It was great to see so many of you here this past month for the Class of 2021’s March Back and Acceptance Day, and the Class of 2018’s Ring Weekend. Thank you for coming out to support your cadets for these significant milestones, as they continue their journey toward becoming commissioned leaders of character. This past month, we dedicated our new cadet barracks, named in honor of GEN Benjamin O. Davis, Jr. (Class of 1936), the fourth African American to graduate from West Point, who commanded the famed Tuskegee Airmen during World War II.  This new barracks will serve as a reminder of GEN Davis’ incredible legacy and example of courage, humility and selfless service that will inspire all future leaders of character.  To learn more about the life and legacy of GEN Davis, please check out our video “Destined to Lead”. Mark your calendars for our annual Family Weekend, October 20-22. This open house event offers a behind-the-scenes look at West Point as well as an opportunity to spend time with your cadet. Information about Family Weekend will be available on our website. As always, thank you for entrusting your sons and daughters to our care!

Friday, August 25, marked another milestone for the Class of 2018 as they received their class rings during a ceremony on Trophy Point. Commandant of Cadets, BG Gilland ’90, addressed the Class. During the introduction of special guests, he gave special recognition to five donors from this year’s WPAOG Ring Memorial (“Ring Melt”) Program, which incorporates gold from donated graduate rings into current cadet class rings. View our USMA 2018 “Ring Melt” video to learn more about this unique program. See USMA photos.

On Saturday, August 26, 670 parents and cadets participated in the 2nd annual Ring Run, co-sponsored by WPAOG and FMWR. After completing a 5K Fun Run, there was a celebratory breakfast at the West Point Club – complete with mimosas! Prizes for the run included: 1st Parent/Cadet Combo, 18th Firstie, most Creative Dress, and Goat of the race. Participants also had the opportunity to make a donation in conjunction with the event, and a check was presented in the amount of $4,965.80 to the West Point Parents Fund. A very special thanks to Debra Dalton, USMA Parent Communications Liaison, for helping to make this event so successful!  See photos.

Two hundred seventy-four graduates, representing 44 classes from ’58 through ’16, marched the 12.2-mile route from Camp Buckner to Washington Hall with members of the Class of 2021 during the annual March Back event, which took place on August 14. The largest group of graduates (67) were from the Class of 1971, the now plebes’ 50-Year Affiliation Class. “It meant the world for my classmates and me to march back with the members of the Class of 2021,” said Tom Mannle Jr. ’71, Class President. “We had a really good time talking to the cadets and cadre, and it was great to see classmates that we otherwise don’t get to see.” View photos.

CDT Simone Askew ’18 of Fairfax, VA has been named the brigade commander, also known as First Captain, for the 2017-18 academic year. Her appointment to this role is historic, as she is the first African-American woman to be named First Captain in the history of West Point. “It’s humbling, but also exciting as I step into this new opportunity to lead the Corps to greatness with my teammates with me,” Askew told a group of reporters at the conclusion of Cadet Basic Training. As First Captain, Askew, an international history major, is responsible for the overall performance of the approximately 4,400-member Corps of Cadets. Video interview.

Every graduate is likely to remember what it was like to lose the “new cadet” rank and be officially welcomed into the United States Corps of Cadets at Acceptance Day, or “A-Day.” After completing six weeks of Cadet Basic Training, the 12-mile March Back, and the rigors of Re-Orgy week, the Class of 2021 found out what that welcoming experience was like when it took part in the A-Day ceremony and parade on the Plain. The Corps opened its ranks to receive 1,217 new members on Saturday, August 12, ninety-seven percent of the number who entered West Point on R-Day, including a record number of women and African-American cadets.

Members of the Class of 2019 took the Oath of Affirmation on Sunday, August 20, binding them to complete their next two years of study and a minimum of five years of active-duty military service thereafter. GEN (R) William S. Wallace ’69, who served in the Army for 39.5 years, from a military advisor in Bac Lieu Province of Vietnam to V Corps Commander during Operation Iraqi Freedom, addressed the new cadet sergeants about the significance of their commitment to the Profession of Arms. Forty-two members of the Class of 1969, the cows’ 50-Year Affiliation class, were on hand to present members of the Class of 2019 with a joint class coin symbolizing their new professional bond. Photos.

On August 18, West Point dedicated its newest barracks, named for GEN Benjamin O. Davis Jr., USMA Class of 1936. Davis was the fourth African-American to graduate from the U.S. Military Academy, and persevered through adversity as both a cadet and an officer. His life and legacy was honored with an official dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony. Academy leaders and family and friends, along with members of the Tuskegee Airmen, were in attendance to celebrate this historic event. Davis Barracks overlooks the central area of the USMA campus standing 110 feet tall, occupying 287,000 square feet and incorporating 167,901 pieces of granite. There are 7 floors: 5 cadet floors with 320 rooms, a utility space and a trunk room to accommodate 640 cadets.  View Davis Barracks photos. Video Tour of Barracks.

Saturday, July 29, was the Cadet Field Training II Promotion ceremony for the Class of 2020. Members from the Class of 1970, its 50-Year Affiliate class, were on hand to present the Class of 2020 with their class flag. On July 30, the class completed their Run Back from Camp Buckner, ending Cadet Field Training for the rising yearlings. During the Run Back, they crossed paths with USMA 2021 executing the March Out to Buckner for the end of Cadet Basic Training.

If you’re coming to the first home football game on Friday, September 1, stop by Herbert Hall between 2pm and 5pm. There will be an Open House with food, drinks and good company – compliments of the WPAOG Annual Giving Team and West Point Parents Clubs.

Forbes magazine has ranked the U.S. Military Academy at West Point 2nd on its annual list of Top 25 Public Colleges. Speaking at an alumni luncheon, Superintendent LTG Robert Caslen ’75 said, “For a number of years we had been 1st on this list, but this year Forbes added a new variable to its ranking matrix—the ‘party school’—and if we’ve dropped because we are not a party school, that’s a good thing.” West Point is ranked 1st by the Princeton Review for “Best Classroom Experience” and 2nd for “Most Accessible Professors.”

Photographed using recent grads from the Class of 2017 and featuring Constitution Island as a backdrop, the fall WPAOG Gift Shop catalog is ready for your shopping convenience and loaded with all the apparel, accessories, and household items needed to rock the Black and Gold at a football game or reunion this season. The catalog has some of the Gift Shop’s basics and best sellers, as well as many new items: new jewelry pieces, new ladies’ apparel, new t-shirts, new wovens, new outerwear, and more. The complete product line is available at WestPointGiftShop.com or any of WPAOG’s friendly Gift Shop associates can assist shoppers over the phone at 800.426.4725.