CHARLIE COMPANY, 3RD REGIMENT, USCC amecock 2¢ azette

VOLUME 3, ISSUE 2 OCTOBER 2012

SECTIONS:

2,3 - Grad Gab Rep. Ike Skeleton By CDT Alexandra Deets ‘16 4,5 - Current Connections 6 - Game On! 8 - The Funnies 9– What’s Up West Point? 10-Letter From the Editor

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Class Bash 2

Room 4714 4

Brigade BOO? 5

Branching Out 6

Fall Sports 7

The Funnies 8 Top Left: As Committee Chairman, Rep. Skeleton speaks with General McChrystal and the US Ambassador to Afghani- stan Karl Eikenberry, Top Right: Rep. Skeleton addressing constituents What’s Up W.P? 9

The Sylvanus Thayer award U.S. men and women in

Award is one of many include Dwight D. Eisen- uniform, and military West Point traditions and hower, Douglas MacAr- health insurance reform.

has been presented thur, , He also played a very

every year since 1958. , Sandra important part in the The award was created Day O‟Connor, and The passing of the Goldwater in honor of Sylvanus American Soldier. Recipi- -Nichols Act which drasti- Thayer, the fifth superin- ents can be civilian or cally reduced inter- tendent and “Father of military but can no longer service rivalries and sim- the Military Academy.” be West Point graduates. plified the chain of com- Recipients of this award mand. The many contri- The recipient of the 2012 butions Skelton has made are outstanding citizens Sylvanus Thayer Award is to this nation embody whose various accom- Isaac Newton (Ike) Skel- the West plishments and actions ton IV. He served as a Point reflect the West Point U.S. Representative from motto Motto, “Duty, Honor, 1977-2011 and focused “Duty, Country.” on the War in Afghani- Honor, Previous recipients of the stan, standing up for the Country.”

P A G E 2

Class Bash by John Jacobsen ‘72 Grad Gab: The 40th reunion weekend is over. lowed: Among the current C3 ca- Stories, What a great weekend it was! dets was one with musical talents as well, CDT Lukas Findley. He enter- memories, tained us with old, new, and original current news, Many thanks to Frank Cservak for or- music. Who knew how much music and ganizing and equipping the music for would help the Corps to link hands? the C3 party in the Thayer. We had a inspiration, very special time. Major parts of the connecting South Barracks Band (Otis Cservak, There‟s much more to report – not the “Old Jim Spinks, Chris Kane, and Tom the least of which is Otis‟ production Grads” of C- Abrahamson) started the show with and distribution of the South Barracks 3 to the new! familiar tunes, then the fan favor- Band redux CD. We sold over 100 to ites: Target Hill Blues and Pough- the class at $20 donation per copy keepsie Princess. (Timeless lyrics, going to the class gift to the AOG. I Kevin. Next time, Grant Hall think every C3 cadet left with a Girl.) Then, Jim, Chris, and Tom copy, but they got them for free… If headed off for their company gath- you need a copy, let us know. erings. But a surprise fol-

Below: Members of the classes of ‘72, ‘13, ‘14, and ‘15 gather for a picture at the ‘72 C3 reunion VOLUME 3, ISSUE 2 P A G E 3

Just to note, we all (class of ‟72) posed for a extra pounds and a little class photo and I must admit that I and a less hair. couple of others were incorrect when we de- In regards to the New Mascot: cided to recreate "Firstie" picture at Trophy

Point. Could have sworn it was at the monu- The Class of „72 follows' C3 with interest as the ment, and not the cannon. Anyway, I Fighting Cocks, that became Game Cocks, scanned that picture for comparison. I think and are now becoming the Coyotes… At we all look pretty darn good except for a few least Coyotes eat chickens, right?

Far Left: Members of the South Barracks Band play at the ‘72 reunion, Far Right: Members of ‘72 pose during senior year, Rig ht: Members of ‘72 today, Left: Wives of the class of ‘72 pose at P A G E 4 Room 4714 by CDT Alfonso Rivera ‘14 Ghost stories have the ability to convert any- roommate were assigned an upper class thing ordinary and make them so terrifying that guardian, to watch over him and his room- they become impossible to forget. While we mate during the night. O‟Conner claims that hate to admit it, everyone‟s been scared by a at 3am the upperclassmen would wake up ghost story at one point in their lives, and no and begin to scream because he was unable one can ever truly forget the moments that to move and he felt that there was something were spent in fear as we‟ve waited for an in- or someone holding him down. From then on visible (or visible) apparition which never em- O‟Conner claimed that visits were frequent bodied itself. This month we bring you the story and they were no longer forced to stay in the of Jim O‟Connor, his roommate and several same room, but would spend their nights in the other who have spent the night in what has room upstairs. now become the infamous Room 4714 of Scott On a separate occasion, the deputy chair Barracks. Yet, rather than simply tell the tale, man of the honor committee would tell we‟ve decided to search deeper into the story O‟Connor that he, the superintendent and by discussing its roots, seeking possible expla- another general officer would later escort nations, and attempting to bring you a glimpse Jeane Dixon to the room in an attempt to ex- of the rumors that have made this room truly orcise the ghost. For those who don‟t know, impossible to forget. Jeane Dixon was famous for predicting that The Tale of Jim O’Conner and the origin of the President Kennedy would be assassinated. Ghost of West Point: Sometime shortly after her attempt to “exorcise” the room, the deputy chairman told Above: The door that As a plebe in the class of 1976, Jim O‟ Connor O‟Connor, that Dixon was lifted off the ground leads up to room was set to spend his first semester in room 4714. and thrown out of the room. She left West 4714 He claimed that in early October of his plebe Point immediately afterward. year he would have his first run-in with the “ghost of west point”. The water would turn on O‟Connor claims that to this day, “scary mov- and on by itself, the toilet paper would unroll ies aren‟t scary…the way Hollywood depicts itself. Connor refuses to call it a ghost, but ghosts is almost comical after what I went Current rather an “apparition” that he claims would through,” and that he still doesn‟t know why he Connections: frequently disturb both him and his roommate. was affected. Furthermore, O‟Connor claimed that he never really could figure out why he On one particular night, Connor would tell the was targeted by the ghost, but that the coinci- West Point newspaper claimed that as O‟Con- dences of “names” were really scary. In the An inside look nor turned to leave the bathroom”, he noticed 1820‟s a fire in the area killed a woman by the someone sitting on the toilet seat: this figure name of O‟Connor. Regardless, O‟Connor is at what‟s was about 5‟6” tall and „dressed in a worn full more than glad to have left the room. Luckily, dress gray coat.‟” He also claimed that it sat going on in O‟Connor and his roommate were never al- as one would sit on a bench, holding in its right lowed to be interviewed by the media, and hand an old musket with a Civil War vintage the Corps, their secret was well kept for many years. bayonet on it. O‟Connor „was caught up with Eventually, the room was eventually closed, the eyes. They were white.‟ They glowed and and the and is now acting as a small study room for the they had no discernible color. He would con- H4 hogs. current class tinue to tell the paper that he did not notice anything besides its lack of eyes,”, but “Rather A similar story is told of a cadet that, while liv- mates of C-3 than eyes, it had two white spots. I tried to sit ing in Pershing barrack was greeted by his up in bed twice but could not. I made an ef- roommate on one of the upper levels. As the in particular! fort to scream, but the sound was cut off in the cadet looked up, he noticed the figure of a middle of my throat.” cadet in full dress, or what appeared to be a civil war uniform standing next to him. How- With all the issues coming from room 4714 and ever, when the cadet asked his roommate rumors that would begin to circulate over the who he had been with before he had arrived, ghost, on a separate night, Connor and his his roommate only replied, “nobody”. VOLUME 3, ISSUE 2 P A G E 5

Explanations sations of the real environment. This event, called hypna- gogic hallucination, can be frighteningly real and terrifyingly Other than the mysterious woman named O‟Connor that so if the dream content is nightmare like to begin with.” died near the campus, there are really no other stories Therefore, it is entirely possible for the cadets to have felt a that could explain where the apparition in 4714 may presence in the room and even see a ghost, but it would have come from. Nonetheless, there may be one have only been part of their sleep cycle. Unfortunately this explanation that can explain several of the stories would fail to explain a lot of other tales around the acad- that have circulated about what is now being emy. If this was a case of a disturbed REM cycle why do all called the “Ghost of West Point”. of the “Ghosts of west Point” appear to be the same figure in In many of these stories, there is a common a dress gray coat? Likewise, how likely is it that two people tendency for a cadet that is being haunted see the exact same being within the span of a weekend? to feel as if there is a force being placed in the mid- Nothing can be certain about room 4714. Since there have dle of their chest. This feeling leaves the victim of a been no official reports on the room as of yet. Likewise, none “haunting” to have difficulty moving and they are rendered of what O‟Connor has said can be proven true. If there is helpless by this unseen force. Yet according to Retired LT. something in room 4714, it will have to be up to the individual Col. Timothy O‟Neil, a former professor at West Point, the ex- cadet to find out. O‟Connor claims that the occurrences planation could be found by taking the time to research began in October, and whoever‟s willing to tackle the mys- what is called REM sleep. teries of this room head on; will find that the doors to the H4 During the REM sleep cycle, our muscles are paralyzed to study room are always open. prevent us from walking or moving during our dreams. How- References: ever, in the rare occasion that we do happen to wake up during the REM cycle, all muscles become paralyzed and Article: http://suite101.com/article/ghosts-of-west-point-usma-a65208 the human body (while fully awake) is unable to move. LT Article: http://www.stripes.com/blogs/the-rumor-doctor/the-rumor- doctor-1.104348/is-west-point-s-room-4714-haunted-1.158748 Col. O‟Neil would write in a 1990 article for the West Point alumni Magazine that, “The dream will mix the objective sen- YouTube video/ Interview:http://www.youtube.com/watch?

Brigade BOO? By CDT Nick Kagen ‘13 Q: So Ms. Moore what is your position on brigade, and have to change at the dance or not. MTF. what is the brigade take on Halloween this year? Q: Will there be company haunted trunk rooms/ day M: I am the BDE MWR Officer, and we will still have cos- rooms/ study rooms/ personal rooms, and if so what tumes this year for Halloween. types of prizes and requirements will be looked at for the judging? Q: What plans does the brigade have for the corps? M: I can‟t talk about incentives as M: We will have multiple BBQ‟s but with a spin, to bring per USCC, but I am sure we in bands and entertainment. There will be dodge ball will work something out for the and of course the possibility of beer trucks, pending best rooms/ trunk rooms :-) approval. We are trying to get the Corps involved in more sporting events and having DCA activities at Q: What do you and your friends on the those events to make them more enjoyable, but they Rabble Rousers plan to dress as? are in the works. M: We will be dressing up for the spirit dinner, and Q: Will there be a plebe Halloween dance like there don‟t worry we won‟t disappoint. has always been? Q: There is rumor that a Yuk Halloween dance is M: Yes, there will be a plebe dance. happening this year can you divulge any information or confirm/ deny this is a possi- Q: Will costumes be allowed to be worn to class that bility? day, then to spirit dinner and even the dance? M: The Yuks are not having a Halloween M: Costumes will never be allowed to be worn during dance. The 70‟s Groovy Dance is taking the the academic day. Costumes can be worn to spirit place of the Halloween dance they dinner and it is pending on whether or not they will missed last year! P A G E 6

By Micah Uchida ‘15 Game On! Branching Out One of the most notable events of September that our lives depend on was made. Aside This section is took place the week of the 10th, as the De- from heavy weaponry, each branch brought partment of Military Instruction hosted the first with them incredible teams of officers (many all about C-3. annual Branch Week, bringing in representa- of whom were former West Point cadets), non tives from 16 branches of the Army into the -commissioned officers, and junior enlisted From ancient Cadet Area to raise awareness and educate soldiers who became highly concentrated relics to cur- the Corps of Cadets to better prepare them centers of experience from all aspects of any for their very near future. given branch, capable of satiating even the most knowledge-yearning cadets. rent events, Some branches had a larger presence than this page is others; representatives from Aviation made The week concluded with the annual Com- quite a show on the Sunday prior to Branch bined-Arms tailgate. The visiting soldiers were all about us, week, landing in front of Washington Hall in invited to watch Army take on Northern Illinois an AH-64A Apache and a UH-60L Blackhawk, at Michie Stadium prior to hosting a tailgate the Game which many cadets had the opportunity to for interested cadets, where they could find ride in during Cadet Summer Training. Many refreshments, a final chance to pick the Cocks! other branches brought their own heavy ma- brains of each specialist, and get free branch chinery and equipment for cadets to experi- merchandise, of course. ence, including an M1A2 Abrams from Armor, Overall, the first annual Branch Week was a an M1117 Armored Security Vehicle brought success, allowing cadets to not only learn by the Military Police, and a M1127 Recon- about prospective jobs, but to meet the men naissance Vehicle from the Stryker family, and women to do it every day across the brought by the Infantry representatives. The nation and overseas. The branches also had cadets were invited to jump into the weapons a chance to make a strong first impression on systems, and between all the camera-phone the Class of 2016 and cadets from the upper pictures, a real appreciation for the machines classes who have yet to decide their futures. VOLUME 3, ISSUE 2 P A G E 7

Branching Out By Micah Uchida ‘15 Sports

By Seth Harbol „14

C-3 Sports at it again... Pioneering a relatively new sport for women Fall sports have traditionally been the Game- in the US is Christine Esachina, captain of cocks time to shine, and they are at it again the women’s team handball team. Though this year. C-3 has the whole spectrum cov- there are only three college teams in the US, ered from IMs to Corps squad, and Clubs Army finds stiff competition from the Cana- Squads in between. A few highlights are to dian teams. Esachina says, “We play against follow, of the gallant athletes leading the women who have been playing for as long as Gamecocks to victory. we’ve been alive,” but adds that Army out plays their superior skill and experience with IM flag football is trying to recapture the better physicality and endurance. glory of winning a brigade championship two years ago. Lead by Tyler Glasz and The Gamecock Gazette wishes these game- Mark Van Kopp, and coached by Alfonso cocks good luck and a great season. We Rivera, the Gamecocks recently destroyed F- wish all our athletes a good season be it IMs, Club, or Corps Squad. C-3, take the time to 3 a reported 57-0. go cheer on your The cross country team is looking much bet- company mates ter this year says Ricky Galindo, who leads this fall and the Army XC team this year, and thinks the show eve- team stands a good chance at beating Navy ryone we this year. Plebe Thomas Girardot looked are the strong at Army’s last home meet and is a most great hope for the future of the team. spirited Left tackle on the sprint football team, Pete company Duff, is extremely optimistic about the com- in the corps! ing season. Duff has used his motivation to play to get back on the field early from a se- vere knee injury. When asked Army’s pros- pects of beating Navy, Duff just laughs, “The Squids don’t stand a chance this year.” P A G E 8

The Funnies Page Related to Cadet Life… Kind of… Columbus Day

The Funnies: Finding the comedy in every situation... even cadet life. What’s Up West Point?: Find out what‟s going on at West Point. From Ike Hall productions, to cadet activities, if you‟re visiting West Point or a permanent resi- dent, this is the place to look and see what is going on at our “Stony Castle” on the hill.

school VOLUME 3, ISSUE 2 P A G E 9

What’s Up West Point? A look at what’s happening in August... To get further information about what is happening at West Point visit: Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/WestPointUSMA and Twitter: http://twitter.com/WestPoint_USMA

Swimming/Diving 4 Team Meet West Point 5:00PM 10/05/12 Sprint Football vs. Cornell West Point 7:00PM 10/05/12 Football vs. Boston College West Point 12:00PM 10/06/12 (W) Volleyball vs. Holy Cross West Point 7:30PM 10/06/12 Come SUPPORT (M) Soccer vs. American West Point 7:30PM 10/06/12 Rifle vs. W. Virginia West Point 9:00AM 10/07/12 (W) Volleyball vs. Lehigh West Point 7:00PM 10/12/12 West Point Football vs. Kent State West Point 12:00PM 10/13/12 (W) Volleyball vs. Lafayette West Point 7:30PM 10/13/12 (M) Soccer vs. Colgate West Point 7:30PM 10/13/12 (W) Soccer vs. Lehigh West Point 1:00PM 10/14/12 Athletics! Rifle vs. Memphis West Point 3:00PM 10/15/12 (W) Soccer vs. Navy West Point 7:00PM 10/19/12 Hockey vs. Sacred Heart West Point 7:05PM 10/19/12 (W) Volleyball vs. Navy West Point 8:00PM 10/19/12 (W) Tennis ITA Regionals West Point All Day 10/19/12 (W) Tennis ITA Regionals West Point All Day 10/19/12 Sprint Football vs. Princeton West Point 1:00PM 10/20/12 (M) Soccer vs. Bucknell West Point 7:00PM 10/20/12 (W) Volleyball vs. American West Point 4:00PM 10/20/12 (W) Tennis ITA Regionals West Point All Day 10/21/12 (W) Soccer vs. American West Point 1:00PM 10/21/12 (W) Tennis ITA Regionals West Point All Day 10/22/12 (W) Volleyball vs. Manhattan West Point 7:00PM 10/24/12 Swimming/Diving vs. Connecticut West Point 6:00PM 10/26/12 Hockey vs. Penn State West Point 7:05PM 10/26/12 Football vs. Ball State West Point 12:00PM 10/27/12 (M) Soccer vs. NJIT West Point 7:00PM 10/30/12

As we start out a new volume, The Gamecock Gazette solicits you to share more of your stories about your cadet, military, and civil- ian experiences. The Gamecock Gazette connects current C-3 Cadets with the Old Graduates of C-3, keeping people informed with a few good laughs. This newsletter will also document C-3’s history in the making.

For November’s issue, in honor of Veteran’s Day, we ask graduates to send in articles about their time in the Army. GAMECOCK GAZETTE Charlie Company, 3rd Regiment, USCC From combat stories, to leadership suggestions, and even on just being an officer, all are welcome.

Company C-3 TAC Officer: Gamecock Gazette If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions for the news-

Editor: letter, please get in touch with C-3 through any of the contacts to MAJ Arthur Rutnarak (845) 938-2101 CDT Alexis Salmon the left. [email protected] P.O. Box 3586 West Point, NY 10997 Thank you for all of your contributions and stories. This newsletter (845) 515-5485 Company C-3 TAC NCO: [email protected] couldn’t have worked without your help and support. We hope .mil SFC Scott Swanson you’ve enjoyed another issue of the Gamecock Gazette!

(845) 938-2694

Letter From the Editor by CDT Alexis Salmon ‘14

I hope you all enjoyed this issue us up to date on the happenings listed above. Remember, keep a of the Gamecock Gazette. In of your class. We all enjoy hear- look out for the November issue this edition I wanted to focus on ing and learning from your ex- of the Gamecock Gazette! Game the academy during the fall. periences. On! From articles about the October Thayer Award Recipient, fall Thank you to all the cadets who sports schedule, football week- took time out of their busy end class reunions, to the first schedule’s to submit articles and ever Branch Week, and haunts add to our gazette. The paper around the barracks, I think would not be the same without we’ve accomplished our mission. your, photos, thoughts, and sto- ries. A special thank you to the class of ‘72! We thoroughly enjoyed Again, I hope you enjoyed the our selves at your reunion and latest issue of the Gamecock Ga- appreciate the time and effort zette. If you have any comments, you put in to making the event recommendations, or if you enjoyable and fun for all classes Respectfully, would like to submit an article/ present. Thank you as well for CDT Alexis Salmon picture, please feel free to con- sending your pictures into the Company C-3, USCC tact me through the information Gamecock Gazette and keeping Class of 2014, USMA