalled first hearing of the legend during Beast Barracks, while others cited another cadet, books, the web and tours as their source of information.

Photos: Courtesy of Class of 2005

a ccording to the West Point website, “legend holds that if a cadet is deficient in academics, the cadet should go to the monument at midnight the night before the term-end examination, in full dress, under arms, and spin the rowels on the monument’s spurs. With luck, the cadet will pass the test.”

CadetJared mosby’05,nowCaptain mosby.