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50-Year Affiliation: Classes of 1967 and 2017
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Unable to attend their Affirmation Ceremony at West Point due to their involvement in the annual Service Academy Exchange Program, 19 members of the Class of 2017 participated in local ceremonies in Annapolis, Colorado Springs, and New London. Representatives from the Class of 1967, the 50-Year Affiliation Class for 2017, were on hand at each event to present the cadets with an Affirmation coin, marking their service commitment. Dean Risseeuw ’67, speaking to the cadets attending the Naval Academy, told them, “This oath is more important than the one you took on R-Day because now you understand what lies ahead: for the next two years and then five more after that.”
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50-Year Affiliation: Classes of 1966 and 2016
CDT Mitchell Dutton ’16 knew he didn’t want a center stone for his Class Ring, but he knew that he had experienced “some very positive interactions” with grads from 1966, his 50-Year Affiliation Class, during his four years at the Academy. So he asked Norm Cooney ’66, Class President, if he could use the ’66 Class Crest. “I first thought he was kidding,” says Cooney. “His decision to substitute our crest for his stone speaks well for the cadets’ understanding of affiliation, not just with a ring but the entire association of the Long Gray Line.”
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USMA 1990: A Quarter Century of Army Computers
The Class of 1990 was the first class to be issued computers at West Point (Zenith 248s with 5.25” floppy disks for storage), and several classmates have since made groundbreaking impacts in U.S. Army computer use. In 2000, seven 1990 grads launched Company Command, the Army’s first online site devoted to leader development at the company level. In 2008, another 1990 grad, LTC Jennie (Koch) Easterly, assumed command of the Army’s first Cyber battalion, the Army Network Warfare Battalion (ANWB). Lastly, COL Jennifer (Grzbek) Buckner, the first Commandant of the U.S. Army Cyber School at Fort Gordon, GA is also a 1990 graduate.
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’04 Salutes Fallen Classmates
While fighting the Global War on Terror, the Class of 2004 has suffered the highest casualty rate of any West Point class since the Vietnam War era. Now, as part of the Strong Gray Line project, the Class has prepared profiles on the 13 classmates who sacrificed their lives in Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. CNN’s Jake Tapper says, “The profiles detail the human experiences behind the headlines: what it actually feels like to lead soldiers in Iraq, lose comrades in Afghanistan, or return home with injuries both visible and not.”
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Veterans Day
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We invite you to celebrate Veterans Day on November 11 by making a gift to honor members of the Long Gray Line who serve or served in the U.S. Armed Forces. Your gift will celebrate the selfless service of your classmates and fellow graduates and also strengthen the West Point experience for cadets who follow in your footsteps. We will send you more information on this special day soon.
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