The Days Forward

West Point Class of 1969

Suzanne Rice

What West Point Means To Me – Joe Gelineau

West Point. Duty Honor and Country. The Long Gray Line.
These words never fail to reverberate in me a profound sense of reverence each time spoken or heard. The reasons are many, but four stand out:
I. West Point was a goal I never imagined attainable as a youth growing up in Corsicana, Texas. My Mother immigrated from French Canada after marrying my father, a traveling salesman, and followed him to Texas. We were four kids, and my mother, as far back as I can remember, single-handedly reared us, for my father died young. Mom taught French around our breakfast table to supplement a meager Insurance allowance after his death. She told us kids: “Study and do your best and try to get a scholarship to college. I know you can! ” As a youth, I aspired to be a soldier, and to follow those heroes who led our Country in battle, especially those who had graduated from West Point. There must be a way, I imagined.” After all, a poor youth from the Mountains of West Virginia, Audie Custer, had done it, graduated and became the famous George Armstrong Custer.” I had read and almost memorized his biography in my adolescent years. Some elders from our town admired my mother for her diligence and enthusiasm in the face of hard work raising us kids, and collectively decided to support me in my dream. They provided the contacts, all I had to do was study hard and hustle hard and never give in…and at night I never finished my prayers without “Please Lord, help me get into West Point!”
II. West Point provided opportunity. It was my duty to use it to the best of my ability to further an education, establish a character, and perfect the skills necessary to serve the Country well. It was not easy. I was not always up to the task. My classmates and upperclassmen were a source of inspiration along with the talented and experienced faculty of officers. I perfected the mantra “learn it, do it, evaluate it, correct it, try it again!” Four academic terms and four training summers passed, and I graduated as a Field Artillery Officer. I applied the lessons of Bonaparte and left for 3rd ID in Europe to “march to the sound of the guns.” From there I found that the Air Cavalry particularly attracted me and I opted for Rotary Wing pilot training. Serving in the Air Cav with the 101st Air Mobile was a great experience, continued with the 3/158th Helicopter Squadron in the Delaware National Guard.
III. West Point has formed the foundation of my approach to life ever since. Lead and Follow. The two are inseparable. One cannot effectively lead if he knows not how to follow. I have applied this through my years in active duty, and the years that followed in Corporate business and the National Guard. Most importantly. I applied it and continue to apply it in the relationships I keep with my children and their children.

My son has followed on and built on a remarkable military career as a Special Operations Officer and a decorated combat commander in Middle Eastern theaters of war. He served as an Instructor in Department of Physical Education at West Point for 3 years and my first grandson was born in the old West Point Hospital on Post. In 2016 I proudly attended his promotion to Full Colonel after only 20 years in service. Most recently, he has been assigned to command Operations for the Cyber Forces Command. I am confident that his sons and daughter, as well as my daughter’s son and daughter, will follow and lead as their parents have done, and as I have done.
IV. West Point, in these passing years, is a source of deeply held memories. My classmates are still my best of friends, and we share memorable occasions by attending the various graduations and marriages and births. The words, West Point, Duty, Honor Country, and the Long Gray Line bind us indefinitely into the future.

What West Point Means To Me – Denis Gulakowski

When the Average Joe hears the words, “West Point”, one of several images may come to mind; the Revolutionary War fortification protectively overlooking the Hudson River, the Gothic architecture of the Cadet Chapel, the expansive Plain hosting a full-dress parade of cadets, or Michie Stadium perched next to Lusk reservoir on colorful fall football weekends. These images might also explain, “what West Point means to me”, were one to ask the Average Joe. But West Point graduates are not the Average Joe when that phrase is posed to them.
West Point means many things to me, generally broken down into two time frames: at school and post-graduation. From the former, I remember general camaraderie, frenetic and grueling schedules, challenging academics, first-rate military training, muted pageantry, quality personnel and a sense of history. One of the major national issues of the time for our country and most certainly for us and our immediate futures, was the Vietnam War. While we were not exposed, for the most part, to daily media and the political unrest generated by the war, we were able to appreciate a different side of the war than the GAP (Great American Public) received. Also, from the former I remember specifically meeting and dating my now wife JoAnne, who participated with me during Firstie (senior) year including the Ring Hop, getting my Corvette, exploring Flirtation Walk, KDET record hops and graduation.
Throughout the years since graduation I experienced a series of different assignments, different homes, different locations and interactions with different people. Surprisingly, during most of those times, I didn’t serve directly with classmates, with one exception at Fort Belvoir, VA. Being exposed to colleagues whose source of commission and formal civilian education were different from mine, actually made me appreciate the West Point experience more. Not everyone with whom I worked had the same approach to, nor method of mission accomplishment, which, in some cases, made the situation more challenging.
The skills I learned at West Point and polished over the years have served me well.

What West Point Means To Me – Wayne Murphy

West Point was extremely generous to me. In return for my best efforts, it shaped the path of my life.
It was the meritocracy where so many gifted men were challenged to perform. My awe at the abilities and integrity of our classmates began from day one, as did the realization that we were all the beneficiaries of a special gift – to become a part of the Long Gray Line and a band of brothers like no other. The title “classmate” became a term of deep respect and admiration.
That bond, consecrated by the blood of classmates on the battlefield, continues today as does the call to duty to our great country. But, as anyone who has faced combat knows, we fight not merely for flag and country – but for each other.
In the end West Point is not a place – it is an ideal shared by men – and a life-long journey to reach that end.

What West Point Means To Me – Geoff Prosch

On 4 June 1969, I witnessed what I then thought was the greatest sight in my life – West Point in the rearview mirror of my car. Over time, however, I have learned that it was not West Point that I was speeding away from on graduation day, rather my Tactical Officer, Central Area, and Final Exams. West Point had prepared me well to be a successful Army Infantry Officer. To the amazement and surprise of the Tactical Department, I returned to West Point 5 years after graduation to serve as Aide de Camp to the Superintendent and as a Military Science Instructor. My new bride Kappy (and current wife of 46 years) conducted the tours of the Sylvanus Thayer Quarters Museum in the Superintendent’s Home — Quarters #100.
I discovered that I enjoyed serving in the Army – reinforced by heavy leadership responsibilities and close relationships with Soldiers. Over the years, West Point has drawn me home. Each visit still invigorates my spirit and soul. In my last active duty assignment, I had the honor to serve as President of the West Point Society of Ft Bragg/Sandhills, N.C. When I finally reboot from the civilian workforce to the full-time volunteer ranks, West Point will remain the center of gravity of my efforts and passion.

What West Point Means To Me – Eric Robyn

“West Point is wasted on cadets!”
As a Tac, this half-joking assertion by a visiting professor of history at USMA stuck in my mind. Cadets are so busy just surviving, they neither fully understand nor appreciate the long-term benefits of the often-painful process. Now, after 50+ years, I appreciate even more what West Point achieved. It’s not too much to say that my experiences at West Point shaped my character, purpose, vision, and goals in life more than any other place.
Clearly, it was there I was introduced to the Profession of Arms and the Brotherhood of Warriors into what became my life calling. West Point taught me how to think and act honorably; commit humbly to a cause greater than myself; live a rigorous, disciplined life in mind, body, and soul; experience daily situations to succeed or fail as a follower and leader; retain a good sense of humor, especially in the midst of high stress; and rely on the close support, strong encouragement, and teamwork of company and classmates who became – and remain – closest friends. All these hard-knock experiences and more come to mind.
One aspect, however, that stands out was setting priorities. As a Plebe, I learned quickly that much more was expected of me than I could deliver. Planning ahead, prioritizing tasks, and taking the right action at the right time was the only way to survive! Lesson learned: no plan survives first contact with the enemy but failing to plan is planning to fail. I grew accustomed to a life of action, not contemplation, first on a personal level, then as a leader. Under the daily stress of cadet life, a solid foundation was laid in setting priorities, making plans, and taking action to accomplish the mission: in classrooms, barracks, and in the field.
More important and enduring than any of those skills, however, were the relationships forged at West Point. The bonds of brotherhood sealed by trial during those four challenging USMA years laid the foundation for future bonds of marriage, family, faith, and service to others all my life. The ancient Celts had a phrase for those places where the physical and spiritual worlds seem to meet: “thin places.” For me and my family, West Point is a “thin place.”