DUTY HONOR COUNTRY QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER VOLUME 18 JULY 2010 MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT INSIDE THIS ISSUE: 2010 valedictorian. Second Lt. Elizabeth Betterbed of By Marene Allison ‘80 NEWS FROM THE FRONTLINES Fox Island, Washington, graduated with the highest 2 Congratulations to the 131 female graduates from cumulative cadet performance score. Way to go WPW & BUSINESS 3 the class of 2010! For me, it marks 30 years since West Point Women! I graduated and I could not be more proud of all IT’S JUST THE BEGINNING 5 Speaking of West Point Women, we are now a of our women’s accomplishments. 501C3 organization, which is the official designation For the first time, two women graduated with the of a non-profit and authorizes us to collect money and two top highest honors in West Point's 208-year give our donors a tax deduction. This event paired OUR ALAMA MATER 6 history. 2nd Lt. Alexandra Rosenberg of New with the list of activities that we, as an organization, York earned the highest cumulative academic would like to pursue are well-timed and we hope to WPW & POLITICS AND 7 GOVERNMENT quality point average and was named the Class of be bringing great services to you shortly! COURAGE AND WPW & FAMILY 9 PERSEVERANCE WPW & EDUCATION 9 By Kate Hiebert ‘96 WPW & NETWORKING 10 I recently took a trip with my family to WPW & SPORTS 11 Gettysburg. If you haven’t been, I highly recommend it. While at the site of the WHERE IN THE WORLD ARE WPW? 11 Battle of Gettysburg, I stood in awe of all of SOURCE: National Parks Service-The Cyclorama DID YOU KNOW? 12 the thousands of men who displayed cour- age on those three days in July 1863. Walking when courage is paired with perseverance, we closely. In fact, stories are a great way to wit- the battlefield, I could understand more fully can easily judge an individual’s courageousness ness courage and perseverance and inspire us what those men experienced during the fight. more correctly. With consistent physical evi- to do the same. Therefore, in this edition, we Seeing their enemy and its capability and still dence, it becomes clearer that courageous acts witness the courage and perseverance of Ann fighting them and feeling the intense summer have occurred. Perseverance, those steadfast MacDonald ‘80 as she continues to create heat and still managing to take extraordinary actions in the face of continued adversity, ac- footprints, Carrie Blair ‘95 as she endeavors in action took great courage and perseverance for centuates courage making it more profound, new and exciting real estate challenges, Marcia each and every one of those soldiers. It made me more purposeful, and more meaningful. Ganoe ‘84 as she reaches out to young profes- reflect more deeply on the words “courage and sionals seeking employment, Kim Mansell ‘96 perseverance.” On the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan, as she seeks the adventures of travel, and there are probably thousands of courageous Christina O’Hara ’02 as she continues to lead Courage is defined as the state or quality of mind people, who for almost a decade now, have her medical school peers at Quillen College. or spirit that enables one to face danger with self- displayed great perseverance oftentimes deploy- possession, confidence and resolution. It may ing and redeploying to war knowing what it Grace Olson ‘87-be thou at peace. describe one event or one moment in a person’s fully entails. While we as Americans are so life. It often entails a buildup of strength within very grateful for every Soldiers courage and an individual until the moment of crisis and then perseverance, courage and perseverance are not instead of retreating from adversity, the individ- just battlefield traits. Often in today’s society ual bravely engages his or her conflict. One per- our boundaries of good and evil, right and son’s bold action may be mischaracterized as wrong appear so blurred convoluting the possi- courageous if the individual’s awareness and fears bilities for courage to emerge. However, there are not considered, especially if the bold act has are still plenty of opportunities to show courage led to something positive or good. However, and perseverance if you examine life more WEST POINT WOMEN PAGE 2 JULY 2010 QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER West Point. Men and women are different NEWS FROM THE FRONTLINE from each other and a good leader knows how to take advantage of everyone’s gift, she General MacDonald Leaves Footprints in Iraq and said. During the women’s ANA OCS cere- Afghanistan mony an Afghan general officer pointed to Macdonald as inspiration for the women Army Brig. Gen. Anne Macdonald, NATO Training Mis- Part of being able to survive was being able to beginning their service. sion-Afghanistan Assistant Commanding General - Police do just that.” Development, greets Afghan National Police trainees. “For this male general to stand up and say to As challenging as her academy experience was, these 30 young women that ‘you can do this, Macdonald did not let it deter her from making and this opportunity is available to you’ is a career out of serving. incredible. I’m not sure I heard that same message when I was coming up,” she said. “When the Army was so accepting and had op- portunities for leadership, I knew I could make As encouraging those words were Macdonald a difference,” Macdonald said. “It was just a realizes that women serving in Afghanistan wonderful opportunity, a wonderful 30 years. I will face different challenges as she did. look back and would never have dreamt that I would have had the opportunities I’ve had. I’ve “Culturally, women in Afghanistan are going By Staff Sgt. Rachel Martinez, USAF met incredible people and done some wonder- to have a little bit more of challenge,” she NTM-A ful things in service to our country.” said. “They will be in combat support and combat service support, but this is Afghani- She once described her West Point experience like Macdonald is now serving in Afghanistan with stan and there are no front lines. Anybody making the first footprints in the snow. Forging NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan as Assis- can fall at the hands of a suicide bomber. You the way for women in the military, Army Brig. tant Commanding General - Police Develop- are vulnerable if you don’t take proper pre- Gen. Anne Macdonald and 61 other women, were ment. While her primary role is to oversee cautions, or even if you do. There are people part of the first female class to graduate from the Ministry of Interior and police development, who don’t want them to serve and there are U.S. Military Academy 30 years ago. she has had the opportunity to watch Afghan people who are specifically targeting women women take the same steps she took in serving who are serving their country.” With a grandfather and father in the military, Mac- her country. While attending a recent oath donald understood service to country. When the ceremony for the first female class at the Afghan With this in mind, Macdonald believes it is opportunity to attend West Point was presented National Army Officer Candidate School, Mac- important that the young women just begin- her senior year in high school, Macdonald took a donald was taken back to her first day at West ning their careers find a mentor, someone chance and applied. Point 34 years ago. who can show them the way. She points to ANP Lt. Col. Malalai Kakar, a female police “It was an opportunity to serve and a chance to do “It was absolutely a flood of memories,” Mac- officer who was gunned down in Kandahar. something challenging,” said Macdonald. donald said. “It was exactly like my first day. “She was very brave, very strong, making a After a crazy day where you learn to salute and difference in the police force and gave her life West Point was indeed challenging on several learn to march, you actually are marching on in service to her country” Macdonald said. points. Because the academy was building leaders, The Plain with all your other classmates and you “These are the realities of serving as a woman it needed to ensure those leaders, America’s lead- take your oath. It was very similar to that. Here in Afghanistan. Its women like Malalai Kakar ers, were the best physically, mentally and emo- we are, 34 years later, in Afghanistan, and these who are role models for other women who tionally, said Macdonald. In addition to those chal- women, these brave women, are doing exactly come along and say ‘I can do that too.’" lenges faced by every cadet, Macdonald and her 61 the same thing we did.” sisters, as she calls them, faced the additional chal- In addition to encouraging women, Mac- lenge of being unwelcome in that military culture. Macdonald said she believes it is so important donald is playing a large role in building good that women be integrated into the Afghan Na- leaders, particularly within the police force. “What made it particularly difficult was how we tional Army and Afghan National Police. were treated,” said Macdonald. “I don’t know “You want leadership at all levels,” she said. what I expected, but it wasn’t that. I have a full “For any society, it’s so important that those “When I first started here, the focus was on appreciation for being an unwanted minority and who are representing and serving for their reform of the police. Now we realize, this is how that feels.” county are representing the people,” she said.