It was great to see so many of you at our annual Family Weekend in October. I hope you enjoyed getting a glimpse into cadet life and spending some time with your sons and daughters. With a little more than a month to go before Term End Exams and the end of the semester, your cadets are working hard and accomplishing a lot of great things, whether in the classrooms, on the athletic fields, within their cadet companies or out in the local community. They are all incredibly motivated, and their enthusiasm and drive inspires all of us. You can be very proud of these amazing young men and women. As always, thank you for your support of West Point and for entrusting your sons and daughters to us. BEAT NAVY!

On Nov. 17, First Class cadets learned in which of the Army’s 17 branches they will be serving for at least the next eight years. According to this year’s satisfaction rates, the Branch Education and Mentorship Program is meeting its goals: 78 percent of cadets in the Class of 2017 received their top branch choice and 97 percent received one of their top five choices. MG(R) Mark Hamilton ’67 was the guest speaker and several members of the 50-Year Affiliation Class were present to support the event. Full Story.

Congratulations to CDT Christian Nattiel '17, named as one of 32 U.S. 2017 Rhodes Scholars. Nattiel is from Madeira Beach, FL, and is double-majoring in mathematical sciences and philosophy. The Rhodes Scholarship is an international postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford. The award is widely considered to be one of the world's most prestigious scholarships.

Attention all Army fans! If you’ll be in Baltimore Dec. 10 for Army-Navy, you won’t want to miss our epic Army-Navy tailgate! From 11:30am - 2:00pm, our largest event of the year is the best place to rally with fellow Army fans before we BEAT NAVY! This is a family-friendly event. Visit our FAQ page for all the details and information! Register now as space is limited.

On Thanksgiving Day, the West Point Band will join the 90th anniversary celebration of the parade. This is the band’s second appearance in the event. Each year the Macy's Parade Band Committee looks for bands that have the stage presence, musical and marching abilities to captivate more than 3.5 million live spectators and more than 50 million viewers. The parade will air at 9am Eastern Time on NBC-TV. Full Story.

Cadets Haley Duke, Shawna Moore, Remington Ponce-Pore, and Joy Schaeffer have been selected as Stamps Scholars by the Stamps Family Charitable Foundation. This prestigious scholarship recognizes academic merit, strong leadership potential, and exceptional character, supporting young people with promise and vision who are eager to make a contribution to the world. The Stamps Foundation award provides funding for cadets to pursue leadership projects to further their studies, and as part of a national network of fellow scholars and alumni, Stamps Scholars interact with their peers at conferences and other programs. West Point is among just 43 colleges designated as partner schools eligible for the program.

This Halloween cadets received treats and trinkets on behalf of the WPPC of Michigan. The festive table of giveaways on campus including delicious seasonal snacks like apples, apple cider donuts, and candy, and hygiene items like toothbrushes and floss. This annual event is coordinated with the help of Debra Dalton, the Parents Communications Liaison for the Academy.

Student delegates from 130 colleges and universities nationwide, and from 25 foreign countries, descended upon West Point from November 9 to November 12 for the 68th annual Student Conference on U.S. Affairs (SCUSA). Started in 1948 to discuss how to rebuild Europe in the wake of World War II, SCUSA attracts outstanding scholars and practitioners each year to guide hundreds of students through discussions of some of the most important foreign policy problems facing the United States.

The West Point Parents Club (WPPC) of Houston and North Texas held their annual Texas Tamale Tailgate (T3) during Family Weekend in October. This famous tailgate began in 2002 when a cadet asked his dad to ship some tamales from Texas. This year, T3 included not only tamales, but 620 pounds of brisket, 270 pounds of ribs, and 130 pounds of sausage, with tons of macaroni, beans, and coleslaw on the side. Dozens of parents showed up to serve hundreds of cadets and their family members during this event, which is entirely supported by Texas Parents Clubs. The WPPC of Alabama hosted cadets and parents at their tailgate and had local Alabama businesses donate food and other items so the cadets could have a taste of home. The event had over 100 Alabama cadets along with family and friends.

The Army Cyber Institute (ACI), with support from the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation and Ernst & Young, and in cooperation with the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defense Center of Excellence, organized the inaugural U.S. Conference on Cyber Conflict (CyCon U.S.), held in Washington DC October 21-23. With the theme “Protecting the Future,” CyCon brought together nearly 400 experts from industry, academia, and government. Cadets who participated had the opportunity to meet influential decision-makers and deepen their understanding of cyber conflict. The ACI is a Superintendent’s priority Margin of Excellence program for the Academy, and events such these are critical to its mission to develop cyber-savvy leaders.

The Army West Point Triathlon Team successfully defended its position as the Ironman 70.3 Collegiate National Champions in Austin, TX. This was their eighth consecutive championship. Eighteen members of the team completed the event which included a 56-mile bike ride and a 13.1 mile run. CDTs De Vries ’19 and Conger ’19 were the 1st and 2nd Place collegiate women and CDTs O'Donnell ’17 and Varrato ’17 were the 2nd and 3rd place collegiate men. De Vries and Conger also earned qualification spots to the Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Chattanooga, TN in September 2017.

Ms. Michelle Cappo, West Point Mom and President of WPPC of Orange County (CA), ran an innovative digital watch sale for the first time. Her goal was to fundraise for the academy while simultaneously supporting cadets. “I have had to buy both my boys digital watches upon entrance to West Point, as they REALLY needed one,” she said. “Then it occurred to me! Why not get a digital field watch made with the logos?” As a result of Cappo’s fundraising idea, the club was able to donate a gift of $1,250 to the West Point Parent’s Fund. The club plans to have another sale ready for R-Day 2017 if all goes well.