First Captain Marc Beaudoin

WINTER 2011

In This Inaugural Issue: First Captain Marc Beaudoin ’11 A Publication of the West Point Association of Graduates The Class of ’73 thanks those who serve, remembers those who have gone before us, and congratulates our West Point Association of Graduates on the publication of this inaugural issue of West Point magazine. —Proud and Free

DutyHonorCountry

To make a gift to the Class of ’73 40th Class Reunion Gift Project, please visit www.westpointaog.org/netcommunity/73gift or call 845-446-1656. On the COVER 7 First Captain 28 Marc Beaudoin ’11 has traveled the world and Fort Putnam immersed himself in various cultures. Now he It was the keystone in Kosciuszko’s commands the Corps of Cadets as First Captain fortress West Point that prevented and has selected Infantry as his branch. the British from dividing the colonies by freely moving their forces along the Hudson River.

30 Undiscovered Truths and the Sympathetic Imagination Dr. Elizabeth D. Samet tours the North Slope of Alaska with two of her former students prior to the deployment of their brigade to combat.

Dean Tim Trainor ’83 4 Brigadier General Tim Trainor promises no “seismic shifts” as the 13th Dean of the Academic Board but a Systems Engineering approach to fine tune the curriculum and allocation of resources.

IN THIS INAUGURAL ISSUE Departments 8 Boots on the Ground 21 West Point Prep School 34 Development 2 Letters In a volunteer army fighting on two The U.S. Military Academy Prepara- Engineering in Honduras fronts, how can the demands of tory School has moved several times In many cases, the best efforts to 3 From the Superintendent deployment, necessary training during its existence, but now it is provide engineering solutions in 27 Start the Days! and family life be balanced? returning to West Point. developing countries succeed or fail at the lowest levels. 40 Gripping Hands 12 The Ace of Clubs 22 Journey to Vietnam The Director of Cadet Activities Cadets met with a former bodyguard 37 Women’s Soccer Team 48 Past in Review is responsible for the “most of Ho Chi Minh and viewed both Stefanie Golan was named Patriot robust extracurricular program cultural sites and former battlefields League Women’s Soccer Coach of in the country.” in Vietnam. the Year, and the team won the regular season title (4-0-3). 18 Nininger Award Captain Bobby Sickler ’05 stressed 38 Alexandra Lostetter ’11 teamwork as key to the success of his Co-captain Alex Lostetter allowed helicopter scout team in destroying only six goals all season and is Army’s insurgent vehicles in Mosul, Iraq. all-time shutout leader.

From Your West Point Send your thoughts about West Point magazine to [email protected]. Association of Graduates All letters to the editor are considered for publication, usually in condensed format. Cover Photo: Charlie Graham; This Page: Sylvia Graham,SylviaGrahamCharliePage:Graham;Charlie ThisPhoto: Cover

WEST POINT | WINTER 2011 1 letters

As you read this issue of West Point magazine, Volume 1, issue 1 • Winter 2011 remember that many members of the Long Gray Line currently are deployed in The mission of West Point magazine is to tell combat. We honor all those who served or are the West Point story and strengthen the grip serving and those who have fallen. of the Long Gray Line.

Publisher West Point Association of Graduates Editor in Chief Julian M. Olejniczak ’61 To The Long Gray Line: 845-446-1517 [email protected] Welcome to West Point magazine! Editors Joyce Jones The Board of Directors and the staff of the West Point Association of Graduates(WPAOG) 845-446-1520 take great pride in sending this inaugural issue of West Point to as many of you as [email protected] possible. West Point is part of our overall strategic communications effort to engage Sylvia Graham 845-446-1562 graduates and other “Hearts in Gray” in support of the U.S. Military Academy and [email protected] Corps of Cadets. In the coming months, you can expect to see additional information- Editorial Advisory Group sharing initiatives, and enhanced content across all media. John Calabro ’68 Jim Johnston ’73 The thing that unites us as graduates is the formative four-year experience many of us Kim McDermott ’87 Maryellen Picciuto ’86 had as cadets at West Point. Regardless of whatever career path each of us chose or Samantha Soper professional success we may have achieved, at one point we all reported to the Cadet Advertising in the Red Sash, endured Plebe swimming, bivouacked at Camp Buckner and grew into Joyce Jones adult Leaders of Character who later went on to serve our nation. This magazine is 845-446-1520 [email protected] designed to focus on, celebrate, and reconnect all of us with today’s West Point and the magnificent young men and women who have stepped forward to “follow close Address Updates Tammy Flint order behind” us in the Long Gray Line. 845-446-1642 [email protected] ASSEMBLY, with its focus on the activities of alumni and other constituents, will change Design format and still be sent to those who have subscribed. Over time, we anticipate many Impel Creative of its features, particularly Class Notes, will move to a platform on the WPAOG website, All letters to the editor are considered for publication, where classmates can update their information more frequently and without the space usually in condensed format. limitations of today. Opinions expressed in this magazine are those of the authors We hope that you will support West Point magazine and continue to support the and do not necessarily reflect the opinions, policy, or attitude of the U.S. Army, United States Military Academy, West Point national treasure that is West Point with your time, talent, and resources to keep Association of Graduates, its officers, or the editorial staff. both strong now and in the future. Go Army! The appearance of advertisements in this publication does not constitute an endorsement by the West Point Association of West Point, for Thee! Graduates of the products or services advertised.

POSTMASTER If this magazine is addressed to a member of the military services, no postage is necessary for forwarding (See Postal Manual, Section 159.225). If no forwarding address for this military member is available, send Form 3579 to West Point Association of Graduates, West Point, NY 10996-1607. West Point is published quarterly in Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall by the West Point Association of Graduates, 698 Mills Road, West Point, NY 10996-1607. Periodicals postage paid at West Point, NY 10996 and additional mailing offices. Send address changes to Tammy Flint, West Point Association of Graduates, 698 Mills Road, West Point, NY 10996-1607. West Point is printed by QuadGraphics.

Jodie Glore ’69 Bob McClure ’76 EST POIN W T Chairman President & CEO West Point AOG Board of Directors West Point AOG A

S S S E O T C A IA U T I AD ON OF GR 2 WWW.WestPointAOG.org Letters A Letter from the Superintendent

Congratulations to the West Point Association done in both our departments and at our of Graduates on this premier issue of West Point centers of excellence, like the Combating magazine. This is a great way for WPAOG to Terrorism Center and Systems Engineering’s keep the Long Gray Line informed about the Operations Research Center. The Bionic Foot United States Military Academy. project is an outstanding example of this West Point’s most important mission is to kind of connection to our Soldiers. You will produce commissioned leaders of character read all about these special contributions committed to the values of Duty, Honor, in this and future issues. Country, and prepared for service to the Time, Treasure, and Talent is our theme for nation. Our vision echoes and reinforces involvement. Share your special talents with the mission: “West Point is recognized as a cadets, faculty, or West Point community preeminent leader development institution members as you can. Share your treasure whose graduates—a principal source of by supporting events, academic enrichment commissioned officers for the United States programs, or other projects which capture Army—are leaders of character; the founda- your imagination. Spend time telling the David H. Huntoon, Jr. ’73 tion of our professional military ethic, and West Point story in your own communities. Lieutenant General, U.S. Army a critical resource of intellectual capital for 58th Superintendent, U.S. Military Academy the nation.” Every graduate has a great story worth telling. West Point magazine will illustrate West Point magazine illustrates many of the a few, but there are 48,000 of you with ways in which we accomplish that mission much more to tell. We ask that you seek and move to the vision. Feature articles will opportunities in your own communities cover cadet life, academics, athletics, and to strengthen your ties to the Americans special enrichment opportunities. we serve while highlighting West Point’s “West Point magazine illustrates many of the ways in which we accomplish that mission and move to the vision. Feature articles will cover cadet life, academics, athletics and special enrichment opportunities.”

As an international landmark, West Point tremendous history, traditions, and current has much to offer our visitors, from Trophy contributions to the nation. Point to Fort Putnam, and from our world We are excited that the West Point Associa- class museum to our legendary monuments tion of Graduates is embarking on this new that speak to the valor and sacrifice of our endeavor. For the first time, every graduate graduates. Feature articles in West Point will receive an alumni publication. This is magazine will highlight many of the impor- a great opportunity to strengthen our Long tant sites and activities of our post. Gray Line and to reach out to those who can It is a high priority to the team here at West better understand the magnificent national Point to contribute to our Army, as well as to role of our United States Military Academy. the Department of Defense, through various Go Army! forms of research and scholarship. Our cadets and faculty conduct research which is relevant and groundbreaking for the Army,

WEST POINT | WINTER 2011 3 Section : Title

“I see the future of our curriculum as being more inter-disciplinary, with ever-increasing integration across all of the departments.” —Brigadier General Tim Trainor ’83 Photos: [Names listed here as needed]as here[NamesPhotos:listed

4 WWW.WestPointAOG.org Interview: Brigadier General Tim Trainor ’83

Towards an Interdisciplinary Curriculum: An Interview with Brigadier General Tim Trainor By Julian M. Olejniczak ’61 Brigadier General Timothy E. Trainor, Ph.D., an engineer officer and former Professor and Head of the Department of Systems Engineering, is the 13th Dean of the Academic Board in the history of the United States Military Academy. He is married to a classmate, Colonel Donna Brazil, director of psychology studies in the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership, who has worked on teams establishing the National Military Academy of Afghanistan. They are the proud parents of daughter Cory, Class of 2013, and two sons in high school, Danny and Zach. Cory’s dad pinned airborne wings on her at Ft. Benning this past summer. In addition to his duties as Dean, Brigadier General Trainor taught Systems Modeling and Design in the fall semester.

What exactly does the Dean do? are consistent with our need to develop Academy of Afghanistan (NMAA). We’ve The main thing that this Dean does is to critical thinkers and creative problem solvers been doing that for a number of years now, ensure that the academic curriculum is right who can deal with uncertainty. While there and the fruits of our labor were recognized for developing the skills and attributes our is constant pressure for specialization, like last year as NMAA graduated their first class. young grads need in battle today and 15 foreign languages and cultural competency, The Head of our Department of Physics and years in the future. They must become and an increased demand now for engineers Nuclear Engineering, Colonel Ed Naessens critical thinkers and creative problem solvers in the Army, the strength of West Point is ’81, is currently the senior mentor for their who are prepared to face the inherently the broad-based liberal arts and engineering superintendent and dean. The Naval Acad- complex and uncertain situations that await education that we provide to all of our cadets emy recently joined the effort this summer, them upon graduation. in the core curriculum. That must be main- and along with the Air Force Academy they tained. We must continue to provide this contribute faculty as mentors to this impor- To do that, we must attract and sustain world-class education in order to meet the tant mission. We will continue to support a world class faculty, despite resource con- needs of our cadets and the Army. the Afghan academy and also continue to straints, and ensure that they develop cadets get others involved. into leaders—academically, physically, Colonel Mike Meese ’81, Professor and ethically and militarily. Where do you see the future Head of the Department of Social Sciences, Finally, we help the Army by providing our of the curriculum? recently went on a year-long sabbatical to intellectual capital, creative thought, and I see a greater need for integration and support General David Petraeus ’74 in academic and military expertise in solving coordination across the disciplines, another Afghanistan as a deputy chief of staff and difficult problems. instance where being a systems engineer strategic planner. We have other faculty can be helpful. We might be able to allow for members spending shorter amounts of time some additional specialization to meet the filling key staff positions to accomplish How does your systems engineering demands of the Army, but we must still tasks such as strategic assessment. provide that strong, broad-based liberal-arts, background help you as the Dean? A significant portion of our outreach to the and engineering education. I see the future Systems engineering is inherently multi-dis- Army is accomplished through our Centers ciplinary and about how we integrate many of our curriculum as being more inter-disci- of Excellence, like our Combating Terrorism components into a whole, so I am comfort- plinary, with ever-increasing integration Center, Space and Missile Defense Com- able with the diversity of curriculum and across all of the departments. mand Center, Network Science Center and experiences across the breadth of our disci- the Operations Research Center [see related plines. Systems engineers take a holistic feature article in this issue], and I see us perspective in defining problems, designing Would you comment about doing more through these centers. The great and analyzing alternative solutions, making outreach initiatives to the Army? advantage of these centers is that they inte- and implementing solutions that create value West Point does a terrific job in that area, grate their work into cadet education. We

Photo: Charlie GrahamCharliePhoto: for stakeholders. These thought processes especially with the National Military want to sustain such research and outreach

WEST POINT | WINTER 2011 5 Interview: Brigadier General Tim Trainor ’83

activities and, if pos- civilian faculty members provided problem revising a system or to solve a problem. sible, expand them sets and domains that our military faculty As integrators, we are supposed to think as resources permit typically could not. Our civilian faculty through the effects of bringing together because they enrich members also do wonderful outreach work various disciplines and components to solve the educational with the Army and are able to seamlessly a particular problem or to build a new experience for our integrate this work into cadet education. system. We think through the “what ifs,” the cadets and provide Our senior civilian faculty members also second and third order effects, of bringing opportunities to pro- provide great insight into the governance together certain components of a system in fessionally develop of the university. West Point, after all, more order to develop a functioning whole. We our faculty, while closely resembles a university than it does a are concerned about what will happen when contributing valued typical military installation, and our senior we bring these components together, what work for the DoD civilian faculty members provide a unique will be the second and third order effects, and the Nation. perspective on how to govern and manage or “unintended consequences,” so we can a university. They also provide a diverse plan for and better design the system and range of experiences and thought processes prevent having such negative unintended What do you see that are much needed and appreciated by consequences. as the future our cadets. of the centers for excellence? What changes, revolutionary or We will entertain What about the recent emphasis evolutionary, would you like to proposals for new upon cultural immersion see in the West Point curriculum centers of excellence. experiences for cadets? over the next five years? In the Systems Engineering Department, I think this has been an outstanding pro- Our core curriculum is very strong, and I we were working on a Center for Nation gram for our cadets. What I see as the future want to ensure that it remains the centerpiece Reconstruction and Stability Operations of cultural immersion is continuing to reap of preparing our cadets for their role as when I moved to this position, and that the benefits of such programs for as long Army leaders who are critical and innovative proposal is being staffed now. However, as resources permit. Cultural immersion thinkers prepared for their future complex there also may be a consolidation of centers provides a wide variety of experience and operating environment. We may have to due to resource constraints and evolving thought processes to cadets so as to shape make some changes in order to continue priorities. Our centers must be self sufficient them and make them more adaptable to the producing these thinkers and leaders for our and enhance our ability to accomplish the complex and uncertain operating environ- Army. One change will be better integration primary teaching mission. Centers can ment that we discussed before. It takes across the core curriculum to attain synergies and should be an enabler of our teaching cadets out of their comfort zone. What I and improve our efficiency in developing mission by providing cadets educational would like to see are more cadets involved, the skill sets that cadets require. In addition experiences outside of the classroom and to better integration across the academic even if for shorter periods of time, especially helping faculty maintain the relevancy of program, we will also see better integration in the semester abroad program. Right our curriculum. of the military program and the physical now it is a bit limited—mainly to language program in terms of goals and outcomes. majors, although we do get some engineers West Point does a terrific job with the Cadet and other majors involved. We would like Leader Development System (CLDS). This Would you comment on to have these programs available to all of system works well in all of our programs: your civilian faculty? our cadets, so that they can experience military, physical, ethical and academic. Our civilian faculty members are a tremen- intellectual diversity and develop a broader I think we will evolve towards increased dous asset, and we are blessed to have them. perspective, which is essential to their integration across all programs under the Right now they represent about 27% of our success as Army leaders. faculty population. They are invaluable in framework of CLDS. We will continue with that they provide the cadets a richer, more the current academic majors program, and I do not foresee any significant growth in the robust academic program and are the sta- Systems Engineering has been bility and continuity for the program. Our number of majors offered in the near future. likened to an attempt to repeal the senior military faculty also provides stability, Instead, we will refine the program to ensure but I like to think of our civilian faculty as Law of Unintended Consequences. that we are offering the right majors to providing balance and perspective. When What are your thoughts on that develop commissioned leaders of character we think about developing curriculum and characterization? for the Army.  programs for cadets, our civilian faculty As systems engineers, we are supposed to members can provide different and diverse integrate all of the components, all of the perspectives. In Systems Engineering, our disciplines, appropriate to developing or GrahamCharliePhoto:

6 WWW.WestPointAOG.org Cadet Profile: First Captain Marc Beaudoin ’11

First CaptainBy Julian M. Olejniczak ’61 His grandfather fought in World War II, and he applied to West Point to be mentally and physically challenged and to become an Army officer at a time when our all-volunteer Army is committed in two armed conflicts.

In high school, his favorite activities were basketball, football and running. Now, they are endurance running, travel, and leading the Corps of Cadets. To that end, his goals are instilling a sense of pride in the traditions of the Long Gray Line, promoting physical excellence, fostering esprit de corps and leaving a legacy of excellence for the cadets that follow him to emulate. He credits the core curriculum and the Professional Military Ethics courses with strengthening his character and motivating him to embrace the concept of officership by living the values of Duty, Honor, Country every day. As a cadet, he has traveled far and wide on a Foreign Academy Exchange Program to India and a semester abroad in Lyons, France. Add opportunities for language training in Rochefort, France; a Cross Cultural Solutions trip to Bagamoyo, Tanzania; an intern- ship with U.S. Army Africa Command; work with Women in Progress, Cape Coast, Ghana; and a stint with the Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute at the U.S. Army War College. Finish with Cadet Troop Leader Training with Special Operations, Africa Command, Timbuktu, Mali, and classified research done in Stuttgart, Germany, on the Horn of Africa as part of his academic major in International History. First Captain Marc Beaudoin (right) with members of his staff. Stephen and 342 others gave their lives by going above and beyond Marc believes that one of the most exciting and inspirational things the call of duty. Approximately 23,000 other runners joined the that he has done thus far as First Captain has been to promote the cadets in this 9th annual run, including representatives of all Tunnels to Tower Run in New York City that took place on Sunday, branches of the armed services. September 26, 2010. Over 1,200 members of the Corps of Cadets rose at 4:00 a.m. to participate in this run that duplicates the run Marc, who selected Infantry as his branch in November, has this made by Stephen Siller, a Fire Department of New York firefighter advice for any high school student considering West Point: “If you who, when prevented from entering the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel are interested in becoming a Cadet, you should involve yourself as Graham to assist on September 11, 2001, ran the three miles from the far much as possible in leadership roles, demonstrate a commitment to Sylvia end of the tunnel to the Twin Towers with all of seventy pounds extracurricular activities, volunteer to serve in your community,

Photo: of gear on his back after having finished his shift in Brooklyn. and, most of all, study hard.” 

WEST POINT | WINTER 2011 7 Section : Title Photos: [Names listed here as needed]as here[NamesPhotos:listed

8 WWW.WestPointAOG.org Boots on the Ground: Operations Research Boots on the Ground: Operations Research and the Search for Balance among Combat Deployments, Training, and Time at Home Station

Text and photos By Ted Spiegel

“This is the most important briefing I’d like to learn about many different topics—not surprising since I was exposed to so much science while growing up. His team’s Cap- I have received in the past five years stone Project is “Optimizing Infrastructure Planning in Afghanistan.” as a general officer.” A conceptual map of the System Decision Process can be found What prompted Vice Chief of Staff Peter Chiarelli to make this in Decision Making in System Engineering and Management, statement and ensure that Major Matt Dabkowski ’97 from the the department-authored text published by Wiley. It depicts the Department of Systems Engineering’s Operations Research Center comprehensive pathway that Cadet Li and his fellow students (ORCEN) and his Army G-1 colleague, Major Mark Zais ’97, briefed utilize as they learn systems thought. Problem definition, solution Chief of Staff General George Casey, and Secretary of the Army design, decision making, and solution implementation are the Pete Geren on the harsh realities involved with the BOG:Dwell four main stages of the Systems Decision Process. challenge? In laymen’s terms, the Plans and Resources Directorate In the foreword, Brigadier General (Ret.) Michael McGinnis ’77, of the Army’s G-1 (Personnel) staff needs to continually assure former head of the Department, summarizes his colleagues’ goals. that the Army can generate a force (ARFORGEN) of 16 Brigade “The book is organized around the principles we teach and apply Combat Teams (BTC) with their Boots on the Ground (BOG = in our research efforts. It goes beyond exposing a problem-solving deployed in a combat environment; Dwell loosely describes the procedure, offering students the opportunity to grow into true time between overseas deployments, much actually spent away systems thinkers, who can apply their knowledge across the full from home station undergoing MOS-oriented and unit training.) spectrum of challenges facing our nation.” Major Dabkowski, during his AY 2009 work as an ORCEN analyst, developed for the G-1 “a discrete event simulation using ProModel, Systems Engineering which captures individual BOG:Dwell ratios for Infantry soldiers West Point’s Systems Engineering Department was established in in the future, for varying levels of BCT demand, force structures, 1988, and its Operations Research Center, one of the academy’s ear- personnel forecasts, and policies.” The substance of this work was liest centers of excellence, dates from the same year. Dean Brigadier summarized in the ORCEN Research Overview for 2009: “This General Tim Trainor ’83 described the central role of research in BOG:Dwell ratio is an important statistic which is tracked in depth, the department he led for many years. “Research enriches cadet as it serves as a leading indicator of recruiting, retention and morale education; enhances professional development for faculty; maintains issues for the Army, its Soldiers and their families. With the current strong ties between the Academy and Army/DoD agencies; and BOG:Dwell ratio for the Army’s 47 BCT’s hovering between 1:0.85 allows publication of significant contributions to academic disci- and 1:1, it is not uncommon for a young Soldier to have spent 50% plines …. The military’s return on its investment is a meaningful or more of his or her time in service deployed in support of on-going career development experience for officers, an enhanced education operations. Recognizing that these ratios are unsustainable, the program for the USMA cadets and important investigation of vital Army has initiated programs and implemented policies aimed at Army and DoD problems at far less cost than would be required improving these numbers to a goal of 1:2.” through civilian contracts.” The ongoing excellence of the Operations The Need for Operational Analysis Research Center recently was recognized by award of the highly regarded Barchi and Payne Prizes for two of their fulfilled contracts. The Army’s growing need for operational analysis skills has contrib- uted to the popularity of the Systems Engineering major. The Class With “practice what you preach” and “get the biggest bang for your of 2011 presently has 126 members doing Capstone Research projects. buck” as its subconscious motivation, it’s no surprise that Systems You Li, a First Class Cadet from Houston, TX, had a privileged Engineering has designed a three-year duty cycle that delivers mul- perch as his father led a University of Texas team developing sensing tiple yields from the young instructors involved with its Operations devices for the Large Hadron Collider. “My major in systems engi- Research Center. “Teaching future army leaders to solve complex neering enhances my pathway to gaining a broad range of knowledge. problems” is the motto spread across the bottom of a page outlining

WEST POINT | WINTER 2011 9 Boots on the Ground: Operations Research

of those who have sought ORCEN duty. Graduating in 1998 as a

GenerationAlternative & Improvement Historical chemistry major with a civil engineering track, he branched Aviation. Idea Social Health & Safety onment GenerationSolution As a Kiowa Warrior pilot, he served in the 17th Cavalry Squadron of vir R hinking Design En edeﬁned Pr Political the 82nd Airborne, deploying to Bosnia and Afghanistan in 2002 e em t at t Cost t

s Technological Analysis e Solutions Emotional and 2003. Along the way, he drew personnel duties as a squadron oblem Functional & Sensitivity & Requirements Risk Candidat and then brigade S-1. While serving with the 1st Cavalry in Iraq Analyses Analyses ed end s Decision em using sy t Research & alue Scoring

s in 2005, he applied to return to West Point as an instructor. Maker & & CostingDecision StakeholderAnalysisPr oblem V What is?

Stakeholder Making he desir Deﬁnition What should be? ent sy Value r Improvements Value & Tradeoff “Decision methodology appealed to my way of thinking. I had Modeling Solution DecisionAnalysis Identify t Moral/

and cur and eeds accomplished branch qualification—completed both the captain’s

t Executing

s Ethical Economic Security career course and company command—and was eligible to apply nder

U dditional N Planning A Solution for an instructor’s slot in the Systems Engineering Department.” Implementation Organizational Ecological His two-year M.S. in Engineering Systems at M.I.T. yielded Legal Monitoring & Cultural Controlling valuable information:

Assessment & Feedback Copyright 2010 D/SE “My master’s thesis involved evaluating unmanned aviation systems —UAS. The techniques I explored will be useful in selecting man- the Academic Year 2011 projects for the ORCEN. Those future leaders are both the students and the instructors. The listed topics portable UAS, capable of being launched against the target that’s hidden behind the hill—a target that you can’t get a direct line of include: further refinement of Army Force Generation(ARFOR - fire on. The thesis challenge—to develop a system decision process GEN) procedures to assure that 16 Brigade Combat Teams can be to select the best vehicle out of 20, capable of precisely delivering deployed at one time; developing training tools for the Counter-IED fight; creating simulation resources to train base camp designers; hand-grenade sized explosives—14 ounces—launched and con- and optimizing planning tools vital to Strategic Stockpile Structure. trolled in its flight directly into your target by position information The core analytical team is composed of three instructors who are fed back from the UAS.” in the second year of their three-year tour in Systems Engineering Bachman’s West Point tour began in 2008. The observation that and one instructor from the Department of Mathematics. Over a “leaders make decisions—and the Systems Engineering Department million dollars of funding from Department of Defense stakehold- is trying to teach future officers how to make better decisions, to arm ers will support their full-time ORCEN efforts; civilian consultants them with the best tools to make informed decisions” summarizes “Leaders make decisions—and the Systems Engineering his classroom explorations with cadets during his first year in the department. “Systems engineering is very broad—it combines Department is trying to teach future officers how to quality engineering with risk analysis. I was teaching them how make better decisions, to arm them with the best tools to look at a problem, define it and come up with a solution to it.” to make informed decisions.” Upon completing his first year instructional duties,Major and software designers amplify their explorations. Invariably each Bachmann began his AY 2010 year as full time analyst in Systems analyst’s work is furthered in the following year by new analysts Engineering’s Operations Research Center, practicing the analyti- rotating through the center. Upon entering their ORCEN year, the cal skills he had preached. Bachmann took Major Dabkowski’s instructors declare they will switch from the career track they had BOG:Dwell research into its second year as an ORCEN project. been pursuing to the operations support field: fulfilling operations Bachmann extended the analysis from demands on the Infantry research systems analysis as ORSAs. Both Dean Trainor and Colo- MOS to rapid rotation demand factors being placed on MOS 13 and nel Rob Kewley ’88, now the Systems Engineering Department 19—Artillery and Cavalry. Gathering individual Soldier records head, have had tours in the ORCEN. Analysts who have gone back to classroom teaching in the third year of their cycle also further their ORCEN research with the support of cadet capstone thesis teams. As these cadets present their work, prepared with ORCEN alumni guidance, to the original supporting stakeholders, the concept of “center of excellence” furthers both education and research.

The Operations Research Career Track Major Christopher Bachmann ’98 served as an ORCEN analyst during academic year 2009–10. His career track is representative Conceptual model of ARFORGEN impact on individual soldiers’ developmental opportunities.

10 WWW.WestPointAOG.org Boots on the Ground: Operations Research

The department is also experienced at applying the Systems Decision Process to complex, vaguely defined problems.” To which a dose of reality is added: “In short, because people are not ‘widgets,’ they can- not necessarily be instantly moved from one location in the system to another in order to fill demands … In order to assess the overall effect of friction on the Army’s personnel system, the West Point Department of Systems Engineering faculty will conduct data and simulation analysis in order to determine the impacts of alternative personnel policies … to support decision making at the highest levels of the Army, the ORCEN will continue this study and expand its scope to enable simulation runs for all ranks within each MOS.”

Assessing Whole Soldier Quality During Academic Year 2009, Major Rob Dees ’98 served in the ORCEN. Setting out to create analytical tools with which to assess Whole Soldier “Quality” for his client—U.S. Army Recruiting Command—he developed “a model of Whole Soldier Performance attributes and an associated measurement technique by mathematically modeling the preferences of leaders in the force. The first finding in the study is that the moral domains, as defined by leaders at the company level, are more important than the physical or cognitive domains when considering the performance of soldiers.” A target- shaped graphic embodies a new way of representing values. Twelve attribute sectors represent desirable qualities, such as motivation, was essential. Bachmann found that “using the unit flag to measure judgment, and athleticism. The highest rankings on a scale of one BOG:Dwell was not a good indicator, since we found that 40 to 50 to seven are represented by classic target rings (the seventh ring is percent of the soldiers were ‘spinning’ faster than their units.” bullseye). His efforts served as the model for the AY 2010 Cadet Capstone project “Whole Officer Performance.” The sponsoring Expanding BOG:Dwell Efforts stakeholder was the Army G-1 office. The project mentor, Major In Academic Year 2011, Captain David Hughes ’01 will extend the Dees, ensured that they had the support needed to deliver the BOG:Dwell efforts for G-1 still further, emphasizing the adaptation quality research that Systems Engineering’s clients expect. of the ProModel software to the Army’s special needs. One clear goal is the improvement of computational tools for monitoring Controlling Multiple Drone Aircraft “friction” between career progression and developmental disruption The expansion of drone aircraft usage offers a good example of caused by unit ARFORGEN cycles—an analyzable problem. ongoing research by Capstone cadets and ORCEN analysts. During The Statement of Work guiding Captain Hughes outlines manning his AY 2009 work in the ORCEN, Major Dabkowski furthered requirements for the planned force structure (of 45 Brigade Combat research done in AY 2008 by Major Ed Teague ’95 on Swarming Teams and 13 Aviation Brigades) in support of potential conflicts Unmanned Aircraft Systems for the Army Aviation and Missile worldwide. The Army G-1 must reassess the manning processes Research Development and Engineering Center. During AY 2010, and policies used to achieve these goals. Dabkowski mentored a cadet team that was further refining algorithms—mathematical instruction sets that could place the control The inbound thought process is revealed in the statement’s discus- of as many as 20 unmanned surveillance aircraft under one MOS- sion. “Thorough assessment of these policies requires modeling qualified soldier. The problem they set out to solve was: of the processes across the lifecycles of both units and individual Soldiers. The perspectives of the individual soldiers in these models “Using a swarm of UAS, develop an algorithm that provides the are particularly important, because these policies will have significant Small Unit Leader (SUL) with improved Information, Surveillance, impact on their decisions to stay in the Army. A balanced approach and Reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities in order to improve his battle requires an understanding of the goals and objectives of mission- space awareness without a significant increase to his workload.” focused stakeholders along with our most important stakeholders, Clearly, the high ground is being re-defined. Unmanned Aviation the individual soldiers in the Army. The USMA Department of Systems now have flown over500,000 hours. As ORCEN analyst Systems Engineering has significant capabilities for modeling Gene Lesinski ’85 observed, “The cadets did a great job reaching complex challenges such as these to meet the demands of diverse out to 50 small unit leaders to gather vital stakeholder information— stakeholders who have competing objectives. Specific capabilities and the responses they received taught them both the growing include stochastic modeling, discrete event simulation, systems importance of the UAS and the value of their applied research.” dynamics modeling, and optimization. Continued on page 47

WEST POINT | WINTER 2011 11 Section : Title Photos: [Names listed here as needed]as here[NamesPhotos:listed

12 WWW.WestPointAOG.org The Ace of Clubs: Colonel Craig Flowers

The ce of Clubs By Julian M. Olejniczak ’61 AHe is the “Go To” guy in a “Get To” position. He grew up at West Point and, as a child, considered it a Magic Kingdom because everyone who cared about the United States seemed to come to visit. He still feels pretty much the same now. When his wife asks him how his day was, the only word he deems adequate to describe it is “fascinating.”

Meet Colonel Craig Flowers, who says his job is one where he “gets He is the Ace of Clubs (115 at last count), but he also is a theatrical to” serve the cadets and community of West Point as the Director booking agent, restaurateur, retailer, stand-up comic, publisher, of Cadet Activities. Although his commission came via the Reserve bookseller, and innovator (have you seen the upgraded green room Officer Training Corps at Texas Christian University in1986 , he at Ike Hall or been to Spring Fest?). In 2002 he and his wife of 21 is no stranger to West Point. In 1972, he and his dad sat behind years, Beth, arrived at West Point to join the Department of Foreign Muhammad Ali and Howard Cosell at the Olympic Boxing Trials Languages. He would teach French and serve as department at Arvin Gym. That same year he also met Willie Mays, when executive officer, but then-Lieutenant Colonel Todd Browne 85’ the Mets came up to play the Army nine. Mays was driving a pink prophesied that the Director of Cadet Activities was the job Cadillac with “Say Hey” on his vanity license plate. In 1981, when Craig’s dad was garrison commander of West Point, a late April snowstorm left the New York Yankees with no place to practice. His dad arranged for them to use the Field House—along with the O’Neill High School baseball team from Highland Falls. He recalls that Ron Guidry was short but very cool and that Goose Gossage was turned away when he came to eat at Washington Hall in flip-flops. Craig’s father also coached the Army Women’s softball team for 19 years, and the young Craig considered himself a “stadium rat” who loved Army athletics and worked summers at West Point throughout high school, along with Brian Riley, now head coach of the Army hockey team. He was commissioned in Military Intelligence but served an initial tour as an Infantry officer with the 25th Infantry Division (“Tropic Lightning”) in Hawaii, where he met his wife. Colonel Bryan Goda teaches chess at Club Night. Photos: Charlie Graham, J. OlejniczakGraham,CharliePhotos:J.

WEST POINT | WINTER 2011 13 The Ace of Clubs: Colonel Craig Flowers

Craig was born to have. Superintendent Lieutenant General Bill Lennox ’71 later selected Craig for that position. Obviously, funding and supervising so many activities is not a one-person job. A significant portion of the DCA budget that is not earned income comes from donations through the West Point Association of Graduates and DCA restricted endowments. A remarkable group of first-line managers produce that revenue and bring creativity, a positive attitude and 110% commitment to work every day. Their basic position is “yes,” and that helps make DCA the most user-friendly organization at West Point. Complacency is their enemy, and they strive to live up to their motto “All for the Corps” every day. He is the Ace of Clubs (115 at last count), but he also is a theatrical booking agent, restaurateur, retailer, stand-up comic, publisher, bookseller, and innovator.

Touching the lives of every cadet, most of the staff and faculty, and a good portion of the residents of the Hudson Valley throughout the year requires that DCA bring “fresh eyes” to bear every day. Since a thousand graduates each year soon may be deployed in harm’s way around the world, random “good moments” they may experience during their 47 months at West Point also are important.

Cadet Activities range from the modern Sport Parachute Team (since 1962) and the Triathlon Team to the Glee Club, one of the oldest clubs at West Point, shown here performing at the New York Public Library Holiday Open House in December 2010.

DCA the by NUMBERS 270,000 One 300 number of active duty number of DCA civilian employees. the number of sandwiches served military in DCA. The number increases to 500 on home 3 annually at the Grant Hall Boodlers. number of Guess who? football game Saturdays. DCA vans in This is not your grandfather’s Boodlers the Presidential in Building 720 or the small room at the number of DCA food service facilities. Including Motorcade for southern end of Grant Hall that was open Ike’s Riverside Café in Eisenhower Hall; the expanded 2010 Graduation. Boodlers at Grant Hall (Class of ’73 project); the First for only a few hours during the week. Class Club at the Old Ordnance Compound (renovated Now, courtesy of the Class of ’73, tables and maintained by the Class of ’58), and the Class of ’57 and chairs fill the area in Grant Hall from Café (a coffee shop) in the new library, Jefferson Hall. 10 number of approved the guard desk to the old Cadet Hostess endowments main- area, and the old, small Boodlers is the number of competitive club teams supported tained by the West preparation and serving area. by DCA, including the ten national championship Point Association of teams listed elsewhere plus Rugby (Men and Women), Graduates to support Sailing, Water Polo, Combat Weapons, Fencing, the percentage of DCA DCA activities. Drill Team, Ski Teams (Alpine and Nordic), Skeet and employees who are female. 60 26 Trap, and Marathon, to name a few. 14 WWW.WestPointAOG.org 5 The Ace of Clubs: Colonel Craig Flowers

These moments vary from the talent shows and a hypnotist at Camp Buckner to a standing room only Trace Adkins Concert, or two Dave Matthews Concerts to a milk- shake upon returning from a week in the field.Two years ago, a DCA brainstorming session came up with “Spring Fest.” The period between Christmas Leave and Spring Leave is notoriously known as “Gloom Period.” Something needed to be done. The DCA answer was Spring Fest, an all-day street fair on Thayer Road from the turnaround at Lee Barracks and Mahan Hall to Eisenhower statue and beyond. You may view more about “the most robust extracurricular program in the country” at www.allforthecorps.com. If you are interested in supporting the DCA unre- stricted fund, sport parachute team, glee club, or cultural arts, please contact the West Point Association of Graduates Development Office at 845-446-1650. Boxing is another very old and traditional cadet extracurricular activity that has earned a number of national championships for West Point in recent years. On the left is the fall boxing smoker at Eisenhower Hall. On the right is a member of the Climbing Team, a relatively new activity, negotiating the world class Class of ’79 Climbing Wall at the Arvin Cadet Physical Development Facility. Photos: Charlie Graham, J. Olejniczak,Graham,Photos:CharlieJ. filesDCA

number of revenue centers excluding restaurants. Ike Hall; the Cadet Store, the USMA Bookstore in Thayer Hall; and Publications (Bugle Notes, the Plebe bible; Circle in the Spiral, the literary/art journal of the Four Corps of Cadets; and the Howitzer, the largest college yearbook in the country, among others). percentage of victories of number of national championships DCA competitive clubs over 70 won by club teams in the past four years, including Navy and Air Force. percent of the Corps 80 Model U.N., Boxing, Orienteering, Pistol, Judo, of Cadets who are a Men’s Team Handball, Triathlon, Women’s member of at least number of cadet clubs Varsity Crew, and Men’s Novice Crew. one DCA club. 36 115 under DCA, including Arabic Language, Astronomy, Big Brothers number of combined years of first-line manager & Big Sisters, Cadet Fine Arts Forum, 18,000 experience. Kevin D’Onofrio—Restaurant Director; Gary Keegan—Cultural Arts Director; Lenora Grable- Cavalry Scout, Chess, Chinese Language, number of cadets Grant—Cadet Store Manager; Sharyn Amoroso—Cadet Combat Weapons, Debate Team, Flying who travel on Hostess; Ron Harsch—Programs Director; Mark Judson Club, Glee Club, Gospel Choir, Judo, DCA trip sections —Facilities Manager; Anne Aliendo—Publications Manager; Tom Oldham—Executive Officer; and Kathy Margaret Corbin Forum, National Society each year. White-Glisson—Deputy Director. of Black Engineers, Officers Christian 100+ Fellowship, Pipes & Drums, Kosciuszko number of consecutive profitable shows at the Ike Hall Theater since Squadron, Powerlifting Team, Rugby 2006. Variously the second or third largest theater on the East Coast (after Radio 77 City and Madison Square Garden—but only when seats are placed on the main floor (Men and Women), SCUBA Diving, Ski for theatrical events—the Ike Hall Theater is known as “America’s Theater” and publicized with Patrol, Sport Parachute Team, Water the phrase, “There’s a lot to like at Ike.”). Tickets to performances at Ike Hall Theater are available Polo, and radio station WKDT. at www.ikehall.com.

WEST POINT | WINTER 2011 15

In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer. —Albert Camus

Snowtime © by artist Paul Steucke (www.paulsteucke.com) 2010 Nininger Award for Valor at Arms

By Julian M. Olejniczak ’61 2010 Nininger Award for Valor at Arms It was December 30, 2007, but few in Mosul, Iraq, were thinking about New Year’s Eve. Certainly not the four pilots pulling mid-day scout weapons patrol over this crowded city of two million. Captain Bobby Sickler ’05, air mission commander, and his pilot, Captain Pete Di Giorgio ’00, had just wrecked an insurgent van with a Hellfire missile and were pulling out of strafing run when they heard the ping of machine gun bullets piercing the fuselage of their OH-58D scout helicopter. Suddenly they lost all communications and electronic displays. Nininger Award 2010

t a formal dinner in Washington Hall, himself, which led to the action that resulted A Captain Robert I. “Bobby” Sickler III, in his appearance before the Corps. Class of 2005, received the Alexander R. His mid-day scout weapons team had Nininger Award for Valor at Arms on Sep- watched video transmitted from a Predator tember 15, 2010. On February 18, 2008 unmanned aerial system tracking a black he had received the Distinguished Flying van that had picked up a number of weap- Cross. Captain Sickler said that it was an ons and test fired a heavy machine gun in a honor to receive the Nininger Award, but junk yard. His team took over, stalking that he accepted it on behalf of all of his fellow single black van as it picked its way through Soldiers. He meant Captain Di Giorgio and a city full of black vans. The trick was to the pilots of the other Kiowa helicopter in maintain observation until the target was his team, Chief Warrant Officers Thomas in a location where collateral damage could Boise and Susan Weathers, but also those be minimized. Twice, clearance to fire was back at the tactical operations center and received, but power lines interfered. their home airfield, those flying Predator drones that helped track the target vehicles, When the van returned to the junk yard, and all of the troops on the ground. Captain Sickler locked his laser sight on the target while the other Kiowa launched Speaking to over 4,000 cadets, he noted that a Hellfire missile. The explosion wrecked he did not wear stars or play on a Corps Squad the van but smoke obscured the target area. Alexander R. Nininger team and certainly was not in the running Informed by ground elements that insur- Award for Valor at Arms to be First Captain. A few years ago, he was gents were attempting to salvage weapons The Alexander R. Nininger Award for Valor at Arms is named in honor of Lieutenant Alexander “A crash landing in a cemetery appeared to be their only option. “Sandy” Nininger ’41, the first Army recipient of Captain Sickler recalled thinking, “Man, this is going to hurt!” the Medal of Honor in World War II. On January 12, 1942, Lieutenant Nininger voluntarily attached just a cadet like them, counting the days from the van, Captain Di Giorgio positioned himself to another company in his Philippine until graduation. Shortly after completing their Kiowa behind a small hill and prepared Scouts regiment that was under heavy attack by flight school, however, his unit deployed to to pop up and fire their 50. caliber machine Japanese forces near Abucay, Bataan. Wounded Mosul, Iraq, and he remembered his first guns. They were able to saturate the area several times, he continued to advance in combat flight over Mosul. He was riding in even though receiving heavy fire, but power a counterattack and destroy enemy positions a Kiowa helicopter when a scout weapons lines forced them to pull up early. At that until he was killed. team they were observing received hostile point, they could hear rounds striking their The Nininger Award was instituted in 2006 upon fire. Young Captain (then Lieutenant) Sickler aircraft and lost all instrument displays and the suggestion of Doug Kenna ’45 (College Football was wondering what the code word “pop- communications. Only when their displays Hall of Fame, 1984; West Point Distinguished corn” meant—until he realized the sound reset were they able to avoid a crash landing. Graduate, 1994) that the West Point Association of incoming fire sounded like popcorn pop- The oil lights were on, but they still had of Graduates bring the valorous combat deeds of ping as the aircraft in which he was riding engine power. As they began to limp back West Point graduates to the attention of the Corps dove to engage a target. He wondered what to base, Captain Sickler dropped smoke of Cadets. Each year, a recent graduate decorated to do. He first considered firing hisM4 periodically along the route. Chief Warrant for valor is selected to represent all of the gradu- carbine at the target or hanging his head out Quitting was not an option: ates leading American Soldiers in combat, return the window to better observe but discarded to West Point to speak to the Corps of Cadets these notions and concentrated on what “There were still bad guys out at dinner, and interact with them in less formal he should do with his hands. The cadets there. We wanted to continue seminar sessions. Doug and Jean Kenna have laughed when he said that he felt like the the mission.” committed to supporting the award annually fictionalNASCAR driver Ricky Bobby and ensuring its endowment in perpetuity. being interviewed after a race. Officers Boise and Weathers quickly picked up the cue, radioed ahead to base and Previous Nininger Award recipients are He then watched an experienced scout accompanied them back. Major Ryan L. Worthan ’97 (2006); Captain weapons team working together, keeping Randall L. Ashby ’01 (2007); Captain Bryan out of range but eventually destroying the Quitting was not an option, especially Jackson ’05 (2008); and Captain Nicholas M. source of the hostile fire. He learned a lot when informed that some insurgents were Eslinger ’07 (2009). that day and later from veteran pilots, sub- attempting to escape in a sedan. He said, sequent missions, after action reviews, and “There were still bad guys out there. We For more information on this award mistakes made. Then he graduated to being wanted to continue the mission.” With a and its recipients, please visit:

Photos: Charlie GrahamCharliePhotos: a command pilot and air mission commander backup aircraft, the team tracked the sedan www.westpointaog.org/netcommunity/nininger.

WEST POINT | WINTER 2011 19 2010 Nininger Award for Valor at Arms

“Captain Sickler’s address inspired the Corps and made me look forward to deploying to fight in the current operations.” —Cadet Gavin White, Class of 2011

for an hour before it headed out into the recommended studying the strengths of Cadet First Captain Marc Beaudoin pre- desert. The sedan was engaged by a Hellfire teammates and analyzing their different sented a bust of a cadet to Captain Sickler missile, and an escaping insurgent was approaches to various situations. Personally, and later remarked, “The Nininger Award captured by Rangers on the ground. he had found such opportunities on the ceremony was a fabulous event to honor the pistol team (All America) and as cadet in heroic exploits and service of Captain Sickler. Captain Sickler emphasized that the lessons charge of the capstone project team con- The Corps thanks him for his bravery and to be learned are teamwork and improvisa- structing West Point’s Mini-Baja vehicle. continued service.”  tion. “I was one member of a team of professionals, and my teammates were all critical He assured the cadets that West Point is to the outcome.” Because the two aircraft preparing them well, and they have the

The lessons to be learned are teamwork and improvisation. “I was one member of a team of professionals, and my teammates were all critical to the outcome.”

were able to work together, determine inten- right stuff to meet any challenges as long tions without communications, and react as they continue to learn and develop in quickly and appropriately, the mission was their profession. He closed by saying “Finally, a success. He encouraged the cadets to take to the Corps, thank you for your attention advantage of any and all opportunities to this evening and for your commitment to be involved in situations requiring dynamic our profession. I look forward to serving leadership and communications. He also with you in the years ahead.”

Fiancee Cheryl Zinter records the moment for posterity. GrahamCharliePhotos:

20 WWW.WestPointAOG.org West Point Prep School

West Point

ictured here is the construction site of the soon-to-be-relocated U.S. Military Academy Preparatory School, often referred to as USMAPS. Due to the closure of Ft. Monmouth, PNew Jersey, the preparatory school will return to West Point after an absence of over 50 years, although its history goes back almost 100 years. In May of 1916, President Wilson authorized appointments to West Point for qualified enlisted soldiers. As a result, various preparatory schools were established in the European theater of operations to provide academic refresher training. Following the war, eight small preparatory schools were established at major Army headquarters across the country.

During World War II, the preparatory training was shifted to three civilian colleges, eventually being combined at Amherst, Massachusetts. Then, in 1946 General Maxwell D. Taylor, West Point Superintendent, established a preparatory school at Stewart Field, a sub-post at West Point, in nearby Newburgh, New York. A subsequent move to Ft. Belvoir, Virginia, in 1957 provided space for modern classrooms and athletic fields. In 1975 the school moved again, to its present location at Ft. Monmouth, New Jersey. Now, in 2011, the school will return to West Point, at a site adjacent to Washington Gate, on the former site of the USMA Motor Pool. The facilities will consist of barracks for 246 candidates, 20 classrooms, staff & faculty offices, and three

Photo: Charlie GrahamCharliePhoto: athletic fields, essentially replicating the facilities to be given up at Ft. Monmouth.

WEST POINT | WINTER 2011 21 B y D r . P . eter S iska , D , epartment of G eography and E nvironmental E ngineering

Photo: Matthew Taylor JOURNEY TO Vietnam

In the 1960s, the military conflict in Vietnam had a tremendous impact on the lives of millions of people in both the United States and Vietnam and has been one of the most studied topics in historical, military and political science. The Academy recently provided a great opportunity for four cadets to learn about Vietnam’s natural environment and people as well as study the effects of the war within that country. The Department of Defense recently has emphasized the importance of regional, cultural and language proficiency in the education of future military leaders.

On May 27, 2010, four cadets and I journeyed to Vietnam for In addition, Vietnam seems to be very open to American influence, seventeen days to experience total immersion in the Indochina and everywhere we found a friendly and positive attitude towards region. As we travelled across the wide floodplains of the Red and Americans and the United States, even though the Communist Mekong Rivers, visited the unique karst landforms in the Southern party still dominates the politics of the country. China Sea, tasted the fruits of tropical agriculture, witnessed the One of our first stops in Hanoi was at the infamous Maison Centrale. rise of capitalist industry, and learned military history directly from Ironically, Tan, a businessman in Hanoi and the son of a former Vietnamese personally involved in it, we gradually evolved into guerrilla fighter in the tunnels of Cu Chi, was giving cadets from regional experts. West Point a personal tour. “This place is also sarcastically called Hanoi—the Capital City of Vietnam the ‘Hilton Hotel’ [actually the Hanoi Hilton] because American pilots were detained here,” Tan said with a serious face. “Among At its narrowest point, Vietnam is only 50 kilometers wide; in the them was Senator John McCain.” We then viewed the cell where northern and southern areas, however, the country widens, with Senator McCain spent one of the most crucial periods of his life. the north increasing to 500 kilometers and the south to 350. These Propaganda photos of American pilots happily planting trees in the areas, both rich in tropical agriculture, are where the two major metropolitan centers of Hanoi in the north and Saigon or Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) in the south are located. Hanoi was bubbling Colonel Vu Quang Kha, NVA (Ret.) with life as we met Ngoc, our tour guide. Day and night, the streets are packed with thousands of mopeds, rickshaws, buses and pedestrians. To an outsider, Hanoi appears to have no sense of order, the flood of people on their motorbikes, cars and rickshaws resembling a fast-moving stream. Sometimes we saw parents with two of their children sandwiched between them on a motorcycle; another moped carried a live cow! The native Hanoians, however, looked completely relaxed while playing checkers on crowded sidewalks or having a meal with friends in the midst of a flood of motorbikes. The fact is, today’s Vietnam is moving rapidly in the direction of a free market system and obtaining more freedom of religion as well as freedom of expres- sion—the very ideals for which American soldiers were fighting.

WEST POINT | WINTER 2011 23 JOURNEY TO Vietnam

prison and “enjoying” their daily activities were displayed on the walls. The prison was built by the French and served as a detention center for political prisoners opposed to the French presence in Vietnam. The conditions were extremely harsh, and the guillotine in the middle of the prison is a silent reminder of how opponents of the French colonial system were punished. Escape was deemed impossible, but a few Vietnamese prisoners were successful.

“It [meeting Colonel Kha] was one of the better experiences, meeting someone who had different perspectives and had fought in so many of the conflicts we studied.” —Cadet Mike Tovo ’11

During the revolution, the Communist leader Ho Chi Minh gained significant influence. In Hanoi, the Cadets had the opportunity to join the long line of people in front of the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, where his body lays in state for public visitation. We Cadet Marianne Slotten ’11 emerges from a well-camouflaged entrance to the miles of underground rooms and passageways known as the Cu Chi Tunnels. The tunnels actually then moved towards the French Colonial Palace where Ho Chi extend all of the way from Saigon to Cambodia and existed during the French era. Minh proclaimed an independent Vietnam Democratic Republic. He refused to live in the palace, instead choosing to live and work experience was. They were in Vietnam and observing first-hand in a modest building. As we walked towards Ho Chi Minh’s house, its people, culture, history, and natural environment—an integral I noticed a large group of men dressed in light blue shirts and green aspect in the development of regional knowledge and critical in the caps. Our tour guide said, “They are veterans from the Vietnam- formation of good leaders. American war.” I also spotted an older, distinguished officer in the crowd. We moved towards him, and Ngoc asked if he would not In the Metropolis of Southern Vietnam mind meeting with future officers from West Point. One of the Saigon, the capital city of South Vietnam during the war, is one of cadets spoke French, and we soon found that he was Colonel Vu the largest cities in the world, with a population of nine million. Its Quang Kha, a veteran of four wars: French, Japanese, American streets also are packed with motorcycles, scooters, cars, pedestrians, and Cambodian. Colonel Kha then told me in Russian that he and even people sitting on the sidewalk cooking “pho.” At the also served as a personal body guard for Ho Chi Minh. Reunification Palace, we stopped in front of the Russian and Chinese tanks that entered the gates of the Palace after American As we climbed the stairs towards the second floor, he excitedly forces left Vietnam. Actually, the Soviet tank had led the Vietminh grabbed my elbow and said, “Wait, see this place?” He pointed Army to the Palace but, due to its larger size, could not fit through at the staircase floor. “Right here! This is the spot where I used to the narrow gate. The Chinese tank took the glory. stand guard! I could see Ho Chi Minh behind the glass window working.” We were only a few feet away from Ho Chi Minh’s The Cu Chi Tunnels office window, and the cadets realized how valuable their personal The most significant remnants of the war are thetunnels of Cu Chi. Imagine over 200 miles of tunnels from Saigon to Cambodia. Bullet holes mark a wall in the Hai Van Pass. Viet Cong guerrillas could open fire on American troops and then disappear completely. This amazing network of underground caves and tunnels already existed during the time of the French occupation. “My grandfather used to work on the rubber tree plantation,” our tour guide Mui told us, “It was very hot and humid, so many workers contracted malaria; one day my grandfather had enough and disappeared into the underground tunnel and returned home. He was never found by the French.” The cadets were able to experience the tunnels first-hand by lifting up the cover of the tunnel entrance and disappearing underground into the claustrophobic darkness for at least a few moments.

Milestones of Vietnam History The imperial city of Hue in central Vietnam was the royal seat of the last Nguyen dynasty. As we walked through the imperial palace and imagined the last emperor Bao Dai sitting on the throne, we could feel his frustration with the presence of the foreign powers

24 WWW.WestPointAOG.org JOURNEY TO Vietnam

“No, I did not feel claustrophobic [in the Cu Chi murky water. Here a group of boys seemed to be having fun splashing tunnels], but anyone who was claustrophobic each other with water and throwing mud across the field. A huge water buffalo fed on the grass, ignoring the world around him. definitely would feel it.” With a little prompting from our guide, the boys climbed on the —Cadet Marianne Slotten ’11 water buffalo so we could take a photo. The people seemed to be “Anyone would feel claustrophobic.” very happy, surrounded by beautiful mountains and their fami- —Cadet Mike Tovo ’11 lies—what else could one wish for? Rice is abundant and the main source of food, especially for the long noodles called “pho,” an (French and Japanese) that forced him to collaborate. The emperor integral part of every meal, every day. once said, “I would prefer to be a citizen of an independent country than Emperor of an enslaved state!” At the juncture of the former North and South Vietnam, the road curls and transverses a tract of the Annamite Mountains at a narrow After Ho Chi Minh took power, the Emperor Bao Dai finally stretch of land along the coast. The only place we could cross was abdicated, eventually moving to Hong Kong and, then, France. the Hai Van Pass, once controlled by American forces. The buildings Cadets Marianne Slotten and Michael Tovo had the opportunity to standing awkwardly on the rock displayed numerous bullet holes, a dress in the regalia of the Bao Dai regime for a souvenir photograph. silent reminder of the American soldiers who defended the south The city of Hue was the site of long, bloody battles as the Peoples’ from North Vietnamese attacks. Army of Vietnam and the Viet Cong were defeated by U. S. forces. We entered the private Purple City where the Emperor and his fam- Human-Nature Interactions ily spent their private time together. Restoration is in progress, and The most remote parts of Vietnam lie in the northwest corner near it will be an impressive site when completed. After a pleasant boat the Chinese and Laotian borders. The overnight train from Hanoi ride on the Perfume River, we ended our visit with a tasty Vietnam- takes visitors to the city of Lao Cai—only three kilometers from ese meal in a quiet corner of Hue. Southern Vietnam has its own the Chinese border. Sa Pa is a small city completely enclosed by the charm, and American influence is still strongly felt. mountains. Directly to the west, the rugged peaks of the Phan Xi Pang look majestically down from over 3,000 meters. Today, Sa Pa Economic Life is a very busy city visited by tourists year around. As tourists arrive, Vietnam is pursuing a vigorous form of capitalism, and private native Black Hmong women immediately surround them, accom- businesses are blooming. It does not matter what time of day or pany them on their hikes and patiently wait to make a sale. night. Busy tailors in Hoi An are available any time and deliver Our guide was from the Thai minority and took us on a 15-kilometer suits, dresses or shirts in less than 24 hours. hike southeast from Sa Pa. The Black Hmong women, both old and There are still large state-owned companies in Vietnam, such as “Petro Vietnam” that controls the oil and energy industries. The “For a place where such a brutal war took place, the space between Haiphong and Hanoi is dominated by large oil storage tanks; oil is one of the most important export commodities, people were extremely hospitable. They were very followed by rice, rubber and coffee. Agriculture represents almost welcoming and eager to please. It was amusing to see 20% of the Gross Domestic Product of Viet Nam, and rice grows their reactions to us as Westerners.” —Cadet Sarah Florer ’11 almost everywhere: on the Red River floodplain in the north and thousands of miles south young, followed us everywhere. Whenever the path was too slippery in the Mekong River Delta. or there was a creek to jump across, they were ready to help us but The deep valleys of the Phan expected us to buy something in return. Black Hmong women, Xi Pang Mountains near the however, also work in the rice fields, make clothes, and take care Chinese border also are filled of the children while their husbands remain in the background, with rice paddies. smoking, talking, and sometimes babysitting. Most of the native people are animists who believe in spirits that specifically target In the little village of Ta Van, each room of the house. Some are Buddhists, but we also met a we spent the night in a cozy few Catholics wearing crosses. house hosted by members of the Thai minority. The view After Sa Pa, we took a speedboat from Hai Phong to the “Island of of the valley was spectacular; Many Ladies” or “Cat Ba” in the native language. First we sailed strong mountain streams cas- for about an hour across the murky waters of the Red River. The cading over and around huge silt and sand carried by the Red River to the South China Sea boulders that had rolled down completely changes the color of the ocean water to a deep brown. the steep Phan Xi Pang slopes. Finally, we approached the steep shores of Cat Ba, the largest

Cadet Mike Tovo ’11 with children of the H’Mong A couple of hundred meters island, surrounded by thousands of smaller islands shaped like minority, about 10 km north of Sa Pa, Vietnam. away was a paddy filled with ice cream cones rising from the blue sea. The white limestone rocks

WEST POINT | WINTER 2011 25 Cadets and the author at theSection Chinese :tank Title in front of the Reunification Palace inS aigon.

orchard. The day was excessively hot and humid, and we were dripping when we entered a lush, green garden full of young coco- nut seedlings, jackfruit trees, mangos, water apples and guavas. The owner sat us at the wooden table in the middle of the garden and brought us plates loaded with rambutan, pomelo, longan jackfruit and lemons. Live native music, a refreshing breeze and fresh fruit were the best “medi- cine” on that hot and humid tropical afternoon. It was a are overgrown with thick, green vegetation in which the sea eagles perfect regional experience: we tasted the produce of the local make their nests and the Golden-Headed Langur find their safe economy, interacted with native people and watched their cultural haven. These Langur (Trachypithecus poliocephalus) are endemitic performance set in the deep jungle of the Mekong River. There is no primates only found on Cat Ba and the surrounding islands. As we better preparation for the future of American officers than a personal pushed our kayaks from one island to another across Hay Long Bay, experience of space and time. It is the chance to take the pulse of we observed the Vietnamese fishermen and oyster growers who everyday life in distance places and observe how the native people have made their permanent home in this beautiful corner of the live, what they believe, and how they interact with others and their world. Their simple, wooden houses move up and down with the natural environment. rhythm of the ocean waves, as they are built on floating wooden structures tied to empty, blue-painted barrels. Sometimes we could Towards Global Understanding see the fishermen resting inside in hammocks while refreshing A famous English writer once remarked before taking a trip breezes freely move through the open doors and windows. With abroad: “I am going abroad so that I can better understand my breathtaking scenery around, and oysters and fish to provide the own home.” There is profound truth in this statement. Studying basic necessities, they seemed content without any of the modern abroad is a great educational tool that gives cadets the opportunity conveniences of our technologically developed world. to experience directly life in distant lands and exposes them to a world remarkably different from their own; it helps them to Along the Mekong understand actual geographic space as well as the people in it, Another beautiful aspect of Vietnamese nature is the Mekong their culture, religion, politics, and family life. By doing this, River, which has created a large delta that supports a high yield they can also reflect on their home, compare each element of life åof rice production, tropical fruit orchards and fishing. and develop a broader understanding of this world. Vietnam has played a special role in history, and after visiting there, it also has “The Vietnamese were very welcoming and did not earned a special place in our hearts.  let their past history interfere with their attitude towards us.” —Cadet Nicholas Kazmer ’13

As we stood on its banks at Vinh Long City, it was difficult to see the other side of the Mekong River. One of the largest rivers in the world, it discharges 475 cubic kilometers of water and dumps 160 million tons of sediment into the ocean annually, posing a danger to river navigation. We sailed around several cranes constantly cleaning sand and silt from the channel. Hence, the Mekong River provides not only food but also building material (sand) for its people, especially the Khmer minority who occupy the Mekong Delta. In the Museum of Ethnology, we marveled at their elongated boats that could hold 52 rowers at one time and reach considerable speeds. As we sailed into one of the side channels of the Mekong River, we passed by a floating market where almost anything one could imagine was for sale, from boats loaded with coconuts and watermelons to live fish or pigs. We stopped at An Binh Island and visited a fruit

26 WWW.WestPointAOG.org Start the days!

Upcoming events at the West Point Leadership Center A Cultural Author Jim Collins will present a keynote address at the 2011 Global Leader- ship Conference (GLC) on March 31, 2011: “Serving, Learning and Leading: Immersion Trip Creating and Engaging Leaders in Global Citizenship,” featuring panels rang- to China during Spring Leave, ing from advances in leader development, to recruiting for service focused March 2011. Cadets will organizations, to corporate social responsibility and the Millennial generation practice their newly learned and service (www.glc.westpoint.edu). Also the new Cadet Leadership Confer- Chinese and see and experience ence scheduled for November 3–6, 2011. Presidential Medal of Freedom awardee and Class of ’51 Distinguished Leadership Chair Frances Hesselbein Chinese culture firsthand. was instrumental in bringing Jim Collins and others to West Point. —Lieutenant Colonel Brady Crosier, Chinese —Colonel Tom Kolditz, Department of Behavioral Science & Leadership Language Section Desk Chief, Department of Foreign Languages

The West Point Center for the Rule of Law 2011 Conference (April 6–8, 2011) on several issues of Gender Justice, domestically and abroad: Human Trafficking (modern-day slavery); Micro-Finance & the Empowerment of Women; Women in Islam; PTSD, Domestic Violence & the Military; the “Glass” & “Brass” Ceilings; and the link between Gender

Justice, the Rule of Law, and National Security. Go Army! Beat Injustice! —Dr. Robert J. Goldstein, S.J.D.

The 11th Annual National Secu- A March 20–April 20, teaching exchange During 2011, the West Point with two service academies in Kazakhstan rity Agency (NSA) Cyber Defense during which we will teach English, military Museum’s commemoration Exercise (CDX) on April 19–22, subjects and leadership to future officers of of the 150th Anniversary of 2011. Student teams from the Kazakhstan and host a Kazakh officer at West Point to teach our cadets about the the American Civil War. nation’s service academies and Kazakh military. military graduate schools com- —Captain (P) S. Dewayne White, Russian Instructor, —David M. Reel, Director, West Point Museum Department of Foreign Languages pete to defend their computer networks against a unit of profes-

sional cyber attackers led by the GLOOM PERIOD!!! NSA. The West Point CDX Team Truly an exciting time of year as the Cows and Yearlings enjoy Cadets are eager to demonstrate 500th Nite and Yearling Winter Weekend in January; members of the their computer security expertise graduating class select their first assignments and celebrate 100th and expect to achieve yet another Nite in February; all classes look forward to Spring Leave in March. victory on this most modern —Colonel Eugene J. Palka, Ph.D., “field of friendly strife.” Professor and Head, Department of Geography & Environmental Engineering

—Lieutenant Colonel Robert L. Fanelli, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Upcoming events suggested by West Point staff & faculty. Events for May–July should be sent to [email protected] by February 15, 2011.

WEST POINT | WINTER 2011 27 Section : Title

Middle Right The map below depicts the relationship of Fort Putnam to Fort Clinton (formerly Fort Arnold), the Great Chain across the Hudson River, and Constitution Island.

Bottom Left The plaque indicates that Fort Putnam was constructed in 1778 by the 5th Massachusetts Regiment and named for their commander, Colonel Rufus Putnam. It was restored in 1909 as a war monument and again for our nation’s bicentennial in 1976. The cannon and mortar displayed are reproductions.

Bottom Right The single wooden building at Fort Putnam contains historical displays and serves as a branch of the West Point Museum.

Fort Putnam is open for a limited number of hours each year, generally in conjunction with major events at West Point, such as R-Day, Graduation and recently during home football weekends.

Fort Putnam

28 WestPointAOG.org Photography by Sylvia Graham fort putnam

Fort Putnam was the keystone of Kosciuszko’s plan for Fortress West Point, in that it provided a bastion on dominating terrain to overlook and protect the redoubts and batteries closer to the Hudson River. Their mission was to fire upon any British ships attempting to force their way upriver past the Great Chain to link up with forces in Canada and split the colonies in two. Fort Putnam also provided a defense against a British ground attack, such as the one that resulted in the capture of an earlier chain across the Hudson at the present site of the Bear Mountain Bridge. What Fort Putnam could not do was protect against the treachery of Benedict Arnold.

Top A recreated cannon faces south along the Hudson, overlooking the Michie Stadium Athletic Complex that includes the Hoffman Press Box, Randall Hall, KimseyWEST Hall, POINT and the | FALLFoley 2010 Indoor Practice 29Facility. T a U I Sy magi n rut n mpa disc d n o t t a ve he t hs r E H i t on

B y E ed lizabeth

ic D. S D. amet

Photo: Michael S. Quinton, National Geographic Undiscovered Truths and the Sympathetic Imagination

Exit, pursued by a bear …. Perhaps the most celebrated stage direction in all of Shakespeare, this is also one of the most bizarre. It comes from The Winter’s Tale, a moody, often brutal play that twenty cadets and I had the opportunity to see a few years ago at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. It is also the mantra with which I sang myself to sleep one June night in a tent on the North Slope of Alaska while imagining the consequences of meeting up with a grizzly. Antigonus, the character who exits pursued by that bear in The Winter’s Tale does not, I should make clear, return.

Many readers associate Shakespeare with royal courts and dynastic struggles, but so many of his most provocative moments occur in mysterious forests, on rugged heaths or haunted islands, and in mythical wildernesses where, together with savage creatures, the imagination itself runs wild. The “imagination bodies forth / The forms of things unknown,” he writes in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. A “strong imagination” plays such extraordinary “tricks … / That, if it would but apprehend some joy, / It comprehends the bringer of that joy; / Or in the night, imagining some fear, / How easy is a bush suppos’d a bear!” No wonder I turned to Shakespeare when I found myself with nothing but a tent flap between me and the entire bear population of the North Slope. Over the last few years Alaska has become for me a land of “things unknown,” a destination that liberates and strengthens my imagination. On my first visit—made a few months before my trek to the North Slope—as I waited in the Anchorage airport for a flight to Fairbanks, I had been struck by “What is it?” I asked. one name that kept popping up on the departure board: Deadhorse, “Come back in June,” one replied, “and you’ll see for yourself.” AK. No other objective seemed at once so ominous and intriguing, so thoroughly seductive. And that’s how I found myself with two lieutenants, Joel Glover ’05 and Tom Berry ’06, and Tom’s sister Laura in a Subaru wagon When I reached Fairbanks, I met up with several young officers making my way up the Dalton Highway, a.k.a. “The Haul Road,” whom I had taught at West Point. In anticipation of their upcoming which connects Fairbanks with the oil fields of Prudhoe Bay: about deployment, they had devised a long list of expeditions to be under- 440 miles of gravel and dust. Rolling into Deadhorse in the morning taken over the summer, when the lingering sun makes it possible to mist and fog after a night on the tundra, I felt as if I had reached the live two days in every one. It seemed as if they wanted to touch as top of the world or the end of the earth. much of the state as they could before leaving. What they were doing, a friend suggested to me later, no doubt recalling his own We gazed out on an expanse of trailers, trucks, and drilling equip- rituals before heading to Vietnam, was “saying goodbye” to a place ment. Standing beneath a Halliburton sign in the midst of the they had learned to think of as home. Among the catalogue of muddy expanse, Joel declared, “You would not believe how much this strange and unfamiliar places they recited was one that I recognized: place reminds me of a FOB [forward operating base].” The official Deadhorse. Serendipity. tour ends on the beach, where we had the enticing opportunity,

WEST POINT | WINTER 2011 31 Undiscovered Truths and the Sympathetic Imagination

which I was the only member of our expedition successfully to resist, of plunging into the Arctic Ocean (34° F). Someone had to stand guard, after all. Before we exited the bus, our guide had given us some vital instructions: “If you hear the horn honking, it means there is a polar bear in the vicinity. You should all gather together on the beach, hold your jackets over your heads, and look big.” Seriously? Back in Fairbanks, Joel had taken me on a tour of Fort Wainwright. On the eve of a major deployment, an Army post wears a sad, abandoned look. In June 2008, Wainwright seemed a ghost town. Although this is home to the 1-25th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, there were no signature Stryker vehicles in sight. They were already on a train headed south on the first leg of the long journey to the be like for someone like Joel, who is over six feet, to ride around in it desert. But we finally found an up-armored 1151M HMMWV with body armor, Kevlar helmet, a weapon, and three other soldiers? stranded in a parking lot. “This is something you need to do,” Joel He left me there long enough for my imagination to perform its work. said as I climbed into the driver’s seat. Then he closed the door and The imaginative faculty is central to my understanding of cadets. left me there alone. Because I have never known many of the circumstances in which they might find themselves, the imagination—the sympathetic The imaginative faculty is central to my understanding imagination—is where I meet them. It is also where, as individuals of cadets. Because I have never known many of the wrestling with their own private transformations, they learn how circumstances in which they might find themselves, to meet one another in the fundamentally cooperative endeavor of soldiering. the imagination—the sympathetic imagination—is Through the imagination we reach destinations as yet unvisited, where I meet them. It is also where, as individuals anticipate experiences we’ve not undergone, encounter solutions to wrestling with their own private transformations, they problems we don’t know we have. We must imagine courage as well learn how to meet one another in the fundamentally as cowardice; victory but also disaster; home and what Hamlet calls the “undiscovered country.” Then, at some later date—maybe in a cooperative endeavor of soldiering. HMMWV in Iraq or a Kiowa in Afghanistan—those imaginative labors become actual for the men and women who were studying It was the only time in the vast space of Alaska that I felt confined. Othello or King Lear in English class not so long ago. It was tough to see; the armor restricted so much of my view. Sitting behind the wheel with my feet comfortably touching the pedals, There is no author who more thoroughly intuits and celebrates the I felt as if I had entered a historical exhibit representing an era in force of imagination and more rigorously challenges readers to exer- which soldiers were smaller. I’m 5'4" on a good day. What must it cise it than Shakespeare. So many of the moments that have defined for me what it means to teach at West Point have some connection with his work: watching Joel hold his own with a group of professional actors in a performance on the Arnold Auditorium stage; witnessing a bril- liant John Nakata ’01 pace up and down my office wrestling with Hamlet’s figures of thought and his own; listening with a class of rapt plebes to Matt Dieterich ’11 speak eloquently of Macbeth, violence, and his own prior service in Iraq; rehearsing a scene from Twelfth Night, in preparation for Projects Day, with Liz Lazzari, Megan Evans, and Jeff Balka (all ’09) late one Friday afternoon in the parking lot outside Thayer Hall; having West Point AOG President Bob McClure ’76 materialize in my Shakespeare class one morning brandishing the edition of Shakespeare he had been issued while a cadet and inspiring me to introduce a collected Shakespeare into EN102; seeing

32 WWW.WestPointAOG.org Undiscovered Truths and the Sympathetic Imagination

Adam Bishop ’11 put all that he had learned on stage as the only world of fewer and fewer mysteries, Alaska remains a realm of open yearling in our Shakespeare elective a few years ago to use this questions and undiscovered truths. It is place in which the lieutenants summer as an intern for the Army’s Spirit of America show; behold- had been able to measure and define themselves, to reflect on their ing Chris Goeke ’08, who was killed in action in Kandahar City, training and education, and to test their imaginations. John Afghanistan, on July 13, 2010, movingly bring to life the role of McPhee, an extraordinary observer of Alaska, has noted that the Jaques, the melancholy philosopher of As You Like It, who wanders Arctic sun “strikes” rather than shines. That far north, of course, the forest meditating on mortality. it doesn’t even set in June. It just seems to slide a bit to the east to indicate that night has turned to morning. Self-exposure and self- In these moments cadets took intellectual, emotional, and, some- discovery are unavoidable under such unrelenting illumination. times, physical risks—risks encouraged by Shakespeare’s themes and by the language in which he couches them. Serving as a stage Before my recent journeys to the Last Frontier, the closest I had ever manager for my colleague Colonel Scott Krawczyk ’85, during come to Alaska was memorizing Robert W. Service’s “The Shooting his production of As You Like It in 2008, and directing a class in of Dan McGrew” in the sixth grade. The Malamute Saloon, where a revue we called “Seduced by Shakespeare” the following year, McGrew meets his end, had always been for me a site in which I discovered a new and different kind of engagement with cadets. wonderful and terrible things might happen. On the North Slope Moreover, I came to believe that many of the elements of successful the bear became the embodiment of such possibilities. On my first theater—absolute trust, teamwork, superior listening skills, and visit to Alaska, bears had been in hibernation; when I returned, the the courage to take risks—are also attributes of successful military enormous stuffed grizzly I had seen in the university museum in organizations. I knew the cadets realized this when they all showed Fairbanks, terrifying though it was, no longer seemed enough. We up early for rehearsal one day, in costume, and began running encountered Dall sheep clinging to steep rock faces, caribou and through their scenes unprompted. I floated my new theory to Dan musk oxen dotting the tundra, moose in parking lots and in the McLeod ’08, who, as a first-class cadet, had discovered untapped wild, but the bear eluded me. Emerging from the tent unscathed resources within himself while mastering the part of Orlando in in the morning, I realized that seeing a bear was the thing I most As You Like It. And Dan enriched the idea by adding another feared and in fearing it exactly what I most desired. It’s a difficult element: faith in the mission, be it dramatic or military. paradox, but one I think lieutenants would understand.  Elizabeth D. Samet is professor of English in the Department of English and My trip up the Dalton forged a similar kind of solidarity. As travelers Philosophy and currently the director of the Plebe literature course. She is also the

Photo: Charlie GrahamCharliePhoto: we shared certain unspoken expectations about this adventure. In a author of Soldier’s Heart: Reading Literature Through Peace and War at West Point.

WEST POINT | WINTER 2011 33 Development Engineering in Honduras

Learning the challenges and rewards of engineering in the developing world. Photo: Kate Fogelberg, Water for PeopleFogelberg,for KateWaterPhoto: Photos: [Names listed here as needed]as here[NamesPhotos:listed

34 WWW.WestPointAOG.org Development Engineering in Honduras Development Engineering in Honduras: Preventing Sanitation Graveyards

By Major James P. Cook ’99, Geography and Environmental Engineering

Monitoring is generally not the first task that experience to prepare for the type of work comes to mind when people think about all will encounter in the deployed Army. engineering in the developing world. WFP is a global nonprofit organization with Understanding the status of previous the stated goal of improving quality of life projects, however, is arguably just as impor- for people in developing countries by the tant as drilling wells and placing masonry establishment of locally sustainable drinking blocks, because the history of philanthropic engineering development is littered with the water resources, sanitation facilities, and remains of failed projects. Water For People hygiene education programs. The organiza- (WFP) has a nickname for such failed tion is involved in all aspects of planning, projects: sanitation graveyards. These are constructing, financing and monitoring locations where well-meaning charities have various engineering development projects attempted to improve local infrastructure in eleven countries on three continents. temporarily but were unable to provide a The WPF objective is to supply long-lasting lasting solution. Pumps, pipes, and other development solutions that provide value to structures always require maintenance or the project beneficiaries for years to come. replacement at some time after the benefac- The team of Cadets Ashley Anthony, Mark tors have departed. When the local commu- Anthony Atangan, Bradley Potts, Jake nity is unable to repair a gifted system, Darsey, Francisco Barrera, all Class of 2012, people return to their old ways of collecting and Victoria Oropeza ’11, accompanied by water or disposing of waste, and the project Major Jim Cook, was uniquely qualified to is abandoned. help WFP monitor existing projects. Last summer, six cadets and one officer As impartial third-party observers, they from the Department of Geography & performed critical analysis and reported un- Environmental Engineering traveled to biased results to WFP—an essential service Honduras to help WFP monitor previously to improve future development projects. constructed drinking water and sanitation The cadets examined the drinking water and infrastructure projects. The trip taught sanitation systems of a number of Honduran cadets the challenges and rewards of villages and reported which projects were engineering in the developing world and functioning as designed long after construc- afforded them a cultural immersion tion was complete. Half of the group

“I made sure I gave 100% of my effort each day for every village. WFP provided a great opportunity to help with something greater than ourselves, and we got the job done. I learned a lot about myself as well as how different the [Honduran] culture is from our own. I also gained an appreciation for the environment and how to reduce our footprint.” —Cadet Atangan ’12

Photos: [Names listed here as needed]as here[NamesPhotos:listed Cadets Darsey, Barrera and Potts examine a noria (waterwheel) that powers a water pump.

WEST POINT | WINTER 2011 35 Development Engineering in Honduras

members were chosen for their environmental engineering and sci- Further analysis of the survey data provided an explanation: lack ence expertise and the other half for their Spanish-speaking ability. of proper system management and maintenance conducted by the beneficiary community. Because no drinking water system can The monitoring mission required daily trips to remote villages in physically hold enough disinfectant to run maintenance free for the Honduran municipalities of El Negrito and San Antonio. At more than two days, local villagers must take responsibility for each village, the team administered Spanish-language surveys to replenishing the chlorine. The same is true for repairing pipes and the general population, community leaders, and school teachers to plugging leaks. Continuing community involvement is the key to discover how well—if at all—a previously installed WFP drinking the long-term sustainability of development projects. The West Point team learned that management and a sense of ownership “I have never been happier about my decision to go to are just as important to a project’s long-term success as is sound West Point than right now.” —Cadet Victoria Oropeza ’11 engineering. They found, with almost perfect correlation, that the successful projects were cared for by a few diligent community leaders and maintenance personnel. The communities with water or sanitation system was working. WFP provided transporta- intermittent delivery and poor water quality suffered much more tion but did not want its people to take part in the survey process from poor management than from system design. for fear of influencing villager responses. The cadets surveyed 18 communities in one week. The cadets’ results are consistent with findings from WFP monitoring missions in other parts of the world. Sound engineering only provides The team also took direct measurements of certain engineering temporary solutions to long-term problems. As a result, WFP has parameters of interest, most significantly the flow rate and storage recently started aggressive education campaigns in the countries capacity of drinking water systems in relation to local population where it operates. Getting community buy-in is the first step to size. The cadets then measured the amount of chlorine disinfectant achieving better community management strategies, longer project present in the community water systems. Because engineers rely on life and, ultimately, a better long-term return.  disinfectants such as chlorine to kill the pathogenic microorganisms NOTE: This was the third monitoring mission for Water For People. The first was found in water, it was important to know how much chlorine each to Guatemala in 2008 with Major Adam Czekanski (Department of Geography and village routinely used. Environmental Engineering). He took his second team to Honduras in 2009. Once the survey and direct data collection was complete, the team “The monitoring work was invaluable to my compiled the results and generated a 50-plus page report of findings future as an Army officer because interacting for WFP. Fortunately, none of the development projects they visited appeared to be sanitation graveyards—good news for WFP and an with people of different cultures is a large indicator of future potential for success. The results, however, were part of the job. I have a greater appreciation mixed. Roughly half of the villages continued to receive optimal for what we consider to be wealth; in terms of quantities of water at least three years after construction of the distribution system was completed, and most received adequate material possessions, most villagers had near quantities. Water quality was a different story. Unfortunately, all but to nothing, but family heads could care for one failed to exhibit a sufficient chlorine disinfectant concentration in the water supply. The drinking water projects were failing to their children and homes, and that was all adequately protect communities from water-borne diseases. that they needed.” —Cadet Bradley Potts ’12

Cadet Victoria Oropeza administers a survey in Colonia San Juan. Cadets touring the Finca el Cisnes hydroelectric plant.

36 WWW.WestPointAOG.org Photos: Army Athletics Communications THINGS: Women’s NO BIG Soccer Team “Our women come focused every single day and ready to train, play, “If everyone wakes up in the morning with a great attitude and with “We say that to accomplish big things the little things have to be perfect. 100% 100% on care oftaking the little alongthings the way can so care take ofthat winning itself.” The women on the team have bought into the concept and live it. They the little things done extremely well, as close to perfect as possible. So for us, we need to focus big things, there are no big goals. Accomplishing big goals is the result of the accumulation of Coach Golan emphasizes the choices that one makes every day, with S She posits that everything that each team member and coach does on invest into this team today? What am I going to do as an individual to positively preseason record, especially since all eight wins were shutouts. perseverance, and trust.” of most people. Then, we get to decide how prepared we will go should, and, at the early part of the afternoon, what are we willing to and win. We have refocused on the little things that will separate us a daily basis affects the team, eitherpositively or negatively.“We set us up for success as individuals and as a team. We first make our Women’s Soccer Coach Stefanie Golan is proud of her team’s We have fully committed ourselves to our 3 core values of passion, want our daily habits, on and off thefield, to be positive ones which believe that every woman on the team contributes something posi habits, but our habits will make us.” team believes in itself and is working hard to have a special season. the mentality that the day will be great, we are already a step ahead the firstbeing choosing the attitudewith which onefaces the day. to class, what kind of meals we will eat, will we hydrate as we team. “We have some players get more recognition than others, but it tive that makes the team better as a whole or she wouldn’t be on the from other teams and put us in a position to win every single day. The ee page 39 contribute to our growth as a team?” for S eason at a G lance

8–3

Christine Kaila. Those players come out every single day with a posi Coach Golan considers Co-captain Alex Lostetter a team member who Chelsea Sapirman, Steph Gower, Jaclyn Kalik, Azeezat Olatunde, and Gibbons, Emily Carl, Candice Bryan, Kaley Mosher, Ellen Chamberlin, goalkeeper, with her for years has made Alex better, and dous leader, both by example meet.” She believes that having is what we all do every day that sets each of those players up for adding and improving. competitive people you will cause of improved technical cant presence in the goal be and vocally, providing a signifi Monica Lee, another very good sane and she is one of the most skills. “Her athleticism is in success, and we, as a team, are consequently better. Names you don’t has developed into a tremen her work ethic has strengthened hear that often have had a great deal to do with our success are Hailey the field consistently and read about arebetter because of them.” them tant Coach Mario works with the position even more. Assis tive attitude and a tremendous work rate, and the players you see on daily to keep them focused Chelsea Sapirman and

 NO BIG THINGS: THINGS: BIG NO three - - - - - Head Head Coach F red red Thompson and I women n reality, there are no —Coach Stephanie Golan S ’ tefanie tefanie s

soccer M G ario ario olan olan (center) with assistant coaches

R team incon.

- Cadet Profile: Alexandra Lostetter ’11

Cadet Profile: Alexandra Lostetter ’11 Cadet Alex Lostetter, co-captain of the women’s soccer team with classmate Kelley Robbins, threw away the recruiting letter she received from Coach Ventriglia while in high school, but her brother, a 2003 Annapolis grad, suggested that she at least visit. Recalling all of the opportunities her brother had spoken of while a midshipman, she agreed. Impressed with the physical location, the history and the quality of education, she fell in love with West Point. She thought the coach was great, the girls on the team were awesome, and that West Point was the place she wanted to be.

Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Alex loved sports in disorders, eating disorders and high school, playing soccer in the fall, basketball in winter, and other emotional issues adversely running track in the spring. She captained the soccer and basket- impact human performance. ball teams in her senior year and was a triple jumper, pole vaulter As a future Army leader, how- and hurdler in track. She also played trombone in the band for ever, she is equally interested in how she can help subordinates “You will be challenged every day and do things that who may be affected by similar disorders. In soccer, she used you never thought you could. In addition to a superior the leadership skills that she education, you will reach the highest level of personal developed over the past three development imaginable, and the friends you make and years to help the team. She sought to be a role model for the network you develop will remain with you for the the team, like the role models rest of your life.” —Lostetter’s brother’s advice she admired on the team in the past. Co-captain Kelley some time. But it was while playing on a traveling soccer team that Robbins and Alex had similar Coach Ventriglia first saw her and decided to contact her by mail. goals for the team: play each and every game at the highest level; It should come as no surprise that her favorite activity at West Point give it their best always; and motivate their teammates to play is soccer and that her teammates are her best friends. If all the through the difficult times. The biggest challenge was keeping meetings, practices, strength training, soccer games and co-captain everyone motivated throughout the season and leading by duties weren’t enough, Alex is also an avid sports fan, watching and positive example. rooting for the Steelers, Penguins, and other Pittsburgh teams with Although recruited by 24-year women’s soccer coach Gene Ventri- her friends in Company C-3. In her spare time—whenever that is— glia, she now plays for Coach Stefanie Golan. Coach Ventriglia she loves golf and snowboarding. impressed her as a great person and a father figure who cared about Alex is a psychology major who cites abnormal psychology as the team and always attempted to help them work around the pres- her most interesting class, especially as it concerns how anxiety sures of academy life. Coach Golan, however, has introduced a lot

38 WWW.WestPointAOG.org Section : Title

Goals Army 1, Lehigh 0 Stefanie Golan: Patriot Army 1, Navy 0 Army 0, American 0 (double overtime) Patriot League Scored Army 0, Lafayette 0 (double overtime) League Army 2, Bucknell 1 (single overtime) Women’s Soccer Against: Army 0, Colgate 0 (double overtime) Season Army 1, Holy Cross 0 Coach of the Year Alex Lostetter, Army’s shutout leader with 31, also is tied for most career shutouts in the Patriot League. 6 Shutouts: 16 Women’s Soccer 2010 at a Glance

All Tournament Team: Carlie Turnnidge ’11; Alex Lostetter ’11; and Molly McGuigan ’14 Season Record: November 5, 2010: Army 1, Colgate 0 Alex’s prediction November 7, 2010: Army 0, Lehigh 1 for next year: 14-4-3; most wins Patriot League “It was an amazing season. I have no doubt this group Tournament Results will win the title next year.” since 16 in 1997

of new ideas and inspires the team. She cares about each member Her most exciting experience of the team and wants everyone to succeed in all aspects of cadet life. at West Point? Winning the Success must be as a complete person, not just as a member of the Patriot League Championship team. The team chemistry is hard to describe, but it feels right and in 2008 by beating Navy at comfortable. Golan is an amazing coach, but the entire coaching Annapolis (Were you watching, staff is the best Alex has ever experienced. big brother?). Alex strongly feels that she has evolved as a leader over the past Alex’s advice to a high school three years by facing a lot of challenges but struggling through student considering West Point to emerge better than before. Considered a natural leader, she would be “just do it.” You will credits West Point with providing a focus and maturity that she be challenged every day and do did not have earlier. things that you never thought you could. In addition to a superior education, you will reach the highest level of personal development imaginable, and the friends you make and the network you develop will remain with you for the rest of your life. Nevertheless, she credits the amazing support and encouragement of her family (even her Navy brother) as a major factor in her success.

Photos: Army AthleticArmyPhotos:Communications Her concluding words are simply: “Beat Navy!” 

WEST POINT | WINTER 2011 39 Gripping Hands

“Grip hands—though it be from the shadows—while we swear as you did of yore, or living or dying, to honor the Corps, and the Corps, and the Corps.” —Bishop Shipman, 1902

Army Gymnastics Marks Two Milestones As this magazine went to press, West Point was preparing to host the 20th West Point Gymnastics Open on January 14–15 in the Holleder Center with over 700 athletes competing from across the country in the equiv- alent of a World Championship atmosphere. Also on that weekend, a celebration was planned to note the completion of the Army Gymnastics Endowment fundraising campaign. Began in 2006 and staffed by a hard- working and dedicated group of volunteers, the campaign succeed in achieving its seven-figure fundraising goal. The Cam- paign Committee was chaired by Major General (Ret.) Neal Creighton ’53 and vice chair Major General (Ret.) John Longhouser ’65. Graduates and friends of 29 All-Americans, six national champions, the stage for a much larger endeavor. As part West Point gave of their time and funds in 62 Eastern individual champions, three of the comprehensive campaign for West great measure to support Army Gymnastics, National Team Members, and 12 Eastern Point, the Academy, through the fundraising and the Academy thanks them. Team Champions. They also noted that efforts of the West Point Association of The Gymnastics team has been one of the 51% of those who lettered in Gymnastics Graduates, is seeking to create team endow- most successful over the years, producing have stayed in the military until retirement, ments for all of the athletics teams. and 35 former team members have become West Point’s commitment to athletics runs general officers (more than any other sport, deep. Athletics at West Point are about per capita). Also in this mix are one astro- striving to develop leadership, the warrior naut and three Rhodes Scholars. spirit, and sense of duty to succeed. To Athletic programs such as Army Gymnastics demonstrate its commitment to cadet- must depend on the Office of the Directorate athletes, West Point endeavors to support of Intercollegiate Athletics-generated funds state-of-the-art facilities, create a diverse from sources such as media coverage fees, and inclusive athletic program, recruit ticket sales, gift shop profits, and charitable and retain the best staff and coaches, and donations for the greater part of its budget. provide unparalleled athletic experiences Appropriated funds only provide about 38% for cadet-athletes and fans. of the athletic department budget. Addi- Those wishing to support the gymnastics tionally, operating costs for intercollegiate team or another intercollegiate athletic sports teams have tended to go up at an team may do so by contacting the accelerated rate in recent years. West Point Association of Graduates, The success achieved by this first attempt to 698 Mills Road, West Point, NY 10996 endow a West Point athletic program has set or www.westpointaog.org.

40 WWW.WestPointAOG.org Gripping Hands

Nicholson ’61 Honored Ely ’33 Shoots His Age in Golf 1961 with Official Portrait as Former V.A. Secretary Colonel (USAR, Ret.) Jim Nicholson, former Secretary of Veterans Over 2,000 Times! Affairs, was honored at a ceremony in Washington, DC, in Novem- Lieutenant General (Ret.) William Ely first shot his age in ber 2010, unveiling his official portrait. Nicholson was flanked by golf when he was 75, so he decided to keep track of each his predecessor, Secretary Tony Principi, and his successor General time he did so again! Back then, he shot his age or better (Ret.) Eric Shinseki ’65. Nicholson’s comments noted the V.A. motto crafted by President Abraham Lincoln: “To care for him every time he played. As of this writing, he had done it who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan.” 2,005 times in the 23 years since. The lowest he ever shot Portrait artist Laurel Stern Boeck painted the portrait. below his age was a 74 at age 90! Nicholson, an Infantry officer, fought in Vietnam, then joined the He never swung a club until his Plebe year at West Point in U.S. Army Reserve, practiced law, built a successful company and 1929, and after graduation and service in World War II, then served as chairman of the Republican National Committee, he played very little. Later tours in the DC area, however, U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See, and Secretary of the Department allowed him to play at the Army Navy CC and win the club of Veterans Affairs. championship at all grades from colonel to lieutenant general. He doesn’t know what the secret is, but even at age 98 he doesn’t have a sore joint, knee or shoulder.

My father is Class of 1933, so I had the pleasure of meeting Lieutenant General Ely at their 60th reunion. We didn’t play golf, but I am sure it would have been a most humbling experience! Lieutenant General Ely’s golf exploits recently were noted in the September 20, 2010 issue of Sports Illustrated. —Jim Lincoln ’60.

University of Tennessee Unveils Statue Honoring Neyland ’16 years, and a pitcher who amassed a 35–5 record while never losing to Navy. Against Colgate, he also pitched one of only three Army no-hitters in team history.

As an Engineer officer, Neyland served with the American Expeditionary Forces during World War I; as an aide to General of the Army Douglas MacArthur, Class of 1903, in the Philippines, 1921–22; and as the Professor of Military Science and Tactics at the University of Tennessee, 1925–30. He was the “Wizard of the Single Wing” head football coach at Tennessee from 1926–35 and during 1937 until recalled from his retirement as a major in 1936 to active duty in 1941. He served in the Service of Supply for the China-Burma-India Theatre, was promoted to brigadier general in 1944, and commanded the base section there until 1946.

He then returned to Tennessee as coach until 1952 and as athletic On November 13, 2010, the University of Tennessee unveiled a statue director until his death in March 1962. His 21-season record as a head of Brigadier General (Ret.) Robert Reese Neyland, Jr., near Gate 17 coach was 173-31-12; during the entire period he was at Tennessee, on the west side of Neyland Stadium (dedicated in his name on the team’s record was 258-70-18. Knute Rockne called him “the out- October 20, 1962) in Knoxville, TN, during Homecoming Weekend. standing defensive thinker in the game.” His 1939 team was the last The twice-life-size statue created by Blair Buswell shows the popular in college football to hold all of its opponents scoreless, and his coach kneeling on the sidelines. As a cadet at West Point, Neyland defense held opponents scoreless in 112 of 216 games. He had nine was a football player, the heavyweight boxing champion for three undefeated teams, seven bowl games, and one national championship.

WEST POINT | WINTER 2011 41 Gripping Hands

Dwyer ’81, McAleer ’87, Efaw ’89 Featured at Service Academy Women Authors Event in DC in September Gail O’Sullivan Dwyer, author of Tough As Nails: One Woman’s Journey Through West Point; Donna (Matturro) McAleer, author of Porcelain on Steel: Women of West Point’s Long Gray Line; and Amy (Blanchard) Efaw, author of Battle Dress, were featured participants at a Service Academy Women Authors discussion and book signing on September 23, 2010. Held in Arlington, VA, the event was sponsored jointly by the Women in Military Service for America Memorial Foundation and the Women’s Research & Education Institute in recognition of the 30th anniversary of the graduation of women from our nation’s service academies.

Erica Jeffries ’98, an associate with Booz Wheelock ’83 Returns from Allen Hamilton specializing in defense, strategic 1983 International Space Station 1998 policy, and national security, was selected as a White House Fellow for 2010. Currently she on Thanksgiving 2010 works as a project manager in the Office of the NASA Expedition 25 commander Colonel Douglas H. Wheelock, Under Secretary of Defense for Policy and the Office of Net astronaut Shannon Walker, and cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhim Assessment. She is a former Aviation officer and earned a master returned to northern Kazakhstan aboard a Soyuz spacecraft on of arts in national security studies from Georgetown University. Thanksgiving day 2010. Wheelock earlier had transferred command of the international space station to NASA Expedition 26 commander Scott Kelly. Wuchte ’82 Receives 2010 Department of State Secretary’s Award On November 3, 2010, the Department of State awarded the 2010 Secretary’s Award for Excellence in International Security Affairs toLieutenant Colonel (Ret.) Thomas Wuchte for individual excellence in the development, negotiation and implementation of national policy and solutions to counter arms control challenges facing the United States. Wuchte acts as the State Department’s Senior Advisor and Special Coordinator for United Nations Security Council Resolution 1540—a landmark initia- tive related to international security and nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction. He earned a post-graduate degree in International Relations and Russian Studies from the University of Illinois and has a strong background in multilateral cooperation throughout Europe, Asia, North/South America, Russian cosmonauts Oleg Skripochka and Alexander Kaleri and Expedition 26 commander Scott Kelly; Expedition 25 commander Colonel Doug Wheelock, NASA Africa, and the Middle East. astronaut Shannon Walker; and cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin.

Brian Stoltz ’05, assigned 2005 to Ft. Wainwright (Fairbanks), AK, climbed Mount McKinley (20,320 feet) in June 2010 to raise funds for the Wounded Warrior Project.

42 WWW.WestPointAOG.org Gripping Hands

Black Service Academy Graduates Hold Super Reunion in August

The Inaugural Black Service Academy Graduates Super Reunion Department of Veterans was held on August 26–28, 2010 at the Gaylord National Resort & Affairs, was the keynote Conference Center in National Harbor, MD. The U.S. Air Force speaker. The Master and Academy Way of Life Alumni Group (WOL) proudly served as Mistress of Ceremonies the host of this first-ever gathering of African-American graduates were Ron & Lisa Steptoe, from all five U.S. Service Academies. Representatives from the USMA ’87. There also five academies formed the planning committee. “Celebrate The were special remarks History—Accept the Challenge” was the theme for this auspicious from the Office of the event with the mission of providing an engaging atmosphere for Deputy Under Secretary attendees to share professional and personal experiences, resulting of Defense for Personnel in a skilled network of diverse professionals. The U.S. Air Force & Readiness. Academy Way of Life President, Richard Hall, USAFA ’79, added Preceding the luncheon on Saturday were two power packed “The Super Reunion will challenge this new resource group to sessions. The Topic: “Maximizing Your Network”—straight talk explore collaborated community service centered on building char- about how to best leverage your pool of resources and relation- acter, leadership and academic excellence for our future African- ships—was presented by invited panelists, Herman Bulls, USMA American middle and high school students.” The Super Reunion ’78, CEO, Public Institutions, Jones Lang LaSalle; William “T” also paid tribute to the oldest living African-American graduates Thompson, CEO, USAF Academy Association of Graduates; Rear from all five academies and honored the first African-American Admiral Michelle J. Howard, U.S. Navy; and Eugene Campbell, female graduates. Vice President, Community Relations and The long-awaited event began on Thursday, Minority Business Development, The Walt August 26, with the Inaugural Super Disney World Company. The “Military Reunion Golf Tournament for both avid Leadership Diversity Commission Panel” golfers and beginners interested in a unique was led by Commission Chair General networking exchange. The remainder of the Lester Lyles (USAF, Retired); Lieutenant reunion was filled with seminars, panel dis- General John Hopper (USAF, Retired) cussions and a Career Fair Expo providing and Brigadier General Rebecca Halstead, a unique opportunity for corporations, gov- USMA ’81 (US Army, Retired) with discus- ernment sector and other vendors to show- sions of pertinent issue papers. The culmi- case their products and services and meet nating event was a dinner cruise on the with high caliber graduates from all services. Potomac River. The pinnacle event was the Tribute Lun- The Inaugural Black Service Academy cheon, where the most senior African- Graduates Super Reunion provided an American Graduate and the First Female engaging atmosphere, where diverse skilled Graduates were honored. The Honorable professional and personal experiences Will A. Gunn, General Counsel for the H. Minton Francis (left), West Point ’44 connected with limitless opportunities.

WEST POINT | WINTER 2011 43 Gripping Hands

Arron Conley ’10 (below center) and classmates Len 2010 East, Alan Sheehan, and Lieutenant Colonel Jason Dempsey ’93 Tim Adams ran with the bulls at Pamplona, Spain, selected as a White House Fellow for 2010 while on graduation leave. He spent 2009 in Afghanistan as the operations officer,3 rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, planning counterinsurgency operations in two previously unoccupied provinces south of Kabul. In 2005, he deployed to Iraq to help draft policy towards Kirkuk and the displacement of Kurdish and Shi’ite populations in northern Iraq. He earned a Ph.D. in political science from Columbia, and his book, Our Army: Soldiers, Politics and American Civil-Military Relations, was published by Princeton University Press in 2010. For his research, he was awarded a Dwight Eisenhower/Clifford Roberts Fellowship in 2005.

McAuliffe Room Dedicated at Thayer Hotel On the evening of December 3, 2010, Room 421 at the Thayer Hotel was dedicated in honor of the late General Anthony C. McAuliffe, Class of 1919, acting commander of the 101st Airborne Division at Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge in World War II. Looking on are Mr. and Mrs. Edward Knapp, who sponsored the dedication and General McAuliffe’s former aide de camp at Bastogne. Appropriately enough, the plaque includes the general’s famous one-word answer to a demand for surrender from the commander of the German forces surrounding Bastogne: “Nuts!”

Army’s Greatest Living Football Fan

Meet Mr. Harold Igoe (pictured right), arguably Army’s greatest living football fan. He saw his first Army football game at age seven in 1936. In 1956 he began attending all home games but missed the last game of the 1958 season. But Mr. Igoe has not missed a home game since, including the “home game” played against Texas A & M in 2006 at the Alamodome in San Antonio. On the day before the Air Force game, he met with another football legend, Colonel (Ret.) Morris Herbert ’50 (pictured left) of the West Point Association of Graduates and author of “Herbert on Sports,” to talk football at the Kimsey Center. Colonel Herbert noted that Mr. Igoe had a remarkable memory for the scores of the games he attended as well as many away games that he did not attend.

44 WWW.WestPointAOG.org Gripping Hands A Win for the Ages in their collective lives as a team. Offense, defense, and special teams were, ultimately, projected as one, regardless of which unit had played better that afternoon.

Following a disappointing mid-season loss, a reporter asked Coach Ellerson if, maybe, he needed a few more players to compete well against top-tier opponents. What a setup, I thought. But, no, the coach clearly stated how much he liked these players. He said players and coaches simply needed to work harder on achieving the elusive precision required to defeat determined, capable opponents.

So, we advance several scenes forward in the drama—to Philadelphia. Almost everyone reading this essay knows about the reversal of fortune that resulted in the 7-24 halftime defi- Cadet Stephen Anderson ’11, Bell Helicopter CEO John Garrison USMA ’82, and Head Coach Rich Ellerson cit against Navy. From my perch in the upper Seconds after the end of the Bell Helicopter Coach’s delivery was high-energy, animated, deck of Lincoln Financial Field, I wondered Armed Forces Bowl, I phoned the person and laced with tactical teasers: the impor- how the team would react. As the second half overseeing the printing of this magazine and tance of precision and making plays in space unfolded, however, it became apparent that said, “Stop the presses!” We would be revis- and the mysterious double eagle flex defense. the team had cleared their minds, letting the ing the one-page article on the 2010 Army- But he also stressed senior leadership and past go. Relying on their mental calluses and Navy game. At that moment, I envisioned using the cadet experience as a source for each other, offense, defense, and special a split-page report on the Army-Navy game strength. His style was infectious, with a hint teams were relentless. They outplayed and and the Army-SMU bowl game. However, of the mad scientist who would be both wizard outscored Navy in the second half. What’s I soon found myself unable to let go of the and one of the subjects in the experiment more, they used every second on the clock, notion that the final two games of this season that is the re-building of a football program. as if the game would go on until they won. were like acts IV and V in a drama that has I became a believer, thinking this was the While our team did run out of time in taken nearly a year and a half to play out. type of leader who should coach cadets, Philadelphia, their grit in the second half even if the team never won a game. I am not an Army football insider. A seat of the Navy game was a prelude. It foreshad- in Section 11 of Michie Stadium, analyses The team has won, of course, but there is owed the hard-fought 16-14 win against SMU by bloggers, and brief conversations with more than that going on. This year, my wife in Dallas, spearheaded by Army’s tenacious players, coaches, and staff on the sidewalks Sue and I always lingered in the stands defense. For sure, the coaches and players and in the halls at West Point have formed following games in Michie Stadium. Sitting never doubted they would climb back up. my perspective. Working at West Point, in the near-empty stadium, we would view Their brand of brotherhood is resilient; this however, I do get an occasional glimpse into the post-game press conferences on the program is built for the long run. the heart of this Army football program and jumbotron. They were fascinating twenty- The bowl victory in Texas gives the 2010 team its compelling brand of brotherhood. minute sessions. Typically, the coach spoke a place of honor in the annals of Army football. for two or three minutes, took a few questions, It was on a Friday morning in August 2009 Furthermore, it is testimony to the leadership and turned the microphone over to a few that I first began to think about Coach of team captains Stephen Anderson, Carson players requested by the press. Still in Ellerson’s variation on a timeless concept Homme, Josh McNary, Patrick Mealy, the other uniform but without pads, the players were and a touchstone for generations of Army seniors, their teammates, coaches, and staff, always poised, honest, unified, and invariably athletes: the idea that soldiers and athletic as well as the Corps and the Army fans. The leaning forward to the next game. teammates are siblings totally committed to exuberance of the celebration in Texas makes one another. He was the new head coach and For example, win or lose, they never seemed us all look forward to the curtain’s rise on the had graciously agreed to speak to the Class of emotionally high or low. Whatever had just 2011 edition of this Army football program. 1967 West Point Alumni Leaders Conference. happened on the field seemed but an episode —Jim Johnston ’73 Photos: John Pellino, West PointPellino,WestJohnPhotos:

WEST POINT | WINTER 2011 45 Gripping Hands

1991 Classmates in North Carolina Senate

Dan Soucek and Warren T. Daniel are West Point classmates and now freshmen North Carolina State Senators from adjoining districts. More significantly, they are members of the first North Carolina legislature since 1869–70 in which both houses are controlled by the Republican Party. Soucek is a former “Top Gun” Cobra attack helicopter pilot and “Iron Aviator” champion who now works as a logistics expert for Samaritan’s Purse Ministries, a not-for-profit charity that provides international disaster relief. Daniel is a former artilleryman who graduated with honors from the UNC School of Law, is now a successful attorney who has argued cases at all levels, and was admitted to the practice before the U.S. Supreme Court in 2007. They represent the 44th (Caldwell & Burke Counties) and 45th (Watauga, Ashe, Wilkes & Alexander Counties) North Carolina districts.

Kyle Snook ’08, 101st Airborne was just starting his tour in Afghanistan when this photo was Willy McNamara was in Vietnam at the time taken in Kandahar; brother Sean ’07, 82nd 1960 of his class’s 50th Airborne Division, was completing an eventful Reunion, specifically tour that included speaking to the cadets in the to honor classmates battalion of sister Meagan ’11. His mother and killed in action in the Vietnam War. father Kathi and Scott Snook are Class of ’80. His On Sunday, May 16, 2010, at the brother Rob is now a Plebe. entrance to Saigon Harbor, Willy threw a bouquet of flowers into the water and, after reading the names of his classmates killed in action, sang the “Alma Mater” Carpenter ’71 Receives and rendered a hand salute. Later, Willy EuroCHRIE President’s Award repeated the ceremony at the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Saigon. Lieutenant Colonel (Ret.) Ron Carpenter received the EuroCHRIE President’s Award at the gala dinner in Amsterdam on October 27, 2010 during the European Council on Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Education 2010 conference, attended by over 250 hospitality educators and industry professionals. This award is the highest individual honor and is presented in recognition of an individual’s lifetime contributions and outstanding service to hospitality and tourism education and the EuroCHRIE Federation. He is now Managing Partner of CH Worldwide Consultants in Bulle, Switzerland. A former Infantry officer and Vietnam veteran, he also was a tactical officer at West Point.

46 WWW.WestPointAOG.org Boots on the Ground

Continued from page 11

Official Supplier of The cadets worked on refining semi-autonomous and self-collabo- United States Military Academy rating capacities for the UAS swarms so that one soldier could for the Following classes 1943 1955 1969 1986 control ten drones. Two of their algorithms proved to be more 1944 1956 1970 1988 efficient than two dozen others they had worked on. A control 1945 1958 1971 1999 console search algorithm has one component which notes the last 1946 1960 1975 2003 1947 1961 1976 2004 time each quadrant of the search sector was surveyed by a UAS and 1948 1962 1977 2005 issues commands to search for mathematically described threats 1950 1963 1979 2006 1951 1964 1981 2010 on the terrain which has been uninspected for the longest time. 1952 1965 1982 That’s the plain English explanation of: 1953 1966 1984 1954 1968 1985

Balfour can replace Class Rings, miniatures, and wedding bands for the above listed back dated classes. Contact Jayne Roland at Balfour. Phone: 201-262-8800 When the cadets presented their capstone project to their or Email: [email protected] AMRDEC clients, they were delivering research that would be

©Balfour 1970–2009, all rights reserved. MK011397 11397 0809 useful for hardware to be delivered three to five years from now. Paul DiNardo ’81, a key program officer working on UAS, compli- mented them on their valuable work and assured them that they had nothing to worry about for their upcoming presentation to Interested in advertising in West Point magazine? Capstone Projects Day judges: “You already know more about this Contact Joyce Jones at 845-446-1520 or [email protected]. topic than any of them.” 

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WEST POINT | WINTER 2011 47 Past in Review

The 1836 Old Cadet Chapel, a small wood and granite Classic Revival structure that stood next to the 1841 Library was saved by graduates after the Military Gothic Cadet Chapel of today was dedicated just over 100 years ago. It was disassembled and moved to its present location in the West Point Cemetery. Construction of the twin-turreted Gymna- sium in Romanesque Revival style began in 1891, but it was not occupied until November 1, 1893. The father of West Point physical education, Herman J. Koehler, had taken over as the Master of the Sword on February 1, 1885, when the existing gymnasium was only 13x25x60 feet and had one horizontal bar, two wooden horses, a swing, parallel bars that were four feet high and 20 feet long, and a few clubs and dumbbells. 1841 Library (left) and 1836 Cadet Chapel Even with these limitations, an 1889 report of the Board of Visitors stated: “We confess The 1841 Library and the 1891 Gymnasium that it was exceedingly difficult to believe that the gymnastic exercise performed by By J. Phoenix, Esquire the fourth class could be the result of only one year of practice under the instruction After the War of 1812, Sylvanus Thayer laboratory with an equatorial telescope by Professor Koehler. The feats of agility and William McCree spent a year in first used by Professor Bartlett to observe were simply wonderful; they are valuable France, studying the French educational the comet of 1843. When a new observa- chiefly as evidence of sound, muscular, system and purchasing a proper library of tory was built at Lusk Reservoir in 1883, trained bodies. Professor Koehler is an books, most in French, to reinvigorate the the library hoped to access additional space accomplished teacher.” When the 1891 fledgling Academy. The 1,142 volumes for its collection, now over 36,000 volumes. represented every significant written work Finally, in 1895, Congress authorized on military science and engineering then renovation of the building, and George W. in existence. Then, on March 5, 1838, a fire Goethals, an instructor in Practical Mili- destroyed the building that included the tary Engineering at West Point, undertook library, although most of the books were the renovation, using soldier labor. saved. The books graced bookcases in the What a grand and dignified place the reno- dining room of the Old West Point Hotel vated library was: high ceilings; portraits for three years, awaiting appropriations for in ornate frame; mezzanine bookcases a new library from Congress. accessed by spiral staircases; trophies and The Superintendent, Major Richard statues on the reading tables; a large globe Delafield, was not satisfied with the vari- of the world; and ornate chandeliers. After 1891 Gymnasium ous plans submitted, so he designed an World War II, many unit histories and Elizabethan Gothic replacement library a Special Collections section for memora- Gymnasium was completed, Koehler added measuring 160 feet by 78 feet and made bilia of graduates were added. Nevertheless, instruction in fencing, swimming and of red sandstone. It served many purposes: the venerable old library was fast becom- gymnastics. Koehler retired in 1923. When library, offices of the superintendent, adju- ing obsolete. In 1962, the wrecking ball the current dining facility, Washington tant, quartermaster and treasurer; and struck, and in 1964 a new library was Hall, was begun in 1925, Koehler’s 1891 lecture hall. In addition, the central turret dedicated. Now the 1964 library is under Gymnasium, which stood on the selected housed a state-of-the-art astronomical renovation into an academic building. site, was demolished.  Photos: NationalPhotos:Archives

48 WWW.WestPointAOG.org Your life is built on a strong set of values. Your retirement plan should be too.

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