Our best wishes to everyone for a safe and happy holiday season and an excellent new year. Thank you to everyone for your continued support of West Point and the Long Gray Line!

The Army West Point Football team captured a thrilling 14-13 victory in the 118th playing of the Army-Navy Game on December 9. With the win, Army got to Welcome Home the Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy for the first time since 1996. The game came down to a nail-biting 48-yard field goal attempt from Navy with three seconds left to play. But the Midshipmen’s kick sailed wide left sparking chaos on the Army sidelines. Full story. Photos.

Become a West Point leader—join the Superintendent’s Circle today! Make a gift of $1,000 or more before December 31 to the Superintendent’s Annual Fund or the West Point Parents Fund and you’ll receive a special membership card and pin; invitations to the annual Superintendent’s Circle weekend, Projects Day, the Superintendent’s Circle Tailgate, and other exclusive events; and have the opportunity to interact with the Superintendent, key Academy staff, and fellow donors. Superintendent’s Circle members take a leading role in strengthening the Margin of Excellence and in sustaining West Point as a leader in all endeavors. Thank you for your support!

Each year, Do More Together, the Black/African-American Alumni WPAOG affinity group, partners with a local high school during Army-Navy Football weekend to spread awareness of USMA and the benefits of serving in uniform. On December 8, Do More Together teamed up with the Cadet Gospel Choir and the Department of Behavioral Sciences & Leadership to do volunteer outreach at Philadelphia’s Lincoln High School, sharing stories of leadership, success and service. The group of alumni volunteers ranged from class years 2003 to 2014. Additionally, COL Deborah McDonald ’85 and 1LT Justin Trimble ‘14 from USMA Admissions provided information about the West Point application process. Congressman Brendan Boyle’s (PA-13) office was represented as well, to ensure that students learned about the specifics of the nomination process in their district. Over 30 students from Lincoln High School and 25 JROTC cadets from the Philadelphia city-wide battalion attended.

Buzz Aldrin ’51, Paul Bucha ’65, LTG(R) Mike Linnington ’80, Jim Wartski ’82, and MG Mark Palzer ’82 were all present for the 98th annual New York City Veteran’s Day Parade, the largest service celebration in the nation, on Nov. 11. This year, “America’s Parade” marked the centennial of the United States’ entry into World War I (1917-2017), and featured more than 20,000 participants, with marching bands, floats, veterans’ groups and military units. Aldrin was the parade Grand Marshal. Wartski and Palzer were in the official reviewing stands. Bucha covered the first half of the parade as a commentator with the media hosts (WPIX, NYC), and then Wartski was interviewed with the NYC Veterans Commissioner BG(R) Loree Sutton. Linnington was also interviewed and highlighted during the parade. In an “it’s a small world” moment, Wartski discovered on the way home that Aldrin is one of his neighbors in Florida!

COL(R) Gregory Gadson '89, actor, artist, and motivational speaker, can add the 2017 Viscardi Achievement Award to the list of his honors. Dr. Henry Viscardi, Jr., for whom the award is named, was one of the world's leading advocates for people with disabilities, having served as a disability advisor to eight U.S. Presidents, from Franklin D. Roosevelt to Jimmy Carter. The award is given annually to “recognize exemplary leaders within the disability community and their extraordinary societal contributions.” Full story.

Growing up, young aspiring athletes always have someone they look up to. Whether it’s a professional athlete or a coach, kids always try to mold their game and their lives based on someone they admire. Army West Point Men's Basketball player Jordan Fox ’19 didn't have to look any further than his grandfather. This inspirational story explains a bond between two men that started in youth basketball when Fox’s grandfather taught him the game he loves so much.

Award-winning author and director Sebastian Junger (director of the documentaries “Restrepo” and “Korengal”) spoke to several hundred cadets in Robinson Auditorium November 16 about his newest documentary, “Syria’s War: Hell on Earth,” which chronicles the humanitarian disaster unfolding in Syria and traces the rise of the Islamic State. The discussion covered a wide range of topics, from military leadership and humanitarian interventions to race relations within the military and the difficulty of reintegrating our Soldiers back into society following their deployments. Full story.

The WPAOG Gift Shop wishes to express its thanks for your support throughout 2017. Stay tuned for new products, great reunion gear, and other fun surprises in 2018. Happy New Year! 

Two teams of five cadets from across four sections of Advanced Philosophy and Ethical Reasoning won a “virtual debate” with two teams of five students from Notre Dame de Namur University (NDNU), a San Francisco Bay Area school. The virtual debate was a “Lincoln-Douglas” style debate that took place on a private YouTube channel over a 30-day period. The assignment was to debate the ethics of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Future Wars. The debate focused on an issue of philosophical and political concern that the cadets and NDNU students analyzed from a moral perspective: Is it morally superior and virtuous to pursue and engage in non-lethal warfare (NLW) rather than to pursue and engage in conventional lethal warfare? Full story.

With recent record highs in the stock market and uncertainty about future tax code changes, this may be a perfect opportunity to offset some capital gains taxes with a gift of appreciated stock. In addition, those over 70½ years of age can take advantage of a charitable IRA rollover by contributing directly to WPAOG from your account without being subject to income taxes on the distribution. Please consider including WPAOG in your year-end giving, and consult your financial specialist to see what type of gift is right for you.

Priced now at only $52.50 – the West Point Register of Graduates, WPAOG’s most historic publication, and the ultimate West Point reference book, is still available. More than 1200 pages of entries detail the military careers of every graduate from 1802-2015, along with class crests, mottos, and USMA facts and history. This handsome gold-embossed clothbound vintage design edition includes custom-designed map endpapers. Visit WPAOG’s Gift Shop online or call 800.426.4725 to order your copy now.