West Point Magazine Winter 2011

7 ON THE COVER First Captain

Marc Beaudoin ’11 has traveled the world and immersed himself in various cultures. Now he commands the Corps of Cadets as First Captain and has selected Infantry as his branch.

30

Undiscovered Truths and the Sympathetic Imagination

Dr. Elizabeth D. Samet tours the North Slope of Alaska with two of her former students prior to the deployment of their brigade to combat.

28

Fort Putnam

It was the keystone in Kosciuszko’s fortress West Point that prevented the British from dividing the colonies by freely moving their forces along the Hudson River.

Dean Tim Trainor ’83

Brigadier General Tim Trainor promises no “seismic shifts” as the 13th Dean of the Academic Board but a Systems Engineering approach to fine tune the curriculum and allocation of resources.

IN THIS INAUGURAL ISSUE D EPARTMENTS

8 Boots on the Ground

In a volunteer army fighting on two fronts, how can the demands of deployment, necessary training and family life be balanced?

12 The Ace of Clubs

The Director of Cadet Activities is responsible for the “most robust extracurricular program in the country.”

18

Nininger Award

Captain Bobby Sickler ’05 stressed teamwork as key to the success of his helicopter scout team in destroying insurgent vehicles in Mosul, Iraq.

21 West Point Prep School

The U.S. Military Academy Preparatory School has moved several times during its existence, but now it is returning to West Point.

22 Journey to Vietnam

Cadets met with a former bodyguard of Ho Chi Minh and viewed both cultural sites and former battlefields in Vietnam.

34 Development Engineering in Honduras

In many cases, the best efforts to provide engineering solutions in developing countries succeed or fail at the lowest levels.

37 Women’s Soccer Team

Stefanie Golan was named Patriot League Women’s Soccer Coach of the Year, and the team won the regular season title (4-0-3).

38 Alexandra Lostetter ’11

Co-captain Alex Lostetter allowed only six goals all season and is Army’s all-time shutout leader.

To The Long Gray Line:

Welcome to West Point magazine!

The Board of Directors and the staff of the West Point Association of Graduates (WPAOG) take great pride in sending this inaugural issue of West Point to as many of you as possible. West Point is part of our overall strategic communications effort to engage graduates and other “Hearts in Gray” in support of the U.S. Military Academy and Corps of Cadets. In the coming months, you can expect to see additional informationsharing initiatives, and enhanced content across all media.

The thing that unites us as graduates is the formative four-year experience many of us had as cadets at West Point. Regardless of whatever career path each of us chose or professional success we may have achieved, at one point we all reported to the Cadet in the Red Sash, endured Plebe swimming, bivouacked at Camp Buckner and grew into adult Leaders of Character who later went on to serve our nation. This magazine is designed to focus on, celebrate, and reconnect all of us with today’s West Point and the magnificent young men and women who have stepped forward to “follow close order behind” us in the Long Gray Line.

ASSEMBLY, with its focus on the activities of alumni and other constituents, will change format and still be sent to those who have subscribed. Over time, we anticipate many of its features, particularly Class Notes, will move to a platform on the WPAOG website, where classmates can update their information more frequently and without the space limitations of today.

We hope that you will support West Point magazine and continue to support the national treasure that is West Point with your time, talent, and resources to keep both strong now and in the future. Go Army!

West Point, for Thee!

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

P UBLISHER

West Point Association of Graduates

E DITOR IN C HIEF

Julian M. Olejniczak ’61 845-446-1517 jay.olejniczak@wpaog.org

E DITORS

Joyce Jones

845-446-1520 joyce.jones@wpaog.org

Sylvia Graham 845-446-1562 sylvia.graham@wpaog.org

E DITORIAL A DVISORY G ROUP

John Calabro ’68

Jim Johnston ’73

Kim McDermott ’87

Maryellen Picciuto ’86

Samantha Soper

A DVERTISING

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

A DDRESS U PDATES

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

D ESIGN Impel Creative

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

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

POSTMASTER

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

West Point is published quarterly in Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall by the West Point Association of Graduates, 698 Mills Road, West Point, NY 10996-1607. Periodicals postage paid at West Point, NY 10996 and additional mailing offices.

Send address changes to Tammy Flint, West Point Association of Graduates, 698 Mills Road, West Point, NY 10996-1607. West Point is printed by QuadGraphics.

Jodie Glore ’69 Chairman West Point AOG Board of Directors

Bob McClure ’76 President & CEO West Point AOG

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

H.

A Letter from the Superintendent

Congratulations to the West Point Association of Graduates on this premier issue of WestPoint magazine. This is a great way for WPAOG to keep the Long Gray Line informed about the United States Military Academy. West Point’s most important mission is to produce commissioned leaders of character committed to the values of Duty, Honor, Country, and prepared for service to the nation. Our vision echoes and reinforces the mission: “West Point is recognized as a preeminent leader development institution whose graduates—a principal source of commissioned officers for the United States Army—are leaders of character; the foundation of our professional military ethic, and a critical resource of intellectual capital for the nation.”

West Point magazine illustrates many of the ways in which we accomplish that mission and move to the vision. Feature articles will cover cadet life, academics, athletics, and special enrichment opportunities.

done in both our departments and at our centers of excellence, like the Combating Terrorism Center and Systems Engineering’s Operations Research Center. The Bionic Foot project is an outstanding example of this kind of connection to our Soldiers. You will read all about these special contributions in this and future issues.

Time, Treasure, and Talent is our theme for involvement. Share your special talents with cadets, faculty, or West Point community members as you can. Share your treasure by supporting events, academic enrichment programs, or other projects which capture your imagination. Spend time telling the West Point story in your own communities.

Every graduate has a great story worth telling. West Point magazine will illustrate a few, but there are 48,000 of you with much more to tell. We ask that you seek opportunities in your own communities to strengthen your ties to the Americans we serve while highlighting West Point’s

As an international landmark, West Point has much to offer our visitors, from Trophy Point to Fort Putnam, and from our world class museum to our legendary monuments that speak to the valor and sacrifice of our graduates. Feature articles in West Point magazine will highlight many of the important sites and activities of our post.

It is a high priority to the team here at West Point to contribute to our Army, as well as to the Department of Defense, through various forms of research and scholarship. Our cadets and faculty conduct research which is relevant and groundbreaking for the Army,

tremendous history, traditions, and current contributions to the nation.

We are excited that the West Point Association of Graduates is embarking on this new endeavor. For the first time, every graduate will receive an alumni publication. This is a great opportunity to strengthen our Long Gray Line and to reach out to those who can better understand the magnificent national role of our United States Military Academy.

Go Army!

David

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

“West Point magazine illustrates many of the ways in which we accomplish that mission and move to the vision. Feature articles will cover cadet life, academics, athletics and special enrichment opportunities.”

“I see the future of our curriculum as being more inter-disciplinary, with ever-increasing integration across all of the departments.”

—Brigadier General Tim Trainor ’83

TOWARDS AN INTERDISCIPLINARY CURRICULUM: AN INTERVIEW WITH BRIGADIER GENERAL T IM TRAINOR

B Y J ULIAN M. O LEJNICZAK ’61

Brigadier General Timothy E. Trainor, Ph.D., an engineer officer and former Professor and Head of the Department of Systems Engineering, is the 13th Dean of the Academic Board in the history of the United States Military Academy. He is married to a classmate, Colonel Donna Brazil, director of psychology studies in the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership, who has worked on teams establishing the National Military Academy of Afghanistan. They are the proud parents of daughter Cory, Class of 2013, and two sons in high school, Danny and Zach. Cory’s dad pinned airborne wings on her at Ft. Benning this past summer. In addition to his duties as Dean, Brigadier General Trainor taught Systems Modeling and Design in the fall semester.

What exactly does the Dean do?

The main thing that this Dean does is to ensure that the academic curriculum is right for developing the skills and attributes our young grads need in battle today and 15 years in the future. They must become critical thinkers and creative problem solvers who are prepared to face the inherently complex and uncertain situations that await them upon graduation.

To do that, we must attract and sustain a world class faculty, despite resource constraints, and ensure that they develop cadets into leaders—academically, physically, ethically and militarily.

Finally, we help the Army by providing our intellectual capital, creative thought, and academic and military expertise in solving difficult problems.

How does your systems engineering background help you as the Dean?

Systems engineering is inherently multi-disciplinary and about how we integrate many components into a whole, so I am comfortable with the diversity of curriculum and experiences across the breadth of our disciplines. Systems engineers take a holistic perspective in defining problems, designing and analyzing alternative solutions, making and implementing solutions that create value for stakeholders. These thought processes

are consistent with our need to develop critical thinkers and creative problem solvers who can deal with uncertainty. While there is constant pressure for specialization, like foreign languages and cultural competency, and an increased demand now for engineers in the Army, the strength of West Point is the broad-based liberal arts and engineering education that we provide to all of our cadets in the core curriculum. That must be maintained. We must continue to provide this world-class education in order to meet the needs of our cadets and the Army.

Academy of Afghanistan (NMAA). We’ve been doing that for a number of years now, and the fruits of our labor were recognized last year as NMAA graduated their first class. The Head of our Department of Physics and Nuclear Engineering, Colonel Ed Naessens ’81, is currently the senior mentor for their superintendent and dean. The Naval Academy recently joined the effort this summer, and along with the Air Force Academy they contribute faculty as mentors to this important mission. We will continue to support the Afghan academy and also continue to get others involved.

Where do you see the future of the curriculum?

I see a greater need for integration and coordination across the disciplines, another instance where being a systems engineer can be helpful. We might be able to allow for some additional specialization to meet the demands of the Army, but we must still provide that strong, broad-based liberal-arts, and engineering education. I see the future of our curriculum as being more inter-disciplinary, with ever-increasing integration across all of the departments.

Colonel Mike Meese ’81, Professor and Head of the Department of Social Sciences, recently went on a year-long sabbatical to support General David Petraeus ’74 in Afghanistan as a deputy chief of staff and strategic planner. We have other faculty members spending shorter amounts of time filling key staff positions to accomplish tasks such as strategic assessment.

Would you comment about outreach initiatives to the Army? West Point does a terrific job in that area, especially with the National Military

A significant portion of our outreach to the Army is accomplished through our Centers of Excellence, like our Combating Terrorism Center, Space and Missile Defense Command Center, Network Science Center and the Operations Research Center [see related feature article in this issue], and I see us doing more through these centers. The great advantage of these centers is that they integrate their work into cadet education. We want to sustain such research and outreach

Photo: Charlie Graham

activities and, if possible, expand them as resources permit because they enrich the educational experience for our cadets and provide opportunities to professionally develop our faculty, while contributing valued work for the DoD and the Nation.

What do you see as the future of the centers for excellence?

We will entertain proposals for new centers of excellence. In the Systems Engineering Department, we were working on a Center for Nation Reconstruction and Stability Operations when I moved to this position, and that proposal is being staffed now. However, there also may be a consolidation of centers due to resource constraints and evolving priorities. Our centers must be self sufficient and enhance our ability to accomplish the primary teaching mission. Centers can and should be an enabler of our teaching mission by providing cadets educational experiences outside of the classroom and helping faculty maintain the relevancy of our curriculum.

Would you comment on your civilian faculty?

Our civilian faculty members are a tremendous asset, and we are blessed to have them. Right now they represent about 27% of our faculty population. They are invaluable in that they provide the cadets a richer, more robust academic program and are the stability and continuity for the program. Our senior military faculty also provides stability, but I like to think of our civilian faculty as providing balance and perspective. When we think about developing curriculum and programs for cadets, our civilian faculty members can provide different and diverse perspectives. In Systems Engineering, our

civilian faculty members provided problem sets and domains that our military faculty typically could not. Our civilian faculty members also do wonderful outreach work with the Army and are able to seamlessly integrate this work into cadet education. Our senior civilian faculty members also provide great insight into the governance of the university. West Point, after all, more closely resembles a university than it does a typical military installation, and our senior civilian faculty members provide a unique perspective on how to govern and manage a university. They also provide a diverse range of experiences and thought processes that are much needed and appreciated by our cadets.

What about the recent emphasis upon cultural immersion experiences for cadets?

I think this has been an outstanding program for our cadets. What I see as the future of cultural immersion is continuing to reap the benefits of such programs for as long as resources permit. Cultural immersion provides a wide variety of experience and thought processes to cadets so as to shape them and make them more adaptable to the complex and uncertain operating environment that we discussed before. It takes cadets out of their comfort zone. What I would like to see are more cadets involved, even if for shorter periods of time, especially in the semester abroad program. Right now it is a bit limited—mainly to language majors, although we do get some engineers and other majors involved. We would like to have these programs available to all of our cadets, so that they can experience intellectual diversity and develop a broader perspective, which is essential to their success as Army leaders.

Systems Engineering has been likened to an attempt to repeal the Law of Unintended Consequences. What are your thoughts on that characterization?

As systems engineers, we are supposed to integrate all of the components, all of the disciplines, appropriate to developing or

revising a system or to solve a problem. As integrators, we are supposed to think through the effects of bringing together various disciplines and components to solve a particular problem or to build a new system. We think through the “what ifs,” the second and third order effects, of bringing together certain components of a system in order to develop a functioning whole. We are concerned about what will happen when we bring these components together, what will be the second and third order effects, or “unintended consequences,” so we can plan for and better design the system and prevent having such negative unintended consequences.

What changes, revolutionary or evolutionary, would you like to see in the West Point curriculum over the next five years?

Our core curriculum is very strong, and I want to ensure that it remains the centerpiece of preparing our cadets for their role as Army leaders who are critical and innovative thinkers prepared for their future complex operating environment. We may have to make some changes in order to continue producing these thinkers and leaders for our Army. One change will be better integration across the core curriculum to attain synergies and improve our efficiency in developing the skill sets that cadets require. In addition to better integration across the academic program, we will also see better integration of the military program and the physical program in terms of goals and outcomes. West Point does a terrific job with the Cadet Leader Development System (CLDS). This system works well in all of our programs: military, physical, ethical and academic. I think we will evolve towards increased integration across all programs under the framework of CLDS. We will continue with the current academic majors program, and I do not foresee any significant growth in the number of majors offered in the near future. Instead, we will refine the program to ensure that we are offering the right majors to develop commissioned leaders of character for the Army. 

Photo: Charlie Graham

First Captain

By Julian M. Ole J niczak ’61

His grandfather fought in World War II, and he applied to West Point to be mentally and physically challenged and to become an army officer at a time when our all-volunteer army is committed in two armed conflicts.

In high school, his favorite activities were basketball, football and running. Now, they are endurance running, travel, and leading the Corps of Cadets. To that end, his goals are instilling a sense of pride in the traditions of the Long Gray Line, promoting physical excellence, fostering esprit de corps and leaving a legacy of excellence for the cadets that follow him to emulate. He credits the core curriculum and the Professional Military Ethics courses with strengthening his character and motivating him to embrace the concept of officership by living the values of Duty, Honor, Country every day.

As a cadet, he has traveled far and wide on a Foreign Academy Exchange Program to India and a semester abroad in Lyons, France. Add opportunities for language training in Rochefort, France; a Cross Cultural Solutions trip to Bagamoyo, Tanzania; an internship with U.S. Army Africa Command; work with Women in Progress, Cape Coast, Ghana; and a stint with the Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute at the U.S. Army War College. Finish with Cadet Troop Leader Training with Special Operations, Africa Command, Timbuktu, Mali, and classified research done in Stuttgart, Germany, on the Horn of Africa as part of his academic major in International History.

Marc believes that one of the most exciting and inspirational things that he has done thus far as First Captain has been to promote the Tunnels to Tower Run in New York City that took place on Sunday, September 26, 2010. Over 1,200 members of the Corps of Cadets rose at 4:00 a.m. to participate in this run that duplicates the run made by Stephen Siller, a Fire Department of New York firefighter who, when prevented from entering the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel to assist on September 11, 2001, ran the three miles from the far end of the tunnel to the Twin Towers with all of seventy pounds of gear on his back after having finished his shift in Brooklyn.

First

Stephen and 342 others gave their lives by going above and beyond the call of duty. Approximately 23,000 other runners joined the cadets in this 9th annual run, including representatives of all branches of the armed services.

Marc, who selected Infantry as his branch in November, has this advice for any high school student considering West Point: “If you are interested in becoming a Cadet, you should involve yourself as much as possible in leadership roles, demonstrate a commitment to extracurricular activities, volunteer to serve in your community, and, most of all, study hard.” 

Photo: Sylvia Graham

captain Marc Beaudoin (right) with members of his staff.

Boots on the Ground:

Operations Research and the Search for Balance among Combat Deployments, Training, and Time at Home Station

T E x T AND PHOTOS B Y T ED S PIEGEL

What prompted Vice Chief of Staff Peter Chiarelli to make this statement and ensure that Major Matt Dabkowski ’97 from the Department of Systems Engineering’s Operations Research Center (ORCEN) and his Army G-1 colleague, Major Mark Zais ’97, briefed Chief of Staff General George Casey, and Secretary of the Army Pete Geren on the harsh realities involved with the BOG:Dwell challenge? In laymen’s terms, the Plans and Resources Directorate of the Army’s G-1 (Personnel) staff needs to continually assure that the Army can generate a force (ARFORGEN) of 16 Brigade Combat Teams (BTC) with their Boots on the Ground (BOG = deployed in a combat environment; Dwell loosely describes the time between overseas deployments, much actually spent away from home station undergoing MOS -oriented and unit training.)

Major Dabkowski, during his AY 2009 work as an ORCEN analyst, developed for the G-1 “a discrete event simulation using ProModel, which captures individual BOG:Dwell ratios for Infantry soldiers in the future, for varying levels of BCT demand, force structures, personnel forecasts, and policies.” The substance of this work was summarized in the ORCEN Research Overview for 2009: “This BOG:Dwell ratio is an important statistic which is tracked in depth, as it serves as a leading indicator of recruiting, retention and morale issues for the Army, its Soldiers and their families. With the current BOG:Dwell ratio for the Army’s 47 BCT ’s hovering between 1:0.85 and 1:1, it is not uncommon for a young Soldier to have spent 50% or more of his or her time in service deployed in support of on-going operations. Recognizing that these ratios are unsustainable, the Army has initiated programs and implemented policies aimed at improving these numbers to a goal of 1:2 .”

The Need for Operational Analysis

The Army’s growing need for operational analysis skills has contributed to the popularity of the Systems Engineering major. The Class of 2011 presently has 126 members doing Capstone Research projects. You Li, a First Class Cadet from Houston, TX , had a privileged perch as his father led a University of Texas team developing sensing devices for the Large Hadron Collider. “My major in systems engineering enhances my pathway to gaining a broad range of knowledge.

I’d like to learn about many different topics—not surprising since I was exposed to so much science while growing up. His team’s Capstone Project is “Optimizing Infrastructure Planning in Afghanistan.”

A conceptual map of the System Decision Process can be found in Decision Making in System Engineering and Management, the department-authored text published by Wiley. It depicts the comprehensive pathway that Cadet Li and his fellow students utilize as they learn systems thought. Problem definition, solution design, decision making, and solution implementation are the four main stages of the Systems Decision Process.

In the foreword, Brigadier General (Ret.) Michael McGinnis ’ 77, former head of the Department, summarizes his colleagues’ goals. “The book is organized around the principles we teach and apply in our research efforts. It goes beyond exposing a problem-solving procedure, offering students the opportunity to grow into true systems thinkers, who can apply their knowledge across the full spectrum of challenges facing our nation.”

Systems Engineering

West Point’s Systems Engineering Department was established in 1988, and its Operations Research Center, one of the academy’s earliest centers of excellence, dates from the same year. Dean Brigadier General Tim Trainor ’83 described the central role of research in the department he led for many years. “Research enriches cadet education; enhances professional development for faculty; maintains strong ties between the Academy and Army/DoD agencies; and allows publication of significant contributions to academic disciplines …. The military’s return on its investment is a meaningful career development experience for officers, an enhanced education program for the USMA cadets and important investigation of vital Army and DoD problems at far less cost than would be required through civilian contracts.” The ongoing excellence of the Operations Research Center recently was recognized by award of the highly regarded Barchi and Payne Prizes for two of their fulfilled contracts. With “practice what you preach” and “get the biggest bang for your buck” as its subconscious motivation, it’s no surprise that Systems Engineering has designed a three-year duty cycle that delivers multiple yields from the young instructors involved with its Operations Research Center. “Teaching future army leaders to solve complex problems” is the motto spread across the bottom of a page outlining

“ this is the most important briefing I have received in the past five years as a general officer.”

the Academic Year 2011 projects for the ORCEN. Those future leaders are both the students and the instructors. The listed topics include: further refinement of Army Force Generation (ARFORGEN) procedures to assure that 16 Brigade Combat Teams can be deployed at one time; developing training tools for the Counter-IED fight; creating simulation resources to train base camp designers; and optimizing planning tools vital to Strategic Stockpile Structure. The core analytical team is composed of three instructors who are in the second year of their three-year tour in Systems Engineering and one instructor from the Department of Mathematics. Over a million dollars of funding from Department of Defense stakeholders will support their full-time ORCEN efforts; civilian consultants

of those who have sought ORCEN duty. Graduating in 1998 as a chemistry major with a civil engineering track, he branched Aviation. As a Kiowa Warrior pilot, he served in the 17th Cavalry Squadron of the 82nd Airborne, deploying to Bosnia and Afghanistan in 2002 and 2003. Along the way, he drew personnel duties as a squadron and then brigade S-1. While serving with the 1st Cavalry in Iraq in 2005, he applied to return to West Point as an instructor.

“Decision methodology appealed to my way of thinking. I had accomplished branch qualification—completed both the captain’s career course and company command—and was eligible to apply for an instructor’s slot in the Systems Engineering Department.” His two-year M.S. in Engineering Systems at M.I.T. yielded valuable information:

“My master’s thesis involved evaluating unmanned aviation systems UAS. The techniques I explored will be useful in selecting manportable UAS, capable of being launched against the target that’s hidden behind the hill—a target that you can’t get a direct line of fire on. The thesis challenge—to develop a system decision process to select the best vehicle out of 20, capable of precisely delivering hand-grenade sized explosives—14 ounces—launched and controlled in its flight directly into your target by position information fed back from the UAS.”

Bachman’s West Point tour began in 2008. The observation that “leaders make decisions—and the Systems Engineering Department is trying to teach future officers how to make better decisions, to arm them with the best tools to make informed decisions” summarizes his classroom explorations with cadets during his first year in the department. “Systems engineering is very broad—it combines quality engineering with risk analysis. I was teaching them how to look at a problem, define it and come up with a solution to it.”

and software designers amplify their explorations. Invariably each analyst’s work is furthered in the following year by new analysts rotating through the center. Upon entering their ORCEN year, the instructors declare they will switch from the career track they had been pursuing to the operations support field: fulfilling operations research systems analysis as ORSA s. Both Dean Trainor and Colonel Rob Kewley ’88, now the Systems Engineering Department head, have had tours in the ORCEN. Analysts who have gone back to classroom teaching in the third year of their cycle also further their ORCEN research with the support of cadet capstone thesis teams. As these cadets present their work, prepared with ORCEN alumni guidance, to the original supporting stakeholders, the concept of “center of excellence” furthers both education and research.

The Operations Research Career Track

Major Christopher Bachmann ’98 served as an ORCEN analyst during academic year 2009–10. His career track is representative

Upon completing his first year instructional duties, Major Bachmann began his AY 2010 year as full time analyst in Systems Engineering’s Operations Research Center, practicing the analytical skills he had preached. Bachmann took Major Dabkowski’s BOG:Dwell research into its second year as an ORCEN project. Bachmann extended the analysis from demands on the Infantry MOS to rapid rotation demand factors being placed on MOS 13 and 19 —Artillery and Cavalry. Gathering individual Soldier records

Conceptual model of ARFORGEN impact on individual soldiers’ developmental opportunities.

“Leaders make decisions—and the Systems Engineering Department is trying to teach future officers how to make better decisions, to arm them with the best tools to make informed decisions.”

was essential. Bachmann found that “using the unit flag to measure BOG:Dwell was not a good indicator, since we found that 40 to 50 percent of the soldiers were ‘spinning’ faster than their units.”

Expanding BOG:Dwell Efforts

In Academic Year 2011, Captain David Hughes ’01 will extend the BOG:Dwell efforts for G-1 still further, emphasizing the adaptation of the ProModel software to the Army’s special needs. One clear goal is the improvement of computational tools for monitoring “friction” between career progression and developmental disruption caused by unit ARFORGEN cycles—an analyzable problem.

The Statement of Work guiding Captain Hughes outlines manning requirements for the planned force structure (of 45 Brigade Combat Teams and 13 Aviation Brigades) in support of potential conflicts worldwide. The Army G-1 must reassess the manning processes and policies used to achieve these goals.

The inbound thought process is revealed in the statement’s discussion. “Thorough assessment of these policies requires modeling of the processes across the lifecycles of both units and individual Soldiers. The perspectives of the individual soldiers in these models are particularly important, because these policies will have significant impact on their decisions to stay in the Army. A balanced approach requires an understanding of the goals and objectives of missionfocused stakeholders along with our most important stakeholders, the individual soldiers in the Army. The USMA Department of Systems Engineering has significant capabilities for modeling complex challenges such as these to meet the demands of diverse stakeholders who have competing objectives. Specific capabilities include stochastic modeling, discrete event simulation, systems dynamics modeling, and optimization.

The department is also experienced at applying the Systems Decision Process to complex, vaguely defined problems.” To which a dose of reality is added: “In short, because people are not ‘widgets,’ they cannot necessarily be instantly moved from one location in the system to another in order to fill demands … In order to assess the overall effect of friction on the Army’s personnel system, the West Point Department of Systems Engineering faculty will conduct data and simulation analysis in order to determine the impacts of alternative personnel policies … to support decision making at the highest levels of the Army, the ORCEN will continue this study and expand its scope to enable simulation runs for all ranks within each MOS.”

Assessing Whole Soldier Quality

During Academic Year 2009, Major Rob Dees ’98 served in the ORCEN. Setting out to create analytical tools with which to assess Whole Soldier “Quality” for his client— U.S. Army Recruiting Command—he developed “a model of Whole Soldier Performance attributes and an associated measurement technique by mathematically modeling the preferences of leaders in the force. The first finding in the study is that the moral domains, as defined by leaders at the company level, are more important than the physical or cognitive domains when considering the performance of soldiers.” A targetshaped graphic embodies a new way of representing values. Twelve attribute sectors represent desirable qualities, such as motivation, judgment, and athleticism. The highest rankings on a scale of one to seven are represented by classic target rings (the seventh ring is bullseye). His efforts served as the model for the AY 2010 Cadet Capstone project “Whole Officer Performance.” The sponsoring stakeholder was the Army G-1 office. The project mentor, Major Dees, ensured that they had the support needed to deliver the quality research that Systems Engineering’s clients expect.

Controlling Multiple Drone Aircraft

The expansion of drone aircraft usage offers a good example of ongoing research by Capstone cadets and ORCEN analysts. During his AY 2009 work in the ORCEN, Major Dabkowski furthered research done in AY 2008 by Major Ed Teague ’95 on Swarming

Unmanned Aircraft Systems for the Army Aviation and Missile Research Development and Engineering Center. During AY 2010, Dabkowski mentored a cadet team that was further refining algorithms—mathematical instruction sets that could place the control of as many as 20 unmanned surveillance aircraft under one MOSqualified soldier. The problem they set out to solve was:

“Using a swarm of UAS, develop an algorithm that provides the Small Unit Leader (SUL) with improved Information, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities in order to improve his battle space awareness without a significant increase to his workload.”

Clearly, the high ground is being re-defined. Unmanned Aviation Systems now have flown over 500,000 hours. As ORCEN analyst Gene Lesinski ’85 observed, “The cadets did a great job reaching out to 50 small unit leaders to gather vital stakeholder information and the responses they received taught them both the growing importance of the UAS and the value of their applied research.”

C ONTINUED ON PAGE 47

A Clubs ce of The

He is the “Go to” guy in a “Get to” position. He grew up at West Point and, as a child, considered it a Magic Kingdom because everyone who cared about the united States seemed to come to visit. He still feels pretty much the same now. When his wife asks him how his day was, the only word he deems adequate to describe it is “fascinating.”

Meet Colonel Craig Flowers, who says his job is one where he “gets to” serve the cadets and community of West Point as the Director of Cadet Activities. Although his commission came via the Reserve Officer Training Corps at Texas Christian University in 1986, he is no stranger to West Point. In 1972 , he and his dad sat behind Muhammad Ali and Howard Cosell at the Olympic Boxing Trials at Arvin Gym. That same year he also met Willie Mays, when the Mets came up to play the Army nine. Mays was driving a pink Cadillac with “Say Hey” on his vanity license plate.

In 1981, when Craig’s dad was garrison commander of West Point, a late April snowstorm left the New York Yankees with no place to practice. His dad arranged for them to use the Field House—along with the O’Neill High School baseball team from Highland Falls. He recalls that Ron Guidry was short but very cool and that Goose Gossage was turned away when he came to eat at Washington Hall in flip-flops. Craig’s father also coached the Army Women’s softball team for 19 years, and the young Craig considered himself a “stadium rat” who loved Army athletics and worked summers at West Point throughout high school, along with Brian Riley, now head coach of the Army hockey team. He was commissioned in Military Intelligence but served an initial tour as an Infantry officer with the 25th Infantry Division (“Tropic Lightning”) in Hawaii, where he met his wife.

He is the Ace of Clubs (115 at last count), but he also is a theatrical booking agent, restaurateur, retailer, stand-up comic, publisher, bookseller, and innovator (have you seen the upgraded green room at Ike Hall or been to Spring Fest?). In 2002 he and his wife of 21 years, Beth, arrived at West Point to join the Department of Foreign Languages. He would teach French and serve as department executive officer, but then-Lieutenant Colonel Todd Browne ’85 prophesied that the Director of Cadet Activities was the job

Photos: Charlie Graham, J. Olejniczak

B Y J ULIAN M. O LEJNICZAK ’61

Colonel Bryan Goda teaches chess at Club Night.

Craig was born to have. Superintendent Lieutenant General Bill Lennox ’ 71 later selected Craig for that position. Obviously, funding and supervising so many activities is not a one-person job. A significant portion of the DCA budget that is not earned income comes from donations through the West Point Association of Graduates and DCA restricted endowments.

A remarkable group of first-line managers produce that revenue and bring creativity, a positive attitude and 110% commitment to work every day. Their basic position is “yes,” and that helps make DCA the most user-friendly organization at West Point. Complacency is their enemy, and they strive to live up to their motto “All for the Corps” every day.

He is the Ace of Clubs (115 at last count), but he also is a theatrical booking agent, restaurateur, retailer, stand-up comic, publisher, bookseller, and innovator.

Touching the lives of every cadet, most of the staff and faculty, and a good portion of the residents of the Hudson Valley throughout the year requires that DCA bring “fresh eyes” to bear every day. Since a thousand graduates each year soon may be deployed in harm’s way around the world, random “good moments” they may experience during their 47 months at West Point also are important.

DCA by the NUMBERS

270,000 60

the number of sandwiches served annually at the Grant Hall Boodlers. This is not your grandfather’s Boodlers in Building 720 or the small room at the southern end of Grant Hall that was open for only a few hours during the week. Now, courtesy of the Class of ’73, tables and chairs fill the area in Grant Hall from the guard desk to the old Cadet Hostess area, and the old, small Boodlers is the preparation and serving area.

percentage of DCA employees who are female

number of active duty military in DCA. Guess who?

number of DCA civilian employees.

The number increases to 500 on home football game Saturdays.

number of DCA food service facilities. Including Ike’s Riverside Café in Eisenhower Hall; the expanded Boodlers at Grant Hall (Class of ’73 project); the First Class Club at the Old Ordnance Compound (renovated and maintained by the Class of ’58), and the Class of ’57 Café (a coffee shop) in the new library, Jefferson Hall.

number of competitive club teams supported by DCA, including the ten national championship teams listed elsewhere plus Rugby (Men and Women), Sailing, Water Polo, Combat Weapons, Fencing, the Drill Team, Ski Teams (Alpine and Nordic), Skeet and Trap, and Marathon, to name a few.

3 number of DCA vans in the Presidential Motorcade for 2010 Graduation.

number of approved endowment s maintained by the West Point Association of Graduates to support DCA activities.

One 10 300 5

Cadet Activities range from the modern Sport Parachute Team (since 1962) and the Triathlon Team to the Glee Club, one of the oldest clubs at West Point, shown here performing at the New York Public Library Holiday Open House in December 2010.

These moments vary from the talent shows and a hypnotist at Camp Buckner to a standing room only Trace Adkins Concert, or two Dave Matthews Concerts to a milkshake upon returning from a week in the field. Two years ago, a DCA brainstorming session came up with “Spring Fest.” The period between Christmas Leave and Spring Leave is notoriously known as “Gloom Period.” Something needed to be done. The DCA answer was Spring Fest, an all-day street fair on Thayer Road from the turnaround at Lee Barracks and Mahan Hall to Eisenhower statue and beyond. You may view more about “the most robust extracurricular program in the country” at www.allforthecorps.com. If you are interested in supporting the DCA unrestricted fund, sport parachute team, glee club, or cultural arts, please contact the West Point Association of Graduates Development Office at 845-446-1650. 

Four

number of revenue centers excluding restaurants. Ike Hall; the Cadet Store, the USMA Bookstore in Thayer Hall; and Publications (Bugle Notes, the Plebe bible; Circle in the Spiral, the literary/art journal of the Corps of Cadets; and the Howitzer, the largest college yearbook in the country, among others).

80 percentage of victories of DCA competitive clubs over Navy and Air Force.

number of cadet clubs under DCA, including Arabic Language, Astronomy, Big Brothers & Big Sisters, Cadet Fine Arts Forum, Cavalry Scout, Chess, Chinese Language, Combat Weapons, Debate Team, Flying Club, Glee Club, Gospel Choir, Judo, Margaret Corbin Forum, National Society of Black Engineers, Officers Christian Fellowship, Pipes & Drums, Kosciuszko Squadron, Powerlifting Team, Rugby (Men and Women), SCUBA Diving, Ski Patrol, Sport Parachute Team, Water Polo, and radio station WKDT.

115

36 number of national championships won by club teams in the past four years, including Model U.N., Boxing, Orienteering, Pistol, Judo, Men’s Team Handball, Triathlon, Women’s Varsity Crew, and Men’s Novice Crew.

18,000 number of cadets who travel on DCA trip sections each year.

100+

70

percent of the Corps of Cadets who are a member of at least one DCA club.

number of combined years of first-line manager experience. Kevin D’Onofrio—Restaurant Director; Gary Keegan—Cultural Arts Director; Lenora GrableGrant—Cadet Store Manager; Sharyn Amoroso—Cadet Hostess; Ron Harsch—Programs Director; Mark Judson —Facilities Manager; Anne Aliendo—Publications Manager; Tom Oldham—Executive Officer; and Kathy White-Glisson—Deputy Director.

number of consecutive profitable shows at the Ike Hall Theater since 2006. Variously the second or third largest theater on the East Coast (after Radio City and Madison Square Garden—but only when seats are placed on the main floor for theatrical events—the Ike Hall Theater is known as “America’s Theater” and publicized with the phrase, “There’s a lot to like at Ike.”). Tickets to performances at Ike Hall Theater are available at www.ikehall.com.

77

Photos: Charlie Graham, J. Olejniczak, DCA files

Boxing is another very old and traditional cadet extracurricular activity that has earned a number of national championships for West Point in recent years. On the left is the fall boxing smoker at Eisenhower Hall. On the right is a member of the Climbing Team, a relatively new activity, negotiating the world class Class of ’79 Climbing Wall at the Arvin Cadet Physical Development Facility.

Snowtime © by artist Paul Steucke (www.paulsteucke.com)

In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.

—Albert Camus

2010 Nininger Award for Valor at Arms

It was December 30, 2007, but few in Mosul, Iraq, were thinking about New Year’s Eve. Certainly not the four pilots pulling mid-day scout weapons patrol over this crowded city of two million. Captain Bobby Sickler ’05, air mission commander, and his pilot, Captain Pete Di Giorgio ’00, had just wrecked an insurgent van with a Hellfire missile and were pulling out of strafing run when they heard the ping of machine gun bullets piercing the fuselage of their OH-58D scout helicopter. Suddenly they lost all communications and electronic displays.

B Y J ULIAN M. O LEJNICZAK ’61

At a formal dinner in Washington Hall, Captain Robert I. “Bobby” Sickler III, Class of 2005, received the Alexander R . Nininger Award for Valor at Arms on September 15, 2010. On February 18, 2008 he had received the Distinguished Flying Cross. Captain Sickler said that it was an honor to receive the Nininger Award, but he accepted it on behalf of all of his fellow Soldiers. He meant Captain Di Giorgio and the pilots of the other Kiowa helicopter in his team, Chief Warrant Officers Thomas Boise and Susan Weathers, but also those back at the tactical operations center and their home airfield, those flying Predator drones that helped track the target vehicles, and all of the troops on the ground.

Speaking to over 4,000 cadets, he noted that he did not wear stars or play on a Corps Squad team and certainly was not in the running to be First Captain. A few years ago, he was

himself, which led to the action that resulted in his appearance before the Corps. His mid-day scout weapons team had watched video transmitted from a Predator unmanned aerial system tracking a black van that had picked up a number of weapons and test fired a heavy machine gun in a junk yard. His team took over, stalking that single black van as it picked its way through a city full of black vans. The trick was to maintain observation until the target was in a location where collateral damage could be minimized. Twice, clearance to fire was received, but power lines interfered.

Alex A n D er r . nI n I nger Aw A r D for VA lor AT Arms

just a cadet like them, counting the days until graduation. Shortly after completing flight school, however, his unit deployed to Mosul, Iraq, and he remembered his first combat flight over Mosul. He was riding in a Kiowa helicopter when a scout weapons team they were observing received hostile fire. Young Captain (then Lieutenant) Sickler was wondering what the code word “popcorn” meant—until he realized the sound of incoming fire sounded like popcorn popping as the aircraft in which he was riding dove to engage a target. He wondered what to do. He first considered firing his M4 carbine at the target or hanging his head out the window to better observe but discarded these notions and concentrated on what he should do with his hands. The cadets laughed when he said that he felt like the fictional NASCAR driver Ricky Bobby being interviewed after a race.

He then watched an experienced scout weapons team working together, keeping out of range but eventually destroying the source of the hostile fire. He learned a lot that day and later from veteran pilots, subsequent missions, after action reviews, and mistakes made. Then he graduated to being a command pilot and air mission commander

When the van returned to the junk yard, Captain Sickler locked his laser sight on the target while the other Kiowa launched a Hellfire missile. The explosion wrecked the van but smoke obscured the target area. Informed by ground elements that insurgents were attempting to salvage weapons from the van, Captain Di Giorgio positioned their Kiowa behind a small hill and prepared to pop up and fire their .50 caliber machine guns. They were able to saturate the area even though receiving heavy fire, but power lines forced them to pull up early. At that point, they could hear rounds striking their aircraft and lost all instrument displays and communications. Only when their displays reset were they able to avoid a crash landing. The oil lights were on, but they still had engine power. As they began to limp back to base, Captain Sickler dropped smoke periodically along the route. Chief Warrant

crash landing in a cemetery appeared to be their only option. Captain Sickler recalled thinking, “Man, this is going to hurt!”

The Alexander R. Nininger Award for Valor at Arms is named in honor of Lieutenant Alexander “Sandy” Nininger ’41, the first Army recipient of the Medal of Honor in World War II. On January 12, 1942, Lieutenant Nininger voluntarily attached himself to another company in his Philippine Scouts regiment that was under heavy attack by Japanese forces near Abucay, Bataan. Wounded several times, he continued to advance in a counterattack and destroy enemy positions until he was killed.

Quitting was not an option: “ there were still bad guys out there. We wanted to continue the mission.”

Officers Boise and Weathers quickly picked up the cue, radioed ahead to base and accompanied them back.

Quitting was not an option, especially when informed that some insurgents were attempting to escape in a sedan. He said, “There were still bad guys out there. We wanted to continue the mission.” With a backup aircraft, the team tracked the sedan

The Nininger Award was instituted in 2006 upon the suggestion of Doug Kenna ’45 (College Football Hall of Fame, 1984; West Point Distinguished Graduate, 1994) that the West Point Association of Graduates bring the valorous combat deeds of West Point graduates to the attention of the Corps of Cadets. Each year, a recent graduate decorated for valor is selected to represent all of the graduates leading American Soldiers in combat, return to West Point to speak to the Corps of Cadets at dinner, and interact with them in less formal seminar sessions. Doug and Jean Kenna have committed to supporting the award annually and ensuring its endowment in perpetuity.

Previous Nininger Award recipients are Major Ryan L. Worthan ’97 (2006); Captain Randall L. Ashby ’01 (2007); Captain Bryan Jackson ’05 (2008); and Captain Nicholas M. Eslinger ’07 (2009).

For more information on this award and its recipients, please visit:

www.westpointaog.org/netcommunity/nininger.

Photos: Charlie Graham

“A

for an hour before it headed out into the desert. The sedan was engaged by a Hellfire missile, and an escaping insurgent was captured by Rangers on the ground.

Captain Sickler emphasized that the lessons to be learned are teamwork and improvisation. “I was one member of a team of professionals, and my teammates were all critical to the outcome.” Because the two aircraft

recommended studying the strengths of teammates and analyzing their different approaches to various situations. Personally, he had found such opportunities on the pistol team (All America) and as cadet in charge of the capstone project team constructing West Point’s Mini-Baja vehicle. He assured the cadets that West Point is preparing them well, and they have the

the lessons to be learned are teamwork and improvisation. “I was one member of a team of professionals, and my teammates were all critical to the outcome.”

were able to work together, determine intentions without communications, and react quickly and appropriately, the mission was a success. He encouraged the cadets to take advantage of any and all opportunities to be involved in situations requiring dynamic leadership and communications. He also

right stuff to meet any challenges as long as they continue to learn and develop in their profession. He closed by saying “Finally, to the Corps, thank you for your attention this evening and for your commitment to our profession. I look forward to serving with you in the years ahead.”

Cadet First Captain Marc Beaudoin presented a bust of a cadet to Captain Sickler and later remarked, “The Nininger Award ceremony was a fabulous event to honor the heroic exploits and service of Captain Sickler. The Corps thanks him for his bravery and continued service.” 

Photos: Charlie Graham

“Captain Sickler’s address inspired the Corps and made me look forward to deploying to fight in the current operations.” —Cadet Gavin White, Class of 2011

Fiancee Cheryl Zinter records the moment for posterity.

WeSt Point

Pictured here is the construction site of the soon-to-be-relocated U.S. Military Academy Preparatory School, often referred to as USMAPS. Due to the closure of Ft. Monmouth, New Jersey, the preparatory school will return to West Point after an absence of over 50 years, although its history goes back almost 100 years. In May of 1916, President Wilson authorized appointments to West Point for qualified enlisted soldiers. As a result, various preparatory schools were established in the European theater of operations to provide academic refresher training. Following the war, eight small preparatory schools were established at major Army headquarters across the country.

During World War II, the preparatory training was shifted to three civilian colleges, eventually being combined at Amherst, Massachusetts. Then, in 1946 General Maxwell D. Taylor, West Point Superintendent, established a preparatory school at Stewart Field, a sub-post at West Point, in nearby Newburgh, New York. A subsequent move to Ft. Belvoir, Virginia, in 1957 provided space for modern classrooms and athletic fields. In 1975 the school moved again, to its present location at Ft. Monmouth, New Jersey. Now, in 2011, the school will return to West Point, at a site adjacent to Washington Gate, on the former site of the USMA Motor Pool. The facilities will consist of barracks for 246 candidates, 20 classrooms, staff & faculty offices, and three athletic fields, essentially replicating the facilities to be given up at Ft. Monmouth. 

Photo: Charlie Graham

Photo: Matthew Taylor

In the 1960 s, the military conflict in Vietnam had a tremendous impact on the lives of millions of people in both the United States and Vietnam and has been one of the most studied topics in historical, military and political science. The Academy recently provided a great opportunity for four cadets to learn about Vietnam’s natural environment and people as well as study the effects of the war within that country. The Department of Defense recently has emphasized the importance of regional, cultural and language proficiency in the education of future military leaders.

On May 27, 2010, four cadets and I journeyed to Vietnam for seventeen days to experience total immersion in the Indochina region. As we travelled across the wide floodplains of the Red and Mekong Rivers, visited the unique karst landforms in the Southern China Sea, tasted the fruits of tropical agriculture, witnessed the rise of capitalist industry, and learned military history directly from Vietnamese personally involved in it, we gradually evolved into regional experts.

Hanoi—the Capital City of Vietnam

At its narrowest point, Vietnam is only 50 kilometers wide; in the northern and southern areas, however, the country widens, with the north increasing to 500 kilometers and the south to 350. These areas, both rich in tropical agriculture, are where the two major metropolitan centers of Hanoi in the north and Saigon or Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) in the south are located. Hanoi was bubbling with life as we met Ngoc, our tour guide. Day and night, the streets are packed with thousands of mopeds, rickshaws, buses and pedestrians. To an outsider, Hanoi appears to have no sense of order, the flood of people on their motorbikes, cars and rickshaws resembling a fast-moving stream. Sometimes we saw parents with two of their children sandwiched between them on a motorcycle; another moped carried a live cow!

The native Hanoians, however, looked completely relaxed while playing checkers on crowded sidewalks or having a meal with friends in the midst of a flood of motorbikes. The fact is, today’s Vietnam is moving rapidly in the direction of a free market system and obtaining more freedom of religion as well as freedom of expression—the very ideals for which American soldiers were fighting.

In addition, Vietnam seems to be very open to American influence, and everywhere we found a friendly and positive attitude towards Americans and the United States, even though the Communist party still dominates the politics of the country.

One of our first stops in Hanoi was at the infamous Maison Centrale. Ironically, Tan, a businessman in Hanoi and the son of a former guerrilla fighter in the tunnels of Cu Chi, was giving cadets from West Point a personal tour. “This place is also sarcastically called the ‘Hilton Hotel’ [actually the Hanoi Hilton] because American pilots were detained here,” Tan said with a serious face. “Among them was Senator John McCain.” We then viewed the cell where Senator McCain spent one of the most crucial periods of his life.

Propaganda photos of American pilots happily planting trees in the

Colonel Vu Quang Kha, nVA (ret.)

prison and “enjoying” their daily activities were displayed on the walls. The prison was built by the French and served as a detention center for political prisoners opposed to the French presence in Vietnam. The conditions were extremely harsh, and the guillotine in the middle of the prison is a silent reminder of how opponents of the French colonial system were punished. Escape was deemed impossible, but a few Vietnamese prisoners were successful.

During the revolution, the Communist leader Ho Chi Minh gained significant influence. In Hanoi, the Cadets had the opportunity to join the long line of people in front of the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, where his body lays in state for public visitation. We then moved towards the French Colonial Palace where Ho Chi Minh proclaimed an independent Vietnam Democratic Republic. He refused to live in the palace, instead choosing to live and work in a modest building. As we walked towards Ho Chi Minh’s house, I noticed a large group of men dressed in light blue shirts and green caps. Our tour guide said, “They are veterans from the VietnamAmerican war.” I also spotted an older, distinguished officer in the crowd. We moved towards him, and Ngoc asked if he would not mind meeting with future officers from West Point. One of the cadets spoke French, and we soon found that he was Colonel Vu Quang Kha, a veteran of four wars: French, Japanese, American and Cambodian. Colonel Kha then told me in Russian that he also served as a personal body guard for Ho Chi Minh.

As we climbed the stairs towards the second floor, he excitedly grabbed my elbow and said, “Wait, see this place?” He pointed at the staircase floor. “Right here! This is the spot where I used to stand guard! I could see Ho Chi Minh behind the glass window working.” We were only a few feet away from Ho Chi Minh’s office window, and the cadets realized how valuable their personal

experience was. They were in Vietnam and observing first-hand its people, culture, history, and natural environment—an integral aspect in the development of regional knowledge and critical in the formation of good leaders.

In the Metropolis of Southern Vietnam

Saigon, the capital city of South Vietnam during the war, is one of the largest cities in the world, with a population of nine million. Its streets also are packed with motorcycles, scooters, cars, pedestrians, and even people sitting on the sidewalk cooking “pho.” At the Reunification Palace, we stopped in front of the Russian and Chinese tanks that entered the gates of the Palace after American forces left Vietnam. Actually, the Soviet tank had led the Vietminh Army to the Palace but, due to its larger size, could not fit through the narrow gate. The Chinese tank took the glory.

The Cu Chi Tunnels

The most significant remnants of the war are the tunnels of Cu Chi. Imagine over 200 miles of tunnels from Saigon to Cambodia. Viet Cong guerrillas could open fire on American troops and then disappear completely. This amazing network of underground caves and tunnels already existed during the time of the French occupation. “My grandfather used to work on the rubber tree plantation,” our tour guide Mui told us, “It was very hot and humid, so many workers contracted malaria; one day my grandfather had enough and disappeared into the underground tunnel and returned home. He was never found by the French.” The cadets were able to experience the tunnels first-hand by lifting up the cover of the tunnel entrance and disappearing underground into the claustrophobic darkness for at least a few moments.

Milestones of Vietnam History

The imperial city of Hue in central Vietnam was the royal seat of the last Nguyen dynasty. As we walked through the imperial palace and imagined the last emperor Bao Dai sitting on the throne, we could feel his frustration with the presence of the foreign powers

Cadet Marianne Slotten ’11 emerges from a well-camouflaged entrance to the miles of underground rooms and passageways known as the Cu Chi Tunnels. The tunnels actually extend all of the way from Saigon to Cambodia and existed during the French era.

Bullet holes mark a wall in the Hai Van Pass.

“It [meeting Colonel Kha] was one of the better experiences, meeting someone who had different perspectives and had fought in so many of the conflicts we studied.”

—Cadet Mike tovo ’11

(French and Japanese) that forced him to collaborate. The emperor once said, “I would prefer to be a citizen of an independent country than Emperor of an enslaved state!”

After Ho Chi Minh took power, the Emperor Bao Dai finally abdicated, eventually moving to Hong Kong and, then, France. Cadets Marianne Slotten and Michael Tovo had the opportunity to dress in the regalia of the Bao Dai regime for a souvenir photograph. The city of Hue was the site of long, bloody battles as the Peoples’ Army of Vietnam and the Viet Cong were defeated by U. S. forces. We entered the private Purple City where the Emperor and his family spent their private time together. Restoration is in progress, and it will be an impressive site when completed. After a pleasant boat ride on the Perfume River, we ended our visit with a tasty Vietnamese meal in a quiet corner of Hue. Southern Vietnam has its own charm, and American influence is still strongly felt.

Economic Life

Vietnam is pursuing a vigorous form of capitalism, and private businesses are blooming. It does not matter what time of day or night. Busy tailors in Hoi An are available any time and deliver suits, dresses or shirts in less than 24 hours.

There are still large state-owned companies in Vietnam, such as “Petro Vietnam” that controls the oil and energy industries. The space between Haiphong and Hanoi is dominated by large oil storage tanks; oil is one of the most important export commodities, followed by rice, rubber and coffee. Agriculture represents almost 20% of the Gross Domestic Product of Viet Nam, and rice grows almost everywhere: on the Red River floodplain in the north and thousands of miles south in the Mekong River Delta. The deep valleys of the Phan Xi Pang Mountains near the Chinese border also are filled with rice paddies.

In the little village of Ta Van, we spent the night in a cozy house hosted by members of the Thai minority. The view of the valley was spectacular; strong mountain streams cascading over and around huge boulders that had rolled down the steep Phan Xi Pang slopes. A couple of hundred meters away was a paddy filled with

murky water. Here a group of boys seemed to be having fun splashing each other with water and throwing mud across the field. A huge water buffalo fed on the grass, ignoring the world around him. With a little prompting from our guide, the boys climbed on the water buffalo so we could take a photo. The people seemed to be very happy, surrounded by beautiful mountains and their families—what else could one wish for? Rice is abundant and the main source of food, especially for the long noodles called “pho,” an integral part of every meal, every day.

At the juncture of the former North and South Vietnam, the road curls and transverses a tract of the Annamite Mountains at a narrow stretch of land along the coast. The only place we could cross was the Hai Van Pass, once controlled by American forces. The buildings standing awkwardly on the rock displayed numerous bullet holes, a silent reminder of the American soldiers who defended the south from North Vietnamese attacks.

Human-Nature Interactions

The most remote parts of Vietnam lie in the northwest corner near the Chinese and Laotian borders. The overnight train from Hanoi takes visitors to the city of Lao Cai—only three kilometers from the Chinese border. Sa Pa is a small city completely enclosed by the mountains. Directly to the west, the rugged peaks of the Phan Xi Pang look majestically down from over 3,000 meters. Today, Sa Pa is a very busy city visited by tourists year around. As tourists arrive, native Black Hmong women immediately surround them, accompany them on their hikes and patiently wait to make a sale.

Our guide was from the Thai minority and took us on a 15 -kilometer hike southeast from Sa Pa. The Black Hmong women, both old and

“For a place where such a brutal war took place, the people were extremely hospitable. they were very welcoming and eager to please. It was amusing to see their reactions to us as Westerners.” —Cadet

Sarah Florer ’11

young, followed us everywhere. Whenever the path was too slippery or there was a creek to jump across, they were ready to help us but expected us to buy something in return. Black Hmong women, however, also work in the rice fields, make clothes, and take care of the children while their husbands remain in the background, smoking, talking, and sometimes babysitting. Most of the native people are animists who believe in spirits that specifically target each room of the house. Some are Buddhists, but we also met a few Catholics wearing crosses.

After Sa Pa, we took a speedboat from Hai Phong to the “Island of Many Ladies” or “Cat Ba” in the native language. First we sailed for about an hour across the murky waters of the Red River. The silt and sand carried by the Red River to the South China Sea completely changes the color of the ocean water to a deep brown. Finally, we approached the steep shores of Cat Ba, the largest island, surrounded by thousands of smaller islands shaped like ice cream cones rising from the blue sea. The white limestone rocks

Cadet Mike Tovo ’11 with children of the H’Mong minority, about 10 km north of Sa Pa, Vietnam.

“no, I did not feel claustrophobic [in the Cu Chi tunnels], but anyone who was claustrophobic definitely would feel it.”

—Cadet Marianne Slotten ’11

“Anyone would feel claustrophobic.”

—Cadet Mike tovo ’11

are overgrown with thick, green vegetation in which the sea eagles make their nests and the Golden-Headed Langur find their safe haven. These Langur (Trachypithecus poliocephalus) are endemitic primates only found on Cat Ba and the surrounding islands. As we pushed our kayaks from one island to another across Hay Long Bay, we observed the Vietnamese fishermen and oyster growers who have made their permanent home in this beautiful corner of the world. Their simple, wooden houses move up and down with the rhythm of the ocean waves, as they are built on floating wooden structures tied to empty, blue-painted barrels. Sometimes we could see the fishermen resting inside in hammocks while refreshing breezes freely move through the open doors and windows. With breathtaking scenery around, and oysters and fish to provide the basic necessities, they seemed content without any of the modern conveniences of our technologically developed world.

Along the Mekong

Another beautiful aspect of Vietnamese nature is the Mekong River, which has created a large delta that supports a high yield åof rice production, tropical fruit orchards and fishing.

“ the Vietnamese were very welcoming and did not let their past history interfere with their attitude towards us.”

—Cadet nicholas Kazmer ’13

As we stood on its banks at Vinh Long City, it was difficult to see the other side of the Mekong River. One of the largest rivers in the world, it discharges 475 cubic kilometers of water and dumps 160 million tons of sediment into the ocean annually, posing a danger to river navigation. We sailed around several cranes constantly cleaning sand and silt from the channel. Hence, the Mekong River provides not only food but also building material (sand) for its people, especially the Khmer minority who occupy the Mekong Delta. In the Museum of Ethnology, we marveled at their elongated boats that could hold 52 rowers at one time and reach considerable speeds.

As we sailed into one of the side channels of the Mekong River, we passed by a floating market where almost anything one could imagine was for sale, from boats loaded with coconuts and watermelons to live fish or pigs. We stopped at An Binh Island and visited a fruit

orchard. The day was excessively hot and humid, and we were dripping when we entered a lush, green garden full of young coconut seedlings, jackfruit trees, mangos, water apples and guavas. The owner sat us at the wooden table in the middle of the garden and brought us plates loaded with rambutan, pomelo, longan jackfruit and lemons. Live native music, a refreshing breeze and fresh fruit were the best “medicine” on that hot and humid tropical afternoon. It was a perfect regional experience: we tasted the produce of the local economy, interacted with native people and watched their cultural performance set in the deep jungle of the Mekong River. There is no better preparation for the future of American officers than a personal experience of space and time. It is the chance to take the pulse of everyday life in distance places and observe how the native people live, what they believe, and how they interact with others and their natural environment.

Towards Global Understanding

A famous English writer once remarked before taking a trip abroad: “I am going abroad so that I can better understand my own home.” There is profound truth in this statement. Studying abroad is a great educational tool that gives cadets the opportunity to experience directly life in distant lands and exposes them to a world remarkably different from their own; it helps them to understand actual geographic space as well as the people in it, their culture, religion, politics, and family life. By doing this, they can also reflect on their home, compare each element of life and develop a broader understanding of this world. Vietnam has played a special role in history, and after visiting there, it also has earned a special place in our hearts. 

Cadets and the author at the Chinese tank in front of the reunification Palace in saigon.

Upcoming events at the West Point Leadership Center

Author Jim Collins will present a keynote address at the 2011 Global Leadership Conference (GLC) on March 31, 2011: “Serving, Learning and Leading: Creating and Engaging Leaders in Global Citizenship,” featuring panels ranging from advances in leader development, to recruiting for service focused organizations, to corporate social responsibility and the Millennial generation and service (www.glc.westpoint.edu). Also the new Cadet Leadership Conference scheduled for november 3–6, 2011. Presidential Medal of Freedom awardee and Class of ’51 Distinguished Leadership Chair Frances Hesselbein was instrumental in bringing Jim Collins and others to West Point.

A Cultural Immersion Trip

to China during Spring Leave, March 2011. Cadets will practice their newly learned Chinese and see and experience Chinese culture firsthand.

The west Point Center for the rule of law 2011 Conference (April 6–8, 2011) on several issues of Gender Justice, domestically and abroad: Human Trafficking (modern-day slavery); Micro-Finance & the Empowerment of Women; Women in Islam; PTSD, Domestic Violence & the Military; the “Glass” & “Brass” Ceilings; and the link between Gender Justice, the Rule of Law, and National Security. Go Army! Beat Injustice!

Dr. Robert J. Goldstein, S.J.D.

The 11th Annual National Security Agency (NSA) Cyber Defense Exercise (CDX) on April 19–22, 2011. Student teams from the nation’s service academies and military graduate schools compete to defend their computer networks against a unit of professional cyber attackers led by the NSA. The West Point CDX Team Cadets are eager to demonstrate their computer security expertise and expect to achieve yet another victory on this most modern “field of friendly strife.”

A March 20–April 20, teaching exchange with two service academies in Kazakhstan during which we will teach English, military subjects and leadership to future officers of Kazakhstan and host a Kazakh officer at West Point to teach our cadets about the Kazakh military.

GLOOM PERIOD!!!

During 2011, the West Point Museum’s commemoration of the 150th Anniversary of the American Civil War.

David M. Reel, Director, West Point Museum

Truly an exciting time of year as the Cows and Yearlings enjoy 500th Nite and Yearling Winter Weekend in January; members of the graduating class select their first assignments and celebrate 100th Nite in February; all classes look forward to Spring Leave in March.

Upcoming events suggested by West Point staff & faculty. Events for May–July should be sent to editor@wpaog.org by February 15, 2011.

Lieutenant Colonel Brady Crosier, Chinese Language Section Desk Chief, Department of Foreign Languages Colonel Tom Kolditz, Department of Behavioral Science & Leadership

Lieutenant Colonel Robert L. Fanelli, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

Captain (P) S. Dewayne White, Russian Instructor, Department of Foreign Languages

Colonel Eugene J. Palka, Ph.D., Professor and Head, Department of Geography & Environmental Engineering

middle right The map below depicts the relationship of Fort Putnam to Fort Clinton (formerly Fort Arnold), the Great Chain across the Hudson River, and Constitution Island.

Bottom left The plaque indicates that Fort Putnam was constructed in 1778 by the 5th Massachusetts Regiment and named for their commander, Colonel Rufus Putnam. It was restored in 1909 as a war monument and again for our nation’s bicentennial in 1976. The cannon and mortar displayed are reproductions.

Bottom right The single wooden building at Fort Putnam contains historical displays and serves as a branch of the West Point Museum.

Fort Putnam is open for a limited number of hours each year, generally in conjunction with major events at West Point, such as R-Day, Graduation and recently during home football weekends.

Fort Putnam

Fort PutnAM

Fort Putnam was the keystone of Kosciuszko’s plan for Fortress West Point, in that it provided a bastion on dominating terrain to overlook and protect the redoubts and batteries closer to the Hudson River. Their mission was to fire upon any British ships attempting to force their way upriver past the Great Chain to link up with forces in Canada and split the colonies in two. Fort Putnam also provided a defense against a British ground attack, such as the one that resulted in the capture of an earlier chain across the Hudson at the present site of the Bear Mountain Bridge. What Fort Putnam could not do was protect against the treachery of Benedict Arnold.

P HOTOGRAPHY BY S YLVIA G RAHAM

unDISCoVErED trutHS A n D t HE Sy MPA t HE t IC

IMAGInAtIon

Photo: Michael S. Quinton, National Geographic

B Y E LIZABETH D. S AMET

exit, pursued by a bear …. Perhaps the most celebrated stage direction in all of Shakespeare, this is also one of the most bizarre. It comes from The Winter’s Tale, a moody, often brutal play that twenty cadets and I had the opportunity to see a few years ago at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. It is also the mantra with which I sang myself to sleep one June night in a tent on the North Slope of Alaska while imagining the consequences of meeting up with a grizzly. Antigonus, the character who exits pursued by that bear in The Winter’s Tale does not, I should make clear, return.

Many readers associate Shakespeare with royal courts and dynastic struggles, but so many of his most provocative moments occur in mysterious forests, on rugged heaths or haunted islands, and in mythical wildernesses where, together with savage creatures, the imagination itself runs wild. The “imagination bodies forth / The forms of things unknown,” he writes in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. A “strong imagination” plays such extraordinary “tricks … / That, if it would but apprehend some joy, / It comprehends the bringer of that joy; / Or in the night, imagining some fear, / How easy is a bush suppos’d a bear!”

No wonder I turned to Shakespeare when I found myself with nothing but a tent flap between me and the entire bear population of the North Slope. Over the last few years Alaska has become for me a land of “things unknown,” a destination that liberates and strengthens my imagination. On my first visit—made a few months before my trek to the North Slope—as I waited in the Anchorage airport for a flight to Fairbanks, I had been struck by one name that kept popping up on the departure board: Deadhorse, AK. No other objective seemed at once so ominous and intriguing, so thoroughly seductive.

When I reached Fairbanks, I met up with several young officers whom I had taught at West Point. In anticipation of their upcoming deployment, they had devised a long list of expeditions to be undertaken over the summer, when the lingering sun makes it possible to live two days in every one. It seemed as if they wanted to touch as much of the state as they could before leaving. What they were doing, a friend suggested to me later, no doubt recalling his own rituals before heading to Vietnam, was “saying goodbye” to a place they had learned to think of as home. Among the catalogue of strange and unfamiliar places they recited was one that I recognized: Deadhorse. Serendipity.

“What is it?” I asked.

“Come back in June,” one replied, “and you’ll see for yourself.”

And that’s how I found myself with two lieutenants, Joel Glover ’05 and Tom Berry ’06, and Tom’s sister Laura in a Subaru wagon making my way up the Dalton Highway, a.k.a. “The Haul Road,” which connects Fairbanks with the oil fields of Prudhoe Bay: about 440 miles of gravel and dust. Rolling into Deadhorse in the morning mist and fog after a night on the tundra, I felt as if I had reached the top of the world or the end of the earth.

We gazed out on an expanse of trailers, trucks, and drilling equipment. Standing beneath a Halliburton sign in the midst of the muddy expanse, Joel declared, “You would not believe how much this place reminds me of a FOB [forward operating base].” The official tour ends on the beach, where we had the enticing opportunity,

which I was the only member of our expedition successfully to resist, of plunging into the Arctic Ocean (34° F). Someone had to stand guard, after all. Before we exited the bus, our guide had given us some vital instructions: “If you hear the horn honking, it means there is a polar bear in the vicinity. You should all gather together on the beach, hold your jackets over your heads, and look big.” Seriously?

Back in Fairbanks, Joel had taken me on a tour of Fort Wainwright. On the eve of a major deployment, an Army post wears a sad, abandoned look. In June 2008, Wainwright seemed a ghost town. Although this is home to the 1-25th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, there were no signature Stryker vehicles in sight. They were already on a train headed south on the first leg of the long journey to the desert. But we finally found an up-armored M1151 HMMWV stranded in a parking lot. “This is something you need to do,” Joel said as I climbed into the driver’s seat. Then he closed the door and left me there alone.

the imaginative faculty is central to my understanding of cadets. Because I have never known many of the circumstances in which they might find themselves, the imagination—the sympathetic imagination—is where I meet them. It is also where, as individuals wrestling with their own private transformations, they learn how to meet one another in the fundamentally cooperative endeavor of soldiering.

It was the only time in the vast space of Alaska that I felt confined. It was tough to see; the armor restricted so much of my view. Sitting behind the wheel with my feet comfortably touching the pedals, I felt as if I had entered a historical exhibit representing an era in which soldiers were smaller. I’m 5'4" on a good day. What must it

be like for someone like Joel, who is over six feet, to ride around in it with body armor, Kevlar helmet, a weapon, and three other soldiers? He left me there long enough for my imagination to perform its work. The imaginative faculty is central to my understanding of cadets. Because I have never known many of the circumstances in which they might find themselves, the imagination—the sympathetic imagination—is where I meet them. It is also where, as individuals wrestling with their own private transformations, they learn how to meet one another in the fundamentally cooperative endeavor of soldiering.

Through the imagination we reach destinations as yet unvisited, anticipate experiences we’ve not undergone, encounter solutions to problems we don’t know we have. We must imagine courage as well as cowardice; victory but also disaster; home and what Hamlet calls the “undiscovered country.” Then, at some later date—maybe in a HMMWV in Iraq or a Kiowa in Afghanistan—those imaginative labors become actual for the men and women who were studying Othello or King Lear in English class not so long ago.

There is no author who more thoroughly intuits and celebrates the force of imagination and more rigorously challenges readers to exercise it than Shakespeare. So many of the moments that have defined for me what it means to teach at West Point have some connection with his work: watching Joel hold his own with a group of professional actors in a performance on the Arnold Auditorium stage; witnessing a brilliant John Nakata ’01 pace up and down my office wrestling with Hamlet’s figures of thought and his own; listening with a class of rapt plebes to Matt Dieterich ’11 speak eloquently of Macbeth, violence, and his own prior service in Iraq; rehearsing a scene from Twelfth Night, in preparation for Projects Day, with Liz Lazzari, Megan Evans, and Jeff Balka (all ’09) late one Friday afternoon in the parking lot outside Thayer Hall; having West Point AOG President Bob McClure ’ 76 materialize in my Shakespeare class one morning brandishing the edition of Shakespeare he had been issued while a cadet and inspiring me to introduce a collected Shakespeare into EN102; seeing

Adam Bishop ’11 put all that he had learned on stage as the only yearling in our Shakespeare elective a few years ago to use this summer as an intern for the Army’s Spirit of America show; beholding Chris Goeke ’08, who was killed in action in Kandahar City, Afghanistan, on July 13, 2010, movingly bring to life the role of Jaques, the melancholy philosopher of As You Like It, who wanders the forest meditating on mortality.

In these moments cadets took intellectual, emotional, and, sometimes, physical risks—risks encouraged by Shakespeare’s themes and by the language in which he couches them. Serving as a stage manager for my colleague Colonel Scott Krawczyk ’85, during his production of As You Like It in 2008, and directing a class in a revue we called “Seduced by Shakespeare” the following year, I discovered a new and different kind of engagement with cadets. Moreover, I came to believe that many of the elements of successful theater—absolute trust, teamwork, superior listening skills, and the courage to take risks—are also attributes of successful military organizations. I knew the cadets realized this when they all showed up early for rehearsal one day, in costume, and began running through their scenes unprompted. I floated my new theory to Dan McLeod ’08, who, as a first-class cadet, had discovered untapped resources within himself while mastering the part of Orlando in As You Like It. And Dan enriched the idea by adding another element: faith in the mission, be it dramatic or military.

My trip up the Dalton forged a similar kind of solidarity. As travelers we shared certain unspoken expectations about this adventure. In a

world of fewer and fewer mysteries, Alaska remains a realm of open questions and undiscovered truths. It is place in which the lieutenants had been able to measure and define themselves, to reflect on their training and education, and to test their imaginations. John McPhee, an extraordinary observer of Alaska, has noted that the Arctic sun “strikes” rather than shines. That far north, of course, it doesn’t even set in June. It just seems to slide a bit to the east to indicate that night has turned to morning. Self-exposure and selfdiscovery are unavoidable under such unrelenting illumination. Before my recent journeys to the Last Frontier, the closest I had ever come to Alaska was memorizing Robert W. Service’s “The Shooting of Dan McGrew” in the sixth grade. The Malamute Saloon, where McGrew meets his end, had always been for me a site in which wonderful and terrible things might happen. On the North Slope the bear became the embodiment of such possibilities. On my first visit to Alaska, bears had been in hibernation; when I returned, the enormous stuffed grizzly I had seen in the university museum in Fairbanks, terrifying though it was, no longer seemed enough. We encountered Dall sheep clinging to steep rock faces, caribou and musk oxen dotting the tundra, moose in parking lots and in the wild, but the bear eluded me. Emerging from the tent unscathed in the morning, I realized that seeing a bear was the thing I most feared and in fearing it exactly what I most desired. It’s a difficult paradox, but one I think lieutenants would understand. 

Photo: Charlie Graham

Elizabeth D. Samet is professor of English in the Department of English and Philosophy and currently the director of the Plebe literature course. She is also the author of Soldier’s Heart: Reading Literature Through Peace and War at West Point.

Photo: Kate Fogelberg, Water for People

Development Engineering in Honduras: Preventing Sanitation Graveyards

Monitoring is generally not the first task that comes to mind when people think about engineering in the developing world. Understanding the status of previous projects, however, is arguably just as important as drilling wells and placing masonry blocks, because the history of philanthropic engineering development is littered with the remains of failed projects. Water For People (WFP) has a nickname for such failed projects: sanitation graveyards. These are locations where well-meaning charities have attempted to improve local infrastructure temporarily but were unable to provide a lasting solution. Pumps, pipes, and other structures always require maintenance or replacement at some time after the benefactors have departed. When the local community is unable to repair a gifted system, people return to their old ways of collecting water or disposing of waste, and the project is abandoned.

Last summer, six cadets and one officer from the Department of Geography & Environmental Engineering traveled to Honduras to help WFP monitor previously constructed drinking water and sanitation infrastructure projects. The trip taught cadets the challenges and rewards of engineering in the developing world and afforded them a cultural immersion

experience to prepare for the type of work all will encounter in the deployed Army.

WFP is a global nonprofit organization with the stated goal of improving quality of life for people in developing countries by the establishment of locally sustainable drinking water resources, sanitation facilities, and hygiene education programs. The organization is involved in all aspects of planning, constructing, financing and monitoring various engineering development projects in eleven countries on three continents. The WPF objective is to supply long-lasting development solutions that provide value to the project beneficiaries for years to come.

The team of Cadets Ashley Anthony, Mark Anthony Atangan, Bradley Potts, Jake Darsey, Francisco Barrera, all Class of 2012, and Victoria Oropeza ’11, accompanied by Major Jim Cook, was uniquely qualified to help WFP monitor existing projects. As impartial third-party observers, they performed critical analysis and reported unbiased results to WFP—an essential service to improve future development projects. The cadets examined the drinking water and sanitation systems of a number of Honduran villages and reported which projects were functioning as designed long after construction was complete. Half of the group

“I made sure I gave 100% of my effort each day for every village. WFP provided a great opportunity to help with something greater than ourselves, and we got the job done. I learned a lot about myself as well as how different the [Honduran] culture is from our own. I also gained an appreciation for the environment and how to reduce our footprint.”

B Y M AJOR J AMES P. C OOK ’99, G EOGRAPHY AND E NVIRONMENTAL E NGINEERING

—Cadet Atangan ’12

Cadets Darsey, Barrera and Potts examine a noria (waterwheel) that powers a water pump.

members were chosen for their environmental engineering and science expertise and the other half for their Spanish-speaking ability.

The monitoring mission required daily trips to remote villages in the Honduran municipalities of El Negrito and San Antonio. At each village, the team administered Spanish-language surveys to the general population, community leaders, and school teachers to discover how well—if at all—a previously installed WFP drinking

water or sanitation system was working. WFP provided transportation but did not want its people to take part in the survey process for fear of influencing villager responses. The cadets surveyed 18 communities in one week.

The team also took direct measurements of certain engineering parameters of interest, most significantly the flow rate and storage capacity of drinking water systems in relation to local population size. The cadets then measured the amount of chlorine disinfectant present in the community water systems. Because engineers rely on disinfectants such as chlorine to kill the pathogenic microorganisms found in water, it was important to know how much chlorine each village routinely used.

Once the survey and direct data collection was complete, the team compiled the results and generated a 50 -plus page report of findings for WFP. Fortunately, none of the development projects they visited appeared to be sanitation graveyards—good news for WFP and an indicator of future potential for success. The results, however, were mixed. Roughly half of the villages continued to receive optimal quantities of water at least three years after construction of the distribution system was completed, and most received adequate quantities. Water quality was a different story. Unfortunately, all but one failed to exhibit a sufficient chlorine disinfectant concentration in the water supply. The drinking water projects were failing to adequately protect communities from water-borne diseases.

Further analysis of the survey data provided an explanation: lack of proper system management and maintenance conducted by the beneficiary community. Because no drinking water system can physically hold enough disinfectant to run maintenance free for more than two days, local villagers must take responsibility for replenishing the chlorine. The same is true for repairing pipes and plugging leaks. Continuing community involvement is the key to the long-term sustainability of development projects. The West Point team learned that management and a sense of ownership are just as important to a project’s long-term success as is sound engineering. They found, with almost perfect correlation, that the successful projects were cared for by a few diligent community leaders and maintenance personnel. The communities with intermittent delivery and poor water quality suffered much more from poor management than from system design.

The cadets’ results are consistent with findings from WFP monitoring missions in other parts of the world. Sound engineering only provides temporary solutions to long-term problems. As a result, WFP has recently started aggressive education campaigns in the countries where it operates. Getting community buy-in is the first step to achieving better community management strategies, longer project life and, ultimately, a better long-term return. 

“ the monitoring work was invaluable to my future as an Army officer because interacting with people of different cultures is a large part of the job. I have a greater appreciation for what we consider to be wealth; in terms of material possessions, most villagers had near to nothing, but family heads could care for their children and homes, and that was all that they needed.” —Cadet

Bradley Potts ’12

NOTE: This was the third monitoring mission for Water For People. The first was to Guatemala in 2008 with Major Adam Czekanski (Department of Geography and Environmental Engineering). He took his second team to Honduras in 2009.

“I have never been happier about my decision to go to West Point than right now.”

— Cadet Victoria oropeza ’11

Cadet Victoria Oropeza administers a survey in Colonia San Juan. Cadets touring the Finca el Cisnes hydroelectric plant.

NO BIG THINGS: Women’s Soccer Team

“We say that to accomplish big things the little things have to be perfect. in reality, there are no big things, there are no big goals. Accomplishing big goals is the result of the accumulation of the little things done extremely well, as close to perfect as possible. So for us, we need to focus 100% on taking care of the little things along the way so that winning can take care of itself.”

—Coach Stephanie Golan

Women’s Soccer Coach Stefanie Golan is proud of her team’s 8–3 preseason record, especially since all eight wins were shutouts. “Our women come focused every single day and ready to train, play, and win. We have refocused on the little things that will separate us from other teams and put us in a position to win every single day. The team believes in itself and is working hard to have a special season. We have fully committed ourselves to our 3 core values of passion, perseverance, and trust.”

Coach Golan emphasizes the choices that one makes every day, with the first being choosing the attitude with which one faces the day. “If everyone wakes up in the morning with a great attitude and with the mentality that the day will be great, we are already a step ahead of most people. Then, we get to decide how prepared we will go to class, what kind of meals we will eat, will we hydrate as we should, and, at the early part of the afternoon, what are we willing to invest into this team today? What am I going to do as an individual to positively contribute to our growth as a team?”

She posits that everything that each team member and coach does on a daily basis affects the team, either positively or negatively. “We want our daily habits, on and off the field, to be positive ones which set us up for success as individuals and as a team. We first make our habits, but our habits will make us.”

The women on the team have bought into the concept and live it. They believe that every woman on the team contributes something positive that makes the team better as a whole or she wouldn’t be on the team. “We have some players get more recognition than others, but it

is what we all do every day that sets each of those players up for success, and we, as a team, are consequently better. Names you don’t hear that often have had a great deal to do with our success are Hailey Gibbons, Emily Carl, Candice Bryan, Kaley Mosher, Ellen Chamberlin, Chelsea Sapirman, Steph Gower, Jaclyn Kalik, Azeezat Olatunde, and Christine Kaila. Those players come out every single day with a positive attitude and a tremendous work rate, and the players you see on the field consistently and read about are better because of them.”

Coach Golan considers Co-captain Alex Lostetter a team member who has developed into a tremendous leader, both by example and vocally, providing a significant presence in the goal because of improved technical skills. “Her athleticism is insane and she is one of the most competitive people you will meet.” She believes that having Monica Lee, another very good goalkeeper, with her for three years has made Alex better, and adding Chelsea Sapirman and her work ethic has strengthened the position even more. Assistant Coach Mario works with them daily to keep them focused and improving.

Head Coach stefanie golan (center) with assistant coaches fred Thompson and mario rincon.

Cadet Profile: Alexandra Lostetter ’11

Cadet Alex Lostetter, co-captain of the women’s soccer team with classmate Kelley Robbins, threw away the recruiting letter she received from Coach Ventriglia while in high school, but her brother, a 2003 Annapolis grad, suggested that she at least visit. Recalling all of the opportunities her brother had spoken of while a midshipman, she agreed. Impressed with the physical location, the history and the quality of education, she fell in love with West Point. She thought the coach was great, the girls on the team were awesome, and that West Point was the place she wanted to be.

Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Alex loved sports in high school, playing soccer in the fall, basketball in winter, and running track in the spring. She captained the soccer and basketball teams in her senior year and was a triple jumper, pole vaulter and hurdler in track. She also played trombone in the band for

“you will be challenged every day and do things that you never thought you could. In addition to a superior education, you will reach the highest level of personal development imaginable, and the friends you make and the network you develop will remain with you for the rest of your life.” —Lostetter’s brother’s advice

some time. But it was while playing on a traveling soccer team that Coach Ventriglia first saw her and decided to contact her by mail. It should come as no surprise that her favorite activity at West Point is soccer and that her teammates are her best friends. If all the meetings, practices, strength training, soccer games and co-captain duties weren’t enough, Alex is also an avid sports fan, watching and rooting for the Steelers, Penguins, and other Pittsburgh teams with her friends in Company C-3. In her spare time—whenever that is— she loves golf and snowboarding.

Alex is a psychology major who cites abnormal psychology as her most interesting class, especially as it concerns how anxiety

disorders, eating disorders and other emotional issues adversely impact human performance. As a future Army leader, however, she is equally interested in how she can help subordinates who may be affected by similar disorders. In soccer, she used the leadership skills that she developed over the past three years to help the team. She sought to be a role model for the team, like the role models she admired on the team in the past. Co-captain Kelley Robbins and Alex had similar goals for the team: play each and every game at the highest level; give it their best always; and motivate their teammates to play through the difficult times. The biggest challenge was keeping everyone motivated throughout the season and leading by positive example.

Although recruited by 24-year women’s soccer coach Gene Ventriglia, she now plays for Coach Stefanie Golan. Coach Ventriglia impressed her as a great person and a father figure who cared about the team and always attempted to help them work around the pressures of academy life. Coach Golan, however, has introduced a lot

Stefanie Golan: Patriot League Women’s Soccer Coach of the Year

Alex Lostetter, Army’s shutout leader with 31, also is tied for most career shutouts in the Patriot League.

Goals Scored Against: 6 Patriot League Season

Shutouts: 16

WOMEN’S SOCCER 2010 AT A GLANCE

Patriot League Tournament Results

Alex’s prediction for next year:

“It was an amazing season. I have no doubt this group will win the title next year.”

Season Record: 14-4-3; most wins since 16 in 1997

of new ideas and inspires the team. She cares about each member of the team and wants everyone to succeed in all aspects of cadet life. Success must be as a complete person, not just as a member of the team. The team chemistry is hard to describe, but it feels right and comfortable. Golan is an amazing coach, but the entire coaching staff is the best Alex has ever experienced.

Alex strongly feels that she has evolved as a leader over the past three years by facing a lot of challenges but struggling through to emerge better than before. Considered a natural leader, she credits West Point with providing a focus and maturity that she did not have earlier.

Her most exciting experience at West Point? Winning the Patriot League Championship in 2008 by beating Navy at Annapolis (Were you watching, big brother?).

Alex’s advice to a high school student considering West Point would be “just do it.” You will be challenged every day and do things that you never thought you could. In addition to a superior education, you will reach the highest level of personal development imaginable, and the friends you make and the network you develop will remain with you for the rest of your life. Nevertheless, she credits the amazing support and encouragement of her family (even her Navy brother) as a major factor in her success.

Her concluding words are simply: “Beat Navy!” 

All Tournament Team: Carlie Turnnidge ’11; Alex Lostetter ’11; and Molly McGuigan ’14

Gripping Hands

Army Gymnastics Marks Two Milestones

As this magazine went to press, West Point was preparing to host the 20th West Point Gymnastics Open on January 14–15 in the Holleder Center with over 700 athletes competing from across the country in the equivalent of a World Championship atmosphere.

Also on that weekend, a celebration was planned to note the completion of the Army Gymnastics Endowment fundraising campaign. Began in 2006 and staffed by a hardworking and dedicated group of volunteers, the campaign succeed in achieving its seven-figure fundraising goal. The Campaign Committee was chaired by Major General (Ret.) Neal Creighton ’53 and vice chair Major General (Ret.) John Longhouser ’65. Graduates and friends of West Point gave of their time and funds in great measure to support Army Gymnastics, and the Academy thanks them.

The Gymnastics team has been one of the most successful over the years, producing

29 All-Americans, six national champions, 62 Eastern individual champions, three National Team Members, and 12 Eastern Team Champions. They also noted that 51% of those who lettered in Gymnastics have stayed in the military until retirement, and 35 former team members have become general officers (more than any other sport, per capita). Also in this mix are one astronaut and three Rhodes Scholars.

Athletic programs such as Army Gymnastics must depend on the Office of the Directorate of Intercollegiate Athletics-generated funds from sources such as media coverage fees, ticket sales, gift shop profits, and charitable donations for the greater part of its budget. Appropriated funds only provide about 38% of the athletic department budget. Additionally, operating costs for intercollegiate sports teams have tended to go up at an accelerated rate in recent years.

The success achieved by this first attempt to endow a West Point athletic program has set

the stage for a much larger endeavor. As part of the comprehensive campaign for West Point, the Academy, through the fundraising efforts of the West Point Association of Graduates, is seeking to create team endowments for all of the athletics teams.

West Point’s commitment to athletics runs deep. Athletics at West Point are about striving to develop leadership, the warrior spirit, and sense of duty to succeed. To demonstrate its commitment to cadetathletes, West Point endeavors to support state-of-the-art facilities, create a diverse and inclusive athletic program, recruit and retain the best staff and coaches, and provide unparalleled athletic experiences for cadet-athletes and fans.

Those wishing to support the gymnastics team or another intercollegiate athletic team may do so by contacting the West Point Association of Graduates, 698 Mills Road, West Point, NY 10996 or www.westpointaog.org

“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

Ely

’33

Shoots His Age in Golf Over 2,000 Times!

Lieutenant General (Ret.) William Ely first shot his age in golf when he was 75, so he decided to keep track of each time he did so again! Back then, he shot his age or better every time he played. As of this writing, he had done it 2,005 times in the 23 years since. The lowest he ever shot below his age was a 74 at age 90!

He never swung a club until his Plebe year at West Point in 1929, and after graduation and service in World War II, he played very little. Later tours in the DC area, however, allowed him to play at the Army Navy CC and win the club championship at all grades from colonel to lieutenant general. He doesn’t know what the secret is, but even at age 98 he doesn’t have a sore joint, knee or shoulder.

My father is Class of 1933, so I had the pleasure of meeting Lieutenant General Ely at their 60th reunion. We didn’t play golf, but I am sure it would have been a most humbling experience! Lieutenant General Ely’s golf exploits recently were noted in the September 20, 2010 issue of Sports Illustrated. —Jim Lincoln ’60.

1961

Nicholson ’61 Honored with Official Portrait as Former V.A. Secretary

Colonel (USAR, Ret.) Jim Nicholson, former Secretary of Veterans Affairs, was honored at a ceremony in Washington, DC, in November 2010, unveiling his official portrait. Nicholson was flanked by his predecessor, Secretary Tony Principi, and his successor General (Ret.) Eric Shinseki ’65. Nicholson’s comments noted the V.A. motto crafted by President Abraham Lincoln: “To care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan.” Portrait artist Laurel Stern Boeck painted the portrait.

Nicholson, an Infantry officer, fought in Vietnam, then joined the U.S. Army Reserve, practiced law, built a successful company and then served as chairman of the Republican National Committee, U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See, and Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs.

University of tennessee Unveils Statue Honoring neyland ’16

years, and a pitcher who amassed a 35–5 record while never losing to Navy. Against Colgate, he also pitched one of only three Army no-hitters in team history.

As an Engineer officer, Neyland served with the American Expeditionary Forces during World War I; as an aide to General of the Army Douglas MacArthur, Class of 1903, in the Philippines, 1921–22; and as the Professor of Military Science and Tactics at the University of Tennessee, 1925–30. He was the “Wizard of the Single Wing” head football coach at Tennessee from 1926–35 and during 1937 until recalled from his retirement as a major in 1936 to active duty in 1941. He served in the Service of Supply for the China-Burma-India Theatre, was promoted to brigadier general in 1944, and commanded the base section there until 1946.

On November 13, 2010, the University of Tennessee unveiled a statue of Brigadier General (Ret.) Robert Reese Neyland, Jr., near Gate 17 on the west side of Neyland Stadium (dedicated in his name on October 20, 1962) in Knoxville, TN, during Homecoming Weekend. The twice-life-size statue created by Blair Buswell shows the popular coach kneeling on the sidelines. As a cadet at West Point, Neyland was a football player, the heavyweight boxing champion for three

He then returned to Tennessee as coach until 1952 and as athletic director until his death in March 1962. His 21-season record as a head coach was 173-31-12; during the entire period he was at Tennessee, the team’s record was 258-70-18. Knute Rockne called him “the outstanding defensive thinker in the game.” His 1939 team was the last in college football to hold all of its opponents scoreless, and his defense held opponents scoreless in 112 of 216 games. He had nine undefeated teams, seven bowl games, and one national championship.

Dwyer ’81, McAleer ’87, Efaw ’89 Featured at Service Academy Women Authors Event in DC in September

Gail O’Sullivan Dwyer, author of Tough As Nails: One Woman’s Journey Through West Point; Donna (Matturro) McAleer, author of Porcelain on Steel: Women of West Point’s Long Gray Line; and Amy (Blanchard) Efaw, author of Battle Dress, were featured participants at a Service Academy Women Authors discussion and book signing on September 23, 2010. Held in Arlington, VA, the event was sponsored jointly by the Women in Military Service for America Memorial Foundation and the Women’s Research & Education Institute in recognition of the 30th anniversary of the graduation of women from our nation’s service academies.

1983 Wheelock ’83 Returns from International Space Station on Thanksgiving 2010

NASA Expedition 25 commander Colonel Douglas H. Wheelock, astronaut Shannon Walker, and cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhim returned to northern Kazakhstan aboard a Soyuz spacecraft on Thanksgiving day 2010. Wheelock earlier had transferred command of the international space station to NASA Expedition 26 commander Scott Kelly.

2005

ERICA JEFFRIES ’98, an associate with Booz Allen Hamilton specializing in defense, strategic policy, and national security, was selected as a White House Fellow for 2010. Currently she works as a project manager in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy and the Office of Net Assessment. She is a former Aviation officer and earned a master of arts in national security studies from Georgetown University.

1998

Wuchte ’82 Receives

2010 Department of State Secretary’s Award

On November 3, 2010, the Department of State awarded the 2010 Secretary’s Award for Excellence in International Security Affairs to Lieutenant Colonel (Ret.) Thomas Wuchte for individual excellence in the development, negotiation and implementation of national policy and solutions to counter arms control challenges facing the United States. Wuchte acts as the State Department’s Senior Advisor and Special Coordinator for United Nations Security Council Resolution 1540—a landmark initiative related to international security and nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction. He earned a post-graduate degree in International Relations and Russian Studies from the University of Illinois and has a strong background in multilateral cooperation throughout Europe, Asia, North/South America, Africa, and the Middle East.

Russian cosmonauts Oleg Skripochka and Alexander Kaleri and Expedition 26 commander Scott Kelly; Expedition 25 commander Colonel Doug Wheelock, NASA astronaut Shannon Walker; and cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin.

BRIAN STOLTZ ’05, assigned to Ft. Wainwright (Fairbanks), AK, climbed Mount McKinley (20,320 feet) in June 2010 to raise funds for the Wounded Warrior Project.

The Inaugural Black Service Academy Graduates Super Reunion was held on August 26–28, 2010 at the Gaylord National Resort & Conference Center in National Harbor, MD. The U.S. Air Force Academy Way of Life Alumni Group (WOL) proudly served as the host of this first-ever gathering of African-American graduates from all five U.S. Service Academies. Representatives from the five academies formed the planning committee. “Celebrate The History—Accept the Challenge” was the theme for this auspicious event with the mission of providing an engaging atmosphere for attendees to share professional and personal experiences, resulting in a skilled network of diverse professionals. The U.S. Air Force Academy Way of Life President, Richard Hall, USAFA ’ 79, added “The Super Reunion will challenge this new resource group to explore collaborated community service centered on building character, leadership and academic excellence for our future AfricanAmerican middle and high school students.” The Super Reunion also paid tribute to the oldest living African-American graduates from all five academies and honored the first African-American female graduates.

The long-awaited event began on Thursday, August 26, with the Inaugural Super Reunion Golf Tournament for both avid golfers and beginners interested in a unique networking exchange. The remainder of the reunion was filled with seminars, panel discussions and a Career Fair Expo providing a unique opportunity for corporations, government sector and other vendors to showcase their products and services and meet with high caliber graduates from all services.

The pinnacle event was the Tribute Luncheon, where the most senior AfricanAmerican Graduate and the First Female Graduates were honored. The Honorable Will A. Gunn, General Counsel for the

Black Service Academy Graduates Hold Super Reunion

in August

Department of Veterans Affairs, was the keynote speaker. The Master and Mistress of Ceremonies were Ron & Lisa Steptoe, USMA ’87. There also were special remarks from the Office of the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel & Readiness.

Preceding the luncheon on Saturday were two power packed sessions. The Topic: “Maximizing Your Network”—straight talk about how to best leverage your pool of resources and relationships—was presented by invited panelists, Herman Bulls, USMA ’ 78, CEO, Public Institutions, Jones Lang LaSalle; William “T” Thompson, CEO, USAF Academy Association of Graduates; Rear Admiral Michelle J. Howard, U.S. Navy; and Eugene Campbell, Vice President, Community Relations and Minority Business Development, The Walt Disney World Company. The “Military Leadership Diversity Commission Panel” was led by Commission Chair General Lester Lyles (USAF, Retired); Lieutenant General John Hopper (USAF, Retired) and Brigadier General Rebecca Halstead, USMA ’81 (US Army, Retired) with discussions of pertinent issue papers. The culminating event was a dinner cruise on the Potomac River.

The Inaugural Black Service Academy Graduates Super Reunion provided an engaging atmosphere, where diverse skilled professional and personal experiences connected with limitless opportunities.

H. Minton Francis (left), West Point ’44

Arron Conley ’10 (below center) and classmates Len East, Alan Sheehan, and Tim Adams ran with the bulls at Pamplona, Spain, while on graduation leave.

2010 Lieutenant Colonel Jason Dempsey ’93 selected as a White House Fellow for 2010

He spent 2009 in Afghanistan as the operations officer, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, planning counterinsurgency operations in two previously unoccupied provinces south of Kabul. In 2005, he deployed to Iraq to help draft policy towards Kirkuk and the displacement of Kurdish and Shi’ite populations in northern Iraq. He earned a Ph.D. in political science from Columbia, and his book, OurArmy:Soldiers,PoliticsandAmericanCivil-MilitaryRelations, was published by Princeton University Press in 2010. For his research, he was awarded a Dwight Eisenhower/Clifford Roberts Fellowship in 2005.

McAuliffe Room Dedicated at Thayer Hotel

On the evening of December 3, 2010, Room 421 at the Thayer Hotel was dedicated in honor of the late General Anthony C. McAuliffe, Class of 1919, acting commander of the 101st Airborne Division at Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge in World War II. Looking on are Mr. and Mrs. Edward Knapp, who sponsored the dedication and General McAuliffe’s former aide de camp at Bastogne. Appropriately enough, the plaque includes the general’s famous one-word answer to a demand for surrender from the commander of the German forces surrounding Bastogne: “Nuts!”

Army’s Greatest Living Football Fan

Meet Mr. Harold Igoe (pictured right), arguably Army’s greatest living football fan. He saw his first Army football game at age seven in 1936. In 1956 he began attending all home games but missed the last game of the 1958 season. But Mr. Igoe has not missed a home game since, including the “home game” played against Texas A & M in 2006 at the Alamodome in San Antonio. On the day before the Air Force game, he met with another football legend, Colonel (Ret.) Morris Herbert ’50 (pictured left) of the West Point Association of Graduates and author of “Herbert on Sports,” to talk football at the Kimsey Center. Colonel Herbert noted that Mr. Igoe had a remarkable memory for the scores of the games he attended as well as many away games that he did not attend.

A W IN FOR THE AGES

in their collective lives as a team. Offense, defense, and special teams were, ultimately, projected as one, regardless of which unit had played better that afternoon.

Following a disappointing mid-season loss, a reporter asked Coach Ellerson if, maybe, he needed a few more players to compete well against top-tier opponents. What a setup, I thought. But, no, the coach clearly stated how much he liked these players. He said players and coaches simply needed to work harder on achieving the elusive precision required to defeat determined, capable opponents.

Cadet

Stephen Anderson ’11, Bell Helicopter CEO John Garrison USMA ’82, and Head Coach Rich Ellerson

Seconds after the end of the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl, I phoned the person overseeing the printing of this magazine and said, “Stopthepresses!” We would be revising the one-page article on the 2010 ArmyNavy game. At that moment, I envisioned a split-page report on the Army-Navy game and the Army-SMU bowl game. However, I soon found myself unable to let go of the notion that the final two games of this season were like acts IV and V in a drama that has taken nearly a year and a half to play out.

I am not an Army football insider. A seat in Section 11 of Michie Stadium, analyses by bloggers, and brief conversations with players, coaches, and staff on the sidewalks and in the halls at West Point have formed my perspective. Working at West Point, however, I do get an occasional glimpse into the heart of this Army football program and its compelling brand of brotherhood.

It was on a Friday morning in August 2009 that I first began to think about Coach Ellerson’s variation on a timeless concept and a touchstone for generations of Army athletes: the idea that soldiers and athletic teammates are siblings totally committed to one another. He was the new head coach and had graciously agreed to speak to the Class of 1967 West Point Alumni Leaders Conference.

Coach’s delivery was high-energy, animated, and laced with tactical teasers: the importance of precision and making plays in space and the mysterious double eagle flex defense. But he also stressed senior leadership and using the cadet experience as a source for strength. His style was infectious, with a hint of the mad scientist who would be both wizard and one of the subjects in the experiment that is the re-building of a football program. I became a believer, thinking this was the type of leader who should coach cadets, even if the team never won a game.

The team has won, of course, but there is more than that going on. This year, my wife Sue and I always lingered in the stands following games in Michie Stadium. Sitting in the near-empty stadium, we would view the post-game press conferences on the jumbotron. They were fascinating twentyminute sessions. Typically, the coach spoke for two or three minutes, took a few questions, and turned the microphone over to a few players requested by the press. Still in uniform but without pads, the players were always poised, honest, unified, and invariably leaning forward to the next game.

For example, win or lose, they never seemed emotionally high or low. Whatever had just happened on the field seemed but an episode

So, we advance several scenes forward in the drama—to Philadelphia. Almost everyone reading this essay knows about the reversal of fortune that resulted in the 7-24 halftime deficit against Navy. From my perch in the upper deck of Lincoln Financial Field, I wondered how the team would react. As the second half unfolded, however, it became apparent that the team had cleared their minds, letting the past go. Relying on their mental calluses and each other, offense, defense, and special teams were relentless. They outplayed and outscored Navy in the second half. What’s more, they used every second on the clock, as if the game would go on until they won.

While our team did run out of time in Philadelphia, their grit in the second half of the Navy game was a prelude. It foreshadowed the hard-fought 16-14 win against SMU in Dallas, spearheaded by Army’s tenacious defense. For sure, the coaches and players never doubted they would climb back up. Their brand of brotherhood is resilient; this program is built for the long run.

The bowl victory in Texas gives the 2010 team a place of honor in the annals of Army football. Furthermore, it is testimony to the leadership of team captains Stephen Anderson, Carson Homme, Josh McNary, Patrick Mealy, the other seniors, their teammates, coaches, and staff, as well as the Corps and the Army fans. The exuberance of the celebration in Texas makes us all look forward to the curtain’s rise on the 2011 edition of this Army football program.

—Jim Johnston ’73

Photos: John Pellino, West Point

1991

Classmates in North Carolina Senate

Dan Soucek and Warren T. Daniel are West Point classmates and now freshmen North Carolina State Senators from adjoining districts. More significantly, they are members of the first North Carolina legislature since 1869–70 in which both houses are controlled by the Republican Party. Soucek is a former “Top Gun” Cobra attack helicopter pilot and “Iron Aviator” champion who now works as a logistics expert for Samaritan’s Purse Ministries, a not-for-profit charity that provides international disaster relief. Daniel is a former artilleryman who graduated with honors from the UNC School of Law, is now a successful attorney who has argued cases at all levels, and was admitted to the practice before the U.S. Supreme Court in 2007. They represent the 44th (Caldwell & Burke Counties) and 45th (Watauga, Ashe, Wilkes & Alexander Counties) North Carolina districts.

Kyle Snook ’08, 101 st Airborne was just starting his tour in Afghanistan when this photo was taken in Kandahar; brother Sean ’07, 82nd Airborne Division, was completing an eventful tour that included speaking to the cadets in the battalion of sister Meagan ’11 . His mother and father Kathi and Scott Snook are Class of ’80. His brother Rob is now a Plebe.

Carpenter ’71 receives euroCHrIe President’s Award

Lieutenant Colonel (Ret.) Ron Carpenter received the EuroCHRIE President’s Award at the gala dinner in Amsterdam on October 27, 2010 during the European Council on Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Education 2010 conference, attended by over 250 hospitality educators and industry professionals. This award is the highest individual honor and is presented in recognition of an individual’s lifetime contributions and outstanding service to hospitality and tourism education and the EuroCHRIE Federation. He is now Managing Partner of CH Worldwide Consultants in Bulle, Switzerland. A former Infantry officer and Vietnam veteran, he also was a tactical officer at West Point.

1960

Willy McNamara was in Vietnam at the time of his class’s 50th Reunion, specifically to honor classmates killed in action in the Vietnam War. On Sunday, May 16, 2010, at the entrance to Saigon Harbor, Willy threw a bouquet of flowers into the water and, after reading the names of his classmates killed in action, sang the “Alma Mater” and rendered a hand salute. Later, Willy repeated the ceremony at the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Saigon.

Boots on the Ground

C ONTINUED FROM PAGE 11

The cadets worked on refining semi-autonomous and self-collaborating capacities for the UAS swarms so that one soldier could control ten drones. Two of their algorithms proved to be more efficient than two dozen others they had worked on. A control console search algorithm has one component which notes the last time each quad rant of the search sector was surveyed by a UAS and issues commands to search for mathematically described threats on the terrain which has been uninspected for the longest time. That’s the plain English explanation of:

When the cadets presented their capstone project to their AMRDEC clients, they were delivering research that would be useful for hardware to be delivered three to five years from now. Paul DiNardo ’81, a key program officer working on UAS, complimented them on their valuable work and assured them that they had nothing to worry about for their upcoming presentation to Capstone Projects Day judges: “You already know more about this topic than any of them.” 

Balfour can replace Class Rings, miniatures, and wedding bands for the above listed back dated classes. Contact Jayne Roland at Balfour.

Past in Review

The 1836 Old Cadet Chapel, a small wood and granite Classic Revival structure that stood next to the 1841 Library was saved by graduates after the Military Gothic Cadet Chapel of today was dedicated just over 100 years ago. It was disassembled and moved to its present location in the West Point Cemetery.

After the War of 1812, Sylvanus Thayer and William McCree spent a year in France, studying the French educational system and purchasing a proper library of books, most in French, to reinvigorate the fledgling Academy. The 1,142 volumes represented every significant written work on military science and engineering then in existence. Then, on March 5, 1838, a fire destroyed the building that included the library, although most of the books were saved. The books graced bookcases in the dining room of the Old West Point Hotel for three years, awaiting appropriations for a new library from Congress.

The Superintendent, Major Richard Delafield, was not satisfied with the various plans submitted, so he designed an Elizabethan Gothic replacement library measuring 160 feet by 78 feet and made of red sandstone. It served many purposes: library, offices of the superintendent, adjutant, quartermaster and treasurer; and lecture hall. In addition, the central turret housed a state-of-the-art astronomical

laboratory with an equatorial telescope first used by Professor Bartlett to observe the comet of 1843. When a new observatory was built at Lusk Reservoir in 1883, the library hoped to access additional space for its collection, now over 36,000 volumes. Finally, in 1895, Congress authorized renovation of the building, and George W. Goethals, an instructor in Practical Military Engineering at West Point, undertook the renovation, using soldier labor.

What a grand and dignified place the renovated library was: high ceilings; portraits in ornate frame; mezzanine bookcases accessed by spiral staircases; trophies and statues on the reading tables; a large globe of the world; and ornate chandeliers. After World War II, many unit histories and a Special Collections section for memorabilia of graduates were added. Nevertheless, the venerable old library was fast becoming obsolete. In 1962, the wrecking ball struck, and in 1964 a new library was dedicated. Now the 1964 library is under renovation into an academic building.

Construction of the twin-turreted Gymnasium in Romanesque Revival style began in 1891, but it was not occupied until November 1, 1893. The father of West Point physical education, Herman J. Koehler, had taken over as the Master of the Sword on February 1, 1885, when the existing gymnasium was only 13x25x60 feet and had one horizontal bar, two wooden horses, a swing, parallel bars that were four feet high and 20 feet long, and a few clubs and dumbbells. Even with these limitations, an 1889 report of the Board of Visitors stated: “We confess that it was exceedingly difficult to believe that the gymnastic exercise performed by the fourth class could be the result of only one year of practice under the instruction by Professor Koehler. The feats of agility were simply wonderful; they are valuable chiefly as evidence of sound, muscular, trained bodies. Professor Koehler is an accomplished teacher.” When the 1891

Gymnasium was completed, Koehler added instruction in fencing, swimming and gymnastics. Koehler retired in 1923. When the current dining facility, Washington Hall, was begun in 1925, Koehler’s 1891 Gymnasium, which stood on the selected site, was demolished. 

1841 library (left) and 1836 Cadet Chapel

1891 gymnasium