West Point is home to me. I was born there and spent fifteen of my first twenty-two years there. During childhood, I thought it was idyllic. Five other Army brats from my high school were going to go to the Military Academy, and convinced me to go, too. I thought it would be extremely tough, but would make me a better person, and it did. West Point was a level playing field, where success comes through perseverance and hard work, not from status beforehand. Besides the Ten Commandments, it is also my moral compass as stated in the motto “Duty, Honor, Country”. From my work as an Academy Admissions Officer, I’ve seen firsthand the political side of getting into West Point in the first place. My father was denied a nomination three years in a row because he didn’t have political connections. On the fourth try, his congressman directed a freshman congressman to nominate my dad, which he did. Dad finished first in his class and ultimately became a general.
My brother was nominated because of dad’s status as an active-duty soldier—not political. When my turn came, dad knew the drill. I prepped for a Civil Service Exam, scored 100%, got my congressman’s principal nomination, though he wanted to shunt me off to the Air Force Academy, and was admitted with a waiver for height. There is an instant bond with any other graduate because, though we might have come from different backgrounds, we all went through a very rigorous program. I remember one Superintendent saying that West Pointers don’t just meet standards, they set the standards. I met my wife there and worked there for another eleven years as a Department of the Army Civilian. I must say that working there as a civilian is far different from being a uniformed officer. Throughout a career in the Regular Army and Reserves the knowledge that I was a West Pointer spurred me on to do the best I could for our country.
What West Point Means to Me
What West Point Means To Me – Suzanne Rice
I didn’t know Bill when he was a cadet. My first glimpse of West Point might have been watching the old television program,” The West Point Story” from the 1950’s. (must have been impressive for a little girl to remember) My next encounter with West Point was years later when I was in Junior College in my hometown. In my class was an impressive young man from a nearby small town; he was taking classes as he awaited admission to West Point. I didn’t understand the admission process at the time, but it was clear to all who knew him that he was an extraordinary person – way better than the rest of us, so West Point must be a special place if he wanted to go. (It was with great sadness that I learned a few years later that after his graduation in 1970, he was killed in an accident on a jump during Airborne School only a few months after his graduation from West Point.) After Bill and I were married and were returning to the U.S. from Bill’s first assignment in Germany, I asked to visit West Point since we were nearby picking up our car that had been shipped home. It was February and Bill had no desire to go back, three years later, but as a new bride, I was able to convince him to take me – it was my first glimpse of the beauty of the place even during Gloom Period.
At that time, I didn’t know that Bill would later become a professor in the USMA Math Department for four years; it was then that I began to understand not just the physical beauty of the place, but I got to know the people there and understand the important mission to which they promise to give even their lives. After Bill’s unexpected death, I witnessed the amazing love and support that was offered by Bill’s classmates and other grads that we had come to know over Bill’s 27 years on active duty. They rallied around the family, especially our son, who was himself a cadet at the time. I have found that the graduates of West Point take the values of Duty, Honor, Country with them wherever they go, hold on to them and exemplify them as long as they live.
What West Point Means To Me – Janie Taylor
My memories of West Point come in four phases. First, there were the exciting dating days where trips from the University of Kentucky to see Mike were like fairy tale stories. I’d save up all year long to fly to New York and after a bus ride from Grand Central Station my handsome cadet would meet me at Thayer Gate and we’d have a whirlwind weekend of football, dances and, oh yes, Flirtation Walk!
This exciting courtship ended in a wedding in the Cadet Chapel the day after graduation and the next 11 years working together to serve the Army and our country stateside and abroad.
My next memories are of the years Mike was on the English Dept. faculty at West Point and we made more memories with new and old classmates and spouses. It was a wonderful world to raise two children in and for four years I could absorb the history, sacrifice, tradition and camaraderie that only the military can exude.
As we entered the autumn of our lives, we found the bond of the class alums overwhelming as we enjoyed cruises to Alaska and the Baltic Sea and a trip to Ireland. As Mike’s cancer progressed, the “Best Of The Line” gave him encouragement and his last weeks were full of pride for his ’69 brothers and peace that he led a life well done.
I now have my private memories. They are full of gratitude, smiles and pride that I got to share in the brotherhood of West Point’s Class of ’69. I have been blessed beyond belief.
Janie Taylor