West Point Magazine Summer 2022

IN THIS ISSUE |

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

PUBLISHER

West Point Association of Graduates

Todd A. Browne ’85, President & CEO

EDITOR IN CHIEF

Jaye Donaldson editor@wpaog.org

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Keith J. Hamel

EDITORIAL ADVISORY GROUP

Patrick Ortland ’82 Samantha Soper

Terence Sinkfield ’99

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Marguerite Smith

CONTENT

Jaye Donaldson Erika Norton

Keith Hamel Jenn Voigtschild ’93

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ADDRESS UPDATES

West Point Association of Graduates

ATTN: Data Services Team

698 Mills Road, West Point, NY 10996-1607

845.446.1644 | address@wpaog.org

MEMORIAL ARTICLE MANAGER

Marilee Meyer HON ’56 and ’66

845.446.1545 | memorials@wpaog.org

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 U.S. Army, United States Military Academy, West Point Association of Graduates, its officers, or the editorial staff for the products or services advertised.

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WestPointis published quarterly in Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall. Send address changes to: WestPointmagazine, West Point Association of Graduates, 698 Mills Road, West Point, NY 10996-1607

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SUBSCRIPTIONS

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ON THE COVER: Cadets on Brigade Staff march across the Lusk Reservoir bridge on the morning of Graduation. Photo: CDT Tyler Williams ’23/USMA PAO

Graduation 2022

The Long Gray Line Never Forgets

5 Duty, Honor, Country Among the Tombstones

In December 2009, Dr. Bob Holcomb ’73 discovered that there wasn’t an adequate resource about the West Point Cemetery and the national heroes buried there; so he decided to write his own.

10 Honoring the Legacy of Those Who Gave Their Lives

14 Sandhurst 2022

16 At the Forefront Breaking Barriers: The 2022 West Point Women’s Conference

19

26

28

Dear Fellow Graduates:

It has been an extremely busy last few months at West Point. In May we bestowed “Distinguished” status to six well deserving graduates:

Frederick C. Lough ’70, Lee A. Van Arsdale ’74, John F. Campbell ’79, Rebecca S. Halstead ’81, Alex Gorsky ’82, and Nadja Y. West ’82. Please join me in congratulating these six recipients of the 2022 Distinguished Graduate Award and be sure to read about their amazing accomplishments in the pages of this issue. We also welcomed back Colonel Peter T. Russell ’42 (Retired), who, at age 102, returned to his Rockbound Highland Home to take part in the annual Alumni Exercises, during which he laid a wreath at Thayer Statue. Six classes—1945, 1946, 1952, 1957, 1962, and 1972—also returned to the Academy for a spring reunion, and it was great to celebrate with them. May began with the West Point Challenge. Over the course of five days, and thanks to the generosity of more than 15,600 graduates, approximately $4.4 million was raised for the Academy’s Margin of Excellence programs. These programs enhance the Academy’s competitiveness and help West Point produce extraordinary leaders of character for our nation. Special shoutouts go to the Class of 1972 for highest class participation, the Class of 1976 for total dollars raised, and the Class of 1994 for total donors. May festivities ended with Graduation for the Class of 2022, upon which 1,014 new graduates were added to the nearly 54,500 living members of the Long Gray Line. I welcome them into our ranks. Fast forward a month to July and nearly 1,250 cadet candidates reported to the Academy to fill the void left by the graduating class. WPAOG’s 50-Year Affiliation Program brought members of the Class of 1976 on post to “grip hands” with the new members of the Class of 2026 (before the 45-second “goodbye,” of course), as well as with their parents. One of the first lessons these new cadets learned about the Long Gray Line is that it always supports and never forgets its own.

In the following pages, readers will find articles demonstrating how the Long Gray Line never forgets. One article details the ways in which the classes of the 1960s still honor their fallen nearly five decades after the United States ended its direct involvement in the Vietnam

war. Another discusses the research project of a 1973 graduate to profile the lives of 165 people, most of whom are graduates, buried in the West Point Cemetery. A third highlights how Cullum Hall’s Memorial Room honors the legacy of 1,562 West Point graduates who, from the War of 1812 until the present, gave their lives in service to “Duty, Honor, Country.” Yet another focuses on the “Inspiration to Serve” tour, during which yearlings are encouraged to reflect upon the sacrifices of some of the more recent graduate KIAs before having to complete their Affirmation Oath as now Second Class cadets in the fall and commit to the tenets of the Profession of Arms.

Taken together, all these articles echo the words of General Douglas MacArthur’s famous Thayer Award speech, which he delivered 60 years ago this May. On April 14, the Academy held a special dinner in the Mess Hall to mark this anniversary, and it reminds us that should the Long Gray Line forget, should it fail to heed its obligations to the nation and to its members, “a million ghosts…would rise from their white crosses, thundering those magic words: Duty, Honor, Country.”

But it’s not just the Long Gray Line that never forgets; it’s also the West Point Association of Graduates. Our Class Services team from Alumni Support has just unveiled a new Enhanced Memorial Support program that includes both pre-funeral planning and post-funeral engagement, and our TAPS publication, which has a history as old as the Association itself, continues to preserve the memory of deceased members of the Long Gray Line through the personal narratives of graduates chronicled in its pages. Both topics are covered in this issue, and both further our vision to be the most highly connected alumni body in the world. Finally, I would be remiss if I forgot to offer congratulations to the 2022 Division 1-A National Champion Army West Point Men’s Rugby Team, who won convincingly, 20-8, over the Gaels of St. Mary’s College to bring the Academy its first ever national title in rugby. Go Army!

Grip Hands!

Todd A. Browne ’85 President and CEO West Point Association of Graduates

Fellow Members of the Long Gray Line:

With another successful academic year under our belts, I’d like to express my appreciation to the Long Gray Line for your tremendous support to your Academy and the Corps of Cadets. From tough and robust summer training to outstanding fall and spring semesters, the Corps demonstrated excellence throughout all aspects of their leader development experience. Your support and example are crucial as we prepare the next generation of officers to lead, fight and win in the crucible of ground combat.

We celebrated the culmination of that process for the Class of 2022 on May 21, as we graduated and commissioned 1,014 trained, disciplined, and fit new leaders of character into the Army. This great class distinguished themselves in all aspects of their leader development experience, exemplifying excellence and making the “Winning Matters” attitude a habit. Without a doubt, this class is ready to support and defend the Constitution, fight and win our nation’s wars and live up to its motto: “For Many, Stand the Few.”

My thanks to the “Proud and True” Class of 1972 for participating in graduation, as well as for its members’ incredible support and mentorship to these graduates over the past four years as their 50-Year Affiliation class. We talk of the strength of the Long Gray Line being its resilience and timelessness, and the Class of ’72 has demonstrated that strength with these new lieutenants over the past four years.

Graduation is a special time at West Point, as we celebrate and honor leaders—past, present and future. We welcomed more than 500 grads from the classes of 1945, 1946, 1952 and 1972 during Graduation Week for their class reunions, as well as this year’s WPAOG Distinguished Graduate Award recipients. We were especially honored to have COL (R) Peter Russell from the Class of 1942 represent our alumni as the senior graduate present. As always, Grad Week was a powerful opportunity to grip hands among generations of graduates while inspiring the Corps.

Just as the need to educate and train the Corps is critical in preparing them to become leaders of character, so too is the need to inspire them, as our mission states. Throughout every aspect and activity of their developmental experience, cadets are exposed to the qualities and virtues of good and honorable leadership, such as selfless service, honor, integrity, and excellence. They see these qualities and virtues in the example of staff, faculty, coaches and other leaders, inspiring cadets to see what they should aspire to become themselves.

You are an integral part of inspiring the Corps. Whether you graduated five years ago or 65 years ago, you put a face to those qualities and virtues for the Corps through your example and service. They see and understand what right looks like, so they, in turn, can show others the same. Our character development efforts create an environment where character is caught, taught, and sought. Through your example, you help them catch character.

Inspiration is a two-way street, and while you inspire the Corps, I trust you are inspired by them. Spend a few minutes with our cadets and you cannot help but be inspired by their energy, grit, toughness, resilience, and, above all, their willingness to step forward and selflessly and honorably serve our nation. It reminds us that what we do at the United States Military Academy is so important, contributing to Army readiness through leaders of character who live honorably, lead honorably, and demonstrate excellence.

As always, we are inspired by our shared commitment to Army Values and West Point’s ideals of Duty, Honor and Country. General MacArthur’s famous 1962 Thayer Award speech reminds us of how powerful those ideals are.

“Duty, Honor, Country. Those three hallowed words reverently dictate what you ought to be, what you can be, what you will be.”

As they did 60 years ago, and still do today, his words INSPIRE us to ASPIRE to something greater than ourselves.

Finally, please join me in congratulating and welcoming LTG Steve Gilland ’90 as he takes the reins of leadership as our 61st Superintendent. Steve, along with his wife (and classmate), Betsy, is no stranger to West Point, having served as our 77th Commandant of Cadets just a few years ago. As Commanding General of 2nd Infantry Division and Deputy Commanding General of III Corps, he’s seen USMA’s product—leaders of character prepared to fight and win our nation’s wars—in action. He is, without a doubt, the right leader for our Academy, and I know you will wholeheartedly support Steve and Betsy in the months ahead.

Thank you all for your continued support of your alma mater and, more importantly, for continuing to grip hands with the Corps.

Army Strong!

Darryl Williams ’83 Lieutenant General, U.S. Army 60th Superintendent, U.S. Military Academy

Duty, Honor, Country Among the Tombstones

By Keith J. Hamel, WPAOG staff

In December 2009, Lieutenant Colonel James Holcomb ’45 (Retired) was laid to rest in the West Point Cemetery. After the funeral, his son, Dr. Bob Holcomb ’73, walked the grounds, marveling at its beauty and grandeur and recalling how as a cadet he used to walk around the cemetery in awe of the famous names on the headstones and memorial markers.

Photo: Erika Norton/WPAOG

Dr. Bob Holcomb '73 at the grave site for his father, LTC (R) James Holcomb ’45, the origin of his more than decade-long project to create a "walking tour" guide for the West Point Cemetery.

Forty years later, he was eager to learn more about the cemetery and the national heroes buried there. Holcomb spoke to the cemetery’s memorial affairs officer and asked for a resource recommendation. “That’s when I first learned there was no time-honored book about the cemetery,” he says. So, he decided to write one himself.

An Idea Materializes

Still working full-time and traveling extensively for his job, Holcomb let the idea for his project germinate for some time. “I thought about it deeply for a long time,” he says. He thought about it for so long that in 2013 a book based on a similar idea to the one he had been contemplating for four years was published, right down to using the title he was considering for his project. “I was irritated that that author had taken my title,” Holcomb jokes, “but I felt the story of the West Point Cemetery could be improved upon and this only strengthened my resolve to try.”

Holcomb first put pen to paper in 2016, but he struggled to get through a full chapter, refining his concept along the way. In 2017, he retired from his job, and the project began to take

shape. For the last three years, he has been researching and writing nearly every day. “I think the factor that took the longest time was deciding who to include—researching the stories of the individuals buried at the West Point Cemetery and learning what made them interesting,” he says. “It took quite a while to sort and organize before I could start writing the individual entries.”

Taking the Tour

Holcomb lost count on the number of times he visited the West Point Cemetery while working on his project, but he’s sure it was in the double-digits. He says, “I soon felt like I was going home each trip, and I became more familiar with the cemetery, the residents, and the layout.” It’s likely this familiarity that led him to organize his project in the form of a walking tour, with him as the tour guide.

Holcomb structured his “walking tour” based on the various sections of the cemetery. “I cover approximately 15 people per cemetery section,” he says. “Some sections have a few more; some have a few less.” Adding it all up, Holcomb’s research project, which he titled Stone Tapestry: A Guided Tour Through the West Point Cemetery and American History, profiles 165 subjects.

Meet the Residents

According to the U.S. Army Office of Cemeteries, there are approximately 10,000 military personnel, civilians, and “unknowns” laid to rest in or at the West Point Cemetery. To keep his project under 300 pages, Holcomb had to make some tough decisions to get to his 165 number. “I started with a short list of about 24 or so of the ‘very famous,’ which I identified from a Department of History brochure that is available to all visitors,” he says. “I knew I had to include them or explain why not.”

“I generally wanted to profile people who were notable in their achievements, interesting for some detail, who had an interesting monument, or were representative of valor in combat, family tradition or some other reason,” Holcomb says. The final product is what he calls “a very amorphous collection”: a least three USMA librarians, many USMA instructors, Anna Warner of “Jesus Loves Me” fame, astronauts, engineers, musicians, religious leaders, novelists, and numerous soldiers who accomplished amazing missions. “Lieutenant General Paul Kendall, Class of 1918 November, led an infantry platoon whose members earned not one, not two, but three Distinguished Service Crosses for actions on a single night during the 1918-22 Siberian intervention,” Holcomb says. “That has to be a record, and I had never even heard of him before starting my research for this project.”

Speaking of Research

Holcomb notes that his first stop for information on the subjects he profiled was the Register of Graduates. “It provided me with a biography, which frequently gave me enough to start with,” he says. His second stop was typically a graduate’s Memorial Article in either AOG’s Annual Reunion (1870-1917) or Annual Report (1918-41), ASSEMBLY magazine (1942-2003), or TAPS

“Ed White [Class of 1952], the astronaut who was tragically killed in the Apollo I fire, had recently been buried by the time I became a cadet in 1969,” Holcomb says.

The headstone for Lt. Col. Ed White ’52, who perished in the Apollo I fire on January 27, 1967.

magazine (2004-present). “WPAOG was also very helpful in locating some photos in its archive collection when I could not find them anywhere else,” Holcomb says. “The Association of Graduates is the centerpiece of the Long Gray Line, and I could not have completed this project without their resources and assistance.”

Holcomb also received assistance from Jenifer McSwain, the cemetery’s memorial affairs officer, who gave him a spreadsheet with the names and classes of all the decedents buried there. “She was a tremendous help and a never-ending source of encouragement,” he says. The research staff at the USMA Library also assisted, and Lieutenant General David Huntoon ’73 (Retired), the 58th USMA Superintendent and Holcomb’s classmate, wrote the “Foreword.”

In the End

As he began to wrap up his project, Holcomb says that visits to the West Point Cemetery were like going to a gathering with old and familiar friends. “The experience was very rich for me, and the cemetery and the people there became very real to me,” he says. He even remarks that when he walks around the tombstones, he senses reproach from all those not included in his book. “I feel as if I have to explain my decisions to them, and it still bothers me somewhat.”

He hopes that his work convinces readers that the West Point Cemetery is one of the most beautiful places in America. “With

“I generally wanted to profile people who were notable in their achievements, interesting for some detail, who had an interesting monument, or were representative of valor in combat, family tradition or some other reason.”

— Dr. Bob Holcomb ’73

Holcomb profiles 165 subjects in his West Point Cemetery research project, but when he visits the cemetery he often feels that those not profiled speak to him from their graves.

its palpable sense of grandeur and majesty and a feeling that you are walking among the very finest men and women this country has ever produced, I would describe the place as ‘sacred,’” he says. He also hopes that readers come away full of appreciation of the valor, capabilities, selfless devotion to duty and incredible variety of gifts these people associated with the Academy had and used in service to their country. “Anyone who needs motivation about duty, about honorable service, about dedication to country need only come here and walk among these stones for an afternoon.” And, indeed, let Holcomb be your guide.

Dr. Robert C. Holcomb graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1973 with a commission as a Field Artillery officer. In addition to serving in command and staff positions in field artillery units, he served as an operations research analyst for the Field Artillery School, the National Reconnaissance Office, the Special Operations Command, and the Space and Strategic Defense Command. He retired from the Army in 1993 as a lieutenant colonel after a 20-year career. Post-retirement, Holcomb served as

an operations research analyst in the Operational Evaluation Division of the Institute for Defense Analyses, where he participated in operational evaluations of the Abrams tank, the Close Combat Tactical Trainer, the Bradley, the Stryker combat vehicle and the Paladin howitzer. He has also participated in an assessment of Operation Joint Endeavor in Bosnia, evaluated system performance of the Blue Force Tracker system in combat in both Iraq and Afghanistan in 2003, and assessed the counter-IED campaign in Iraq in 2005. His most recent overseas experience was as the chief of the operations research cell in the Counter-IED Operations and Intelligence Center in Baghdad from April 2007 to February 2008, for which he was awarded the IDA Goodpaster Award for excellence in research. In September 2017, Holcomb retired from his full-time position at IDA and became a part-time adjunct. He currently lives in Boyce, VA, where he maintains a small horse farm for his wife’s amusement. In addition to his B.S. from USMA, Holcomb holds an M.S. degree in operations research (Naval Postgraduate School-1982) and a Ph.D. in information technology (George Mason University-2011).

Photo: Erika Norton/WPAOG

Holcomb at the grave site of Phillip Egner, the West Point Band director who composed “On, Brave Old Army Team” in 1910, as well as the “Official West Point March,” during his tenure.

Honoring the Legacy of Those Who Gave Their Lives

By Jane Anderson, Guest Writer

Cullum Hall’s Memorial Room reminds cadets of the sacrifices of those who came before them.

Members of the Long Gray Line have lived through and shaped a number of significant events in this nation’s history, and many of their lives are honored and celebrated.

Scattered around the grounds of West Point are numerous memorials to graduates who, as generals and leaders, gave their lives in service to Duty, Honor, Country. But, until the Cullum

Hall Memorial Room opened in 2014, there had never been a central place at the Academy to honor those of the Long Gray Line who sacrificed their lives in combat.

Currently shrouded in tarps and covered in construction dust, the Memorial Room is undergoing structural repair alongside the renovations being done at Cullum Hall. When the hall reopens—targeted for late 2023—the Memorial Room will once again mark the legacy of 1,562 West Point graduates who, in President Abraham Lincoln’s words, “gave the last full measure of devotion.” The room memorializes graduates who died in wars— whether they were killed in action, died as prisoners of war, or died from accidents during combat—from the War of 1812 to the

Photo: John Pellino/USMA PAO

Cadets were among the guests at the dedication of Cullum Hall’s Memorial Room in 2014.

present time. When open, the room provides space for cadets to reflect on their purpose at USMA and the sacrifices made by graduates who attended before them.

Upon his death in 1892, Brevet Major General George Washington Cullum—the third-ranked graduate in the Class of 1833 and 16th Superintendent of the U.S. Military Academy— bequeathed $250,000 to create a memorial hall “dedicated to the officers and graduates of the U.S. Military Academy.” As originally constructed, the stately building contained a grand ballroom on the top floor, bachelor officer quarters on the lower two floors (which became offices and club rooms, and will become archive rooms after the renovation), and offices and a large room on the north side commonly called the “Pershing Room” on the main floor. Starting in 1977 the north room was dominated by a large portrait of General John J. Pershing, Class

of 1886, one of the Army’s greatest field commanders, according to West Point Historian Sherman Fleek. Earlier in the 1940s, the room became a memorial to permanent Academy professors, or PUSMAs.

Central location needed

The lack of a comprehensive memorial to those graduates who gave their lives in service to the nation was a glaring omission for those living at West Point and those returning for funerals, reunions, and other events. By late 2010, Brigadier General James “Ty” Seidule (Retired), a former Department Head and Professor of History at the Academy, started to coordinate a plan to honor the Academy’s fallen in combat. The main entry of Cullum Hall held five plaques dedicated to some graduates who were killed, died of wounds, or went missing in action, but the tally was by no means complete.

Photo: Murphy & Orr

An architect’s rendering of Cullum Hall’s Memorial Room.

“I wanted to make sure we understood that the soul of West Point is to fight and, if necessary, die for our country. And to not have something central to memorialize that, it just felt wrong to me. No one has given such a sacrifice at West Point as those who have fought and died.”

— BG (R) Ty Seidule

“We’d been at war for 10 years in Iraq and Afghanistan, with nearly 100 killed. The community was really grieving. Small memorials were sprouting up all over the post, but without one central place to put them,” Seidule commented. Academy leaders and the West Point Association of Graduates (WPAOG), looking to address this situation, began working on a plan that would memorialize all the members of the Long Gray Line who died in the nation’s wars, both in the past and going forward, in one central location. Finding that the concept for a Memorial Room in Cullum Hall fit within the parameters of the restrictions Cullum outlined in his will, the USMA Directorate of Academy Advancement (DAA) and WPAOG took lead on designing and building a memorial site that would fulfill Cullum’s original intention to ensure that graduates contributions to the nation and the Academy were recognized in perpetuity. The multi-year renovation project, a nearly half million-dollar gift-in-kind, was led by current WPAOG CEO Todd Browne while he was the Director of DAA and then COO of WPAOG. Additionally, the Academy’s Museum, Historical, and Memorialization (MHM) Committee (see related article on page 54) would need to approve every facet of the room to ensure that it was historically accurate and was in keeping with the mission of the United States Military Academy. Besides

significant support from WPAOG and the Long Gray Line, Academy leadership, cadets and faculty all contributed to bringing the vision of the Memorial Room to the place of history, solemnity and reflection that it is today.

“Absolute, incredible honor”

Seidule’s initial conception of the Memorial Room had three purposes:

• To recognize those who gave their last full measure of devotion

• To have a room that was inspiring as well as useable

• To show the Army and the nation the importance of West Point

The north room on the main floor in Cullum Hall was chosen to be repurposed for the new Memorial Room. Plaques would hold 2-inch-by-8-inch brass nameplates, each bearing the name, class, and rank of an honored graduate. The plaques would be removable in order to add more names as needed, and they would be arranged chronologically by conflict and by class year within a conflict. Above the central window, in large gold lettering, would be “Duty, Honor, Country.” A rug in the center of the room would be woven with the USMA crest.

Photo: John Pellino/USMA PAO

Cadets joined ABC correspondent Martha Raddatz and Medal of Honor recipients (left to right) Gary Beikirch, Williams Swenson, and Paul “Buddy” Bucha ’65 in the Memorial Room for a social before a Medal of Honor recipient panel at Eisenhower Hall in spring 2019.

Once the design was decided, the hard work began. Fleek spent seven months assembling the list of war dead, combing through 60,000 graduate records.

“It was an absolute, incredible honor for me to do this,” Fleek says.

After significant coordination, to include the movement of existing plaques to other locations, the Memorial Room was opened in 2014. “This [room] is the inner sanctum, the holy of holies,” Fleek says. In addition to the brass nameplates, a wall honors the 77 graduates who have received the Medal of Honor.

A working room

Working under the initial conception for the Memorial Room, it is not a staid museum but a place for cadet classes, individual study, promotion and retirement ceremonies, and events. All cadets now take HI101, “The Army of the Republic: Leading Citizen Soldiers,” as a required course in the fall of their plebe year and it includes numerous lessons on the history of the Academy. After touring different historic sites in the cadet area as part of that course, one cadet commented, “The most interesting place on West Point is the Memorial Room in Cullum Hall. It opened my eyes to the history of West Point and its graduates in a wartime context. You really get to see how involved and how important graduates from here were, and are, in the Army. It was sobering to see all the history, sacrifice, and memory in that one room.”

Seidule often finds himself reflecting on those who are honored there. “I always pick out a name or two and tell their story,” he says. “There are more than 1,500 stories, not just of people but also of the U.S. Army and the story of our nation. I challenge each cadet to find one name and look that name up, saying to him or her: ‘They were the same age as you when they made that sacrifice.’”

“I was inspired by those names and awed by their sacrifice and proud to be a part of an institution that has served our nation so well for so long,” he concludes. “Still, our mission is not complete. We must educate, train, and inspire cadets, so fewer end up on those walls.”

About a quarter of the nameplates on the walls are blank—a poignant reminder.

“Like Plato allegedly said,” Fleek states, “‘Only the dead have seen the end of war.’” 

Jane Anderson, a freelance writer/editor in the Hudson Valley, is a former newspaper reporter and magazine editor. Her writing has earned accolades in a number of competitions. A resident of Sullivan County, New York, Jane indulges her love of history, nature, and gardening whenever and wherever she can along with her husband, daughter, and two sons.

Photo: Murphy & Orr/WPAOG archives

Left: Cullum Hall houses the Memorial Room. Right: Architect’s rendering of a memorial nameplate.

“The most interesting place on West Point is the Memorial Room in Cullum Hall. It opened my eyes to the history of West Point and its graduates in a wartime context…it was sobering to see all the history, sacrifice, and memory in that one room.”

— CDT Cole McCutcheon ’24

SANDHURST 2022

Photos: Christopher Hennen, CDT Hannah Lamb ’23; CDT Tyler Williams ’23/USMA PAO

After being cancelled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and after executing in 2021 without any international squads participating, the Sandhurst military competition, West Point’s premier military exercise for officers in training, returned in full force in 2022. Over two days, 48 teams competed in 18 events showcasing a wide variety of military skills, everything from marksmanship to tactical combat casualty care to an eight-mile ruck. When the dust settled sometime around 1600 on April 30, 2022, the squad from the Air Force Academy took home the Reginald E. Johnson Trophy as Sandhurst’s highest scoring team. USMA Gold and USMA Black, West Point’s “all-star” teams formed from fall tryouts involving all members of the Corps, came in second and third place, respectively. Two ROTC squads rounded out the top five: the University of North Georgia took fourth place, and BYU came in fifth. The top international squad in this year’s Sandhurst competition was Greece (sixth), and the top USCC company team was C-3 (seventh). 

Photos: John Pellino, Kyle Osterhoudt, CD T Tyler Williams ’23/USMA PAO

At the Forefront Breaking Barriers: The 2022 West Point Women’s Conference

Onan unseasonably cold and gray April day, more than 250 women graduates made their way to West Point for the fourth West Point Women’s Conference (WPWC), coordinated by the West Point Women (WPW) organization and the West Point Association of Graduates (WPAOG). Events began on Thursday, April 7th, with an optional hike up the Trail of the Fallen to the Torne Monument in Fort Montgomery, New York; a memorial service in the Cadet Chapel, and a welcome reception at Herbert Alumni Center. Todd Browne ’85, WPAOG President & CEO, greeted conference attendees and introduced the keynote speaker, Alex Gorsky ’82, the Executive

Chairman of Johnson & Johnson. Gorsky welcomed four decades of West Point Women and guests back to their alma mater and highlighted some of their ranks who were well known for “Breaking Barriers,” the theme of this WPWC, in a multitude of different endeavors. The Knightingales, an allwomen a capella section of the Cadet Glee Club, entertained and mingled with the attendees.

The business sessions of the conference began on Friday with opening remarks by Lieutenant General Nadja West ’82 (Retired), the highest-ranking woman graduate of the United States Military Academy and former Surgeon General of the

Photo: Erika Norton/WPAOG

U.S. Army. West stated: “Study after study has shown that diverse groups are more intelligent groups…it is due to the rich, diverse perspective experience and thought process that each member brings to it. That is why this conference is so important.” She also appealed to the attendees to “make the most of this conference and being back at West Point. We hope that you can connect and get inspired.” Armed with that challenge, the next two days were filled with an Academy update, general session speakers, workshops, a fireside chat, exhibitors, and panels. Throughout Friday cadets from the Corbin Women’s Leadership Forum were able to interact with conference attendees and its distinguished speakers. One of the many highlights of the WPWC was the Friday luncheon fireside chat between Jen Easterly ’90, Director of Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and First Lieutenant Lexie Johnson ’18, an officer stationed at United States Cyber Command. Participants felt as though they were indeed in a relaxed and welcoming environment while listening to Easterly talk about family, cyber, and her military and corporate careers before being named director of the nation’s lead agency to coordinate cybersecurity and communications infrastructure. Directly after this chat, WPWC attendees were treated to a leadership, empowerment, and coaching session by Dr. Sharon Melnick of Horizon Point, Inc., which was still resonating into Saturday’s sessions. Brigadier General Cindy

Jebb ’82 (Retired), the first woman to serve as Dean of the Academic Board at USMA and current President of Ramapo College of New Jersey, was the keynote speaker during dinner, wrapping up a busy and inspiring day.

The conference’s final day began with two general session panels for participants to attend: the first was “WPW Leading the Way in Combat Arms,” and the second was celebrating Title IX. In both sessions the history, current situation, and future endeavors of the topics were discussed and WPW who broke barriers were highlighted. The final breakout session of the conference gave attendees numerous choices based on their interests. During one well-attended session, Leslie Lewis ’85, an instructor and academic development liaison at Clemson University’s Honors College, encouraged WPW to tell their stories so that they could be injected into the history of the Academy. “Our stories are powerful. Our stories connect us. Our stories show us how we struggled and persevered and broke barriers and succeeded where many thought we could not. Our stories show us that we are not alone,” Lewis said. Different ideas on how to share those stories were discussed by the session participants, some of which included volunteering for a Center for Oral History interview, registering with the Women’s Memorial in Arlington, blogging, journaling, and publishing.

Just before the Cadet Spirit Band and Rabble Rousers entertained attendees at the closing spirit reception, a Mother-Daughter Panel

“It’s our spirit and strength together that moves the Army and West Point to a greater and stronger position of leadership in the military and provides leadership for this nation.”

— Marene Allison ’80, President of West Point Women

Left: LTG (R) Nadja West ’82, former Surgeon General of the U.S. Army, officially opens the conference. Right: Alex Gorsky ’82, Executive Chairman of Johnson & Johnson, welcomes attendees at the informal reception in Herbert Alumni Center’s Great Hall.

consisting of WPW graduates and their cadet daughters answered questions during the luncheon. Special thanks are warranted to Angela Pease Armstrong ’95 and her daughter, Cadet Sierra Weston ’22; Colonel Shannon Coll Horne ’95 and her daughters, Cadet Kirby-Lynne Horne ’22 and Cadet Darby Horne ’24; and Colonel Kandace Daffin ’98 and her twin daughters, Cadet McKayla Daffin ’25 and Cadet McKenzie Daffin ’25, for a lively and unvarnished discussion of changes and continuities of the woman cadet experience across the decades.

Discussing the power of sisterhood and WPW “Breaking Barriers,” Marene Allison ’80, President of West Point Women, stated, “It’s our spirit and strength together that moves the Army and West Point to a greater and stronger position of leadership in the military and provides leadership for this nation.”

The next WPWC is scheduled for 2026, to mark the 50th anniversary of women being admitted to the United States Military Academy. 

Above: Cadets of the Corbin Women’s Leadership Forum interact with Pat Locke ’80 between sessions. Left: WPWC attendees receive an Academy update from USMA leadership.

Right: 1LT Lexie Johnson ’18 holds a fireside chat with Jen Easterly ’90 (on right), Director of Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.

The Long Gray Line’s Memory

Thispractice began in 1870, in the first AOG Annual Reunion. Reverend Roswell Park, Class of 1831, was the first of 17 graduates remembered in that publication’s “Necrology” section. Since then, AOG has published more than 14,000 memorial articles, or one for approximately 60 percent of all deceased graduates. Written by classmates, spouses, children, or, in some cases, the graduates themselves, these personal narratives chronicle the amazing lives of service that members of the Long Gray Line have lived.

AOG retired the archaic title “Necrology” in 1935 and began grouping memorial articles under the label “In Memory” when ASSEMBLY magazine began publication in 1942. This changed to “Be Thou at Peace” in the 1958 Spring issue and remained as such until January 2004, when memorial articles were given their own supplement publication, TAPS . “As graduating classes grew larger and the ranks of living alumni swelled to over 40K,

the need for additional pages for memorial articles also grew,” wrote Lieutenant Colonel Julian Olejniczak ’61 (Retired), TAPS ’s first editor. Fifty-nine graduates were memorialized in that first issue; 335 had an article in the 2021 edition of TAPS . The mission of TAPS is to honor and record the legacy of the Long Gray Line through the personal life stories of its members. As the six sample articles (shown on the following pages) from the upcoming 2022 edition of TAPS demonstrate, while those memorialized have become part of the “ghostly assemblage,” the strength of their “grip” is still “strengthening the hearts” of the Long Gray Line. 

To order a copy of the 2022 edition of TAPS , which contains more than 300 memorial articles of graduates from the classes of 19382011, please visit WestPointAOG.org/purchasetaps. A limited number of issues are available for $25 each.

Thro’ the years of a century (and a half) told, the Association of Graduates has been preserving the memory of the Corps of an earlier day.

Philip Stearns “Phil” Gage Jr. was born in Portland, ME, the son of Brigadier General Philip Stearns Gage (USMA 1909 and as a cadet the roommate of George S. Patton) and Irene Toll Gage. A younger sister, Elizabeth Catherine Whistler Gage, known as Betty, completed the family.

Philip S. Gage Jr. ’36

No. 10685  Jun 26, 1912 – Apr 29, 2009  Died in Atlanta, GA Cremated. Interred at Arlington Memorial Park, Sandy Springs, GA

Upon graduation Phil was commissioned in the Infantry. His first post was Schofield Barracks, Territory of Hawaii, for a year, then nearby Fort Shafter for two more years.

Next it was back to West Point for several months, engaged in training for the pentathlon as a prospective Olympic athlete until that team was disbanded when it became clear that impending war meant no Olympics. Then, in the turbulent Army that then existed, Phil spent about eight months with the 29th Infantry at Fort Benning, GA, then another 14 months at Fort Ord, CA, first briefly with the 32nd Infantry, the rest with the 53rd Infantry.

Phil grew up as a typical Army brat. He loved swimming and surfing and for a time lived in France with his mother, sister, and grandmother. They did a lot of travelling, which became a lifelong passion for Phil.

In 1930 Phil graduated from Punahou High School in Honolulu, HI. He spent the next year at Georgia Tech, then a year at a West Point Preparatory School at Fort McPherson, GA, also enlisting in the Army National Guard. He entered West Point with the Class of 1936 on a National Guard appointment.

As a cadet in M Company, Phil was a corps squad swimmer all four years, earning two minor A’s. His classmates wrote of him in the Howitzer: “Who but ‘M’ Company’s Gage has stolen the reveille gun, short-sheeted the Com’s bed, or been last man in ranks for four years? But these are only outlets for his enthusiastic nature. All of his jobs are carried out efficiently, exactly and unobtrusively. Phil’s unassuming-ness makes us realize what a true sportsman and gentleman he is.”

In November 1941 Phil married Elizabeth de Lorimier, known to everyone as Liz, in the rectory of St. Angela’s Catholic Church in Monterey, CA. Together they had six children: sons Philip III and John, daughter Ellen, sons William and James, and finally daughter Virginia. Later there were six grandchildren.

many of the Airborne forces then deployed, his unit was badly scattered and dispersed upon landing. Phil had bad luck, encountering a German patrol with which he exchanged gunfire, being severely wounded (resulting ultimately in the loss of his right forearm) and captured. He and other wounded prisoners were treated by French nurses, also captives. When they were freed Phil was evacuated to England, where he had surgery to repair the damage done by another German bullet that had pierced his diaphragm. Then he was transferred to Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington, DC, spending most of another year as a patient there.

In a 90th birthday tribute to Phil the West Point Association of Graduates wrote that his “years at West Point were a time of achievement and dedication and were spent working steadily and conscientiously. In addition to preparing his studies, Cadet Gage participated in swimming, track, lacrosse, pistol, the pentathlon, the fishing club, Camp Illumination, and the 100th Night Show.”

To the Army’s credit, they continued to promote Phil while he was a prisoner of war, so he was a lieutenant colonel when the war ended. He retired in October 1945. During his military service he had been awarded the Silver Star, the Bronze Star Medal, and the Purple Heart. He also wore the Combat Infantryman Badge and a Presidential Unit Citation Ribbon.

First Lieutenant David Reynolds

More schooling followed, as Phil returned to Fort Benning for, first, what was known as the Battalion Commanding Officer Course (he was then a captain) and then parachute school. Early in that training he broke a foot and was recycled with a later class, joining the 82nd Airborne Division after earning his Jump Wings. Then, during the autumn of September 1942, he attended the Command and General Staff School at Fort Leavenworth, KS.

In a 90th birthday tribute to Phil the West Point Association of Graduates wrote that his “years at West Point were a time of achievement and dedication and were spent working steadily and conscientiously. In addition to preparing his studies, Cadet Gage participated in swimming, track, lacrosse, pistol, the pentathlon, the fishing club, Camp Illumination, and the 100th Night Show.”

Wilson, the son of George Earl and Lida Blanch Wilson, hailed from Kalamazoo, MI. Dave’s sister, Helen Wilson Nies, was a prominent judge in the DC area, and a member of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. He arrived at West Point packing his golf clubs and a jovial per- sonality according to the 1966 Howitzer write up. Dave was born May 7, 1944 and left us on the field of battle in the Hai Phong Municipality, Republic of Vietnam, on March 30, 1968. Dave left a wife, Lynn Lindsay, and one year old son, Chris Lindsay, who never had the oppor- tunity to know what a great dad Dave would have been. Chris posted this one Memorial Day: “On this Memorial Day I reflect again on my father’s commit- ment and sacrifice in what he believed in. Again, I am in awe of the bravery that was displayed in his life and all the comrades that he fought beside with for a common goal. Freedom.” After gradu- ation, Dave attended both Airborne and Ranger schools and was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 505 Infantry Regiment. Records show that he also was assigned

Phil then returned to Fort Benning to be S-3 of the 504th Parachute Infantry of the 101st Airborne Division and, with that unit, relocated to Fort Bragg, NC. His record then shows, from midNovember 1942 to late September 1944, this succession of posts and duties: Camp Toccoa, GA; Fort Benning; Camp Mackall, NC; London, England; and Rennes, France as battalion executive officer, S-3, battalion commanding officer, and regimental executive officer in the 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division.

expected nothing less. He is buried at the West Point Cemetery along with many of his friends and classmates. His name is on the wall in DC at panel 47E, line 18. At West Point, Dave was a member of the Golf Team all four years and a member of the French Club. Close friend and classmate Duke Parker shares his memories of Dave as a cadet: “Dave will forever be remembered as a cadet whom everyone couldn’t help but like and all wanted as a roommate. Even though he was on the Army Golf Team, he was al- ways willing to help us terrible hackers. He was equally talented with his music. As a member of the cadet rock and roll band “Rasputin and the Chains,” Dave played in the Weapons Room on most weekends. He would play the forbidden “twist” when the OD wasn’t around, and we’d all dance with huge smiles on our faces. Dave knew every song from the 1950s and 1960s. He could tell you the artist, the label and what was on the flip side of every record. Mac Hayes, Mike Mewhinney, and I had more laughs and fun times with our good friend from Kalamazoo. Dave was unassuming, warm and had such an infectious smile. He would always go out of his way for others as he had done for me by staying after graduation to be a sword bearer in my wedding. It’s hard to comprehend los- ing him so soon after graduation. Most of us never got to say a final goodbye. But Dave knows that he will forever be in our hearts and remembered as a spe- cial friend and part of a lasting history of

Phil quickly established himself in a civilian career, first with General Motors in Buffalo, NY, where he worked on the management staff of a Chevrolet factory. In 1948 he moved to Atlanta, which became his longtime base and home. There he went to work as a salesman for a printing company, then spent over a quarter century with the Home Life Insurance Company until retiring again in 1977.

of tears. For two years as cadets in A-4 we shared our trials, travails, and small triumphs before we graduated from the cadet gray of West Point into the ‘real world’ of Army blue and cami’s, and im- minent commitment to the combat rag- ing in Vietnam. Wils always seemed to me the unlikely warrior. He consistently deflected unpleasantness with a self-dep- recating chuckle and followed by a funny story, never in my recollection, to the ex- pense of anyone but himself. To think of him as an infantry lieutenant in the rag- ing combat of Tet ’68 is anomalous; such a realization actually drives my thoughts to wonder about what his adversaries, the VC and NVA, thought, if in other times they might have shared a Vietnamese beer or small swig of rice wine in some tiny hamlet with Wils.”

Dave was unassuming, warm and had such an infectious smile. He would always go out of his way for others as he had done for me by staying after graduation to be a sword bearer in my wedding. It’s hard to comprehend losing him so soon after graduation. Most of us never got to say a final goodbye. But Dave knows that he will forever be in our hearts and remembered as a special friend and part of a lasting history of the Class of 1966.

Phil parachuted behind the Normandy beachhead in the D-Day invasion. Like

During these years Phil also served faithfully as scribe for his West Point class, writing up the news for the notes published periodically in Assembly magazine, and as secretary of the class for over half a century.

Phil was also deeply involved in church and school activities in support of his family and their community, and he and Liz travelled extensively, including three “around the world” excursions.

Phil Gage was an admirable man— brave, energetic, decent, and kind, respected by all who knew and worked with him. May he rest in peace.

The “Some Gave All” statue by James N. Muir in the West Point Cemetery honors members of the classes of the 1960s who lost their lives in Vietnam. The inscription reads as follows:

— Family and friends

“If you are able, save for them a place inside of you and save a backward glance when you are leaving, for places they can no longer go. Be not ashamed to say you loved them, though you may or may not have always. Take what they have left and what they have taught you with their dying and keep it with your own, and in that time when men decide and feel safe to call war insane, take a moment to embrace those gentle heroes you left behind.” All who knew Dave

“Wils”

No. 26366  May 7, 1944 – Mar 30, 1968  Died in Vietnam Interred in West Point Cemetery, NY

David R. Wilson ’66

Top: A prospective Olympic athlete, LTC (R) Philip S. Gage Jr. ’36 took part in the D-Day invasion, losing the use of right forearm from a German bullet and spending time as a prisoner of war during World War II. Bottom: 1LT David Reynolds “Wils” Wilson ’66 was killed in Vietnam more than 54 years ago, but he is still remembered by his classmates. “We think of him often and thank him for his friendship and service to our country,” says Duke Parker ’66.

Lynn David Moore was born in Ponca City, OK to Cecil and Marie Moore. As a boy, Lynn’s mother encouraged him to take dance lessons, which he often said contributed to his agile footwork on the football and lacrosse fields. In high school Lynn played halfback on the Ponca City High School Wildcats, culminating in the Wildcats placing second in the state, with Lynn earning All-Conference hon ors. Lynn did not plan to be a West Point cadet. In fact, Lynn came from a Navy family. His father and two of his uncles were Navy veterans. He applied to the Naval Academy. When an Army football recruiter came through Oklahoma City, Lynn’s cousin, Guy Mitchell, mentioned to the recruiter that Lynn was being re cruited by Navy. The recruiter grabbed a rental car and directions to Ponca City. Lynn became a cadet.

Lynn D. Moore ’70

No. 29078  Feb 29 1948 – Oct 3, 2021  Died in Laguna, TX Interred in West Point Cemetery, NY

was an excellent defenseman on the Lacrosse Team and was renowned for not wearing the protective pads worn by most players. While in graduate school in Oklahoma, Lynn again proved his overall athletic skill by learning to play rugby with great success. Lynn received the Edgerton Award, the Thurston Hughes Memorial Award, the Ringsdorf Award and the prestigious Army Athletic Association Trophy, given to the Cadet First Class who rendered the most valuable service to athletics during his time at West Point.

As a cadet, Lynn was much more than a great athlete. He had a rich voice and sang in the Protestant Chapel Choir all four years. Although he went to bed long before taps every night, he was a good student and graduated in the upper half of the class. Unless you snored at night, all of Lynn’s roommates found him to be direct, yet modest and calm. If you snored, he threw a very accurate slipper at you to quiet the room. While electricity and computer programming were not his strong subjects at the Academy, he went on to get an advanced degree in English literature and returned to West Point for several years to teach English and composition.

At West Point, Lynn quickly acquired the nickname “Chief.” Whether it was because he came from Oklahoma and looked like an Indian, or as a result of the natural leadership qualities that made him captain of the Football Team and company commander of the B-3 Bandits, it will never be known for sure.

On February 15, 2021, we lost an intel- ligent, quick-witted, tenacious, endearing mom, wife, friend, and classmate—

Rebecca A. Blyth “Becky” Hardy

Becky was born in Falls Church, VA and was the only daughter of the late Carolyn and Colonel Rodney Blyth ’46 (Retired). Her upbringing alongside her brothers inspired qualities that served Becky well. She was smart, athletic, played the piano, and wrote poetry. “Growing up, I played with my siblings and we were competitive,” she once said. “As an Army brat we were constantly moving, attending different schools. I was a shy kid in these different environments.”

As a running back and captain of the 1969 Army Football Team, Lynn rushed for 958 total yards with 208 of those yards on 40 carries in the Army 27–0 victory over Navy. For his performance in that game, Sports Illustrated magazine named Lynn Moore “Back of the Week.” He played in the College All-Star Game and the East–West Shrine Game. More than just a great football player, Lynn

Those who knew Lynn truly understood his comments in an Army-Navy Game football interview: “If anyone asks me if I played football? Yes. Was Army any good back then? We shut out Navy in 1969. Were you any good? I helped shut out Navy. Did you do anything else? I didn’t need to.”

company, battalion and brigade, and was the deputy commander of the Army War College. Over the course of his career, Colonel Moore was awarded the Legion of Merit; the Bronze Star for actions in Vietnam, Rwanda and Panama; the Defense Meritorious Service Medal; the Air Medal; Joint Services Commendation Medal; the Army Commendation Medal; and the National Defense Service Medal.

Rebecca A. Hardy ’80

In his retirement, Colonel Moore was an avid golfer and fisherman. He and Rita enjoyed the annual Class of 1970 Golf Tour and hosted the golf tour at their home in Arkansas, and again after they moved to Texas. He was such a dedicated golfer that he insisted on finishing a round of golf with classmates in the midst of Hurricane Penny in Texas. After golf, the awards dinner had to be cancelled when the highway patrol closed all the flooded streets leading to the event.

With an ease due to her own natural grace and intellect, Becky excelled at the Academy. Besides her father, three of Becky’s brothers are also West Point grad- uates, in the classes of ’77, ’81, and ’84.

Lieutenant Lynn Moore was in the last class with the opportunity to serve in Vietnam. He was operations officer for H Company, 75th Ranger Battalion. He was with the last Ranger Unit out of Vietnam. Upon his return to the States in 1974, the New York Giants football team invited Lynn to spring training. It was a difficult decision, and Lynn chose to make the Army his career. “There are more important things in life than football,” Lynn said in an interview with Stars and Stripes. Thus began a remarkable 29-year Army career, culminating is his retirement in 1999 as a full colonel.

Even in retirement, Lynn remained committed to Army athletics. More than just football, he supported all teams and for years campaigned for the creation and funding of the MacArthur Cup, which recognizes the Army intercollegiate athletic team that best reflects championship-level performance. In 2020, his efforts resulted in the full endowment of the MacArthur Cup by the Class of 1970.

on at their sporting events. For Becky, it was all about doing your best at full steam. You get knocked over or miss a shot, you get up and try again. One of Becky’s care- givers marveled, “The word can’t is NOT anywhere in Ms. Hardy’s vocabulary!”

Those who knew Lynn truly understood his comments in an Army-Navy Game football interview: “If anyone asks me if I played football? Yes. Was Army any good back then? We shut out Navy in 1969. Were you any good? I helped shut out Navy. Did you do anything else? I didn’t need to.”

In 2015, Becky noticed weakness in her hands while gardening. Pursuing a sec- ond opinion, her family was shocked to learn she had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (or ALS, known as Lou Gehrig’s disease). ALS is a terminal, degenerative, neuro- muscular disease that progressively shuts down the body’s physical abilities, and finally its organs. ALS has no cure (yet) and eventually interferes with all activi- ties: walking, speaking, swallowing, and eventually breathing.

With an ease due to her own natural grace and intellect, Becky excelled at the Academy. Besides her father, three of Becky’s brothers are also West Point graduates, in the classes of ’77, ’81, and ’84.

Along the way, Colonel Moore became a certified pilot, jumpmaster and Army Ranger. He commanded a light infantry

Encouraged by her mother’s example, after high school Becky worked at South Baltimore General Hospital doing clini- cal research related to the Vietnam War: “As I grew up, I became intrigued by medical research. What inspired me was the work my mother did alongside polio vaccine creator, Dr. Jonas Salk.” When the grant dried up, Becky’s research job came to an end but not her dream of

On May 28, 1980, Becky graduated and was commissioned as a Quartermaster of- ficer, the same branch as her father. Her first assignment was in the 3rd Armored Division in Germany. As a newly minted second lieutenant, Becky became the di- vision’s CLASS IX (repair parts) officer, a captain’s job. In that role, Becky over- hauled the division’s inventory system, updating the manual process to barcode scanning techniques. “Lady Ambrose, as some called her, cracked the code on parts scrounging and swapping, and helped earn the division their Meritorious Unit Citation. Despite early professional suc- cesses, she decided the Army was not for her and resigned her commission. Becky’s life turned towards Australia, where she reveled in the sunshine, the outdoors, and the opportunity to run a wind surfing school. She spent week- days overseeing the computer system for a newly established consulting firm with her business partner and later husband, British Captain Stephen Hardy. Becky and Stephen married in the mid-1980s. They transferred to the United Kingdom, where Becky earned her MBA from Kingston University. In the 1990s, daugh- ter Freya, and son Chad were born. As a

Lynn is survived by his wife, Rita; his daughter, Dr. Michelle Apotsos (Alex); and his grandchildren, Rowen and Will. May it be said, “Well Done!” Be Thou at Peace, Lynn Moore. — Your teammates and classmates

She embodied “Pride and Excellence,” and we say, “Well Done; Be Thou at Peace.”

Becky went from dancing on tabletops to not being able to stand, but she was no quitter. Given her background in medi- cal research, she dug deep to find a cure for ALS. As the disease ravaged her body, she learned to talk and navigate the inter- net with eye gaze prompts on her assistive tele pad. Over time, she became an ALS expert: researching best practices, prom- ising drugs, and therapies, even drafting legislation. Through this all, Becky never lost her sense of humor. A self-described “foodie,” she craved the aroma of a juicy bacon burger. The first time Chad fed his mother through her feeding tube, Becky typed her opinion: “Yum!”

Despite her suffering, Becky stayed

No. 37225  May 27, 1957 – Feb 15, 2021  Died in Atlanta, GA Cremated. Ashes scattered.

Top: COL (R) Lynn Moore ’70, nicknamed “Chief” as a cadet, rushed for 208 yards on 40 carries during Army’s 27–0 victory over Navy in 1969 and was assigned to the last Ranger unit out of Vietnam in 1974. Bottom: Rebecca Hardy ’80 was one of 62 to graduate in that historic first class of women at the Academy, but, according to her USMA 1980 “Sisters,” she really distinguished herself as a “fulltime Mom” still hoping to improve the world despite facing an incurable illness.

S. Samuel ’85

No. 42602  Feb 25, 1963 – Jun 8, 1988  Died in Germany Interred in Our Lady of Mercy, Doral, FL Rudolph

to avoid the many parades of the football season. Rudy also joined the Tactics Club and was a four-year member in the Student Conference on U.S. Affairs.

Rudolph St. Peter Damien “Rudy”

Samuel was born in Kingston, Jamaica in 1963 to Adolph and Violet Samuel. Sadly, he lost his father in 1967 in Jamaica. Rudolph moved to the United States with his mother and two brothers, Paul and Andrew. Rudolph attended junior and senior years of high school at Miami Central Senior High in Florida. Rudolph was a member of the National Honor Society and the science club. He was a football player and participated in the Boy Scouts and the Civil Air Patrol.

After plebe year Rudy went to Camp Buckner for cadet field training and was then assigned to the G-3 “Gophers” for the next three years. Rudy continued to excel at school with strong interest in military science and all things of a military historic nature. His roommate Eric Benson said: “A fun story is that he hated to run. I bribed him with ice cream. If he would run with me to Lee Gate and back, I promised him a pint of heavenly hash ice cream from Boodlers. This happened twice a week and [it] was the best money I ever spent.”

Captain MacFarland was extremely confident in Rudy, selecting him to be in charge of OP Alpha in the Fulda Gap, a critical observation post to warn of a Warsaw Pact attack during the Cold War. The other units, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, didn’t make it easy for Rudy as he was an outsider from the 3rd Armored Divisional CAV unit. Rudy remained calm and did a great job with his platoon and it reflected well on the whole Troop.

Rudy was also a strong rule follower, which garnered him the nickname “Rudy Regs.” If you ever needed to know the rules and the reference, Rudy was your man. He could be found often reading about his favorite generals and battles. He was well prepared for his career in the Army, spending a fair portion of his cadet pay to subscribe to Janes Military Encyclopedia, which profiled the latest military equipment worldwide.

In July 1981, Rudolph began Cadet Basic Training, “Beast Barracks,” as a member of 3rd Company. Rudy ex celled at West Point, quickly adapting and thriving at the Academy. After sum mer training, he began his plebe year in Company E-2, the “Brew Dogs,” with roommates Mike Bagg and Michael McGurk. His year started with a bang, as during Re-organization week he was made head minute caller, while his roommate Mike was named head mail carrier. These duties led to numerous visits by the upperclassmen to “assist” Rudy with improving his performance, generating more than a few “Fourth Class Performance Reports.” These experiences helped bond the roommates as lifelong friends. The trio soon adjusted to the rhythms of freshman year: long days in class, long nights of studying with the occasional movie in South Auditorium or dances at Cullum Hall.

Rudy played on the company sports teams and, along with his roommates, joined the Theater Arts Guild, not because of a strong interest in theater, but rather

“If it weren’t for the rocks in its bed, the stream would have no song.” This pithy statement, commonly attributed to American singer-songwriter Carl Perkins, perfectly sums up Matthew Brian “Matt” Friary. Like a rock, he presented an imposing physical presence, a gentle giant who dwarfed all those around him. And like a boulder in a stream, Matt brought out the best in others as their lives passed around his.

The rock metaphor is particularly apt, given Matt’s initial introduction to the Department of Physical Education (DPE), also known at the time as “the Department with a heart.” DPE gives every cadet a swim classification test at the beginning of Cadet Basic Training, and cadets refer to the worst swimmers amongst them as “Rocks” for their propensity to sink to the bottom of Crandall Pool. As an imposing physical specimen, Matt was an odd candidate to be a “Rock,” but the hard truth was that his

Matthew B. Friary ex-’95

an outsider from the 3rd Armored Divisional CAV unit. Rudy remained calm and did a great job with his platoon and it reflected well on the whole Troop. Private First Class Lawrence Stivers served as Lieutenant Samuel’s driver during his time in A Troop. A new soldier, fresh from training, Rudy made an impression: “I was a new PFC, three months out of OSUT when I was assigned. Some things I remember about him: In the field during maneuvers the lieutenant was a cool customer. No matter how hectic or chaotic our training was, and no matter how crazy I thought all the activities were, I would take a peek to the rear of the track, and lieutenant always was super calm. Often, I’d see him with a half goofy looking grin. When were in the field, he’d give me free reign to operate the track as I saw fit. He’d tell me a direction and I would go there. That trust he showed in my abilities inspired me to be the best track driver in the troop. He always made me feel that we were ‘a team.’

Apr 4, 1973 – Mar 19, 1993  Died in Orlando, FL Interred in Saint Joseph Cemetery, Taunton, MA

Fifteen years later, when I was assigned my first platoon to lead, I would ask myself ‘What would Rudy do?’ In whatever leadership situation I found myself in, I tried to emulate his leadership style in the platoons I was assigned to lead.”

Early on Rudy wanted to branch Armor to be a tanker, and he got his wish. Following graduation from West Point in May 1985, Rudy attended the Armor Officer Basic Course at Fort Knox, KY. After completing AOBC, Rudy was assigned to the famed 3rd Armored Division in Germany, where he served as 2nd platoon leader, A Troop, 3rd Squadron, 12th Cavalry Regiment at Armstrong Barracks, Büdingen, Germany. His commander, Sean MacFarland, fondly remembers attending Mass with Rudy in the chapel in Büdingen. Captain MacFarland was extremely confident in Rudy, selecting him to be in charge of OP Alpha in the Fulda Gap, a critical observation post to warn of a Warsaw Pact attack during the Cold War. The other units, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, didn’t make it easy for Rudy as he was

hopefuls. And so, Matt’s voice (with its thick Massachusetts accent) would echo across the pool: “Hey, Spitzy, nice backstroke!” and “Way to bob and travel, there, Spitzy!” Matt’s good-natured ribbing reminded all who heard it not to take themselves (or DPE) too seriously.

Born and raised in Taunton, MA, Matt came by his rock-like steadiness, his strength of character, his humility, and his generosity from his amazing family. His parents, both educators in the Taunton area, taught him the value of understanding others and digging deeper into a problem; or, in the words of the Cadet Prayer, “…to never be satisfied with a half-truth when the whole truth can be won.” Matt was a perpetual star athlete in high school, leading the football and track teams and making his presence known on the basketball court as well.

On June 8, 1988, Rudolph was tragically lost in a motor vehicle accident in Germany. His USMA 1985 classmate and roommate in Germany, Matt Hayes, led the memorial service for First Lieutenant Samuel, which was widely attended. Rudy was much respected in his unit, and his loss, so young, was deeply felt by all.

“If it weren’t for the rocks in its bed, the stream would have no song.” This pithy statement, commonly attributed to American singer-songwriter Carl Perkins, perfectly sums up Matthew Brian “Matt” Friary. Like a rock, he presented an imposing physical presence, a gentle giant who dwarfed all those around him. And like a boulder in a stream, Matt brought out the best in others as their lives passed around his. 

Rudolph St. Peter Damien Samuel was a soldier’s soldier. A leader and devoted student of the military art, he was committed to the welfare of his unit and his troopers. His friendship with his classmates was deep and thoughtful. Rudy was loved and remains much in our thoughts. “For Excellence We Strive ’85”

Matt’s previously noted Massachusetts accent made him stand out whether he liked it or not. One friend, “Jim,” recalls an incident where Jim badly fell short during an intramural boxing match. Dejected by the loss, Jim returned to his room to lick his wounds, only to be summoned to the company phone by the cadet duty officer (this being well before the days of personal phones at West Point). Jim picked up the phone and was immediately barraged by a tongue lashing from one of the 70-year-old DPE

of cadet life. Taunton is just an hour’s drive away from Boston, and many a cadet and friend of Matt used Matt’s family home as a staging base for their explorations of Beantown. Without hesitation, Mr. and Mrs. Friary opened their doors to periodic swarms of cadets and bore their antics in good humor. Matt’s home became a place for cadets to let loose their frustrations, to laugh and to rejuvenate. After Matt’s untimely death during a spring break car accident, Matt’s family continued to open their doors and became a second family to multiple members of the class. Those same members gave constant love and support to Matt’s family over the years, well past graduation. While his accent, good humor, and open doors spark fond memories, what classmates remember most about Matt is his boundless positivity. Matt had a perpetual smile on his face, accepting and handling adversity in stride and serving as a calming influence on those around him. Matt could always find some inspiring twist to turn a rotten situation around and get everyone involved moving forward in a positive direction. The memory of Matt helps those who knew him be better people every day.

At the time of his death, Matt was survived by his father and mother, Brian and Marlene; his brother, Jonathan; and his sister, Elizabeth. It is entirely fitting

Top: Rudolph Samuel ’85 was an Armor officer who tragically lost his life in a motor vehicle accident while serving in Germany, but his devotion to leadership influenced his soldiers, including one non-commissioned officer who found himself asking, “What would Rudy do?” when he became a platoon sergeant. Bottom: Perhaps nothing demonstrates that “the Long Gray Line never forgets” as much as a memorial article for an ex-cadet, such as the one for Matthew B. Friary ex-’95. Despite only being with his class for a short time, his classmates will never forget “the perpetual smile on his face,” the way he “accept[ed] and handl[ed] adversity in stride,” and how he “serv[ed] as a calming influence on those around him.”

Cullum Hall was built with funds from the 1892 bequest of George W. Cullum, Class of 1833.

WPAOG Hosts Class of 2022

Firstie Social

Cadets gathered on April 11-12 at Herbert Alumni Center for WPAOG’s First Class Social. Sponsored by the Class of 1996, the “Firstie Social” provides First Class cadets an opportunity to socialize, meet the WPAOG team, and learn about WPAOG’s mission to serve cadets, graduates, and the Long Gray Line.

Rockbound Highland Home Grad Insider Tours to Resume

WPAOG is thrilled to announce the return of it’s Grad Insider Tours! Available to Old Grads and their guests, Insider Tours take graduates behind the scenes of their Rockbound Highland Home. Graduates get to walk through Central and North areas, tour the Mess Hall and Jefferson Hall, and revisit memories from the boxing rings and Indoor Obstacle Course in Arvin Gym, showing their family where it all happened. There is also a tour of the Cadet Uniform Factory, where the cadets’ distinct gray uniforms are all hand-made right here at West Point.

West Point Challenge a Success!

The Challenge was accepted and met! Thanks to the generosity of more than a quarter of the Long Gray Line’s living members, the West Point Challenge raised approximately $4.4 million over the course of five days for the Academy’s academic departments, sport’s teams, clubs and more. Congratulations to the Class of 1976 for donating the most dollars, to the Class of 1994 for having the most total donors, and to the Class of 1972 for being the top active class for alumni participation (nine years running!).

Photos: Erika Norton/WPAOG; Brian Wetzler/WPAOG

Donor Tribute Day

WPAOG once again held its annual Donor Tribute Day in conjunction with the Academy’s Projects Day in April. During the day 227 donors had the opportunity to meet cadets across the Academy and learn about Margin of Excellence (MOE) projects made possible by their donations. The day also included

a luncheon, during which BG Shane Reeves ’96, Dean of the Academic Board, spoke about the value of the Margin of Excellence programs at the Academy, and cadets gave the donors briefings about their out-of-classroom experiences, which were made possible by MOE funds.

WPAOG Hosts Firstie Class Officers

On April 20, class officers from the Class of 2022 visited Herbert Alumni Center. During the visit, the class finalized its Class Constitution and enjoyed lunch, compliments of WPAOG. Afterwards, the class officers received a tour of WPAOG and learned about some of the services it offers, free of charge, to graduates, namely West Point magazine, Career Services, and leader resources for staying connected to the Long Gray Line. This pre-graduation leadership meeting, coordinated by WPAOG’s Class Services team, ensured that class leaders have the tools necessary to lead their class as “Old Grads” after graduation. At the end of the visit, CDT Harrison Mills ’22, Deputy Ring and Crest Chair, stated: “After today’s visit it is clear that WPAOG is more than fundraising and money. It’s actually about connecting us to each other and to our peers—those who came before us and those who will come after us— and how we can improve cadet lives.”

2022 | Projects Day

More than 1,000 cadets displayed and presented over 400 capstone research projects during West Point’s 23rd annual Projects Day on April 28 at the U.S. Military Academy. The day showcased research excellence across the Academy and featured presentations, poster sessions, theses defenses, performances and more. USMA academic faculty, visitors and fellow cadets who attended the event witnessed leaders of character who will continue to employ their education to help build the Army and the nation’s future. All the projects—ranging from drones, robotics, 3-D modeling, and engineering to U.S. foreign military relations, ethics in cyberspace, and even Shakespeare— reflected this mission.

Photos: Erika Norton/WPAOG

Brigadier General Shane Reeves ’96, Dean of the Academic Board, speaking to donors during a luncheon on Projects Day, discussed how the cadets’ capstone projects support USMA’s overall mission. “We’re focused on creating young officers who are critical thinkers who are capable of navigating the complexities and uncertainties of both the modern and future battlespace,” Reeves said. “That is the purpose of the academic program.”

The donors were invited to West Point as part of WPAOG’s Donor Tribute Day. During Projects Day, they had the opportunity to meet with cadets and faculty and to see the impact of their philanthropy at the Academy firsthand.

“I think being a part of Projects Day makes you realize just how much work cadets put in outside of their classes,” said

Cadet Vivian Tsai ’23, who will be presenting her own project next year as a firstie.

“It also gives you an appreciation for the amount of work that instructors at the Academy do to help cadets and push their research.”

“The efforts of our tremendous faculty and staff are essential to the success of Projects Day, as they have challenged, guided, and mentored cadets from the initial idea about the project to completion,” said Reeves. 

Photos: Erika Norton/WPAOG; Michelle Eberhardt/USMA PAO

Moving, Thought-provoking and Demanding of Reflection

By Jane Anderson, Guest Writer

Dr. Todd Crowder stood before a charcoal granite headstone, bracing himself against a brisk spring wind. He looked at the name engraved on the headstone as he prepared to describe the life that First Lieutenant Matthew Ferrara ’05 lived before he was killed in Afghanistan just two years after graduation.

“I think we need to remember and reflect,” Crowder said. “Death is hard, but I try to recall that sacrificial love, the sacrificial trust, and genuine care that these graduates gave.”

Crowder was one of a dozen speakers who gathered April 28 at the West Point Cemetery for the annual “Inspiration to Serve” tour. Yearlings visit the graves of select graduates during the event; speakers who knew the fallen stand at the grave sites

and—through stories and reflections—testify to the lives they led before they died. The tour was the creation of Colonel Richard Swain II ’66 (Retired), who was himself inspired by a Gettysburg visit during a Battle Command Course led by General Frederick Franks Jr. ’59 (Retired). It prepares yearlings for the Affirmation Ceremony, during which they take the Affirmation Oath and commit their next two years to the Academy and at least five years of active duty after graduation. For the Class of 2024, Affirmation is August 14, 2022.

Under a bright sun, Dr. Peter Kilner ’90 stood on the steps of the Old Cadet Chapel and addressed the yearlings before the tour began. On the left-hand wall inside the chapel are plaques honoring service in the nation’s 19th century wars. Chapel attendance was mandatory up until 50 years ago (from 1802 to

Photo: Robin Gottesman

The annual West Point Cemetery event gives cadets something to reflect on before Affirmation.

1972), Kilner explained, so every week cadets were reminded of the sacrifices those graduates made. “That’s what we are doing here today,” Kilner said.

He then shared an eulogy that Major John A. Hottell III ’64, who is buried in the West Point Cemetery, wrote for himself while serving (and ultimately dying) in Vietnam:

“We all have but one death to spend, and insofar as it can have any meaning, it finds it in the service of comrades-in-arms. And yet, I deny that I DIED for anything—not my Country, not my Army, not my fellow man, none of these things. I LIVED for these things, and the manner in which I chose to do it involved the very real chance that I would die in the execution of my duties. I knew this, and accepted it, but my love for West Point and the Army was great enough—and the promise that I would someday be able to serve all the ideals that meant anything to me [through it] was great enough—for me to accept this possibility as a part of a price which must be paid for all things of great value. If there is nothing worth dying for—in this sense—there is nothing worth living for.”

After Kilner’s comments, each company of cadets was led by its tactical officers to different grave sites, as determined by a route

Photos: Robin Gottesman

Company by company, members of the Class of 2024 visited designated grave sites and listened to speakers who told them about the deceased graduate's life and death.

Dr. Peter Kilner ’90 addresses members of the Class of 2024 at the Old Cadet Chapel before they tour West Point Cemetery.

“It’s been moving to hear from people who were friends of the deceased, and to learn about their lives. I learned even more not to take people for granted, and I’m realizing the commitment that I have to decide on.”

— CDT Helen Shearer ’24

assigned to each regiment, where guest speakers told the cadets about the life and the circumstances of the death of the graduate buried at that site.

Lieutenant Colonel Jon Roginski ’96 (Retired) spoke about Lieutenant Colonel Jaimie Leonard ’97, who was killed in Afghanistan in 2013.

“I served with Jaimie in Afghanistan,” Roginski told the assembled cadets. “She was smart; she was tough; she was a team player. She brought out the best in everyone. She was killed in action by the people she was brought there to protect, and the world became dimmer that day. Even as an old man, I want to live up to the person that Jaimie was.”

Roginski later relayed how important it was for cadets to hear these stories. “I am honored to do this, and sad at the same time,” he said. “The cadets need to understand the enormity of this event.”

The 12 guest speakers’ words did not fall on deaf ears.

“It’s been moving to hear from people who were friends of the deceased, and to learn about their lives,” said Cadet Helen

Photos: Robin Gottesman

A company tactical officer (center) leads cadets in a reflection on the significance of the “Inspiration to Serve” tour and how they can apply what they learned to their upcoming Affirmation.

Yearlings Monte Collins (left) and Simeon Olawale-Apanpa take time to reflect at a grave site during the "Inspiration to Serve" tour of West Point Cemetery on April 28.

“This was thought-provoking; it’s demanding of reflection…this is more serious than some of our other character education. This was reaffirming for me, and it adds more gravity to my upcoming decision.”

— CDT Monte Collins ’24

Shearer ’24 of Hampden, Maine. “I learned even more not to take people for granted, and I’m realizing the commitment that I have to decide on.”

Cadets Simeon Olawale-Apanpa ’24 of Houston, Texas, and Monte Collins ’24 of Twin Cities, Minnesota, stood quietly by a headstone, reflecting on what they’d seen and heard.

“Coming here, seeing the graves and listening to the speakers, death becomes a real thing,” Olawale-Apanpa said. “I know the possibility is there, but I don’t want to die; at the same time, I know the commitment we’re being asked to make.”

After visiting the grave sites, each company of yearlings gathered at a designated location in the cemetery. There, they listened to their tactical officer share thoughts on the selfless service and unlimited liability that go hand-in-hand with “Duty, Honor, Country.” The 15-20 minutes they spent as a group allowed them to soak in the meaning of what they’d just heard from the speakers and reinforced the importance of their upcoming commitment to the Profession of Arms.

“This was thought-provoking; it’s demanding of reflection,” Collins said. He added that he was struck the most by Kilner’s reciting of Hottell’s words. “This is more serious than some of our other character education. This was reaffirming for me, and it adds more gravity to my upcoming decision.”

Like many of his classmates, Cadet Ethan Hesson ’24, of Lucas, Texas, had never visited the cemetery before that day. He appreciated learning about the leadership and sacrifice of those who died. “As yearlings, we can be a little cynical sometimes,” he said. “But this is something to really look at and think about.”

In conceiving of the tour, Swain had set four learning objectives:

• Inspiring cadets to serve with loyalty and obligation to those whose lives established West Point’s reputation

• Internalizing the relevance of the tour to each cadet’s chosen Profession of Arms

• Exploring the meaning of tragedy—both to the unit and family members—and how to cope with that loss

• Appreciating the true commitment to “Duty, Honor, Country,” as reflected in the deeds and actions of the fallen graduates

“I was trying to create an ‘encounter’ between the deceased graduate and today’s cadet,” Swain said, “and between the speaker and cadet, to provide an appreciation of a loss they will all experience.”

Swain recounted that the tour is a testimony to the fact that cadets are all part of the Long Gray Line—a line that stretches from the barracks, around the world many times, to the cemetery here at West Point. 

Jane Anderson, a freelance writer/editor in the Hudson Valley, is a former newspaper reporter and magazine editor. Her writing has earned accolades in a number of competitions. A resident of Sullivan County, New York, Jane indulges her love of history, nature, and gardening whenever and wherever she can - along with her husband, daughter, and two sons.

Sec Army Addresses Cadets at Flipper Dinner

On February 10, 2022, the U.S. Military Academy welcomed the Secretary of the Army, Honorable Christine Wormuth, for her first visit to West Point. Wormuth spent two days on post, during which she spoke to various cadets, faculty, and staff and addressed the entire Corps as the keynote speaker at the Henry O. Flipper Award dinner.

Wormuth, the first woman to serve as Secretary of the Army, recognized the accomplishments of Flipper, USMA Class of 1877, the first African American to graduate from West Point, and made achieving historic firsts the theme of her 20-minute speech to the cadets gathered in the Mess Hall for the occasion.

“Breaking ground and being the first doesn’t mean instantaneous change or guaranteed progress, but it is a necessary step to normalizing what’s never been done before,” she said. Wormuth told cadets that there will always be doubters of those who are the first at something and challenged them to be worthy and well qualified while striving to be the first in the endeavors they seek in order to counter the skeptics. “Excellence has a way of overcoming even the staunchest skeptics,” she said. Toward the end of her speech, Wormuth recognized, en masse, the 100-plus West Point graduates within the ranks of the 82nd Airborne Division and the XVIII Airborne Corps who arrived in Europe back in February as Russian troops were massing on the Ukrainian border. “So as you go out into the Army, when it’s your time, be ready like those 100-plus graduates were ready because the world needs every ounce of the courage and resilience that you’ve built through hard work in your time here,” said Wormuth.

In recognizing Cadet Zorian Flowers ’22, this year’s recipient of the Henry O. Flipper Award, Wormuth said, “In May, he will join Henry Flipper and the heroes of this institution in the long line of firsts, as the first member of his family to graduate from college.” She then acknowledged that USMA is replete with “firsts” and that she was immensely proud of the Corps of Cadets, representing as it does “the full diversity of America—a diversity that is part of our nation’s strength and our Army’s strength.”

Moments That Matter

WPAOG’s Strategy to Unlock the Power of the Long Gray Line

As we continue to share WPAOG’s Moments That Matter strategy for graduate engagement, it’s important to remember that this strategy was based on input, feedback and insights learned from graduates across all West Point classes. The knowledge we gained was from you, your classmates, your roommates, 50-year affiliates and others. We’re fortunate to have had 106 participants in our study, and we’re even more fortunate to be able to execute on the insights you shared. As we continue

By Jaye Donaldson, WPAOG staff

to implement “interventions,” WPAOG will be testing, piloting and rolling out services and programs to support the needs and life journeys of our graduates.

As shown in the chart on the next page, an aspiring cadet receives his or her first impression of the Long Gray Line during the Pre-Reception journey stage. The various interactions that comprise the Pre-Reception Moments That Matter stage are real,

Photo: USMA Diversity Admissions Outreach Team

tangible, and have changed the lives of numerous teens who have visited West Point throughout history. As cadet candidate Will Haddad shared, “I’ve had many ‘magical’ moments from both before I was a candidate and now. I remember the very first time I visited the Academy when I was 8 years old, and ever since then it’s the only school I’ve wanted to attend. Over the years of coming to football games and having the opportunity to interact with cadets, I’ve seen how it really is a team that’s bigger than just one individual, which is something that I’m really looking forward to being a part of.”

Interactions between high school students and graduates occur in numerous settings, namely during Field Force high school visits and West Point Society events, and they play a huge role in a teenager’s interest in visiting and learning more about USMA. They are important because an aspiring cadet’s first introduction to WPAOG and the Long Gray Line highly influences his or her perception of the Academy and sets the tone for the future—the beginning of his or her journey. Recently a cadet candidate shared, “I chose West Point over the Air Force Academy because of the interactions I have had with graduates these past few years.” And a firstie said that coming back to West Point after the 2020 COVID-19 interruption that forced remote instruction made him appreciate the beauty, camaraderie and distinction that this institution provides him.

West Point’s Field Force, which consists of more than 650 volunteer civilians, active duty, and reserve Military Academy Liaison Officers (MALOs), significantly depends upon graduates to complete its mission, which is to create awareness of the USMA opportunity and support candidates throughout the application process. “The Long Gray Line starts with the Field Force” is a common mantra among the Regional Commanders who run the program. “My local Field Force rep gave me tools and advice which paved the way for my acceptance to the Academy,” Cadet John Maune ’23 shared. “He serves as a mentor and a role model to this day.”

Interactions between cadet candidates and grads are also common at West Point Society events. West Point Societies are typically the first point of contact for potential candidates. Societies work closely with West Point Admissions to host “College Nights,” hand out acceptance certificates, and

interview potential candidates. Cadet candidates and their families are often included in Society celebrations such as Founders Day. Societies even host welcome receptions for the future cadets.

A third initiative is the Minority Visitation Program (MVP). Funded by graduates and friends of the Academy, MVP is a Margin of Excellence program that supports Admissions and has made a huge difference in the decision-making process for cadet candidates. MVP gives candidates and their families the opportunity to visit, spend time and interact with cadets, instructors and coaches at USMA.

Director of Admissions Colonel Deborah McDonald ’85 said, “I think the way West Point conducts its daily and overnight visits with applicants is distinctly different than many other colleges and universities, and it’s certainly different than the other service academies. I think the most impactful, magical moments for a visiting candidate (and his or her parents) is when they realize that West Point is indeed the right fit for them. That’s where teamwork begins and continues throughout their four years here and the legacy they share with all the members of the Long Gray Line.”

WPAOG Cadet Engagement programs continue to expand. This expansion will help increase awareness of WPAOG’s mission and the services WPAOG provides to graduates beginning on their graduation day when they become members of the organization. The 50-Year Affiliation Program, Ring Memorial Program (Ring Melt), Firstie Social and Cadet Passport help to engage and inform cadets of the programs and services available to them as future members of WPAOG.

The connectedness of the Long Gray Line is an intangible that WPAOG continues to foster with all graduates, no matter where they are in their life’s journey. The Pre-Reception engagements have begun to shift the brand awareness and perception of WPAOG. Cadets, although not fully aware of all our services, are beginning to understand that WPAOG is here to support them with programs that touch every point along their military and civilian journey. Through Margin of Excellence programs and construction projects, cadets are also learning about WPAOG's contribution to their 47-month experience at West Point, the beginning of an amazing lifetime of moments.

Graduation Day

Photos: Erika Norton/WPAOG

“For Many, Stand the Few”

GRADUATION SPEAKER:

General Mark A. Milley, 20th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

NUMBER OF GRADUATES: 1,014

INTERNATIONAL CADETS: 13—representing Albania, Bhutan, Cambodia, Poland (2), Romania, Singapore; South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand (2), and Tunisia (2)

FIRST CAPTAIN:

Holland F. Pratt, Liberty Lake, Washington

CLASS PRESIDENT:

Xavier M. Williams, Clayton, North Carolina

VALEDICTORIAN:

Travis J. Nichols, Mililani, Hawaii

Photos: Erika Norton/WPAOG; Jphn Pellino/USMA PAO; CDT Tyler WIlliams ’23/USMA PAO

“Duty, Honor, Country. Those three hallowed words reverently dictate what you ought to be, what you can be, what you will be.”

—GEN Douglas MacArthur, Class of 1903

Photo: Erika Norton/WPAOG

Gone, But Never Forgotten

By Keith J. Hamel, WPAOG staff

Photos: Freed Lowrey ’67; Larry Jordan ’68

Morethan 50 percent of these casualties impacted the classes of 1962 through 1968, each of which lost 20 members or more. In the years and decades that followed this war, these classes have never neglected to remember their fallen, honoring their brethren at class reunions, through memorials and building dedications, and by remaining close to next of kin. In doing so, these classes are following a long-standing tradition within the Long Gray Line to remember those who died while living the tenets of Duty, Honor, Country. The Cadet Monument in the West Point Cemetery was originally dedicated in honor of Cadet Vincent M. Lowe, Class of 1820, who died as a result of a premature cannon discharge in 1817 (and it subsequently contained the names of cadets and professors who died while training or serving at the Academy). It is also well known that George Cullum, Class of 1833, bequeathed a quarter of a million dollars to build his eponymous hall as a memorial to all graduates. It soon became decorated with numerous portraits, sculptures, and plaques to honor deceased graduates, especially those who died in battle. Similarly, E. Doug Kenna ’45 and his wife, Jean, generously endowed an award for valor that was named after Second Lieutenant Alexander R. Nininger ’41, who heroically fought the enemy to his death during the Battle of Bataan in January 1942 and posthumously received the Medal of Honor, the first one presented for actions during World War II. While perhaps not as familiar as the above memorials, the following class-related tributes to their Vietnam fallen demonstrate that, even five decades later, classmates who were taken from the ranks of the Long Gray Line far too soon may be gone, yet they are certainly not forgotten.

The Early Days of Loss

“We’ve never taken our eyes of the kids we lost in Vietnam,” says Dr. Berry Morton ’66, Vice President for the Class of 1966, expressing a sentiment that could apply to any of the West Point classes who served in Southeast Asia. Early remembrances of those KIA were spontaneous and sober.

For example, when members of the Class of 1964 started serving at West Point shortly after the end of the Vietnam War, they started visiting their fallen classmates buried at the West Point Cemetery and decorating their grave sites with flowers. “It began rather informally at first, but around the time of our 10th Class Reunion, the Class of 1964 decided that it would ‘forever do something’ every five years when holding a reunion for all its deceased members,” says Colonel Dan Evans ’64 (Retired),

Chairman of the Class of 1964. While all deceased members of the class are recognized during these events, Evans notes that the 23 Vietnam KIA are honored first. “Our Vietnam guys are still special when we do our ceremonies,” he says. “Their legacy is important to us.”

Similarly, the Class of 1965 continually honors its classmates who have joined the ghostly assemblage by reading roll call at every class reunion. “This started at our 10th Class Reunion,” says Lieutenant Colonel Robert T. Frank ’65 (Retired), Class Historian, “during which almost all those on the roll call were the 25 casualties in Vietnam.”

But the classes of the 1960s wanted to do more than just visit grave sites and read names to honor those members of the Long Gray Line who paid the ultimate sacrifice in Vietnam.

According to Sons of Slum and Gravy, Lieutenant Colonel Bill Morgan (Retired)’s 2009 book about his Class of 1962, “Early on, when they were least wealthy, [the Class of 1962] raised $100,000 among themselves and distributed it to the widows of their fallen classmates to help with the education of their children.”

On October 21, 1957, Captain Harry G. Cramer ’46 was the first West Point graduate to be killed in what would become the Vietnam War. By the end of the United States’ involvement in the war, a total of 333 graduates were killed in action, went missing in action, or suffered non-battle deaths while serving in Vietnam.

Previous page: Members from the Class of 1967 (inset) take part in a memorial service at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, DC, while red roses are placed on pavers for KIA grads at a replica Vietnam Memorial Wall on the grounds of the National Infantry Museum (just outside of Fort Benning, GA). Above: Art Mosley ’66 assisted in the compromise that resulted in adding The Three Soldiers statue to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

The classes of the 1960s also started raising money for a memorial for classmates who were casualties of the war in Vietnam. According to their proposal in the June 1978 issue of ASSEMBLY magazine, this memorial “[would] affirm openly and with pride our affection for fallen friends.” Dedicated in October 1980, the Southeast Asia Memorial consists of a massive granite boulder with inscription and a series of granite benches situated on the southwest side of Lusk Reservoir (across the street from Howze Field). As further stated in the 1978 proposal, “While service in Southeast Asia was certainly not confined to the West Point classes of the 1960s, these classes suffered a great number of casualties…with the call to duty coming in the midst of heated national disunity; our sorrow was shared in silence and solitude…In establishing a memorial across the bounds of class lines, we wish to honor both our comrades and the institution which prepared us for duty.”

Called to the Wall

One of the key figures responsible for bringing the Southeast Asia Memorial to fruition was Jack Wheeler ’66. A few years later, Wheeler would be instrumental in the design and construction of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Another member of the Class of 1966, Art Mosley, is credited with the idea of holding a national competition for the design of the monument, and he was instrumental in the compromise that resulted in adding The Three Soldiers statue to the memorial. Soon after the completion of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, West Point classes of the 1960s began holding reunions in Washington, DC to honor their KIAs. On June 7, 1987, marking the 20th anniversary of their graduation day, members of the

Class of 1967 gathered at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial to remember their 30 fallen classmates, “and to reunite in spirit” (according to a summary of the event published in the September 1987 edition of ASSEMBLY magazine) with those classmates who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country. During the ceremony, the poem “Reunion,” written by a member of the Class of 1967, was read. It opens with the line, “Always we will think of you in sunlight.” Since that time, the class has been repeating this ceremony every five years, performing it again in June 2022.

Similarly, members of the Class of 1968 first gathered on the occasion of their 20th graduation anniversary to honor the 20 from their ranks who fell in Vietnam, and, like the Class of 1967 before them, they did so at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. “The Wall forces memories and lays bare the emotions like an open wound,” wrote Captain Douglas A. “Sandy” Cohn ’68 (Retired) in the article “The Class of 1968 Remembers,” published in the April 1989 issue of ASSEMBLY. “Symbol surpassed ritual as pride mixed with pain while words were spoken—a prayer, a speech, a poem, a roll call of those we came to honor, read in the order they fell.” In addition, a red rose was placed below the name of each ’68 classmate listed on the Wall. Every five years, on the anniversary of their graduation, members of the Class of 1968 reunite in Washington, DC, along with their fallen’s next of kin, to repeat this ritual.

In 2018, the Class of 1966 held its own ceremony at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial to remember the 33 members of the class who answered the call and paid the ultimate price in service to the nation. According to Morton, the class spent a year and a half preparing for the event. “We had the Old Guard supporting our

Photos: Erika Norton/WPAOG; WPAOG archives

Left: Erected by the West Point classes of 1960 through 1969, the Southeast Asia Memorial, located on the southwest corner of Lusk Reservoir, consists of plaques and granite benches that honor the memory of classmates and other members of the United States Armed Forces who were killed in Vietnam. Right: The names of ’67’s KIA are engraved in a window of Herbert Alumni Center’s main balcony, while the crest for the Class of 1967 is engraved in a nearby window.

memorial with voice, drum, and bugle, as well as an escort for wreath and honor guard,” says Morton. “More important, despite being 50 years late to the game, we found a number of family members of fallen classmates, and approximately 100 next of kin traveled to DC to attend our ceremony.” Addressing the nearly 600 attendees for the event, General Wesley Clark ’66 (Retired) concluded his remarks honoring his fallen classmates by saying, “We salute them today for their dedication to duty, for the honor with which they served, and for their courage and sacrifice…they are with us here now, not in some ghostly assemblage, but in our hearts, and in our memories…forever… and we will never forget.”

Personalized Works of Remembrance

Decades after Vietnam, Colonel John Murray ’64 (Retired) wrote the book Fallen Warriors to honor his classmates who died in combat. “They were young men destined to accomplish great things in life…a mixture of Rhodes Scholars who dazzled

professors with their brilliance and athletes who brought victory to their teams…whose military contributions figure prominently in the history of the Vietnam War…[and] whose lives embodied West Point’s motto: Duty, Honor, Country,” notes the book’s dust jacket. The Class of 1964 gifted copies of Fallen Warriors to members of its 50-Year Affiliation Class, the Class of 2014, at their graduation in the hope that the younger generation will help preserve the stories and memories of the “immortal heroes” chronicled within its pages.

Lieutenant Colonel John C. Hedley ’68 (Retired) is also working on a book, with significant research support and input from classmates, that will tell the story of each member of the Class of 1968 who gave his life in Vietnam. The class has already published a three-volume work titled Both Sides of the Wall , which is dedicated to their honored 20 with the words, “They mark our place in the Long Gray Line.”

For its 30th Class Reunion, the Class of 1968 commissioned artist Paul Martin to design a print that the class could present to

“We salute them today for their dedication to duty, for the honor with which they served, and for their courage and sacrifice…they are with us here now, not in some ghostly assemblage, but in our hearts, and in our memories…forever… and we will never forget.”

— GEN (R) Wesley Clark ’66

On May 6, 2018, the Class of 1966 held “A Remembrance of Our Fallen Classmates” at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, which was attended by nearly 600 people, including approximately 100 next of kin of classmates KIA in Vietnam.

family members of classmates who died in Vietnam. Titled “Bond of Brothers,” the 15-inch by 22-inch rendering shows cadets in full dress gray over white in formation on the Plain, with the Cadet Chapel, old Washington Hall, and the old Central and North cadet barracks behind them. As noted on the artist’s webpage, “The entire scene is vibrantly lit by a brilliant sunset just behind the distant hills and from light radiating from inside the Chapel and the barracks themselves.” Starting over the barracks and stretching up and across the sky like stars are the names of the ’68 Vietnam KIA, appearing as they are written on the Vietnam Memorial Wall.

To honor his fallen classmates, Major Rob Herb ’67 (Retired) carved a special plaque (an intarsia) from more than 30 varieties of wood. Dedicated in June 2002 “to our friends who made the ultimate sacrifice for freedom,” the plaque features the Class of 1967 crest and the names of classmates killed in Vietnam. The plaque now resides in the South Conference Room of the Herbert Alumni Center. Herb also honored all his deceased classmates by making special wood-burned plaques of the class crest, which have been presented to a surviving family member of those classmates killed in Vietnam. The Class of 1967 has also honored its KIA by gifting two special windows on the main balcony of the Herbert Alumni Center. The windows are laser engraved with the names of classmates killed in Vietnam and with the Class of 1967’ s crest.

In 2012, the West Point Center for Oral History contracted with the Documentary Group, an ABC News affiliate, to

produce a 96-minute documentary film, titled Into Harm’s Way, which is about the Class of 1967’s experiences in Vietnam and profiles several of the class’s KIA brothers. This film has received considerable praise and is frequently shown on PBS stations nationwide during Memorial Day weekend. Finally, in 2018, the classes of 1963, 1966, 1967, 1968 supported the creation of a pedestal for and the installation of the “Some Gave All” memorial. Inspired by the song lyrics “all gave some, but some gave all” and by the memories of friends and classmates, the allegorical artwork, sculpted and donated by James N. Muir ex-’68, recognizes the sacrifice of all Vietnam veterans and their courageous devotion to the ideal of human liberty. Currently residing in the cemetery, the memorial has been positioned in different locations around West Point to inspire cadets.

Remembering at West Point

Since the Academy’s bicentennial, there have been a number of memorials built around post to honor the sacrifices of the West Point classes of the 1960s. At the start of the 2005-06 academic year, the Arvin Physical Development Center, named after Captain Carl R. “Bob” Arvin ’65, was unveiled to the Corps of Cadets. While the new gymnasium was built with appropriated funds and named after Arvin by the government, the Class of 1965 funded a project to further pay tribute to the former First Captain. Adorned with a plaque prominently displayed on an interior column, the space, located in the main lobby, not only honors Arvin but also the other 24 members of the Class of 1965 who died in Vietnam. In 2015, in conjunction with its 50th Class Reunion, the Class of 1965 undertook another project and created the Arvin Alcove. Featuring a first-rate display, the Arvin Alcove explains to current cadets the rationale of the gym’s name, detailing Arvin’s achievements in the hope of inspiring cadets to selfless service.

Staying with the Arvin Physical Development Center, the Class of 1962 Fitness Room is a 15,000-square-foot space dedicated to cadet and community fitness. “One section of this room has a plaque and other signage with information recognizing First Lieutenant Frank Reasoner ’62, a Medal of Honor recipient,” says Lieutenant Colonel Gus Fishburne ’62 (Retired). “Another section contains a large, framed etching, an actual rubbing from the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, of the names of our 22 class members KIA in Vietnam.” On the occasion of their 30th reunion, the members of the Class of 1962 established an endowment to ensure that the room and its equipment is maintained in perpetuity, and on the occasions of their 40th and 50th reunions they added to this endowment. Also, during these milestone reunions, members of the class toured this room and remembered their fallen who are memorialized on its walls. They repeated this ritual just this spring when they returned to West Point for their 60th reunion. The Class of 1962 Fitness Room is a floor below Hayes Gym, formerly the East Gym, which was named for Thomas J. Hayes IV ’66, who was killed in action in Vietnam.

Photo: Submitted by Freed Lowrey ’67

Inspired by the song lyrics “all gave some, but some gave all” and by the memories of friends and classmates, the allegorical “Some Gave All” memorial, sculpted and donated by James N. Muir ex-’68, recognizes the sacrifice of all Vietnam veterans and their courageous devotion to the ideal of human liberty.

The Class of 1967, individually and collectively, has also recognized several Vietnam KIA classmates by naming facilities at West Point in their honor, including one of the three indoor pistol ranges within the Tronsrue Marksmanship Center, named for Captain Gary Carlson, and the Foley-Enners-Nathe Lacrosse Center, co-named for First Lieutenant Ray Enners and First Lieutenant Mike Nathe.

In 2008, for its 40th Class Reunion, the Class of 1968 presented the Academy with a gift in memory of their fallen classmates, the Class of 1968 Rotunda in the Jefferson Library and Learning Center. A bronze plaque in the Rotunda identifies the 20 names from the class being memorialized.

Future—Next Year and Decades From Now

With the 2014 completion of the Memorial Room in Cullum Hall (see page 10), the Academy has moved away from class gifts associated with KIA classmates, but this hasn’t stopped the classes of the 1960s from finding new ways to honor their war dead. The Class of 1964, for example, now holds a military appreciation golf tournament at the Golden Horseshoe Golf Club in Williamsburg, Virginia. This charitable event raises funds for surviving spouses and children of KIAs from all conflicts. “In our first year, 2019, a member of our class decided to honor his KIA Ranger Buddy with a memorial sign on the golf course,” Evans says. “Word then spread throughout our class’s golfing community of this memorial gesture, and a proposal

arose from our class golfers to raise money for the 2020 tournament to honor all of our KIA classmates.” Last year, all 117 deceased members of the Class of 1964 were honored with more than $20,000 raised. “My classmates will not stop at anything to make a donation to another classmates memory,” Evans says.

In 2016, the Class of 1963, which lost 20 classmates in Vietnam, dedicated a plaque to their fallen at the Mt. Soledad National Veterans Memorial in La Jolla, California. Finally, the Class of 1966 is currently putting the finishing touches on its 60th anniversary gift, one that Morton says “will—in perpetuity—commemorate, remember and refresh the memory of our brothers who were killed,” fulfilling the promise that General Clark made in his 2018 speech at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Details have not been finalized, but the class is confident that this legacy gift will continue the work they have been doing for the past 50 years to remember their fallen for another five decades or more, well after the last of member of 1966 has joined the ghostly assemblage of the Long Gray Line. “I cannot tell you how big of a smile this puts on my face to know that the current generation of cadets, 50 or 100 years from now, will be looking at the names of Fred Bertolino, Tommy Hayes, and all the classmates that we lost,” says Morton. When it comes to “Gone, But Not Forgotten,” Morton believes that his class’s legacy gift will be “putting a round right in the bullseye…if not a shot-through.”

Photos: Courtesy of Paul Martin; JAmie Enow/WPAOG

“Our Vietnam guys are still special when we do our ceremonies. Their legacy is important to us.”

— COL (R) Dan Evans ’64

Left: For its 30th Class Reunion, the Class of 1968 presented the above print, titled “Band of Brothers” and designed by Paul Martin, to family members of its 20 classmates who died in Vietnam. Right: The Arvin Alcove on the second floor of Building 727, the Gymnasium, honors CPT Carl R. “Bob” Arvin ’65, First Captain of the Corps of Cadets who was killed in Vietnam in October 1967.

Rocky Versace ’59 Still Here in Ghostly Assemblage Thanks to Others Gripping Hands

Even while the Vietnam War was still raging, the USMA classes of the 1960s were ensuring that those members of the Long Gray Line lost in the jungles of Southeast Asia were not forgotten. In 1969, Major James “Nick” Rowe ’60, a Vietnam prisoner of war for more than five years, returned to the Academy only months after his December 31, 1968 escape and rescue and addressed the Corps of Cadets. After discussing his own harrowing ordeal, Rowe ended his talk by telling the cadets about another POW, Captain Humbert Roque “Rocky” Versace ’59. “This was a West Point graduate!” Rowe exclaimed to the cadets. “In September 1965 Captain Versace was executed by the Viet Cong...because he set an example as an American officer that the Viet Cong could not tolerate having

known to the world...a man to whom, I know, ‘Duty, Honor, Country’ meant more than words: Rocky lived this code.”

Versace volunteered to serve as an advisor in Vietnam and began a one-year tour there on May 12, 1962. While serving, Versace received a calling to the priesthood and applied to Maryknoll Seminary to begin his theology studies upon his return to the United States. His letters home reflect that he deeply admired and respected the people of Vietnam, especially the children, and this may account for his decision to extend his combat tour by six months. Two weeks before his scheduled departure, Versace was wounded in a fierce firefight and captured alongside Rowe and Sergeant First Class Daniel Pitzer on October 29, 1963. For the next 23 months, he was imprisoned in a bamboo cage that was not much bigger than a coffin. Rowe said that, despite trying all means to do so, “[the Viet Cong] couldn’t break him; they couldn’t even bend him.” Fluent in French and having completed the Vietnamese Language Course at the Defense Language Institute, Versace pushed back against his interrogators in their own language. He even tried to escape three times, despite three bullet wounds to his left knee. He was the embodiment of the

Members of the Class of 1959 take part in the 2019 Memorial Day ceremony at the Captain Rocky Versace Plaza and Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Alexandria, VA.

Army’s Code of Conduct. “He died because of this stand; he died for what he believed in,” said Rowe, “and I am going to see that he is remembered.”

True to his word, Rowe told members of Congress Versace’s story of valor, faith, and ultimate sacrifice. He had a private Oval Office visit with President Nixon and told the commander in chief that Versace deserved the Medal of Honor. Finally, he wrote Five Years to Freedom in 1971 and dedicated the book to the memory of Versace. Some years later, after reading Rowe’s memoir, Duane Frederic—a U.S. Army Vietnam Veteran, POW researcher, and freelance writer—took up championing the Versace cause, producing the 150-plus-page “Congressional (sic) Medal of Honor Recommendation for CPT Humbert Roque Versace” white paper.

At the same time Frederic’s staff study was plodding through the DC bureaucracy, a group of five high school friends from Alexandria, Virginia, two of whom were friends of the Versace family while growing up, formed the “Friends of Rocky Versace” (FoRV) group and undertook an effort to name a new 600-student elementary school after their hometown acquaintance. In 1998, John Gurr ’59 learned of the FoRV’s endeavors and joined the group, becoming a liaison between FoRV and the Class of 1959. During the September 2000 meeting to vote on the new school’s name, Gurr gave an

impassioned plea on behalf of FoRV. Unfortunately, another name was selected, but David Speck, a member of the Alexandria City Council told Gurr that something good would come from the work done by FoRV and the Class of 1959.

On January 13, 2001, the Alexandria City Council voted unanimously to approve the Rocky Versace Plaza and Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial at the Mount Vernon Recreation Center. Just four days later, FoRV was notified by Congress that Army Secretary Louis Caldera ’78 had approved Versace’s Medal of Honor nomination. On July 6, 2002, Versace’s family, the USMA Class of 1959, and FoRV unveiled a statue of Versace at the plaza dedication, and, two days later, President George W. Bush made Versace’s posthumous Medal of Honor presentation to Dr. Stephen Versace, Rocky’s brother.

Currently, members of the Class of 1959 and FoRV remember and honor Versace at annual Memorial Day and Veterans Day ceremonies. “Our class had 15 KIA in Vietnam,” says Colonel Robert Weekley ’59 (Retired), Secretary of the Class of 1959.

“Rocky Versace became a hero to us and stands prominent among the class heroes—the killed, the wounded, and the many highly decorated—and we gather as a class at the Rocky Versace Memorial to honor service, not just the heroic service of Rocky but of all who put their lives on the line.” 

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2022 Distinguished Graduate Awards

Tuesday of Graduation Week? Check. Academy celebrating those classes holding a 50th to 75th reunion? Check. “Old Grads” marching across Diagonal Walk to lay a wreath at the base of Thayer Statue? Check. For the first time since 2019, all the traditional ingredients were in place for the West Point Association of Graduates to confer “Distinguished” status on a new cohort of graduates.

On May 17, six members of the Long Gray Line received a Distinguished Graduate Award (DGA) during a cadet review on the Plain.

Since 1992, the Distinguished Graduate Award has been bestowed upon those West Point Graduates whose character,

distinguished service, and stature draw a wholesome comparison to the qualities West Point strives for in keeping with its motto “Duty, Honor, Country.” The 2022 class of graduates is no exception:

Lee A. Van Arsdale ’74, a former member of Delta Force, played a key role in Operation Just Cause (Panama–1990) and earned a Silver Star for actions during the Battle of Mogadishu (Somalia–1993).

Frederick C. Lough ’70 spent 50 years saving lives, 30 as a military combat surgeon and 20 as a civilian heart surgeon.

Rebecca S. Halstead ’81 spent 27 years as an Ordnance officer, culminating as Chief of Ordnance and the first female graduate of West Point to attain the rank of general officer.

John F. Campbell ’79 served nearly five years in combat—19 months in Iraq; 36 months in Afghanistan—and served as the Vice Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army.

Nadja Y. West ’82, the U.S. Army’s first Black woman lieutenant general and the 44th Army Surgeon General, has broken new ground at every stage of her career, which now includes serving in vital academic and non-profit leadership positions.

WEST POINT ASSOCIATION OF GRADUATE S

Alex Gorsky ’82 rose through the ranks of Johnson & Johnson and currently serves as Executive Chairman, leading this top-10, $90 billion global company with recognizable West Point values.

Addressing the Corps of Cadets gathered in the Mess Hall for the DGA luncheon, Todd Browne ’85, WPAOG President and CEO remarked that all six of this year’s Distinguished Graduates symbolize the common ideals connecting all generations of graduates. Check!

Photo: Erika Norton/WPAOG

2022 Distinguished Graduate Awards

COL (R) Fred Lough Jr., MD—soldier, scholar, and surgeon—has spent 50 years saving lives, 30 as a military combat surgeon and 20 as a civilian heart surgeon. In 1970, after Ranger School, Lough was selected for the Army Medical School Scholarship Program, receiving his medical degree from the George Washington University in 1975. He trained as a general surgeon and heart surgeon at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. He transitioned to civilian medicine in 1987 and became the Chief of Heart Surgery at the Reading Hospital in Reading, PA. While there, he performed several thousand heart operations. In 2005, he was recruited to be the Director of Heart Surgery at the George Washington University Hospital. Lough left this position twice to bring his surgical skills to the battlefield in the Global War on Terror, joining the U.S. Army Medical Corps Reserves in 2007, at age 59. In 2010, Lough volunteered for service in Afghanistan, and was the chief surgeon for the 4th Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division. In 2012, he deployed again to Afghanistan and served with the 628th Forward Surgical Team, the busiest combat surgical team in Afghanistan, supporting the 173rd Airborne Brigade. Lough’s base was attacked by a truckborne IED that killed or wounded more than 45 soldiers and civilians. Uninjured himself, he led the response to the attack, treating the wounded and erecting a new tented operating room within hours of the IED explosion. Lough and all members of his unit were awarded the Combat Action Badge, a first in Medical Corps history. He received a Bronze Star Medal for his actions. “His service is marked by honor, distinction, and singular selflessness,” notes Senator Jack Reed. In 2013, Lough returned to full active duty and was assigned to the Uniformed Services University (USU), the military’s medical school. Colonel Lough retired from active duty in January 2021, over 50 years after his commissioning at West Point.

Given his long tenure with the 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta, better known as the famed Delta Force, COL (R) Lee Van Arsdale was in the shadows for much of his career, yet his lifetime of devotion to the values of “Duty, Honor, Country” have never been in the dark. Van Arsdale branched Infantry upon graduation and was assigned to the 101st Airborne Division after Airborne and Ranger School, where he was an Honor Graduate. He volunteered for Special Forces and was subsequently assigned to the 10th Special Forces Group as commander of an A Team. In 1985, Van Arsdale started the arduous process of training for assignment to Delta, remaining with “The Unit” until 1996, becoming the West Pointer with more time in the Special Forces than any other graduate of the Academy. While with Delta, Van Arsdale played a key role in Operation Just Cause (Panama), including personally holding ousted dictator Manuel Noriega while he was cuffed. He was also part of the Battle of Mogadishu in Somalia in 1993, more commonly known as “Blackhawk Down” from Mark Bowden’s book and the 2001 film. Van Arsdale earned the Silver Star for leading troops through intense enemy fire to the chopper crash site, extracting the bodies of fallen soldiers, and directing the force “back through hostile fire” to safety. Upon retirement, Van Arsdale was CEO of Triple Canopy, a private security company serving military and government clients known for its code of ethics. Van Arsdale is currently the co-chairman of Creative Radicals, a software company supporting the war on terrorism. “One of the characteristics for the Army’s Special Forces is ‘Quiet Professional,’” says Wade Y. Ishimoto, Distinguished Senior Fellow at Joint Special Operations University. “Lee Van Arsdale epitomizes a quiet professional: he is humble, a great mentor and leader, with superb personal and professional standards.”

Frederick C. Lough ’70

Lee A. Van Arsdale ’74

In his 37 years of service in an Army uniform, GEN (R) John F. Campbell has led or commanded at every echelon, from a platoon in Germany to the multinational coalition in Afghanistan (“Operation Enduring Freedom and Resolute Support Mission”). Prior to becoming a general officer, Campbell had assignments with the 82nd Airborne Division, 25th Infantry Division and deployed to Haiti in Operation Uphold Democracy as the aide-de-camp for the XVIII Airborne Corps Commander and served as the executive officer to the 35th Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army. His record is further distinguished by nearly five years of service in combat: 19 months in Iraq as the Deputy Commanding General for Maneuver (DCG-M) for Multi-National Division—Baghdad for both the 4th Infantry Division and the 1st Cavalry Division and as the Deputy Director for Regional Operations for the Joint Staff; 36 months in Afghanistan as the commander of Combined Joint Task Force 101 for Regional Command East and as the commander International Security Assistance Force and United States Forces—Afghanistan. In addition to his numerous awards and decorations, Campbell was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for his service commanding the 101st Airborne Division in 2011, the Distinguished Service Medal for his service as Vice Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army in 2014, and the Defense Distinguished Service Medal for his service commanding both U.S. forces and a multinational coalition in 2016. Throughout his time in uniform, Campbell has not forgotten West Point, supporting cadet projects, speaking at conferences on leadership and ethics, and especially offering recommendations to strengthen the Honor Code. “He [has] rarely missed the opportunity to mentor and develop future leaders and connect beyond organization structures to ensure the success of the U.S. Army and our Soldiers,” says GEN James McConville, 40th Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army.

Reading about the accomplishments of BG (R) Rebecca “Becky” Halstead, one is likely to see the phrase, “The first woman to…” (be promoted to flag officer from all of the Service Academies, command in combat at the strategic level, become Chief of Ordnance, and more); yet, for those who worked with and for Halstead, gender had nothing to do with the exceptional qualities which distinguish her from nearly any other leader. As commander of the 10th Mountain Division Support Command (DISCOM), she deployed to Afghanistan as a logistics staff officer for Coalition Task Force Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom. In 2005, she deployed to Iraq as the Commanding General of 3rd Corps Support Command (COSCOM) and was responsible for leading over 25,000 military and civilian personnel, located in 55 geographically dispersed bases, covering 168,000 square miles, providing essential supply, maintenance, and transportation support to over 250,000 deployed personnel. A year later, she was assigned as the Army’s Chief of Ordnance and commanded the U.S. Army Ordnance Center and Schools. Halstead is known throughout the Army for her “STEADFAST” leadership (“Soldiers, Training, Excellence, Attitude, Discipline, Family and Friends, Accountability, Service, and Teamwork”), principles that she’s conveyed to countless soldiers and adapted for civilians in her book 24/7: The First Person You Must Lead is You. Her book, along with her 2011 Harvard Business School Case Study, “Steadfast Leadership,” have become integral to leader development training for thousands of college students, corporate leaders, and others. Regarding Halstead, GEN (R) Dennis Reimer, 33rd Chief of Staff of the Army, said “She is a trailblazer, an enlightened leader, a consummate professional and most of all a role model for all—male or female.”

John F. Campbell ’79

Rebecca S. Halstead ’81

2022 Distinguished Graduate Awards

ASSOCIATION OF GRADUATE

“Alex Gorsky is one of the greatest leaders in contemporary American business,” says Kenneth Frazier, Executive Chairman of Merck & Co. A superb athlete and company commander of E-2, Gorsky graduated from USMA in 1982 and served six years as a Field Artillery officer, earning the Ranger Tab and his Airborne wings. In 1988, he began his highly distinguished career at Johnson & Johnson as an entry-level sales representative, advancing through positions of increasing responsibility that culminated in being named CEO and Chairman in 2012, one of just seven leaders who have served in this dual role since the company was listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 1944. With Gorsky at the helm, J&J has grown to more than $90 billion in sales and one of the top-10 global companies today, developing numerous treatments to battle the world’s deadliest diseases: Ebola, Zika, HIV, and COVID-19 (the single-shot vaccine). Using the lessons he learned as a cadet, Gorsky leads J&J according to West Point values, with its “Credo” bearing close resemblance to West Point’s motto: “Duty, Honor, Country.” J&J’s ethical leadership development programs under Gorsky have been profiled in Military Times and U.S. Veterans Magazine, and he has been a long-time advocate of the veteran community, serving on the board of directors of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society and Travis Manion Foundation. Gorsky is also a generous supporter of West Point and has participated in multiple speaking engagements at the Academy (including Ring Weekend and 500th Night), and promoted efforts to recruit diverse candidates for West Point. Philip Murphy, Governor of New Jersey, J&J’s home state, said of Gorsky: “His deep commitment to philanthropy and humanitarian efforts has done immeasurable good and uplifted not only fellow New Jerseyans, but people across the nation.”

LTG (R) Nadja West deserves to be counted among the Distinguished Graduates of our Alma Mater,” says GEN (R) Martin Dempsey, the 18th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. “[She] exemplifies the balance of technical skill, leadership, and character that we seek in our officer corps.” West followed her brother, Class of 1976, to West Point, entering the Academy two years after service academies opened their doors to women. She initially branched Ordnance then was selected for medical school, training at the George Washington University School of Medicine and later serving as a Medical Corps officer at Fort Benning, GA. West deployed with the 197th Infantry Brigade, 24th Infantry Division for Operation Desert Shield and was attached to the 2nd Battalion, 69th Armored Regiment for Operation Desert Storm. She also deployed to the former Yugoslavian Republics of Macedonia and Kosovo, serving as the Deputy Task Force surgeon for the 1st Armored Division. In 2013, West became the first African American woman major general in Army medicine as well as the first African American woman major general of the active-duty U.S. Army, a distinction she repeated when she was promoted to lieutenant general in 2015 upon being appointed the 44th Army Surgeon General. West retired from the Army in 2019 yet continued to serve in vital leadership positions. She served as a Hauser Leader at the Harvard Kennedy School Center for Public Leadership for academic year 2019-20, was named to the Johnson & Johnson, Nucor and Tenet Boards of Directors in 2019 and 2020, and is currently a Distinguished Fellow of the Duke University Fuqua/Coach K Center on Leadership and Ethics. Nadja also serves on the boards of several non-profit organizations including the Bob Woodruff Foundation and Americares. “Nadja has broken new ground at every stage of her career, and she has done so with unblemished integrity, steadfast determination, and unmatched humility,” says ADM (R) James Stavridis, 16th Supreme Allied Commander at NATO. 

Alex Gorsky ’82

Nadja Y. West ’82

BG (R) Rebecca Halstead ’81 2022 Distinguished Graduate Award Recipient

FIRST woman West Point graduate promoted to General Officer

FIRST active duty member of the class of 1981 to be promoted to General Officer

FIRST woman to command at the strategic level

FIRST woman Chief of Ordnance and Commandant of the U.S. Army Ordnance School

“Somebody had to be first, and who better?…She has made an example for all to emulate.”

–MG Dewitt Irby

Congratulations from your Classmates

The Distinguished Graduate Award is given to graduates of the United States Military Academy whose “character, distinguished service, and stature draw wholesome comparison to the qualities for which West Point strives, in keeping with its motto: ‘Duty, Honor, Country.’”

“ The Select Few”

Nadja Y. West ’82

Alex Gorsky ’82

Congratulates the 2022 Distinguished Graduate Award Recipients:

Frederick C. Lough ’70

Lee A. Van Arsdale ’74

John F. Campbell ’79

Rebecca S. Halstead ’81

Alex Gorsky ’82

Nadja Y. West ’82

“At Patriots Colony you always feel included and welcome.

Tony enjoys every learning opportunity he can find, while his wife Gabrielle prefers to stay home, read and garden. Patriots Colony offers a wide array of clubs and activities to suit every interest.

Patriots Colony is a Riverside Health System active retirement community whose Independent Living is exclusive to former military officers, federal civil employees and their spouses or widow(ers). Enjoy gourmet dining options, an enriching social and activities calendar while being close to all the culture of this historic area.

Everybody looks out for you.”

History is Memorialized for the Corps

By Erika Norton, WPAOG staff

When cadets walk around the Plain, they see the history of West Point enshrined in bronze faces and granite names, each one meant to inspire and educate the Corps of Cadets. In order to keep this rich history alive for the Corps and for visitors to West Point, every person or group of people memorialized by a monument, plaque or sign is reviewed by West Point ’s Museum, Historical, and Memorialization (MHM) Committee.

Created in 1952 during the sesquicentennial of the United States Military Academy and governed by a U.S. Army regulation, the committee reviews and recommends memorialization projects, which are then approved by the Superintendent or, if necessary, the Secretary of the Army.

There are certain criteria, but ultimately the memorialization needs to tie back to West Point’s history.

“Everything goes back to the lineage, the history of West Point and the Long Gray Line,” said David Reel, Director of the

Photo: Erika Norton/WPAOG

West Point Museum and an MHM member. “That carries through everything.”

Reel, along with his colleagues on the committee, evaluates potential memorialization projects throughout the year. The chairman of the committee is almost always an academic department head at USMA, and the rest of the committee can include the museum director, a representative from the Garrison, at least two representatives from different academic departments, (notably USMA’s Department of History), the command historian, USCC, and a non-voting representative from the West Point Association of Graduates. The Directorate of Public Works, specifically the Cultural Resources Division, is also a part of the committee to make sure potential projects do not conflict with existing historic structures, since the Academy is a national historic landmark district with certain restrictions.

The largest and most recognizable memorialization projects are monuments and statues, the two most recent ones being the Ulysses S. Grant Statue on the Plain and the Buffalo Soldier Monument at Buffalo Soldier Field. Once a project is approved and its funding secured, the search for a sculptor and the artistic design process begins. According to Reel, oftentimes historic artifacts, such as Grant’s actual coat (which is currently on display at the West Point Museum), are used as a reference in the design of the statues in order to ensure authenticity and accuracy. Before a full-size statue is cast, a miniature model (a maquette) is created in order to visualize how it might look and to make sure all the specific details are correct.

According to Reel, the goal is to catch any inaccuracy or mistake before it is forever preserved in the statue and becomes a Bugle Notes legend for cadets to memorize. Old Grads may recall that all the mistakes on the French Monument—a curved saber but straight scabbard, wind blowing in one direction and the coat tails in the other, a button unbuttoned, and the cannonball being larger than the bore of the cannon—are documented in Bugle Notes and memorized by plebes during Cadet Basic Training.

Battle Monument, the monument memorializing the officers and soldiers of the Regular Army killed in the U.S. Civil War, is one of Reel’s favorites, due to its history. The monument was completed by Stanford White, who was one of the foremost architects in America at the time. Because the granite column was so heavy and large, engineers actually laid train tracks up to what is now Trophy Point so that the polished granite shaft of Battle Monument could be delivered via a train.

As far as recent projects, the MHM Committee worked with historians and the museum to create audio tours

Photos: John Pellino/USMA PAO; West Point Museum

One of the MHM Committee's most recent projects involved the Buffalo Soldier Monument, located on the west side of Buffalo Soldier Field. Above: Before the full-size statue was cast, a miniature model, called a “maquette,” was created.

at several historic places around West Point. There are now little, green, hand-cranked boxes that play a recorded oral history of the site. These boxes are placed at several locations throughout West Point, including Trophy Point, Flirtation Walk, Kosciuszko’s Garden, and on Constitution Island. The goal is to educate visitors as well as cadets and to connect the latter to the history of the Long Gray Line, which they will soon be a part of come Graduation Day.

“We’re trying to make them aware of the history that surrounds them,” Reel said.

Another way the committee does this is through plaques and signage. The committee worked to create a sign memorializing where General Rochambeau and his army traveled during the American Revolution. General Rochambeau and his French troops traveled down the East Coast, and there are now historical sites all along the way. The sign memorializing his stop at West Point is right outside the West Point Museum and the Frederic V. Malek West Point Visitors Center so visitors, cadets and graduates can view it when they visit the museum.

Just north of that sign, on June 6th, the committee placed a marker to memorialize a visit from the Marquis de Lafayette, another military officer who fought in the American Revolution. In the beginning of the 19th century, almost 50 years after the war, Lafayette came to West Point and spoke to the Corps of Cadets. He also presented a clock to the Corps, which is now housed in the Superintendent’s Quarters. While Rochambeau and Lafayette weren’t West Point graduates themselves, they touched the lives of the Long Gray Line and impacted the history of West Point. These historic visits, and the greater narrative of how integral West Point was during the American Revolution and the founding of America itself, will be memorialized through this signage so this history will be remembered by future generations of the Corps.

“I think it’s important that we remember our history,” Reel said. “We do memorialization very specifically at West Point. We do it because people and events are connected to the history of West Point. It’s not just West Pointers. That’s where Rochambeau and Lafayette and folks like that are highly poignant. These markers tie West Point into the bigger history of the United States.”

Photos: Erika Norton/WPAOG; WPAOG archives

Left: The MHM Committee is also responsible for signage, such as the one just west of the Frederic V. Malek West Point Visitors Center that memorializes General Rochambeau’s stop at West Point. Right: The Committee has placed green, hand-cranked boxes at several historic places around West Point, including the Great Chain, that play a recorded oral history of the site.

The French Monument contains several mistakes, which are documented in Bugle Notes, but the MHM Committee plans carefully to avoid such mistakes in future monument and statue projects.

MAILBOX

We regret that, because of limited space, we cannot publish all letters received. Letters may be edited and shortened for space. Submit comments or questions to Editor@wpaog.org, or chat with us on one of our WPAOG social media channels.

FROM: COL (R) Phillip Blake ’60

There is an omission in the otherwise excellent “Past in Review” article in the 2022 Spring issue. The author mentions the heroic act of Captain Colin P. Kelly Jr. ’37, but there’s more to the story. President Roosevelt ordered that Kelly’s young son, Colin III, only a year-and-a-half old at the time of his father’s death, be given an appointment to USMA when he became of age. Young Kelly accepted the “Son of Deceased Veteran” appointment and entered with the Class of 1963. I was his Beast Barracks company commander. Commissioned in Armor, he later became an Episcopal chaplain. While he was a student at CGSC in 1979-80, our paths crossed again. I was an instructor at CGSC, and my family and I attended the Episcopal service held at the old Post Chapel. Colin occasionally conducted the service as a guest priest. The last time we met was after I had retired and became the commandant of cadets at Marion Military Institute in Alabama. Colin, a graduate of MMI, came for a visit. Colin Kelly III retired from the Army in 1983 as a lieutenant colonel, but he is still an active priest at age 82.

RESPONSE:

We love these “connections” stories. They powerfully demonstrate the close ranks of the Long Gray Line, and retelling these stories helps WPAOG continue its mission to be the most highly connected alumni body in the world. Thank you; keep sending us these stories!

FROM: LTC (R) Rolfe Arnhym ’53

Read with interest the story of the Brigade organizational structure over the years in the 2022 Spring issue. What could have been included was why there is and was no “J” Company.

RESPONSE:

The author actually considered this question in drafting the story but could not find a definitive answer to its omission and thus didn’t raise the matter in the article. One popular theory is that in 18th century English the capital “I” and “J” were interchangeable, especially when handwritten. This is supposedly why Thomas Jefferson identified his personal possessions with “T.I.” This practice continued into the Civil War period, even with the advent of typeface. The capital letters “I” and “J” in this old-style font looked alike and were therefore easily confused with one another. Thus, to prevent a company from becoming temporarily attached to a different battalion, the theory is that the Army did not allow for a “J” company.

FROM: COL (R) Ed Dewey ’67

On page 10 of the 2022 Spring issue, the photo caption states that it is the “Class of 1966 showing company flags from the four regiments for the first time.” This is incorrect as they were firsties when this four regiment change came about. All the “cows” shown are my classmates, Class of 1967. Enjoy the publication very much. Just a small correction.

RESPONSE:

We thank you for pointing out that correction, and we apologize for making it in the first place. We found the image in the 1966 Howitzer and did not take note of the service stripes on the right sleeve of each cadet’s uniform. Also, in the same article, we erroneously mislabeled MG Westmoreland’s graduation year. He graduated in 1936. We have corrected the text in the online version of the 2022 Spring issue.

FROM: Bob Kocher ’74

I found the 2022 Spring issue enjoyable, particularly the history of how the Corps has gotten to where it is now. The article on company culture was very good, but I do have a question/correction. In the section of the article detailing Company E-2, the “Brewdogs,” Cadet Walker states, “We’ve had the same mascot, a Saint Bernard ‘Brewdog,’ for decades, since the 1960s.” Please find attached a picture of my company mug. I was a member of E-2 all four years at the Academy, and I know that in all those years the picture on all class mugs was the same. The dog is obviously not a Saint Bernard. Keep up the good work on the magazine.

RESPONSE:

Is that a Great Dane in that red sweater and bowler hat? Or is it just a cartoon hound drawn by a cadet? Either way, it is a fascinating piece of E-2 history, and it confirms another one of Cadet Walker’s points in the article: “We have a lot of tradition to live up to,” he says, “And” (like you and your former E-2 companymates) “we are very proud of that fact too.”

Before, During, After: WPAOG Enhanced Memorial Support

Alittle

more than two years ago, the West Point Association of Graduates unveiled its “2030 Strategic Plan,” which is designed to unlock the power of the Long Gray Line in WPAOG’s dual mission to serve West Point and its graduates. The first goal in WPAOG’s 2030 Strategic Plan focuses on ways to enrich the significant moments in a graduate’s life, as well as those of his or her family. As melancholy as it may be, one of those life-journey moments is death, and WPAOG has made memorial support for the Long Gray Line a priority so that graduates can have peace of mind regarding the moment General MacArthur called, “cross[ing] the river.”

The Memorial Support program was born from the unique position that USMA holds as not only an academic institution but also an active military installation, allowing only authorized access onto its grounds. “The services of the Memorial Support team allow us to assist the families with this access, in a formal procession that is consistent with the respect and dignity that is West Point,” says Barbara St. John, manager of the program.

The success of the program over the past decade has led to enhancing the level of support (beyond the day of assistance) to serve graduates and their families. These two new initiatives are designed to broaden the scope of the Memorial Support

program to include both pre-funeral planning and post-event engagement, ensuring lifelong membership in (or connection with) the “Long Gray Line.”

Before: The Pre-planning Stage

The partnership between WPAOG’s Memorial Support and members of the Long Gray Line often starts with a call to discuss the vision of a graduate’s end-of-life wishes. “There is naturally a lot of stress when it comes to the subject of one’s death,” says St. John; “while never easy, having these conversations with your family now, will ultimately help surviving spouses and children, at the inevitable time.” Preplanning begins with a call between St. John, the graduate (and usually the spouse) during which his or her questions are answered. “There is so much to think about and many elements to cover surrounding one’s vision for their funeral, but together, we break it down into manageable steps,” she says. This is why WPAOG’s Memorial Support program exists. “We are a resource to sift through all the information that is already out there and a place to get answers to many questions graduates have concerning this last big step in their lives,” St. John says.

Photo: WPAOG archives

During: Committal in the West Point Cemetery

Once a graduate (or his or her spouse) passes, WPAOG’s Memorial Support team works closely with both the West Point Cemetery and the family in preparation for the day of the funeral service. “After the date is confirmed by all parties (the cemetery, the family, clergy, honor guard, etc.), we act as a resource for information, (accommodations, flowers, reception locations, etc.) and always assure them of our assistance with one of the biggest concerns: getting family and guests access on post without delay,” says St. John. “We paint the picture of how the day will look, sharing both logistical information—which the family can easily pass on to other family memories, guests and classmates—as well as a link to the graduate’s Be Thou at Peace web page, which can then be shared with everyone so that they can offer tributes or gifts in honor of the deceased.”

On the day of the memorial service, the Memorial Support team will seamlessly move the group from the meeting point via a formal procession to the chapel and/or cemetery. “The procession is intentionally led at a 15mph pace, during which we encourage the family and their guests to pause and allow the beauty of West Point to surround them, and the strength of over 200 years of history to support them, as we bring their loved one to their final resting point,” says St. John.

The assistance described was originally made possible in 2008 by a generous donation from Mrs. Betty Dettre in memory of her husband, Major General Rexford H. Dettre, Class of 1943 January (Retired). Mrs. Dettre herself passed away in April, yet her gift, along with additional continued support from the Long Gray Line and others, will continue to allow WPAOG’s Memorial Services Assistance Program, part of WPAOG’s Memorial Support, to coordinate funeral services at West Point as it has done for more than 1,500 families since its endowment.

After: Nurturing a Legacy

Losing a loved one is difficult, and WPAOG’s Memorial Support program and the Long Gray Line want surviving spouses and family members to know that they are not forgotten after a graduate is laid to rest. “We want them to remain connected to and engaged with West Point,” says St. John. “We encourage surviving spouses and family members to attend their deceased graduate’s class reunion, participate in a West Point Society event or Founders Day celebration, and enjoy one of the many services available to them through WPAOG.”

“We are also here and ready to assist should they wish to honor their loved one in other ways,” says St. John. In this vein, WPAOG’s Memorial Support team can be a resource to those who wish to discuss options for planned giving, donating a graduate’s class ring, memorializing a loved one with a brick or paver on the historical grounds surrounding Herbert Alumni Center, or honoring a deceased graduate with a lasting tribute in TAPS magazine and on WPAOG’s Be Thou at Peace web page. WPAOG’s Memorial Support program is honored to assist the West Point Cemetery in delivering the “Final Salute” to West Point graduates who have dedicated their lives in the service of this nation. Says St. John, “It is a privilege to be a part of WPAOG’s Memorial Support team and to serve the Long Gray Line.” 

To learn more about the resources available through WPAOG’s Memorial Support program, please visit WestPointAOG.org/ DettreMemorialProgram

“We encourage surviving spouses and family members to attend their deceased graduate’s class reunion, participate in a West Point Society event or Founders Day celebration, or enjoy one of the many services available to them through WPAOG.”

—Barbara St. John, WPAOG’s Engagement Manager for Surviving Spouses

WPAOG's Brick and Paver program allows graduates and friends of West Point the opportunity to etch a meaningful inscription on a brick or paver that will be placed on the historical grounds surrounding the James K. Herbert Alumni Center.

Gripping Hands

1990

Williams Promoted

1983 Gilland Appointed 61st USMA Superintendent

On June 23, the U.S. Senate confirmed LTG Darryl A. Williams ’83 for appointment to the rank of general and an assignment as Commanding General, U.S. Army EuropeAfrica/Commander, Allied Land Command, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Germany.

2013 2014

Four Active-Duty Grads Named 2023 Olmsted Scholars

Four active-duty West Point graduates were recently selected as members of the Olmsted Scholar Class of 2023:

CPT Alexander N. Holland ’13 (will study in Florence, Italy)

CPT Tyler W. Sinisgalli ’13 (will study in Krakow, Poland)

CPT Andrew C. Blood ’14 (will study in Bogota, Colombia)

On May 22, the U.S. Senate confirmed MG Steven W. Gilland ’90 for a promotion in rank and an assignment as USMA’s 61st Superintendent. Gilland assumed command of the Academy during a change of command ceremony on June 27, soon after receiving his third star. Prior to his promotion, Gilland had been serving as the Deputy Commanding General of III Corps at Fort Hood, TX and served as the 77th Commandant of Cadets from June 2017 to June 2019.

CPT Alexander S. Jefferies ’14 (will study in Rabat, Morocco)

Over the next three years, these officers will complete language training and pursue graduate studies at foreign universities. They join 142 other USMA graduates who have been selected as Olmsted Scholars since 1960, many of whom later attained important positions of senior leadership in the Army. To date, USMA ranks second in the nation among all undergraduate institutions in the number of Olmsted Scholars selected. The Olmsted Scholar Program was established by Major General George H. Olmsted (Retired), who was the First Captain of the Class of 1922 and a major benefactor to West Point.

Photos: Submitted by COL (R) Mark B. Elfendahl ’89; U.S. Army

“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

CPT Alexander N. Holland ’13 CPT Tyler W. Sinisgalli ’13

CPT Andrew C. Blood ’14 CPT Alexander S. Jefferies ’14

General Officer Announcements

The following officers were confirmed by the U.S. Senate:

LTG Randy A. George ’88 for appointment to the rank of general and assignment as Vice Chief of Staff of the Army, Washington, DC

LTG Andrew P. Poppas ’88 for appointment to the rank of general and assignment as Commanding General, United States Army Forces Command, Fort Bragg, NC

MG Sean C. Bernabe ’92 for appointment to the rank of lieutenant general and assignment as Commanding General, III Corps and Fort Hood, TX

MG Omar J. Jones IV ’92 for appointment to the rank of lieutenant general and assignment as Commanding General, Installation Management Command, Joint Base San Antonio, TX

BG Tina B. Boyd ’89 for promotion to the rank of major general.

The Chief of Staff of the Army announces the following officer assignments:

LTG Ronald P. Clark ’88 to Senior Military Assistant to the Secretary of Defense, Washington, DC

MG Peter B. Andrysiak Jr. ’90 to Director, J-3, United States European Command, Germany

MG Gregory J. Brady ’91 to Chief of Staff, United States Strategic Command, Offutt Air Force Base, NE

MG Todd R. Wasmund ’91 to Commanding General, Southern European Task Force-Africa/Deputy Commanding General for Africa, United States Army Europe-Africa, Italy

MG Michelle A. Schmidt ’92 to Director, Force Development, G-8, United States Army, Washington, DC

BG Clair A. Gill ’94 to Deputy Director for Regional Operations and Force Management, J-3, Joint Staff, Washington, DC

For promotion to the rank of brigadier general:

COL Michael J. Simmering ’93

COL John P. Cogbill ’94

COL Geoffrey A. Norman ’94

COL Kimberly A. Peeples ’94

COL Christopher D. Schneider ’94

COL Brian D. Vile ’94

COL Gail E. Atkins ’95

COL Jonathan C. Byrom ’95

COL Jason A. Curl ’95

COL Mark D. Miles ’95

COL Steven P. Carpenter ’96

COL Matthew W. Brown ’97

Parents Corner

Welcome to Parents of the Class of 2026

The West Point Association of Graduates offers a range of services for cadet parents. West Point, WPAOG’s quarterly alumni magazine, is mailed to all cadet parents free of charge. WPAOG also sends a monthly enewsletter containing Academy news updates to parents of cadets. Parents (and grandparents, siblings, extended family members, etc.) are encouraged to follow WPAOG’s social media channels— Facebook, Twitter, and Instragram—and to check out WPAOG’s website for Cadet News, in addition to the WPAOG podcast at WestPointAOG.org/podcast. Parents are also encouraged to subscribe to WPAOG’s newsfeeds, which will deliver Academy news straight to their email account. Visit WestPointAOG.org/ParentResouces for additional information and WPAOG resources available to parents.

Members of WPPC-South Florida Bond at NHL Panthers Game

Parents of the West Point Parents Club of South Florida bonded socially by attending the Buffalo Sabers vs. Florida Panthers hockey game at the FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, FL on April 8. The Panthers won a thrilling game, 4-3, thanks to a goal within the final 37.3 seconds. The club was publicly welcomed by the home team on its scoreboard during the third period. The Florida Panthers Hockey Club is owned by Vincent J. Viola ’77.

Congratulations to the Parents of the Class of 2025

The parents of the rising yearlings took home the crown as the winner of the West Point Parents Fund Challenge with a dominating display of generosity. The parents of the Class of 2025 donated nearly $54,000 during the 2022 West Point Challenge and earned their cadets a class pizza party in the process. Thanks to parents of all class years, WPAOG raised more than $100,000 for the West Point Parents Fund, which supports the Margin of Excellence and makes a difference in nearly every cadet’s West Point Experience.

Army West Point Gymnastics: A Physical and Mental Sport

By Keith J. Hamel , WPAOG staff

Photo: Erika Norton/WPAOG

Dr. Doug Van Everen (right), head coach of the Army West Point Gymnastics Team since 1990, and Mathew Davis '22, co-captain of the 2022 team.

“Every cadet an athlete”: Addressing the importance of competitive athletics—the requirement that every cadet participate in a corps squad, competitive club, or company athletics sport—the Academy says that “[competitive athletics] contributes to mental and physical fitness and allows cadets to achieve the highest levels of physical development through a program that emphasizes a lifelong pursuit of personal fitness.” Every cadet is also required to take PE117: Military Movement. Focused on specific gymnastic skills—such as tumbling, vaulting, hanging, jumping and landing—and designed around past and present recognizable gymnastic apparatuses—such as the horizontal bars, vertical ropes, trampoline, pull-up bar, and (every cadet’s favorite) the indoor obstacle course—does passing PE117 alter the famous dictum to “every cadet a gymnast?” Hardly, but those who are gymnasts on the Army West Point Gymnastics Team exhibit some of the highest levels of the traits that the “every cadet an athlete” philosophy is meant to instill.

“Gymnastics is a hard sport to master,” says Dr. Doug Van Everen, head coach of the Army West Point Gymnastics Team. “Unlike some sports that people can play at a basic level just by watching others or after a few hours of instruction, it takes 10plus years of successes and failures to really handle the physical risk elements associated with competitive gymnastics.”

But gymnastics is not only about physical skills: there is also a mental component to gymnastics. “It is a very strict and disciplined sport, very physically and mentally demanding,” says Mathew Davis ’22, the Army West Point Gymnastics Team cocaptain last year, Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Senior Gymnast of the Year, and a finalist for the 2022 NissenEmery Award, college gymnastics’ highest honor. Before attending the Academy, Davis sometimes trained twice a day, for a total of six hours, to develop the mental discipline needed to become a Division I collegiate gymnast.

Major General John Longhouser ’65 (Retired) believes that the physical endurance and mental demands he experienced as a four-year member of the Army Gymnastics Team, for which he won an ECAC championship and regional championship in trampoline, made him and his teammates better officers, leaders, and contributors to Duty, Honor, Country. “Gymnastics requires an underlying form of Duty, Honor, Country, and that is commitment, focus, and discipline,” he says. “Development of physical gymnastics, above those strength and skills promoted throughout the West Point experience itself, allowed grad gymnasts to demonstrate leadership by example and, in some cases, became the difference between life and death in a combat situation.” Longhouser also notes that the mental skills needed

Photo: Erika Norton/WPAOG

Members of the 2022 Army West Point Gymnastics Team during a practice session at the Gross Center.

to eliminate distractions so that a gymnastic competitor “hits every routine, every time, both in practice and in competition” carry forward in the Army both in training and in combat. “As an officer, you are responsible for your life and the lives of those you lead,” he says, “and the mental toughness of a gymnast aids in fitness tests, skill certification, and success on the battlefield.” Longhouser points to his classmate Colonel Tad Ono ’65 (Retired), the recipient of two Silver Stars, as an example of an Army gymnast who has been recognized for his physical and mental toughness. In total, 65 former Army gymnasts have earned the Silver Star, the third-highest military decoration for valor in combat.

Getting Started

Gymnasts have long been some of the best cadet athletes at West Point. Even before there was a Gymnastics Team at the Academy, the best athletes of each class participated in the annual “Indoor Meet,” an intramural competition that started in 1894 and for which more points were allotted to gymnastic events (rope climb, flying rings, parallel bars, side horse, etc.) than any other sport. (Over time, the Indoor Meet also included fencing, boxing, wrestling, swimming, and general “athletic” events.) In 1923, the Academy formed the “Gymnasium Squad,” a team of 21 gymnasts who not only competed in the Indoor Meet but also had the opportunity to compete against the University of Pennsylvania in West Point’s first inter-collegiate gymnastic meet. According to the 1923 Howitzer, “Army’s best showing came in tumbling.” One member of the first Gymnasium Squad, Francis E. Gillette, Class of 1924, won the Foster Memorial Cup in the annual Indoor Meet for having the most first place scores in all rounds (he tied with classmate Harry McHugh for this prize the year before).

Two years later, in 1925-26, the “gym squad,” as they were known around the Academy, became an official team, competing against the likes of Dartmouth, M.I.T., Princeton, and Temple. While successful, earning a 4-2 winning record it just its second year of existence, the gym squad had to fight for recognition among the Corps. “For many years the gym squad has been the source of irritation to those squads which were forced to practice inside while awaiting the spring thaw,” notes the 1927 Howitzer. “The squad was pushed into one corner of the gym and dire threats were made if they ventured past their screen.”

The Bond of Brotherhood

While the “gym squad” turned Gymnastics Team has gained acceptance and acclaim in the ensuing decades, producing 11 undefeated seasons and more than three dozen All-Americans (including Robert Sears ’36, a three-time national champion), it has prided itself on retaining that sense of closeness that must have come from its early isolation. “It is no surprise that cadet gymnasts form an additional bond beyond their class affiliation,” says Longhouser. “While they are not in the same company or attend the same classes, the time they spend in the gym, both in and off season, binds them together.”

“I immediately noticed the bonds between members of the Gymnastics Team when I made my recruiting visit,” says Davis. “There is a sense of brotherhood on this team, and it was a big factor in my decision to come here.” While he was captain, bringing the team together and keeping teammates close to each other remained his priority. “We have a team saying, ‘Brotherhood Over Everything,’” Davis says. “This team goes through West Point together.” Asked to pick a highlight from his

1LT Howie Pontuck Wall of Distinction

On January 15, 2022, in conjunction with the 30th annual West Point Gymnastics Open, the Army West Point Gymnastics program held a dedication to unveil the “1LT Howie Pontuck Wall of Distinction” at the Gross Center. The ceremony paid tribute to Pontuck and recognized distinctive Army Gymnastics alumni whose livelong service reflects exceptional distinction while on active duty, through public service, and in the private sector.

First Lieutenant Howard Samuel “Howie” Pontuck ’66 was a three-year letterman during his time at West Point and captain of the 1966 Army Gymnastics Team. Upon graduation, Pontuck was commissioned as an Infantry officer. His service led him to Vietnam where, on March 8, 1968, while serving as a military assistance and training team leader in the Phong Dinh Provence, he was tragically killed by an anti-personnel mine. He

Submitted by ODIA

is one of 333 West Point graduates who died or went missing in action in Southeast Asia between October 1957 and September 1972.

During the unveiling ceremony, Army Gymnastics Head Coach Doug Van Everen told Pontuck’s classmates and friends that their “consistent tributes to Howie through their actions, words, and generosity to the Army Gymnastics program has made First Lieutenant Howie Pontuck an enduring and inspirational beacon for this program.” Coach Van Everen concluded his remarks saying, “I never had the opportunity to meet Howie, but I feel his influence on me and this program every day.”

The 1LT Howie Pontuck Wall of Distinction recognizes the nearly 60 alumni of the Army Gymnastics program who earned the rank of general officers. The Wall also identifies the Army gymnasts who became Prisoners of

War and the more than 70 Army gymnasts who earned one or more of the nation’s top three medals of valor. Two of those recipients, Colonel Tad Ono ’65 (Retired) and Dr. Tory Wilson ’66, were present at the dedication ceremony, and another, Lieutenant Colonel Lewis Higinbotham ’62 (Retired), one of only four Army gymnasts to have been the recipient of three Silver Stars, watched the ceremony online. The ceremony included a moment to reflect on the lives of the 22 Army gymnasts who made the supreme sacrifice in defense of our nation. Their names were read while their graduation photos were projected on the screen.

In the ensuing years, as part of the West Point Open, Coach Van Everen noted that the Army West Point Gymnastics program will welcome past team members back to the Gross Center to induct more individuals for recognition on the Wall. 

CDT Connor Cavanagh ’24 performs a routine on the pommel horse at the 2022 NCAA Men’s Gymnastics Championship at the University of Oklahoma.

successful four years on the team, Davis quickly points to coming back two weeks early at the end of the summer and a week early after Christmas break every year in order to train with his teammates. “It’s just us in the gym working out as a team,” he says. “Definitely my favorite part.”

Longhouser says that this special relationship formed while on the Gymnastics Team provides the glue that keeps teammates in touch with each other long after graduation, and he credits the team’s current head coach, Doug Van Everen, for taking the Gymnastics Team bond to a new level. “Doug has communicated with us, kept us linked in, and allowed us to become part of the continuing legacy of Army Gymnastics,” Longhouser says. “Until Doug came on the scene, cadet-grad relationships were absent—I don’t remember any Old Grads coming back during my time with the team—but his focus on past-grad connectivity is the lynchpin to a powerful relationship that exists today.”

floor viewing area and educates them on the members of the Army Gymnastics community who have achieved a career of professional excellence and service to the U.S. Army and the nation. “We have tons of alumni support, and we owe it to all of them to shine and do great things,” says Van Everen.

The Leader of Future Leaders

Ever since he arrived at West Point in 1990 (he is the longesttenured coach presently at the Academy), Van Everen and the Gymnastics Team have been about doing great things. He is the second-winningest coach in the program’s history, trailing only Olympic coach Tom Maloney’s mark of 211-34-6 (.853) from 1931 to 1966. However, as Van Everen himself says, “I’ve never been interested in my W-L record; I’m more interested in putting my gymnasts in a position to do well on the national scene, putting them against the best out there—Olympic and national team members—and trying to get them to rise to that level.”

Under Van Everen, Army West Point Gymnastics has been wellrepresented individually at the NCAA Championships. A school-record 12 individuals met the standard in 2003, with nine meeting the criteria in 2012, 2016, 2017 and 2018. Van Everen has mentored four NCAA All-Americans—Imad Haque ’94, Ben Hayward ’99, Dustin Greenhill ’03, and Brian Lee ’09—and he has coached 32 ECAC champions, who have won a combined 80 titles. “Everyday, we are pushing the gymnasts on the team to the max,” Van Everen says. “That’s the goal; that’s my job, and it’s in concert with what the Academy is doing—all the stress, all the pressure, all the training, all the grind, all the pain and all the sacrifices.”

— Dr. Doug Van Everen, head coach of the Army West Point Gymnastics Team

That powerful relationship has manifested itself in several ways. For example, there is the West Point Open, a three-day competition for elementary through college-level gymnasts that celebrated its 30th anniversary in January 2022. “It is not uncommon to have more than 20 Gymnastics Team alumni come back each year and support the West Point Open,” says Van Everen. Van Everen and former Army gymnasts also established an endowment in 2005 to help fund aspects of the Gymnastics Team. “The endowment program created by Doug and chaired by Major General Neal Creighton ’53 (Retired) has offered an opportunity for grads to give back and, in many cases, reestablish their connections with the Gymnastics program,” says Longhouser. Passing the $5 million mark this year, the endowment has been used to purchase new equipment, hire an assistant coach, and equip the Gross Center—one of the best gymnastics facilities in the nation (named after lead donor Louis Gross ’54)—with a new sound system. The “network of excellence,” as Van Everen calls the Gymnastics Team alumni, came through again in January 2022 with the 1LT Howie Pontuck Wall of Distinction (see sidebar on page 66), which greets spectators as they enter the Gross Center’s 321-seat, second

“Coach has been stern and demanding,” says Davis, “but he sets the team up for success.” Davis notes that he knew about the intensity of Coach Van Everen and the Gymnastics Team before making his decision to come to West Point. “I wanted to see what I am capable of, and I believe you can learn a lot about yourself at a place that holds you to such a high standard,” he says. According to Davis, Van Everen constantly stresses the importance of academics and military training to members of the Gymnastics Team. Proving this point, 16 Army West Point gymnasts garnered 2022 ECAC All-Academic Team honors for having a cumulative 3.0 GPA or higher. “So, when we are in the gym, these matters are not hanging over us, and we can focus on the hard work that we need to do to be better gymnasts,” he says.

“Every group of gymnasts who has come through this program talks about Coach in a good way, in an appreciative way, and it is impressive to see how much of an impact he’s had on this team throughout the years.”

“I tell my gymnasts when they arrive on R-Day, ‘You are in the top 99 percent, mentally and physically of all those coming in, so be ready for a challenge,’” says Van Everen, “If, after graduation, a former gymnast says to me, ‘I’d do that again,’ then I know I did well.” 

“I tell my gymnasts when they arrive on R-Day, ‘You are in the top 99 percent, mentally and physically of all those coming in, so be ready for a challenge.’ If, after graduation, a former gymnast says to me, ‘I’d do that again,’ then I know I did well.”

Military Retiree Recognition Program

WPAOG’s Military Retiree Recognition Program honors our military retirees for their service and sacrifice. If you retired on October 1, 2017 or later, you and three guests are eligible for a free Grad Insider Tour, as well as a free night at The Thayer Hotel, subject to restrictions. We will also publish your name in West Point magazine, with your permission. If you wish to participate, please contact retiree@wpaog.org to learn more.

The following graduates retired from active, reserve, or National Guard duty. We thank you for serving this great nation, and the Association looks forward to serving you. 

Be Thou at Peace

Dr. Richard H. Reitmann 1943 JUN

COL Richard C. Crane USA, Retired 1945

LTC John W. Fehrs USA, Retired 1945

LTC Jack N. Hoffman USA, Retired 1945

MG Ira A. Hunt Jr. USA, Retired 1945

Maj Gen Kendall Russell USAF, Retired 1945

Mr. John W. Storb 1945

Mr. Edward J. Conlin Jr. 1946

COL Joseph O. Meerbott Jr. USA, Retired 1946

CPT John D. Miley USA, Retired 1946

COL John Perkins III USA, Retired 1946

COL Josiah A. Wallace Jr. USA, Retired 1946

MG John C. Faith USA, Retired 1947

Lt Gen Arnold W. Braswell USAF, Retired 1948

Col Clarence C. Elebash USAF, Retired 1948

COL Fred E. Wagoner Jr. USA, Retired 1948

COL Philip M. Whitney Jr. USA, Retired 1948

Mr. Kenneth W. Miller 1949

LTC Stephens W. Nunnally USA, Retired 1949

Mr. Robert J. Stuart 1949

COL Russell A. Glenn USA, Retired 1950

COL Emmett C. Lee Jr. USA, Retired 1950

CPT David P. Pettit USA, Retired 1950

Lt Gen Winfield W. Scott Jr. USAF, Retired 1950

Mr. James D. Bick 1951

Mr. Frederick L. Denman 1951

COL Lee E. Duke USA, Retired 1951

Mr. Bruce E. Elmblad 1951

Mr. Barry M. Harriss 1951

Mr. Robert P. Janssen 1951

COL Jack W. Martin USA, Retired 1951

LTC Robert W. Milburn USA, Retired 1951

LTC Charles N. Wallens USA, Retired 1951

Lt Col Thomas H. Williams USAFR, Retired 1951

COL Craig Alderman Jr. USA, Retired 1952

Col Louis L. Churchill USAF, Retired 1952

Mr. Warren J. Hayford IV 1952

Mr. Daniel P. McMahon 1952

Mr. James A. Rodrigues 1952

Brig Gen John P. Rollston USAF, Retired 1952

COL Robert L. Russell USA, Retired 1952

Dr. John W. Shy 1952

COL Warren A. Spaulding USA, Retired 1952

Deaths reported from March 16, 2022 – June 15, 2022

BG Donald G. Weinert USA, Retired 1952

Mr. Harold E. Bauer Jr. 1953

COL Robert E. Glasgow USA, Retired 1953

LTC Felix L. Liveoak Jr. USA, Retired 1953

LTC Ronald E. Button Jr. USA, Retired 1954

Mr. Gayle W. Cantrell 1954

COL James D. Chandler USA, Retired 1954

LTC Lewis H. Ham Jr. USA, Retired 1954

BG Edwin C. Keiser USA, Retired 1954

Mr. Leonard V. Lundberg 1954

Mr. Norman F. Stephen 1954

LTC John A. Sulik USA, Retired 1954

COL Harry E. B. Sullivan USA, Retired 1954

MAJ Prosper N. Walker USA, Retired 1954

LTC Charles F. Bliss III USA, Retired 1955

LTC William T. Cummings USA, Retired 1955

COL Sidney E. Mason USA, Retired 1955

COL David F. Maurer USA, Retired 1955

MG Carl H. McNair Jr. USA, Retired 1955

Mr. John H. Pratt 1955

COL John C. Johnson USA, Retired 1956

COL Ivar W. Rundgren Jr. USA, Retired 1956

LTC Marshall D. Schoonmaker USA, Retired 1956

LTC William K. Schrage Jr. USA, Retired 1956

COL George J. Woods Jr. USA, Retired 1956

LTC Gerald S. Hawley USA, Retired 1957

COL Albert H. Krapf II USA, Retired 1957

LTC James D. Salzman USA, Retired 1957

LTC Thomas K. Shuff III USA, Retired 1957

LTC Edmund A. Wilhelm USA, Retired 1957

Col Donald R. Edwards USAF, Retired 1958

Mr. James H. Hankee 1958

COL Robert N. Mathis USA, Retired 1958

LTC Robert J. Moore USA, Retired 1958

LTC Frank S. Besson III USA, Retired 1959

Col David R. Carroll USAF, Retired 1959

Mr. Frederic B. Hall III

COL Victor T. Letonoff USA, Retired

COL Thomas K. O'Malley USA, Retired

Mr. Richard T. Schofield III

Col Donald A. Dreesbach USAF, Retired

BG Gary L. Brown USA, Retired

COL Larry L. Mengel USA, Retired 1962

COL Christopher R. Robbins USA, Retired 1962

COL Harold E. Sprague II USA, Retired 1962

Col Lawrence G. Dapra Jr. USAF, Retired 1963

Mr. Thomas A. Badger 1964

COL Arnold H. Gaylor USA, Retired 1964

Dr. Leo P. O'Connell 1964

Judge John R. Smoak Jr. 1965

LTC Lowry A. West USA, Retired 1965

COL William T. Harvey USA, Retired 1966

Mr. Phillip M. Fracker 1967

Mr. Thomas C. Rothrauff Jr. 1967

Mr. Maurice D. Adams 1968

LTC Thomas B. Maertens Jr. USA, Retired

Mr. Wayne E. Grant

COL Frank M. Juric USA, Retired

Mr. Jeffrey T. Tucker

Mr. Mark W. Hemenway

Dr. Lee R. Pollock

Mr. Peter L. Smith

Mr. Dennis C. Brown

Mr. Kevin C. Conlon

Mr. Robert J. Henning

Mr. Malachy P. McGree

COL John P. McMullen Jr. USA, Retired

MAJ Robert P. Ronne Jr. USA, Retired 1975

Mr. Greg A. Bowers

Mr. Norman G. Girardin 1979

CPT Joan S. Grey USA, Retired 1980

Mr. Thomas J. Scruggs III 1980

Mr. David N. Shelley 1980

MAJ Randall A. VonRosenberg USA, Retired 1980

Mr. Mark A. Fichten 1981

COL Arthur D. Glikin USA, Retired 1981

Mr. Michael S. Ingham 1984

Mr. Brandon A. Steele 1985

Mr. John S. Bacot Jr. 1986

Dr. Norman G. Freund 1987

LTC Thomas L. Sands Jr. USA, Retired 1989

Mr. Bryan E. Campbell 1990

Mr. Anthony J. Ebert 1992

LTC Stephen G. Kneeland USA, Retired 1992

MAJ Eric A. Ewoldsen USA 2007

1LT Stephen H. Broadus USA, Retired 2019

Past in Review War, Women and West Point: A Remarkable Journey

By Ann McCallum Staats , Guest Writer

December 3, 2015 was a momentous day. “There will be no exceptions”: The Pentagon Press Briefing room was packed as Secretary of Defense Ash Carter made this pronouncement. He continued, “Those who serve are not judged based on who they are or where they come from, but rather what they have to offer to help defend this country.”

Secretary Carter was, of course, referring to the last of the gender restrictions in the U.S. military. Starting in 2016, those women who met the standard and who qualified would no longer be excluded from certain assignments or military occupational specialties based on their gender. Though the U.S. Military Academy at West Point had opened its

doors to women decades earlier, other organizations had dragged their heels. This would change.

“Our force of the future must continue to benefit from the best people America has to offer,” Secretary Carter said. “In the 21st century, that requires drawing strength from the broadest possible pool of talent.” Though women had technically been held back from certain assignments in the decades preceding Secretary Carter’s announcement, in reality they had been participating in our nation’s wars since the country’s founding in the 18th century, sometimes in the thick of battle. Laws or not, there had often been a fine line between what was considered combat-related and what was not. And while sometimes that line

had been blurred, other times it hadn’t existed at all.

Today, if you visit the West Point Cemetery, you’ll see a tall, stone monument near the Old Cadet Chapel. The monument honors Margaret Cochran Corbin, a Revolutionary War hero who participated in the Battle of Fort Washington on November 16, 1776. The image on the monument’s plaque shows a woman wearing a long dress and a cape. She has a powder horn strung over her shoulder and her hair is flying back in the wind. She’s also holding a ramming rod, one of the necessary pieces of equipment needed when firing a cannon. During the critical moments of battle, Margaret did just that. Her husband, assigned to operate one of the cannons, had just

Above: The monument for Margaret “Molly” Corbin (left), the only monument, street, or building at West Point that memorializes a woman veteran; and the headstone for 2LT Emily Perez ’05, the nation's first Black woman to be killed in action (Iraq, 2006).

been shot and killed. Margaret took over until she was too grievously injured to continue. Captain Molly, as she was later called, survived and was eventually granted the first U.S. military pension awarded to a woman.

Fast forward to 1975. Anne Fields was a senior in high school when she came home one auspicious day to find that the governor of Kentucky had just called. He wanted to congratulate Anne for her acceptance into the first ever class to include women at West Point. At the point women entered in 1976, nearly 33,700 men had graduated from the institution. Now, finally, West Point was opening its doors to 119 women.

Nervous but exhilarated, Anne tried to prepare. But how could she get ready to join an organization that had operated as men-only for 174 years?

Determined to succeed, on July 7, 1976, her Reception Day, Anne pledged to uphold the Constitution and live by West Point’s motto: “Duty, Honor, Country.” She knew it was a tremendous opportunity to attend West Point, but it was an enormous responsibility, too. Though President Ford signed Public Law 94-106 to allow women to join the Long Gray Line, it was up to this class to prove that women deserved to be there. It would be a rocky four years.

Facing the same physical standards as the men, Anne found running with a heavy rucksack especially grueling. Then, some of the men were less than welcoming, even downright hostile towards the inclusion of women. When 62 of the original 119 women marched into Michie Stadium on May 28, 1980 to attend their graduation ceremony, the gravity of what had been accomplished was hard to quantify. Anne watched, barely breathing, as the first woman graduate, Andrea Hollen, received her diploma. Yet, as thrilling as it was to graduate from West Point, Anne knew that this was only the beginning.

Throughout her Army career—she rose to brigadier general before her retirement in 2011—Anne constantly evaluated everything she did. She worked to be a role-model, an exemplary leader and inspiration for others to follow. Life seemed to come full circle when she helped train young women in the Afghan National Army Officer Candidate School.

Not many years after the first class of West Point women graduated, Deb Kotulich was also a cadet at the Academy. Athletic and driven, she was a perfect candidate for West Point. By now, though some of the kinks had been ironed out, there were still many obstacles for women. Deb recalls having to wear a man’s tie for the first two years until it was finally replaced by a women’s neck tab. She also contended with ill-fitting equipment such as her rucksack—the frame was designed for a man’s broader shoulders, and it was a challenge to make it work. There were other, more subtle problems, too. However, no matter what negativity she experienced, Deb vowed to never be the weak link. For herself and for the women who would follow, Deb aimed to excel.

When Deb graduated in 1990, she took her place as one of the “Proud and Mighty.” She deployed to Germany, where she recalls picking up a broken piece of the Berlin Wall. It was a poignant reminder of the end of the Cold War—and the uncertainty of what would come next. Years later, after rising to the rank of major general, Deb often reminds herself, “I owe everything I am today to the Army.”

Thousands of others have followed in the footsteps of the first West Point women, making vital contributions and earning incredible “firsts.” When Rebecca S. Halstead, Class of 1981, was promoted to general officer, she became the first woman graduate of West Point to do so. The Class of 1982’s Nadja Y. West rose to lieutenant general and was the Army’s

first black surgeon general. Taking a different route, Lieutenant Colonel Anne McClain, Class of 2002, was the institution’s first woman astronaut. Some West Point women gave their lives in the name of freedom. First Lieutenant Laura Walker ’03 was born into a military family and excelled as a cadet. Besides interning for the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, she was captain of the West Point Women’s Handball Team that won the National Collegiate Championship. She was an Engineer officer and was killed in action on August 18, 2005 while serving in Delak, Afghanistan. The first woman graduate to die in combat, Walker was buried in the West Point Cemetery. Buried near Walker’s grave site is Second Lieutenant Emily Jazmin Tatum Perez ’05. Emily, full of energy and drive, excelled in track, sang in the choir, and earned the prestigious position of cadet brigade command sergeant major. Soon after graduation she deployed to Iraq with the Medical Service Corps. Sadly, on September 12, 2006, Emily was in the lead Humvee when it was struck by an improvised explosive device. She was 23 when she was instantly killed, making her the country’s first Black woman officer to be killed in action. Today, it’s been nearly half a century since West Point began accepting women applicants. Over 5,000 women have graduated and moved on to serve in critical roles, sacrificing to defend the nation. The words of Secretary Carter echo in history, “No exceptions.” The truth resonates: Women at West Point have been exceptional. 

Ann McCallum Staats is the author of several books. In her Women Heroes of the US Army, she explores women’s involvement in the U.S. Army from the American Revolution to today. She is an avid researcher, writer, and reader.