SEPTEMBER 5, 2013 1 THE SEPTEMBER 5, 2013 VOL. 70, NO. 34 OINTER IEW® DUTY, HONOR, COUNTRY PSERVING THE U.S. MILITARY ACADEMY AND THE COMMUNITY V OF WEST POINT ® Standing “O” for a Hero (Above) Between the fi rst and second quarters of the Army-Morgan State football game Aug. 30, Staff Sgt. Ty Carter and his wife Shannon receive a standing ovation from the Michie Stadium crowd. Carter became the most recent Medal of Honor recipient after being presented the award Aug. 26 from President Barack Obama during a ceremony at the White House. (Right) Carter spent the day at West Point, including a conversation with Cadet First Captain Lindsey Danilack and Superintendent Lt. Gen. Robert L. Caslen Jr. before lunch formation on the steps of Washington Hall. See Page 3 for story and photos. PHOTOS BY JOHN PELLINO (ABOVE) AND ANTHONY BATTISTA (RIGHT)/DPTMS Army defeats INSIDE Morgan State & in season ONLINE opener JOHN PELLINO/DPTMS WWW . POINTERVIEW . COM WWW . USMA . EDU SEE PAGE 16 2 SEPTEMBER 5, 2013 NEWS & FEATURES POINTER VIEW West Point ACS receives 2011 Installation Award for Excellence Story and photo by Nils Anderson Point ACS apart as a role model agency. fully integrated with the tools and resources The West Point ACS continues to strive West Point Garrison PAO One unique program found at West needed to care of personal and family matters in its sustainment of excellence. ACS extends Point pulls together the resources of ACS in for the Soldiers they will one day lead and for a heartfelt thanks to its community partners, The Army Community Service Installation partnership with Better Opportunities for Single the welfare of their families. including the Vietnam Veterans Association, Award of Excellence recognizes Garrison ACS Soldiers and Trees for Troops to carry out the The judging panel recognized a cost savings Orange County Child Protective Services and Centers for outstanding accomplishments which installation’s Holiday Share Program providing partnership between the American Red Cross, Project Healing Waters. improve and sustain quality ACS programs and holiday trees and commissary food vouchers to Paws for a Cause and the Gold Stars Mother’s There are other numerous individuals, services to better support and strengthen the military families in need. Alliance to provide therapy dogs to families sponsors and organizations who serve behind resiliency of Soldiers, families and Department In addition to providing holiday trees, the with special needs. the scenes, and together generously support the of the Army civilians. installation leveraged a Net Zero Waste initiative Known as Paws for Kids, families are well-being and quality of life for the Soldiers The West Point ACS was recently selected where used trees were repurposed for compost afforded an opportunity to use relaxation skills and families in West Point community. as the recipient for the 2011 Installation Award recycling. helping them lower anxiety, depression or other (Editor’s note: The excellence award is for of Excellence for a medium-sized installation. This initiative allowed West Point to reduce emotional stressors brought about by daily life 2011. The Garrison ACS awards are received This selection marks the second year in a row holiday tree waste by reducing trees placed or separation from family and loved ones. the following year.) that West Point was chosen to receive this Army- in trash dumpsters and recycling the trees by wide recognition. converting them into mulch for the purpose of The judging panel credited West Point for re-purposing the waste. its innovation, unique delivery systems and Collaboration with West Point was a critical collaboration with other agencies on and off win for the Army. An enduring partnership was post to enhance programs and service delivery. brought to life providing fourth-year cadets The panel took into consideration with a family program workshop as part of the those contributions made to enhance the academy’s MX400 (a Military Science course) installation and impacts Army wide. Several curriculum. novel approaches in the delivery of quality This partnership, set as an Army best programming were factors which set the West practice, ensures that future Army leaders are Recently, Superintendent Lt. Gen. Robert L. Caslen, Jr. (far right) presented the Army Community Service Installation Award of Excellence to the West Point Army Community Service team. Pictured with Caslen is Shelly Caslen (second from the right), Garrison Commander Col. Dane Rideout (far left), Dr. Joseph Gall, the chief of the West Point Army Community Service, and Maura DuMoulin, the acting director of Morale, Welfare and Recreation (both in the middle). 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Bartelt A confirmed violation or rejection of this policy of equal opportunity by an advertiser The Pointer View ® is an unofficial publication authorized by AR 360-1. The editorial content of the PV Managing Editor, 938-2015 will result in the refusal to print advertising from that source. Pointer View is the responsibility of the West Point Public Affairs Office, Bldg. 600, West Point, New York Lt. Gen. Robert L. Caslen, Jr. 10996, (845) 938-2015. Superintendent Mike Strasser The Pointer View is printed weekly by the Times Herald-Record, a private firm in no way connected Lt. Col. Webster Wright PV Assistant Editor, 938-3079 with the Department of the Army, under exclusive contract with West Point. The Times Herald-Record is Public Affairs Officer Kathy Eastwood responsible for all commercial advertising. PV Staff Writer, 938-3684 POINTER VIEW SEPTEMBER 5, 2013 3 Staff Sgt. Ty Carter, recent Medal of Honor recipient, discusses his personal battle with post traumatic stress with cadets in three separate speaking engagements Aug. 30. PHOTOS BY ANTHONY BATTISTA/DPTMS Carter discusses post traumatic stress with cadets Medal of Honor recipient shares personal struggles with Corps of Cadets during first West Point visit By Mike Strasser “If we call it post traumatic stress—what it really is—we When he returned stateside, Carter continued his treatment, Assistant Editor can understand that everybody goes through stress in some form but relied on alcohol to dull the pain, and stopped eating and in their lives,” Carter said. socializing. Less than a week after receiving the Medal of Honor during Carter’s message about post traumatic stress was making “I went from counseling once a month to sometimes once a ceremony at the White House, Staff Sgt. Ty Michael Carter sure that people know it is comparable to a mortal wound that or twice a week,” he said. “Eventually, I figured out that my visited the U.S. Military Academy and addressed cadets during should be treated as life-threatening. However, the danger with problem is not going to be solved by anyone else. I started to three speaking engagements Aug. 30. PTS is that it’s invisible and requires other people to recognize teach myself to find new motivations in life.” Carter spoke about his actions during the battle of Kamdesh the symptoms. Not everyone was as fortunate as Carter in receiving help. in Afghanistan and his own personal battle with post traumatic Carter said he didn’t recognize the symptoms himself, but He spoke of a battle buddy who received a second Purple Heart stress. The first session was for cadets enrolled in the PL300- those around him did. along with severe post traumatic stress following combat in Military Leadership course. “When you have it, at first, you don’t notice it,” he said. Afghanistan. He later joined his wife Shannon and Dr. Melissa Peskin, a “Your attitude toward things change, but because you’re the “We were his support group, we were his family and we clinical psychologist from Weill Cornell Medical College, for one feeling it, you don’t see it. With me, I believed that because gave him what he needed,” Carter said. “But while he was home a panel discussion with about 50 USMA cadets and a dozen I couldn’t save a Soldier’s life, that he died on the operating he didn’t have his family with him anymore.” ROTC cadets from Morgan State University. At Robinson table, I was a failure. So much a failure, that I believed my The Soldier recovered from his injuries, but the PTS was left Auditorium, Carter spoke for an hour to the Classes of 2014 friends and family were ashamed to be around me. That was untreated. He left the service and within a year after, committed and 2015. completely untrue but that’s what I believed.” suicide, Carter said. Carter described the aftermath from the 12-hour assault on Carter would have kept on believing that if he did not “That’s one of the reasons I’m talking to you today,” Carter Combat Outpost Keating in 2009, which resulted in the loss of get the support he needed from friends, family and Army said.