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.
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