Branch Celebration Among the Results Coming out of Branch Night Dec
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DecemberA Directorate 8, 2011 of 1 Emergency Services DUI checkpoint is scheduled for Saturday. OINTER IEW® PVOL. 68, NO. 47 SERVING THE COMMUNITY OF W VEST POINT, THE U.S. MILITARY ACADEMY DECEMBER 8, 2011 Branch celebration Among the results coming out of Branch Night Dec. 1, 239 cadets chose Infantry—the most sought after of the 16 branches. Class of 2012 Cadet Timothy Tieng erupted with joy after discovering he was among those cadets. See Pages 3-4 for story and photos. MIKE STRAssER/PV 2 December 8, 2011 Commentary Pointer View Construction starting at Keller Hospital By the Directorate of Public Works A Corps of Engineers contractor is expected to begin construction on the Keller Army Community Hospital addition Monday. The contractor will begin by establishing the limits of the construction site/staging area and begin site preparation activities. This will initially eliminate approximately 60 parking spaces. The spaces that are targeted to be closed for parking during the initial phase are located in the southeastern lot—the area is the one-way staff entrance with parallel parking spots and the south portion of the intermediate lot (See photo). Patient parking will continue to be located primarily in front of the facility, with additional parking at the rear lot. From December to approximately February, the impact on parking will be diminished by identified military members of the MEDDAC staff parking elsewhere during construction. Subsequent phases of construction will affect additional MEDDAC staff. Community members should expect traffic congestion in and around the hospital. All community members are reminded that parking for patients is the first priority. With the limited parking and the increased traffic around Keller Hospital, all personnel from other offices on post with business at Keller during the normal duty day are encouraged to make use of the post-wide shuttle. For more information, call Leigh Ann Lelyveld at 938- 6441 for engineering and construction issues. For issues concerning MEDDAC staff, call Maj. Christopher Kiss at A look at the approximately 60 parking spaces, in yellow, that will be eliminated during Keller Army Community 938-6631. Hospital’s construction. PROVIDED BY MARTHA HINOTE/DPW From the desk of Highland Falls Mayor Joseph E. D’Onofrio to the Corps Dear Editor: team and the entire Corps of Cadets. You have much to be proud of. Duty, Honor, Country If I may, the following is my letter addressed to the Corps of Cadets and the USMA are exemplified on the field, at the academy, as well as in our community. Football team. You are a great example for our young people to follow. Since the first Army-Navy game in 1890, the tradition and excitement of this annual To those who are watching the game for the first time, this game is ripe for cliché and football classic has captured America’s imagination. doubt. It will hit you in the heart. Army, Navy, you are our National Treasures. Played on neutral turf, it symbolizes the greatness of our armed forces. For four quarters Have fun, you deserve it, and yes … of play, you and the midshipmen go to battle. In the end, you will stand side by side for the GO ARMY BEAT NAVY! playing of the alma maters of both of the academies, realizing that you will be comrades in the more serious battles that lie ahead. Sincerely, We, in Highland Falls, are very excited about your team. We are filled with pride for the Joseph E. D’Onofrio 40 Mulberry Street, Middletown, NY 10940 POINTER VIEW ® recordonline.com The Army civilian enterprise newspaper, the Pointer View, is an authorized publication for members of the Department of Defense. Contents of the Pointer View are not necessarily the official views of, or endorsed by, the U.S. Government, the Depart- For information, call (845) 341-1100 ment of the Army or West Point. If you have delivery problems, call The Pointer View ® is an unofficial publication authorized by AR 360-1. The editorial content of the Pointer View is the respon- (845) 343-2181 ext. 3560 sibility of the West Point Public Affairs Office, Bldg. 600, West Point, New York 10996, (845) 938-2015. The Pointer View is printed weekly by the Times Herald-Record, a private firm in no way connected with the Department The appearance of advertising in this publication, including inserts or of the Army, under exclusive contract with West Point. The Times Herald-Record is responsible for all commercial advertising. supplements, does not constitute endorsement of the products or services ad- vertised by the U.S. Army or the Times Herald-Record. Lt. Gen. David H. Huntoon, Jr. Everything advertised in this publication shall be made available for purchase, Eric S. Bartelt use, or patronage without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, Superintendent Managing Editor, 938-2015 marital status, physical handicap, political affiliation, or any other nonmerit factor of the purchaser, user, or patron. Lt. Col. Sherri Reed A confirmed violation or rejection of this policy of equal opportunity by an Mike Strasser advertiser will result in the refusal to print advertising from that source. Public Affairs Officer Assistant Editor, 938-2015 Linda L. Mastin Kathy Eastwood Command Information Branch Chief Staff Writer, 938-2015 See SUDOKU PUZZLE, Page 15 938-8366 Website: www.pointerview.com Pointer View News and Features December 8, 2011 3 Class of 2012 Cadet Tanya Mccorkle shows off her Military Intelligence insignia during Branch Night at Eisenhower Hall Dec. 1. Mccorkle, Company B-3, was among 53 cadets from her class to branch Military Intelligence. Visit the West Point Public Affairs Flickr site at www.flickr.com/ photos/west_point/ to see more Branch Night photos. BRANCH RESULTS Infantry: 239 Field Artillery: 145 Engineer: 134 After 41 months of hard work, anticipation was Aviation: 120 stamped on the faces of each cadet in the Class Armor: 99 of 2012 as they awaited branch notification at Military Intelligence: 53 Eisenhower Hall Dec. 1. Air Defense: 51 Signal Corps: 38 Ordnance: 33 Fates sealed, then opened at Branch Night Adjutant General: 23 Quartermaster: 23 Story and photos by Mike Strasser Through the West Point academic curriculum, junior leader panels, summer Medical Service: 20 Assistant Editor training and branch activities, cadets receive a wealth of information to make Transportation: 19 informed decisions. Military Police: 15 For the Class of 2012, this was the big one. The moment. They began “It’s not unknown in the sense they are exposed to everything through our Chemical Corps: 9 their West Point experience some 41 months ago—wading through a sea of military science program and our training,” Goldman said. “We are teaching Finance: 6 unknowns—and now probably the most significant of those unknowns was them how everything fits together, and what we try to do is manage the talent This year, 227 cadets revealed during Branch Night. so that the skills are applied to the right branch.” took advantage of At the branch notification ceremony on Dec. 1, the Class of 2012 Still, Branch Night remains an unknown in the sense that until those the Branch Active discovered how they will serve as officers in the U.S. Army—whether it be envelopes are open, cadets will have the lingering question about who they’ll Duty Service Infantry, Quartermaster, Air Defense or any of the 16 branches. be working for in the Army. Obligation Program. After the sealed manila envelopes were distributed, cadets found it impossible “Branch Night is the culmination of what cadets do here at West Point, The incentive to glean any sort of details from within. All they could do was anxiously wait … and to me, they’re now gaining their identity,” Goldman said. “They went program allows minutes seemingly felt like an eternity … until the order was given to open them. from civilian to cadet candidate to new cadet and then accepted into the cadets to receive “No pressure, no pressure …,” Lt. Gen. David H. Huntoon Jr., West Point Corps of Cadets. Now they start the transition to Army officer and part of their branch of choice superintendent, reassured a row of cadets as he made his way around the that is branch identification.” by extending their auditorium. During the ceremony, Class of 2012 Cadet Charles Phelps, the service contract by Though the final selection is unknown, the branches are not unfamiliar to Corps of Cadets’ first captain, extended a round of applause to the many an additional three cadets, said Col. Glenn Goldman, Department of Military Instruction director. See BRANCH NIGHT, Page 4 years. 4 December 8, 2011 News and Features Pointer View BRANCH NIGHT, cont’d from Page 3 branch representatives, tactical officers and Later he donned an olive green infantry cap first being detailed to Armor. noncommissioned officers and instructors who and joined his fellow future infantry officers in Ninety-nine firsties will branch Armor, 51 are served as mentors during the arduous process of pinning the branch insignia to their uniforms. headed to Air Defense Artillery, 38 will join the branch selection. Not everyone in the Class of 2012 was able to Signal Corps and 23 chose Adjutant General. The Speaking to his class, Phelps reminded them of share in the festivities at Eisenhower Hall. Nearly Military Intelligence community will receive 53 the past 41 months—from Reception Day, cadet 30 cadets are studying abroad this semester, some from the Class of 2012, 15 more chose Military basic training and now only months away from as far away as Morocco, Brazil and China. They Police, nine selected Chemical Corps and six will graduation—to get where they are now.