On October 19, WPAOG presented the 2017 Sylvanus Thayer Award to George W. Bush, 43rd President of the United States. According to CDT Kelley Ericson ’21, the Corps of Cadets had been buzzing with excitement all week, and when Bush entered Washington Hall for the award dinner and ceremony he received what CDT Jackson Luff ’18 called, “Some of the loudest cheers I ever heard in the Mess Hall.” Read the full story. View photos. Text of acceptance speech. USMA Video.

With a 31-28 overtime victory over the Temple Owls on October 21, Army West Point Football secured its sixth win of the season, and accepted an invitation to the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl. The game is scheduled for December 23 in Fort Worth, TX. Tickets are on sale now, and are available at different price levels and locations. Fans who cannot attend may show their support by participating in the “Donate to a Cadet” program to donate tickets for cadets to attend the game. Fans may purchase tickets online or at the Army West Point Ticket Office near Gate 3 of Michie Stadium.

The Fall 2017 issue of West Point magazine focuses on West Point’s newest barracks, named for Benjamin O. Davis Jr. ’36, the four-star general and commander of the famed Tuskegee Airmen. Read about his contributions, service, and accomplishments and learn how he was truly a pioneer in many ways. Also included are articles about the building of the barracks and the naming process. Your copy should be arriving soon, but if you’d like a preview, you can view the digital edition, always available for reading on the go via your tablet or smartphone. All back issues are available in this format as well.

WPAOG is in the home stretch of fundraising to build a new indoor equestrian facility for West Point, with 67% of the funding goal reached. The West Point Equestrian Team is a nationally competitive team, and it deserves a facility representative of its caliber to achieve the next level of success. Current outdoor facilities at the Morgan Farm complex do not provide protection from inclement weather and seasonal changes, resulting in a significant loss of practice time each year. The new 30,500-sq. ft. equestrian facility will feature a 17,500-sq. ft. indoor riding area along with stalls, storage, and spectator facilities. It will provide needed space for the team, allow for year-round training and future growth, and be accessible to the entire West Point community. Your gift can help us reach our goal and cross the finish line!

Despite grueling humidity and high temperatures, West Point Marathon Team members placed first and second out of 76 Military Academy and ROTC cadet teams to clinch the championship for the third year in a row on October 8. The team’s top male and female runners, Class of 2018 Cadets Aaqib Syed and Paige Dougherty, ran a blazing 0:55:51 and 1:11:00, respectively. Full Story.

During the Army vs Temple football game on October 21, Rona Wenik P’18, Gleam Davis P’19, Ann Johnston P’20 and Jennifer Tarry P’21 represented West Point parents in presenting a check for $2,600,000 to the Academy. Joining them on the field were the President and CEO of the West Point Association of Graduates, Todd Browne ’85 and Shelisa Baskerville, Annual Giving Parent Relations Manager. Accepting on behalf of West Point was LTG Robert Caslen Jr. ’75, 59th Superintendent. This outstanding gift raised by West Point Parents will support Margin of Excellence programs which allow all cadets to reach their highest potential. Thank you to all our parents and families for their tremendous support!

Songs That Save Our Lives is an album made up entirely of original songs by some of Nashville’s most successful writers, and features guest artists Charlie Daniels and Ryan Weaver. It was recorded at Soundstage in 2015 by the members of West Point’s Benny Havens Band, produced by Michael Spriggs and completed in late 2016. The album release coincides with the bicentennial celebration of the West Point Band. Page 24 of the most recent issue of The Nashville Musician recognizes the album, which is currently being considered for Grammy nomination for both country record of the year and country performance of the year.

On October 5, memorial and funeral services were held at West Point for Captain Vicente Gepte ’40. Gepte was a foreign graduate from the Philippines who fought in the Philippine Army during the Japanese occupation. He was captured and held as a prisoner of war until his death in 1944. Gepte’s body was never returned to the U.S., however, Joe Mislinski ’78 was instrumental in arranging a memorial service at West Point to honor his fellow member of the Long Gray Line. Several Philippine dignitaries attended the service. News Video.

Thirty USMA graduates from the classes of 1968 through 1970 joined cadets in the Cadet Character Development Program Leader Challenge on October 16. Developed at West Point, the Leader Challenge method is part of a profession-wide effort to improve learning and leader development. Each session engages participants in a difficult leadership decision based on a real-life case study. To make the challenge more context-based, collaborative and problem-centered, the scenario was described via recorded video by the officer who actually experienced it. Full Story.

Becoming a sponsor of the Army-Navy Pre-Game Tailgate, our largest event of the year, gives your business great promotional opportunities! Use this forum to showcase your product or services to more than 1,000 Army fans. As an added bonus, your sponsorship is viewed as a charitable (tax-deductible) gift. If you are interested in one of our sponsorship packages, please contact us now. And spread the word. If your referral results in a sponsorship, we will provide you with a special thank you gift!

Considering a career change? Don’t miss the next Service Academy Career Conference (SACC) Nov. 16-17 in San Antonio, TX. The Service Academy Career Conference (SACC) is the only job fair exclusively for service academy alumni. Last year, more than 70 employers and 20 universities participated, making SACC a great opportunity to learn about a variety of companies, industries, and post-graduate opportunities. No matter where you are in your career planning, SACC can help with your next move! To register, click here.

On September 12, more than 250 cadet candidates, staff and faculty from the U.S. Military Academy Preparatory School visited the 9/11 Museum and Memorial in New York City. For the older generation, everyone can recall the exact moment when they saw or heard about the attack on the United States. With the cadet candidates, however, the majority of them had barely reached their third birthday. Full Story.

A program from WPAOG and USAA makes it easier to support the mission, initiatives, and programs that are important to members. The USAA reward points donation program allows WPAOG members to redeem reward points that they earn on their USAA credit card for a donation back to WPAOG. We hope you will consider this convenient option to help support the Long Gray Line. USAA provides us a list of converted donations so that we may give you credit for your gift.

The holiday gift-giving season is approaching, and for those seeking the perfect West Point gift, the time to buy is now. The price is now only $52.50! Copies of the 2015 Register of Graduates & Former Cadets, WPAOG’s most historic publication and the ultimate West Point reference book, are still available. Entries detail the military careers of every graduate from 1802-2015, along with class crests, mottos, and USMA history. Handsome gold-embossed clothbound vintage design includes custom-designed map endpapers. Visit WPAOG’s Gift Shop online or call 800.426.4725 to order your copy before the holiday rush.