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United States Military Academy

January 09, 2023

"West Point" redirects here. For the city where the academy is located, see West Point, New York. For other uses, see West Point (disambiguation).

The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army,[7] is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high ground overlooking the Hudson River with a scenic view, 50 miles (80 km) north of New York City. It is the oldest of the five American service academies and educates cadets for commissioning into the United States Army.

United States Military Academy
MottoDuty • Honor • Country[1]
TypeU.S. Service Academy
Established16 March 1802; 220 years ago (1802-03-16)[2]
SuperintendentLTG Steven W. Gilland
USMA Class of 1990
DeanBG Shane R. Reeves
USMA Class of 1996[3]
Commandant of CadetsBG Mark C. Quander
USMA Class of 1995[4]
Academic staff
580
Students4,294 cadets[5]
Location
West Point
,
New York
,
United States
CampusRural – 16,080 acres (6,507.3 ha)
Fight songOn Brave Old Army Team
ColorsBlack, gold, and gray[6]
     
NicknameBlack Knights
Sporting affiliations
NCAA Division I – PL
AHA CSFL EIGL EIWA
MascotMule
Websitewestpoint.edu
United States Military Academy
Coordinates41°23′35″N 73°57′29″W / 41.393°N 73.958°W / 41.393; -73.958
NRHP reference No.66000562
Significant dates
Added to NRHP15 October 1966
Designated NHL19 December 1960
Secretary of the Army Pete Geren, center, with the U.S. Corps of Cadets senior leadership and Brig. Gen. Michael Linnington, far left, Commandant of the Corps of Cadets, after the congressional retirement review of the Corps of Cadets for Rep. Dave Hobson, center right, and Rep. Jim Saxton, center left, 2008

The academy was founded in 1802, one year after President Thomas Jefferson directed that plans be set in motion to establish it. It was constructed on site of Fort Clinton on West Point overlooking the Hudson, which Colonial General Benedict Arnold conspired to turn over to the British during the Revolutionary War. The entire central campus is a national landmark and home to scores of historic sites, buildings, and monuments. The majority of the campus's Norman-style buildings are constructed from gray and black granite. The campus is a popular tourist destination, with a visitor center and the oldest museum in the United States Army.

Candidates for admission must apply directly to the academy and receive a nomination, usually from a member of Congress. Other nomination sources include the president and vice president.[8] Students are officers-in-training and are referred to as "cadets" or collectively as the "United States Corps of Cadets" (USCC). The Army fully funds tuition for cadets in exchange for an active duty service obligation upon graduation. About 1,300 cadets enter the academy each July, with about 1,000 cadets graduating.

The academic program grants a Bachelor of Science degree with a curriculum that grades cadets' performance upon a broad academic program, military leadership performance, and mandatory participation in competitive athletics. Cadets are required to adhere to the Cadet Honor Code, which states that "a cadet will not lie, cheat, steal, or tolerate those who do." The academy bases a cadet's leadership experience as a development of all four pillars of performance: academics, character, physical, and military.

Most graduates are commissioned as second lieutenants in the Army. Foreign cadets are commissioned into the armies of their home countries. Since 1959, cadets have also been eligible for an interservice commission in one of the other armed services provided that they meet that service's eligibility standards. A small number of cadets do this.

The academy's traditions have influenced other institutions because of its age and unique mission. It was the first American college to have an accredited civil engineering program and the first to have class rings, and its technical curriculum became a model for engineering schools. West Point's student body has a unique rank structure and lexicon. All cadets reside on campus and dine together en masse on weekdays for lunch. The academy fields 15 men's and nine women's National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) sports teams. Cadets compete in one sport every fall, winter, and spring season at the intramural, club, or intercollegiate level. Its football team was a national power in the early and mid-20th century, winning three national championships. Among the country's public institutions, the academy is the top producer of Marshall and Rhodes scholars.[9][10] Its alumni and students are collectively referred to as "The Long Gray Line," the former include: U.S. Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower and Ulysses S. Grant; Jefferson Davis of the Confederacy; Confederate general Robert E. Lee; American poet Edgar Allen Poe; U.S. general George Patton; presidents of Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and the Philippines; and 76 Medal of Honor recipients.

History

Main article: History of the United States Military Academy
For USMA archives, see National Archives and Records Administration § Affiliated facilities.
 
French map of West Point in 1780
 
Artillery cadet in 1805, wearing a mixture of commissioned and non-commissioned uniforms prescribed for artillery cadets
 
West Point, from Phillipstown (1831) engraving by W. J. Bennett showing the original buildings of the United States Military Academy

Colonial period, founding, and early years

The Continental Army first occupied West Point, New York, on 27 January 1778,[11] and it is the oldest continuously operating Army post in the United States.[12] Between 1778 and 1780, the Polish engineer and military hero Tadeusz Kościuszko oversaw the construction of the garrison defenses.[13] However, Kościuszko's plan of a system of small forts did not meet with the approval of New York Governor (and General) George Clinton or the other general officers. It was determined that a battery along the river to "annoy the shipping" was more appropriate, and Washington's chief engineer, Rufus Putnam, directed the construction of a major fortification on a hill 500 feet (150 m) above sea level that commanded the West Point plain. General Alexander McDougall named it Fort Putnam.[14] The Great Hudson River Chain and high ground above the narrow "S" curve in the river enabled the Continental Army to prevent British Royal Navy ships from sailing upriver and thus dividing the Colonies.[15][16] While the fortifications at West Point were known as Fort Arnold during the war, as commander, Benedict Arnold committed his act of treason, attempting to sell the fort to the British.[17][18] After Arnold betrayed the patriot cause, the Army changed the name of the fortifications at West Point, New York, to Fort Clinton.[17] With the peace after the American Revolutionary War, various ordnance and military stores were left deposited at West Point.[19]

"Cadets" underwent training in artillery and engineering studies at the garrison since 1794.[20] During the Quasi-War, Alexander Hamilton laid out plans for the establishment of a military academy at West Point and introduced "A Bill for Establishing a Military Academy" in the House of Representatives.[21] In 1801, shortly after his inauguration as president, Thomas Jefferson directed that plans be set in motion to establish at West Point the United States Military Academy.[22] He selected Jonathan Williams to serve as its first superintendent.[23] Congress formally authorized the establishment and funding of the school with the Military Peace Establishment Act of 1802, which Jefferson signed on 16 March.[2] The academy officially commenced operations on 4 July 1802.[24] The academy graduated Joseph Gardner Swift, its first official graduate, in October 1802. He later returned as Superintendent from 1812 to 1814.[20] In its tumultuous early years, the academy featured few standards for admission or length of study. Cadets ranged in age from 10 years to 37 years and attended between 6 months to 6 years.[20] The impending War of 1812 caused the United States Congress to authorize a more formal system of education at the academy and increased the size of the Corps of Cadets to 250.[20]

 
Thayer monument
 
Robert E. Lee, American Civil War general who graduated from West Point and later served as its superintendent from 1852 to 1855

In 1817, Colonel Sylvanus Thayer became the Superintendent and established the curriculum, elements of which are still in use as of 2020. Thayer instilled strict disciplinary standards, set a standard course of academic study, and emphasized honorable conduct. He was very much inspired by the curriculum of the French École Polytechnique where he had been sent upon his demand for two years in order to study the scientific and technological achievements developed by the French Republican faction and bring them back to the United States. Known as the "Father of the Military Academy," he is honored with a monument on campus for the profound impact he had upon the academy.[25][26] Founded as a school of engineering, for the first half of the 19th century, USMA produced graduates who gained recognition for engineering the bulk of the nation's initial railway lines, bridges, harbors and roads.[27][28][29] The academy was the only engineering school in the country until the founding of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1824. It was so successful in its engineering curriculum that it significantly influenced every American engineering school founded prior to the Civil War.[28][29][30]

In 1835, during the Army's first year of the Second Seminole War, they had only three generals: Winfield Scott, Edmund P. Gaines, and Thomas S. Jesup.[31] The Army's remaining fourteen generals "held their rank by brevet only,"[32] and none of them were West Point graduates. Nearly the only way to obtain a commission up to 1835, was thru the academy, "which created loud complaint", and added to the "Jacksonian Democracy...a deep desire to get rid of the Academy, where, Jacksonians were sure, an aristocratic tradition was being bred."[33]

The Mexican–American War brought the academy to prominence as graduates proved themselves in battle for the first time. Future Civil War commanders Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee, who also later became the superintendent of the academy, first distinguished themselves in battle in Mexico.[34][35] In all, 452 of 523 graduates who served in the war received battlefield promotions or awards for bravery.[34][36] The school experienced a rapid modernization during the 1850s, often romanticized by the graduates who led both sides of the Civil War as the "end of the Old West Point era."[37] New barracks brought better heat and gas lighting, while new ordnance and tactics training incorporated new rifle and musket technology and accommodated transportation advances created by the steam engine.[37][38] With the outbreak of the Civil War, West Point graduates filled the general officer ranks of the rapidly expanding Union and Confederate armies.[39] 294 graduates served as general officers for the Union, and 151 served as general officers for the Confederacy.[37] Of all living graduates at the time of the war, 105 (10%) were killed, and another 151 (15%) were wounded.[37] Nearly every general officer of note from either army during the Civil War was a graduate of West Point and a West Point graduate commanded the forces of one or both sides in every one of the 60 major battles of the war.[37][39][40]

 
West Point Cadet C. Benek by Mathew Brady

After the Civil War

Immediately following the Civil War, the academy enjoyed unprecedented fame as a result of the role its graduates had played.[41] However, the post-war years were a difficult time for the academy as it struggled to admit and reintegrate cadets from former confederate states.[42] The first cadets from Southern states were re-admitted in 1868, and 1870 saw the admission of the first black cadet, James Webster Smith of South Carolina.[42][43] Smith endured harsh treatment and was eventually dismissed for academic deficiency under controversial circumstances in 1874.[44] As a result, Henry O. Flipper of Georgia became the first black graduate in 1877, graduating 50th in a class of 76.[42][45] Two of the most notable graduates during this period were George Washington Goethals from the class of 1880, and John J. Pershing from the class of 1886.[42] Goethals gained prominence as the chief engineer of the Panama Canal,[46] and Pershing would become famous for his exploits against the famed Pancho Villa in Mexico and later for leading American Forces during World War I.[47]

 
United States Military Academy uniform in 1882

Besides the integration of southern-state and black cadets, the post-war academy also struggled with the issue of hazing. In its first 65 years, hazing was uncommon or non-existent beyond small pranks played upon the incoming freshmen, but took a harsher tone as Civil War veterans began to fill the incoming freshman classes. The upper class cadets saw it as their duty to "teach the plebes their manners."[48] Hazing at the academy entered the national spotlight with the death of former cadet Oscar L. Booz on 3 December 1900. Congressional hearings, which included testimony by cadet Douglas MacArthur, investigated his death and the pattern of freshmen's systemic hazing.[49] When MacArthur returned as superintendent, he made an effort to end the practice of hazing the incoming freshmen by placing Army sergeants in charge of training new cadets during freshman summer.[50] The practice of hazing continued on some levels well into the late 20th century, but is no longer allowed in the present day.[51]

 
Corps of Cadets c. 1870
 
Class at West Point, 1929

The demand for junior officers during the Spanish–American War caused the class of 1899 to graduate early, and the Philippine–American War did the same for the class of 1901. This increased demand for officers led Congress to increase the Corps of Cadets' size to 481 cadets in 1900.[52] The period between 1900 and 1915 saw a construction boom as much of West Point's old infrastructure was rebuilt.[52] Many of the academy's most famous graduates graduated during the 15-year period between 1900 and 1915: Douglas MacArthur (1903), Joseph Stilwell (1904), Henry "Hap" Arnold (1907), George S. Patton (1909), Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Omar Bradley (both 1915). The class of 1915 is known as "the class the stars fell on" for the exceptionally high percentage of general officers that rose from that class (59 of 164).[53][54]

The outbreak of America's involvement in World War I caused a sharp increase in the demand for army officers, and the academy accelerated graduation of all four classes then in attendance to meet this requirement, beginning with the early graduation of the First Class on 20 April 1917, the Second Class in August 1917, and both the Third and Fourth Classes just before the Armistice of 11 November 1918, when only freshman cadets remained (those who had entered in the summer of 1918).[52] In all, wartime contingencies and post-war adjustments resulted in ten classes, varying in length of study from two to four years, within a seven-year period before the regular course of study was fully resumed.[55]

Douglas MacArthur became superintendent in 1919, instituting sweeping reforms to the academic process, including introducing a greater emphasis on history and humanities.[56] He made major changes to the field training regimen and the Cadet Honor Committee was formed under his watch in 1922.[57][58] MacArthur was a firm supporter of athletics at the academy, as he famously said "Upon the fields of friendly strife are sown the seeds that, upon other fields, on other days, will bear the fruits of victory."[59] West Point was first officially accredited in 1925, and in 1933 began granting Bachelor of Science degrees to all graduates.[60] In 1935, the academy's authorized strength increased to 1,960 cadets.[60]

World War II and Cold War

As World War II engulfed Europe, Congress authorized an increase to 2,496 cadets in 1942 and began graduating classes early. The class of 1943 graduated six months early in January 1943, and the next four classes graduated after only three years.[61] To accommodate this accelerated schedule, summer training was formally moved to a recently acquired piece of land southwest of main post. The site would later become Camp Buckner.[62] The academy had its last serious brush with abolition or major reform during the war, when some members of Congress charged that even the accelerated curriculum allowed young men to "hide out" at West Point and avoid combat duty. A proposal was put forth to convert the academy to an officer's training school with a six-month schedule, but this was not adopted. West Point played a prominent role in WWII; four of the five five-star generals were alumni and nearly 500 graduates died.[61] Immediately following the war in 1945, Maxwell Taylor (class of 1922) became superintendent. He expanded and modernized the academic program and abolished antiquated courses in fencing and horsemanship.[63]

Unlike previous conflicts, the Korean War did not disrupt class graduation schedules. More than half of the Army leadership during the war was composed of West Point graduates. The Class of 1950, which graduated only two weeks prior to the war's outbreak, suffered some of the heaviest casualties of any 20th century class and became known sourly as "the class the crosses fell on." A total of 157 alumni perished in the conflict.[64] Garrison H. Davidson became superintendent in 1956 and instituted several reforms that included refining the admissions process, changing the core curriculum to include electives, and increasing the academic degree standards for academy instructors.[64] The 1960s saw the size of the Corps expand to 4,400 cadets while the barracks and academic support structure grew proportionally.[65][66]

West Point was not immune to the social upheaval of American society during the Vietnam War.[67][68][69] The first woman joined the faculty of the all-male institution amidst controversy in 1968.[70] West Point granted its first honorable discharge in 1971 to an African-American West Point cadet, Cornelius M. Cooper, of California, who applied for conscientious objector status in 1969.[71] The academy struggled to fill its incoming classes as its graduates led troops in Southeast Asia, where 333 graduates died.[72][73]

Modern era

 
Class of 1980 Cadets Carol A. Young, Gregory Stephens, and Kathryn A. Wildey at West Point, December 1976

Following the 1973 end of American involvement in Vietnam, the strain and stigma of earlier social unrest dissolved and West Point enjoyed surging enrollments.[74] On 20 May 1975, an amendment to the Defense Authorization Bill of 1976 opening the service academies to women was approved by the House of Representatives, 303–96. The Senate followed suit on 6 June. President Ford signed the bill on 7 October 1975.[75]

West Point admitted its first 119 female cadets in 1976.[76][77] Also in 1976, physics professor James H. Stith became the first tenured African American Professor.[78] In 1979, Cadet, later General, Vincent K. Brooks became the first African American to lead the Corp of Cadets.[79] Kristin Baker, ten years later, became the first female First Captain (a depiction of her is now on display in the Museum), the highest ranking senior cadet at the academy in 1989.[80] Six other women have been appointed as First Captain: Grace H. Chung in 2003, Stephanie Hightower in 2005, Lindsey Danilack in 2013, Simone Askew in 2017, Reilly McGinnis in 2020, and Lauren Drysdale in 2022.[81][82] Simone Askew was the first African American woman to lead the Corps.[79] In the 21st century, women comprise approximately 20% of entering new cadets.[83]

 
First female graduates in 1980

In 1985, cadets were formally authorized to declare an academic major; all previous graduates had been awarded a general bachelor of science degree. Five years later there was a major revision of the Fourth Class System, as the Cadet Leader Development System (CLDS) became the guidance for the development of all four classes.[73][84] The class of 1990 was the first one to be issued a standard and mandatory computer to every member of the class at the beginning of Plebe year, the Zenith 248 SX. The academy was also an early adopter of the Internet in the mid-1990s, and was recognized in 2006 as one of the nation's "most wired" campuses.[85]

At the height of the Cold War in October 1987, President Reagan visited the academy and delivered a speech about ending the Evil Empire.

During the Gulf War, alumnus General Schwarzkopf was the commander of Allied Forces, and the American senior generals in Iraq, Generals Petraeus, Odierno and Austin, and Afghanistan, retired General Stanley McChrystal and General David Rodriguez, are also alumni. Following the September 11 attacks, applications for admission to the academy increased dramatically, security on campus was increased, and the curriculum was revamped to include coursework on terrorism and military drills in civilian environments.[86] One graduate was killed during the 9/11 terrorist attacks and ninety graduates have died during operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, and the ongoing Global War on Terror.[87][88] The Class of 2005 has been referred to as The Class of 9/11 as the attacks occurred during their first year at the academy, and they graduated 911 students. In 2008 gender-neutral lyrics were incorporated into West Point's "Alma Mater" and "The Corps" – replacing lines like "The men of the Corps" with "The ranks of the Corps."[89] In December 2009, President Barack Obama delivered a major speech in Eisenhower Hall Theater outlining his policy for deploying 30,000 additional troops to Afghanistan as well as setting a timetable for withdrawal.[90][91] President Obama also provided the commencement address in 2014.[92]

After the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy was lifted 20 September 2011, the academy began admitting and retaining openly gay cadets. By March 2012, cadets were forming a gay-straight alliance group called Spectrum.[93] By March 2015, Spectrum had two faculty and 40 cadet members, a mixture of gay, straight, bi, and undecided. According to a Vanity Fair essay, the LGBT cadets were well accepted.[94] After the ban on transgender service members was lifted in 2016, the Class of 2017 saw the first openly transgender graduate. However, she was denied a commission and was honorably discharged.[95]

 
The Corps of Cadets assembled with facemasks for the 2020 Army-Navy game.

Brig. Gen. Diana Holland became West Point's first woman Commandant of Cadets in January 2016.[96]

In 2020, the campus confronted its first major pandemic in a century, with the COVID-19 pandemic causing limitations on classes, and the relocation of the traditional Army-Navy football game to ensure social distancing. For the first time in many years, the 121st iteration of the game was held at West Point rather than the traditional Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. Ultimately, West Point beat Navy 15–0.[97]

Campus

Main article: United States Military Academy grounds and facilities
 
Looking north toward the central campus
 
The Trophy Point Amphitheater hosts cadet ceremonies as well as free summer concerts.

The academy is located approximately 50 miles (80 km) north of New York City on the western bank of the Hudson River. West Point, New York, is incorporated as a federal military reservation in Orange County and is adjacent to Highland Falls.[98] Based on the significance both of the Revolutionary War fort ruins and of the military academy itself, the majority of the academy area was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1960.[99][100] In 1841, Charles Dickens visited the academy and said "It could not stand on more appropriate ground, and any ground more beautiful can hardly be."[101] One of the most visited and scenic sites on post, Trophy Point, overlooks the Hudson River to the north, and is home to many captured cannon from past wars as well as the Stanford White-designed Battle Monument.[102] Though the entire military reservation encompasses 15,974 acres (65 km2), the academic area of the campus, known as "central area" or "the cadet area", is entirely accessible to cadets or visitors by foot.[103]

 
One of the six wings of Washington Hall during lunchtime

In 1902, the Boston architectural firm Cram, Goodhue, and Ferguson was awarded a major construction contract that set the predominantly neogothic architectural style still seen today.[104] Most of the buildings of the central cadet area are in this style, as typified by the Cadet Chapel, completed in 1910.[105] These buildings are nearly all constructed from granite that has a predominantly gray and black hue. The barracks that were built in the 1960s were designed to mimic this style.[104] Other buildings on post, notably the oldest private residences for the faculty, are built in the Federal, Georgian, or English Tudor styles.[106] A few buildings, such as Cullum Hall and the Old Cadet Chapel, are built in the Neoclassical style.[107]

 
Nininger Hall, part of the original Cadet Barracks

The academy grounds are home to numerous monuments and statues. The central cadet parade ground, the Plain, hosts the largest number, and includes the Washington Monument, Thayer Monument, Eisenhower Monument, MacArthur Monument, Kosciuszko Monument, and Sedgwick Monument. Patton Monument was first dedicated in front of the cadet library in 1950,[108] but in 2004 it was placed in storage to make room for the construction of Jefferson Hall. With the completion of Jefferson Hall, Patton's statue was relocated and unveiled at a temporary location on 15 May 2009, where it will remain until the completion of the renovation of the old cadet library and Bartlett Hall.[109] There is also a statue commemorating brotherhood and friendship from the École Polytechnique in the cadet central area just outside Nininger Hall. The remaining campus area is home to 27 other monuments and memorials.[110]

The West Point Cemetery is the final resting place of many notable graduates and faculty, including George Armstrong Custer, Winfield Scott, William Westmoreland, Earl Blaik, Margaret Corbin, and eighteen Medal of Honor recipients.[111][112] The cemetery is also the burial place of several recent graduates who have died during the ongoing conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan. Many of the older grave sites have large and ornate grave markers, the largest belonging to Egbert Viele (class of 1847), chief engineer of Brooklyn's Prospect Park.[111] The cemetery is also home to a monument to Revolutionary War heroine Margaret Corbin.[113]

Athletic facilities

Main article: West Point athletic facilities

West Point is home to historic athletic facilities like Michie Stadium and Gillis Field House as well as modern facilities such as the Lichtenberg Tennis Center, Anderson Rugby Complex, and the Lou Gross Gymnastics Facility.[114] Michie Stadium recently underwent a significant upgrade in facilities for the football team, and the academy installed a new artificial turf field in the summer of 2008.[115]

West Point Museum

See also: National Museum of the United States Army § Other Army museums

The visitor's center is just outside the Thayer Gate in the village of Highland Falls and offers the opportunity to arrange for a guided tour. These tours, which are the only way the general public can access the academy grounds, leave the visitor's center several times a day. The old West Point Visitor's Center was housed in the now-demolished Ladycliff College library building. On 9 September 2016, West Point broke ground in order to begin construction of the new 31,000 square foot Malek West Point Visitors Center. It is being built on the location of the former visitor's center. The Malek West Point Visitors Center is named after Frederic Malek, USMA Class of 1959 and a 2014 Distinguished Graduate.[116]

The West Point Museum is directly adjacent to the visitor's center, in the renovated Olmsted Hall on the grounds of the former Ladycliff College. Originally opened to the public in 1854, the West Point Museum is the oldest military museum in the country.[117][118] During the summer months, the museum operates access to the Fort Putnam historic site on main post and access to the 282 acre Constitution Island.[119] Some of the most notable items on display at the museum are George Washington's pistols, Napoleon's sword, a dagger carried by Hermann Göring when he was captured, a revolver that belonged to Göring, and a silver-plated party book, signed by Charles Lindbergh, Herbert Hoover and Mussolini, among others. Arguably, the most prized artifact on display is a gold-plated pistol that belonged to Adolf Hitler.

Administration

Academy leadership

Main article: Superintendent of the United States Military Academy
 
The 57th & 58th Superintendents, LTG Franklin L. Hagenbeck (L) & LTG David H. Huntoon (R)

The commanding officer at the USMA is the Superintendent, equivalent to the president or chancellor of a civilian university. In recent years, the position of superintendent has been held by a lieutenant general (three star general). The 61st Superintendent, Lieutenant General Steven W. Gilland, took command on 27 June 2022, replacing Darryl A. Williams.[120] The academy is a direct reporting unit, and as such, the Superintendent reports directly to the Army Chief of Staff (CSA).[121][122]

There are two other general officer positions at the academy. Brigadier General Mark C. Quander is the Commandant of Cadets, equivalent to a dean of students at the civilian level. Brigadier General Shane Reeves is the Dean of the Academic Board, equivalent to a provost at the civilian level.[123] Brigadier General Diana Holland was the first female commandant.[124] Brigadier General Jebb is the first female Dean.[125] There are 13 academic departments at USMA, each with a colonel as the head of department. These 13 tenured colonels comprise the core of the Academic Board. These officers are titled "Professors USMA" or PUSMA.[126] The academy is also overseen by the Board of Visitors (BOV). The BOV is a panel of Senators, Congressional Representatives, and presidential appointees who "shall inquire into the morale and discipline, curriculum, instruction, physical equipment, fiscal affairs, academic methods, and other matters relating to the academy that the board decides to consider." Currently the BOV is chaired by Representative John Shimkus and is composed of three Senators, five Representatives and six presidential appointees.[127]

Admission requirements

 
West Point in a New York Central Lines ad

Candidates must be between 17 and 23 years old (waivers have been accepted for 24-year olds in rare cases where the candidate is in the military and deployed and therefore unable to attend before his or her 24th birthday), unmarried, and with no legal obligation to support a child. Above average high school and/or previous college grades, and strong performance on standardized testing is expected.[128] The interquartile range on the old SAT was 1100–1360 and 68% ranked in the top fifth of their high school class.[129][130]

To be eligible for appointment, candidates must also undergo a Candidate Fitness Assessment[131] and a complete physical exam.[131] Up to 60 students from foreign countries are present at USMA, educated at the expense of the sponsoring nation, with tuition assistance based on the GNP of their country.[132] Of these foreign cadets the Code of Federal Regulations specifically permits one Filipino cadet designated by the President of the Philippines.[133]

The actual application process consists of two main requirements: candidates apply to USMA for admission and separately provide a nomination. The majority of candidates receive a nomination from their United States Representative or Senator. Some receive a nomination from the Vice President or even the President of the United States.[134]

The nomination process is not political. Applicants do not have to know their congressman to be nominated. The academy applicant typically provides written essays and letters of recommendation. The applicant then submits to a formal interview.[135] Admission to West Point is selective: 7.74% of applicants were admitted (total of 1232) to the Class of 2024.[136]

Candidates may have previous college experience, but they may not transfer, meaning that regardless of previous college credit, they enter the academy as a fourth class cadet and undergo the entire four-year program.[137] If a candidate is considered academically disqualified and not selected, he or she may receive an offer to attend to the United States Military Academy Preparatory School.[138] Upon graduation from USMAPS, these candidates are appointed to the academy if they receive the recommendation of the USMAPS Commandant and meet medical admission requirements.[139]

The West Point Association of Graduates (WPAOG) also offers scholarship support to people who are qualified but not selected. The scholarships usually cover around $7,000 to civilian universities; the students who receive these scholarships do so under the stipulation that they will be admitted to and attend West Point a year later. Those who do not must repay the AOG. Marion Military Institute, New Mexico Military Institute, Georgia Military College, Hargrave Military Academy, Greystone Preparatory School at Schreiner University, and Northwestern Preparatory School are approved programs that students attend on the AOG scholarship prior to admission to West Point.[140]

Curriculum

 
Graduates of the Class of 2008 toss their hats after "class dismissed"

West Point is a medium-sized, highly residential baccalaureate college, with a full-time, four-year undergraduate program that emphasizes instruction in the arts, sciences, and professions with no graduate program.[141] There are forty-five academic majors, the most popular of which are foreign languages, management information systems, history, economics, and mechanical engineering.[130][142] West Point is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.[143] Military officers compose 75% of the faculty, while civilian professors make up the remaining 25%.[144]

A cadet's class rank, which determines his or her Army branch and assignment upon graduation, is calculated as a combination of academic performance (55%), military leadership performance (30%), and physical fitness and athletic performance (15%).[145][146]

Academics

The academy's teaching style forms part of the Thayer method, which was implemented by Sylvanus Thayer during his tour as Superintendent.[147] This form of instruction emphasizes small classes with daily homework, and strives to make students actively responsible for their own learning by completing homework assignments prior to class and bringing the work to class to discuss collaboratively.[148]

The academic program consists of a structured core of thirty-one courses balanced between the arts and sciences.[149] The academy operates on the semester system, which it labels as "terms" (Term 1 is the fall semester; Term 2 is the spring semester). Although cadets choose their majors in the spring of their freshmen year, all cadets take the same course of instruction until the beginning of their second year.[150] This core course of instruction consists of mathematics, information technology, chemistry, physics, engineering, history, physical geography, philosophy, leadership and general psychology, English composition and literature, foreign language, political science, international relations, economics, and constitutional law.[151][152] Some advanced cadets may "validate" out of the base-level classes and take advanced or accelerated courses earlier as freshmen or sophomores. Regardless of major, all cadets graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree.[149]

Military

 
Cadets cross a rope bridge during summer training

As all cadets are commissioned as second lieutenants upon graduation, military and leadership education is nested with academic instruction. Military training and discipline fall under the purview of the Office of the Commandant of Cadets. Entering freshmen, or fourth class cadets, are referred to as New Cadets, and enter the academy on Reception Day or R-day,[153] which marks the start of cadet basic training (CBT), known colloquially as Beast Barracks, or simply Beast.[154][155] Most cadets consider Beast to be their most difficult time at the academy because of the transition from civilian to military life. Their second summer, cadets undergo cadet field training (CFT) at nearby Camp Buckner, where they train in more advanced field craft and military skills. During a cadet's third summer, they may serve as instructors for CBT or CFT. Rising Firstie (senior) cadets also spend one-month training at Camp Buckner, where they train for modern tactical situations that they will soon face as new platoon leaders. Cadets also have the opportunity during their second, third and fourth summers to serve in active army units and military schools around the world.[156] The schools include Airborne, Air Assault, Sapper, Pathfinder, etc.[157]

Active duty officers in the rank of captain or major serve as Company Tactical Officers (TAC Officers). The role of the TAC is to mentor, train, and teach the cadets proper standards of good order and discipline and be a good role model.[158] There is one TAC for every cadet company. There is also one senior Non-Commissioned Officer to assist each TAC, known as TAC-NCOs.[159]

The Department of Military Instruction (DMI) is responsible for all military arts and sciences education as well as planning and executing the cadet summer training.[160] Within DMI there is a representative from each of the Army's branches. These "branch reps" serve as proponents for their respective branches and liaise with cadets as they prepare for branch selection and graduation.[161] Within DMI sits the Modern War Institute, a research center devoted to the study of contemporary conflict and the evolving character of war.[162]

Physical

 
Indoor obstacle course

The Department of Physical Education (DPE) administers the physical program, which includes both physical education classes, physical fitness testing, and competitive athletics. The head of DPE holds the title of Master of the Sword, dating back to the 19th century when DPE taught swordsmanship as part of the curriculum.[163]

All cadets take a prescribed series of physical fitness courses such as military movement (applied gymnastics), boxing, survival swimming, and beginning in 2009, advanced combatives. Cadets can also take elective physical activity classes such as scuba, rock climbing, and aerobic fitness.[164]

As with all soldiers in the Army, cadets also must pass the Army Physical Fitness Test twice per year. Additionally, every year, cadets must pass the Indoor Obstacle Course Test (IOCT), which DPE has administered in Hayes Gymnasium since 1944.[165][166]

Since Douglas MacArthur's tenure as superintendent, every cadet has been required to participate in either an intercollegiate sport, a club sport, or an intramural (referred to as "company athletics") sport each semester.[59]

Moral and ethical training

 
Class of '57 honor memorial on which the honor code is inscribed

Moral and ethical development occurs throughout the entirety of the cadet experience by living under the honor code and through formal leadership programs available at the academy. These include instruction in the values of the military profession through Professional Military Ethics Education (PME2), voluntary religious programs, interaction with staff and faculty role models, and an extensive guest-speaker program. The foundation of the ethical code at West Point is found in the academy's motto, "Duty, Honor, Country."[1]

West Point's Cadet Honor Code reads simply that: "A cadet will not lie, cheat, steal, or tolerate those who do."[167] Cadets accused of violating the Honor Code face an investigative and hearing process. If they are found guilty by a jury of their peers, they face severe consequences ranging from being "turned back" (repeating an academic year) to separation from the academy.[168] Cadets previously enforced collective censure by an unofficial sanction known as "silencing" by not speaking to cadets accused of violating the honor code, but the practice ended in 1973 after national scrutiny.[169][170]

Although the academy's honor code is well known and has been influential for many other colleges and universities, the academy has experienced several significant violations. For example, 151 junior cadets were found guilty of "violating the honor code" in their exams in 1976.[171] In 2020, more than 70 cadets were also accused of cheating on exams.[172]

Cadet life

Rank and organization

 
Cadet collar and shoulder sleeve insignia
 
Cadet captains' shoulder sleeve insignia

Cadets are not referred to as freshmen, sophomores, juniors, or seniors. Instead they are officially called fourth class, third class, second class, and first class cadets. Colloquially, freshmen are plebes, sophomores are yearlings or yuks, juniors are cows, and seniors are firsties.[173][174] Some of the origins of the class names are known, some are not. Plebeians were the lower class of ancient Roman society, while yearling is a euphemism for a year-old animal. The origin of cow is less known. There are a number of theories for the origin of the term cow; however the most prevalent and probably accurate one is that cadets in years past had no leave until the end of their yearling year, when they were granted a summer-long furlough. Their return as second classmen was heralded as "the cows coming home."[175]

The Corps of Cadets is officially organized into a brigade. The senior ranking cadet, the Brigade Commander, is known traditionally as the First Captain. The brigade is organized into four regiments. Within each regiment there are three battalions, each consisting of three companies.[176] Companies are lettered A through I, with a number signifying which regiment it belongs to. For example, there are four "H" companies: H1, H2, H3, and H4. First class cadets hold the leadership positions within the brigade from the First Captain down to platoon leaders within the companies. Leadership responsibility decreases with the lower classes, with second class cadets holding the rank of cadet sergeant, third class cadets holding the rank of cadet corporal, and fourth class cadets as cadet privates.[177]

Life in the corps

 
Cadet color guard on parade

Because of the academy's congressional nomination process, students come from all 50 states, Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, the Mariana Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the US Virgin Islands.[178][179] The academy is also authorized up to 60 international exchange cadets, who undergo the same four-year curriculum as fully integrated members of the Corps of Cadets.[180] Cadets attend the United States Military Academy free of charge, with all tuition and board paid for by the Army in return for a service commitment of five years of active duty and three years of reserve status upon graduation.[181] Starting on the first day of a cadet's second class year, non-graduates after that point are expected to fulfill their obligations in enlisted service. Cadets receive a monthly stipend of $1,017.00 for books, uniforms, and other necessities, as of 2015.[182] From this amount, pay is automatically deducted for the cost of uniforms, books, supplies, services, meals, and other miscellaneous expenses. All remaining money after deductions is used at the individual cadets' discretion. All cadets receive meals in the dining halls and have access to internet on approved, issued devices.[183] The student population was 4,389 cadets for the 2016–2017 academic year. The student body has recently been around 20% female.[130]

Student body composition as of May 2, 2022
Race and ethnicity[184] Total
White 62% 62
 
Black 13% 13
 
Hispanic 12% 12
 
Asian 8% 8
 
Other[a] 4% 4
 
Foreign national 1% 1
 
Native American 1% 1
 
Economic diversity
Data not available

All cadets reside on campus for their entire four years in one of the nine barracks buildings. Most cadets are housed with one roommate, but some rooms are designed for three cadets. Cadets are grouped into companies identified by alpha-numeric codes. All companies live together in the same barracks area.[185] The commandant may decide to have cadets change companies at some point in their cadet career. This process is known as scrambling and the method of scrambling has changed several times in recent years.[186][187] All 4,000 cadets dine together at breakfast and lunch in the Washington Hall during the weekdays.[188] The cadet fitness center, Arvin Cadet Physical Development Center (usually just called "Arvin" by cadets and faculty), which was rebuilt in 2004, houses extensive physical fitness facilities and equipment for student use.[189]

 
Class of 2012's motto

Each class of cadets elects representatives to serve as class president and fill several administrative positions.[190] They also elect a ring and crest committee, which designs the class's crest, the emblem that signifies their class and is embossed upon their class rings. Each class crest is required to contain the initials USMA and their class motto.[191] The class motto is proposed by the class during cadet basic training and voted on by the class prior to the beginning of their freshman academic year. Class mottos typically have wording that rhymes or is phonetically similar with their class year.[191]

Cadets today live and work within the framework of the Cadet Leader Development System (CLDS), which specifies the roles that a cadet plays throughout their four years at the academy.[192] Cadets begin their USMA careers as trainees (new cadets), then advance in rank, starting as CDT Privates (freshmen) and culminating as CDT Officers (seniors). Freshmen have no leadership responsibilities, but have a host of duties to perform as they learn how to follow orders and operate in an environment of rigid rank structure, while seniors have significant leadership responsibilities and significantly more privileges that correspond to their rank.[193]

Activities

 
Rwandan President Paul Kagame visits his son's room during Plebe-Parent Weekend

Cadets have a host of extracurricular activities available, most run by the office of the Directorate of Cadet Activities (DCA).[194] DCA sponsors or operates 113 athletic and non-sport clubs.[195] Many cadets join several clubs during their time at the academy and find their time spent with their clubs a welcome respite from the rigors of cadet life.[196] DCA is responsible for a wide range of activities that provide improved quality of life for cadets, including: three cadet-oriented restaurants,[197] the Cadet Store,[198] and the Howitzer and Bugle Notes.[199] The Howitzer is the annual yearbook, while Bugle Notes, also known as the "plebe bible," is the manual of plebe knowledge. Plebe knowledge is a lengthy collection of traditions, songs, poems, anecdotes, and facts about the academy, the army, the Old Corps, and the rivalry with Navy that all plebes must memorize during cadet basic training.[200][201][202] During plebe year, plebes may be asked, and are expected to answer, any inquiry about plebe knowledge asked by upper class cadets. Other knowledge is historical in nature, including information as found in Bugle Notes.[203] However, some knowledge changes daily, such as "the days" (a running list of the number of days until important academy events),[204] the menu in the mess hall for the day, or the lead stories in The New York Times.[203]

Each cadet class celebrates at least one special "class weekend" per academic year. Fourth class cadets participate in Plebe Parent Weekend during the first weekend of spring break. In February, third class cadets celebrate the winter season with Yearling Winter Weekend. In late January the second class cadets celebrate 500th Night, marking the remaining 500 days before graduation. First class cadets celebrate three different formal occasions. In late August, first class cadets celebrate Ring Weekend, in February they mark their last 100 days with 100th Night, and in May they have a full week of events culminating in their graduation. All of the "class weekends" involve a formal dinner and social dance, known in old cadet slang as a "hop," held at Eisenhower Hall.[205][206] Grant Hall, formerly the cadet mess hall at West Point, is now a social center.[207]

Athletics

Main article: Army Black Knights
 
"Beat Navy" tunnel

Since 1899, Army's mascot has officially been a mule because the animal symbolizes strength and perseverance.[208][209] The academy's football team was nicknamed "The Black Knights of the Hudson" due to the black color of its uniforms.[210][211] This nickname has since been officially shortened to the "Black Knights."[212] U.S. sports media use "Army" as a synonym for the academy. "On Brave Old Army Team" is the school's fight song.[213] Army's chief sports rival is the Naval Academy due to its long-standing football rivalry and the interservice rivalry with the Navy in general. Fourth class cadets verbally greet upper-class cadets and faculty with "Beat Navy," while the tunnel that runs under Washington Road is named the "Beat Navy" tunnel. Army also plays the U.S. Air Force Academy for the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy. In the first half of the 20th century, Army and Notre Dame were football rivals, but that rivalry has since died out.[214][215] Notre Dame beat Army 44 – 6 in 2016.

Football

Main article: Army Black Knights football

Army football began in 1890, when Navy challenged the cadets to a game of the relatively new sport. Navy defeated Army at West Point that year, but Army avenged the loss in Annapolis the following year.[216] The rival academies still clash every December in what is traditionally the last regular-season Division I college-football game. The 2015 football season marked Navy's fourteenth consecutive victory over Army, the longest streak in the series since inception. The following year, Army won 21–17.[217] Army's football team reached its pinnacle of success under coach Earl Blaik when Army won consecutive national championships in 1944, 1945 and 1946, and produced three Heisman trophy winners: Doc Blanchard (1945), Glenn Davis (1946) and Pete Dawkins (1958).[218] Past NFL coaches Vince Lombardi[219] and Bill Parcells[220] were Army assistant coaches early in their careers. The football team plays its home games at Michie Stadium, where the playing field is named after Earl Blaik. Cadets' attendance is mandatory at football games and the Corps stands for the duration of the game. At all home games, one of the four regiments marches onto the field in formation before the team takes the field and leads the crowd in traditional Army cheers.[221] From 1992 through 1996, Army won all of the games against Navy for the first time since the legendary days of Blanchard and Davis, and it introduced the fraternal group of players identifying themselves as the Fat Man Club, initiated by the offensive linemen of the Class of 1996. Between the 1998 and 2004 seasons, Army's football program was a member of Conference USA, but has since reverted to its former independent status.[222]

Other sports

See also: Army Black Knights men's basketball
 
A cadet in action during the 2009 Army–Navy lacrosse game

Though football may receive a lot of media attention due to its annual rivalry game, West Point has a long history of athletics in other NCAA sports.[216] Army is a member of the Division I Patriot League in most sports,[212] while its men's ice hockey program competes in Atlantic Hockey.[223] John P. Riley Jr. was the hockey coach at West Point for more than 35 years. Every year, Army faces the Royal Military College of Canada (RMC) Paladins in the annual West Point Weekend hockey game.[224] This series was first conceived in 1923.

The men's lacrosse team has won eight national championships and appeared in the NCAA tournament sixteen times. In its early years, lacrosse was used by football players, like the "Lonesome End" Bill Carpenter, to stay in shape during the off-season.[225] The 2005–06 women's basketball team went 20–11 and won the Patriot League tournament. They went to the 2006 NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament as a 15th-ranked seed, where they lost to Tennessee, 102–54. It was the first March Madness tournament appearance for any Army basketball team. The head coach of that team, Maggie Dixon, died soon after the season at only 28 years of age. Bob Knight, formerly the winningest men's basketball coach in NCAA history, began his head coaching career at Army in the late 1960s[226] before moving on to Indiana and Texas Tech. One of Knight's players at Army was Mike Krzyzewski, who later was head coach at Army before moving on to Duke, where he has won five national championships.[227]

 
Army men's rugby

Approximately 15% of cadets are members of a club sport team. West Point fields a total of 24 club sports teams that have been very successful in recent years, winning national championships in judo, boxing, orienteering, pistol, triathlon, crew, cycling, and team handball.[228][229]

The majority of the student body, about 65%, competes in intramural sports, known at the academy as "company athletics." DPE's Competitive Sports committee runs the club and company athletics sports programs and was recently named one of the "15 Most Influential Sports Education Teams in America" by the Institute for International Sport.[230] The fall season sees competition in basketball, flag-football, team handball, soccer, ultimate disc, and wrestling; while the spring season sees competition in combative grappling, floor hockey, orienteering, flicker ball, and swimming.[231] In the spring, each company also fields a team entry into the annual Sandhurst Competition, a military skills event conducted by the Department of Military Instruction.[232]

Traditions

 
The Corps
Bishop H.S. Shipman's "The Corps" is considered the second most important song at the United States Military Academy behind the Alma Mater.
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Due to West Point's age and its unique mission of producing Army officers, it has many time-honored traditions. The list below are some of the traditions unique to or started by the academy.

Cullum number

The Cullum number is a reference and identification number assigned to each graduate. It was created by brevet Major General George W. Cullum (USMA Class of 1833) who, in 1850, began the monumental work of chronicling the biographies of every graduate. He assigned number one to the first West Point graduate, Joseph Gardner Swift, and then numbered all successive graduates in sequence. Before his death in 1892, General Cullum completed the first three volumes of a work that eventually comprised 10 volumes, titled General Cullum's Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the United States Military Academy, and covering USMA classes from 1802 through 1850. From 1802 through the Class of 1977, graduates were listed by general order of Merit. Beginning with the Class of 1978, graduates were listed alphabetically, and then by date of graduation.[clarification needed] Seven graduates have an "A" suffix after their Cullum Number. For various reasons these graduates were omitted from the original class roster, and a suffix letter was added to avoid renumbering the entire class and subsequent classes.[233]

Class ring

Main article: United States Military Academy class ring

West Point began the collegiate tradition of the class ring, beginning with the class of 1835.[234] The class of 1836 chose no rings, and the class of 1879 had cuff links in lieu of a class ring. Before 1917, cadets could design much of the ring individually, but now only the center stone can be individualized.[234] One side of the ring bears the academy crest, while the other side bears the class crest and the center stone ring bears the words West Point and the class year. The academy library has a large collection of cadet rings on display.[235] Senior cadets receive their rings during Ring Weekend in the early fall of their senior year. Immediately after senior cadets return to the barracks after receiving their rings, fourth class cadets take the opportunity to surround senior cadets from their company and ask to touch their rings. After the cadets recite a poem known as the Ring Poop, the senior usually grants the freshmen permission to touch the ring.[236] In 2002, the Memorial Class ring donor program began. Donations of class rings are melted and merged. A portion of the original gold is infused with gold from preceding melts to become part of the rings for each 'Firstie' class.[237]

Thayer Award

Main article: Sylvanus Thayer Award

West Point is home to the Sylvanus Thayer Award. Given annually by the academy since 1958, the award honors an outstanding citizen whose service and accomplishments in the national interest exemplify the academy's motto, "Duty, Honor, Country."[238] Currently, the award guidelines state that the recipient not be a graduate of the academy. The award has been awarded to many notable American citizens, to include George H. W. Bush, Colin Powell, Tom Brokaw, Sandra Day O'Connor, Henry Kissinger, Ronald Reagan, Barry Goldwater, Carl Vinson, Barbara Jordan, William J. Perry, Bob Hope, Condoleezza Rice[238] and Leon E. Panetta.

Sedgwick's spurs

 
Sedgwick's spurs

A monument to Civil War Union General John Sedgwick stands on the outskirts of the Plain. Sedgwick's bronze statue has spurs with rowels that freely rotate. Legend states that if a cadet is in danger of failing a class, they are to don their full-dress parade uniform the night before the final exam. The cadet visits the statue and spins the rowels at the stroke of midnight. Then the cadet runs back to the barracks as fast as he or she can. According to legend, if Sedgwick's ghost catches them, they will fail the exam. Otherwise the cadet will pass the exam and the course.[239][240] Although being out of their rooms after midnight is officially against regulations, violations have been known to be overlooked for the sake of tradition.[241]

Goat-Engineer game

 
2009 Goat-Engineer game

As part of the run-up to the Navy football game, the Corps of Cadets plays the Goat-Engineer game.[242] First played in 1907, it is a game between the "Goats" (the bottom half of the senior (Firstie) class academically), and the "Engineers" (the top half). The game is played with full pads and helmets using eight-man football rules. The location has changed over the years, with recent venues being Richard Shea Stadium/Doubleday Field, Michie Stadium, and Daly Field. Legend states that Army will beat Navy if the goats win, and the opposite if the engineers win.[242] In recent years, female cadets have begun playing a flag football contest, so there are now two Goat-Engineer games, played consecutively the same night.[243]

Walking the area

 
"Walking the area"

From the earliest days of the academy, one form of punishment for cadets who commit regulatory infractions has been a process officially known as punishment tours.[244] This process is better known to the cadets as "hours" because as punishment, cadets must walk a specified number of hours in penalty. Cadets are "awarded" punishment tours based upon the severity of the infraction. Being late to class or having an unkempt room may result in as little as 5 hours while more severe misconduct infractions may result in upwards of 60 to 80 hours. In its most traditional form, punishment tours are "walked off" by wearing the dress gray uniform under arms and walking back and forth in a designated area of the cadet barracks courtyard, known as "Central Area." Cadets who get into trouble frequently and spend many weekends "walking off their hours" are known as "area birds."[245] Cadets who walk more than 100 total hours in their career are affectionately known as "Century Men."[246] An alternate form of punishment to walking hours is known as "fatigue tours," where assigned hours may be "worked off" by manual labor, such as cleaning the barracks. Certain cadets whose academics are deficient may also conduct "sitting tours," where they have to "sit hours" in a designated academic room in a controlled study environment, for which they receive half credit towards their reduction of tours. Cadets' uniforms are inspected before their tours begin each day. The inspection process is arduous and considered part of the punishment, but the time spent does not count against the awarded number of tours.[247] A small number of cadets may be relieved of their tours that day if their uniforms are exceptionally presentable. Another tradition associated with punishment tours is that any visiting head of state has the authority to grant "amnesty," releasing all cadets with outstanding hours from the remainder of their assigned tours.[248][249]

Sandhurst Military Skills Competition

In 1967 the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst presented West Point with a British Army officer's sword for use as a trophy in a military skills competition at West Point. In 2019 the Sandhurst competition spans two days, 12 and 13 April, with teams from USMA, the ROTC programs, the Naval, Coast Guard, and the Air Force academies. International academies including the UK, Canada, Australia and Ireland have won the Sandhurst Military Skills Competition.[250]

Education of dependents

The Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) maintains, for children of military personnel, West Point Elementary School and West Point Middle School on the academy grounds.[251]

The academy is physically in the Highland Falls Central School District.[252] USMA sends high school aged students who are dependents of on-base military personnel to James I. O'Neill High School of Highland Falls schools under contract. In 2021, 190 children living on West Point attended O'Neill. In 2021 the agency at West Point announced that the bid to educate West Point High School students would be competitive.[253] In March 2022 the O'Neill contract was renewed.[254]

Notable alumni

For a more comprehensive list, see List of United States Military Academy alumni and List of United States Military Academy alumni (non-graduates).

An unofficial motto of the academy's history department is "Much of the history we teach was made by people we taught."[86][255] Graduates of the academy refer to themselves as "The Long Gray Line," a phrase taken from the academy's traditional hymn "The Corps."[256][257][258] The academy has produced just under 65,000 alumni,[259] including two Presidents of the United States: Ulysses S. Grant and Dwight D. Eisenhower; the president of the Confederate States of America, Jefferson Davis; and three foreign heads of state: Anastasio Somoza Debayle of Nicaragua, Fidel V. Ramos of the Philippines, and José María Figueres of Costa Rica. Alumni currently serving in public office include Senator Jack Reed, Governor of Nebraska David Heineman, Governor of Louisiana John Bel Edwards, Congressmen Warren Davidson, Mark Green, Brett Guthrie, John Shimkus and Steve Watkins.[260]

The academy has produced many notable generals during its 212 years. During the Civil War, graduates included John Bell Hood, Stonewall Jackson, Ulysses S. Grant, Robert E. Lee, George McClellan, Simon Bolivar Buckner, James Longstreet, George G. Meade, Phillip Sheridan, William Tecumseh Sherman, J.E.B. Stuart and Oliver O. Howard.[note 1] George Armstrong Custer graduated last in his class of 1861.[262] The Spanish–American War saw the first combat service of Lt. (later, Brigadier General) John "Gatling Gun" Parker, the first Army officer to employ machine guns in offensive fire support of infantry.

During World War I, the academy produced General of the Armies John J. Pershing, and Major Generals Charles T. Menoher and Mason Patrick. West Point was the alma mater of many notable World War II generals, Henry H. Arnold, Omar Bradley, Mark Wayne Clark, Robert L. Eichelberger, James M. Gavin, Leslie Groves, Douglas MacArthur, George S. Patton, Joseph Stilwell, Maxwell D. Taylor, James Van Fleet, Jonathan Mayhew Wainwright IV, and Simon Bolivar Buckner, Jr. the highest ranking General to be killed in combat during World War II, with many of these graduates also serving in commanding roles in the Korean War. During the Vietnam War, notable graduates general officers included Creighton Abrams, Hal Moore, and William Westmoreland.[263] West Point also produced some famous generals and statesmen of recent note including John Abizaid, Stanley A. McChrystal, Wesley Clark, Alexander Haig, Barry McCaffrey, Norman Schwarzkopf, Jr., Brent Scowcroft, Lloyd Austin, and former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, retired General David Petraeus.

A total of 76 graduates have been awarded the Medal of Honor.[264]

West Point has produced 18 NASA astronauts, including five who went to the Moon. Other noted alumni include Jim Kimsey, founder of AOL; Bob McDonald, CEO of Procter & Gamble who was later nominated to be the Secretary of Veteran Affairs;[265] Alex Gorsky, CEO of Johnson & Johnson; Keith McLoughlin, President and CEO of Electrolux, Jeffrey W. Martin, CEO of Sempra Energy,[266] and Alden Partridge, founder of Norwich University.[267] West Point's contributions to sport include three Heisman Trophy winners: Glenn Davis, Doc Blanchard, and Pete Dawkins. West Point has produced many high government officials, including Brent Scowcroft, the National Security Advisor under presidents Gerald Ford and George H. W. Bush, and Eric Shinseki, former Secretary of Veterans Affairs under President Barack Obama. West Point graduate Frank Medina organized and led the nationwide campaign that brought the Congressional Gold Medal to the 65th Infantry Regiment, also known as the Borinqueneers.

Among American universities, the academy is fifth on the list of total winners for Rhodes Scholarships,[268] seventh for Marshall Scholarships and fourth on the list of Hertz Fellowships.[269] The official alumni association of West Point is the West Point Association of Graduates (WPAOG or AOG), headquartered at Herbert Hall.[270]

West Point Garrison and Stewart Army Subpost

As an active-duty U.S. Army installation, there are several regular Army units that provide support for the USMA and the West Point installation. The U.S. Army Garrison[271] includes a Headquarters and Headquarters Company, Provost Marshal and Military Police, Religious Program Support, Keller Army Community Hospital, the West Point Dental Activity, the USMA Band (a regular Army band—USMA cadets are not members of the USMA band), and the Directorate of Human Resources (DHR). The DHR is the higher headquarters for: Military Personnel Division (MPD), Army Continuing Education System (ACES), Administrative Services Division (ASD) and the Army Substance Abuse Program (ASAP).

The 1st Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment (1–1 INF) and the 2d Army Aviation Detachment, both stationed on nearby Stewart Army Subpost, provide military training and aviation support to the USMA and the West Point Garrison. Additionally, active duty Army support, such as recent field artillery training conducted at Camp Buckner in July 2017, is sometimes provided by the 10th Mountain Division, based at Fort Drum, NY.[272]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Howard was later known for the founding of Howard University.[261]
  1. ^ Other consists of Multiracial Americans & those who prefer to not say.

References

Citations

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  12. ^ Palka (2008), p. viii.
  13. ^ Crackel (1991), p. 44.
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  18. ^ . University of Michigan. Archived from the original on 21 May 2008. Retrieved 14 December 2008.
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  22. ^ McDonald (2004), p. 191
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Sources

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External links

 
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  • Official website
  • Army Athletics website ( 5 February 2009 at the Wayback Machine)

January 09, 2023
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West Point redirects here For the city where the academy is located see West Point New York For other uses see West Point disambiguation The United States Military Academy USMA also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army 7 is a United States service academy in West Point New York It was originally established as a fort since it sits on strategic high ground overlooking the Hudson River with a scenic view 50 miles 80 km north of New York City It is the oldest of the five American service academies and educates cadets for commissioning into the United States Army United States Military AcademyMottoDuty Honor Country 1 TypeU S Service AcademyEstablished16 March 1802 220 years ago 1802 03 16 2 SuperintendentLTG Steven W GillandUSMA Class of 1990DeanBG Shane R ReevesUSMA Class of 1996 3 Commandant of CadetsBG Mark C QuanderUSMA Class of 1995 4 Academic staff580Students4 294 cadets 5 LocationWest Point New York United StatesCampusRural 16 080 acres 6 507 3 ha Fight songOn Brave Old Army TeamColorsBlack gold and gray 6 NicknameBlack KnightsSporting affiliationsNCAA Division I PLAHA CSFL EIGL EIWAMascotMuleWebsitewestpoint wbr eduUnited States Military AcademyU S National Register of Historic PlacesU S National Historic LandmarkShow map of New YorkShow map of the United StatesCoordinates41 23 35 N 73 57 29 W 41 393 N 73 958 W 41 393 73 958NRHP reference No 66000562Significant datesAdded to NRHP15 October 1966Designated NHL19 December 1960Secretary of the Army Pete Geren center with the U S Corps of Cadets senior leadership and Brig Gen Michael Linnington far left Commandant of the Corps of Cadets after the congressional retirement review of the Corps of Cadets for Rep Dave Hobson center right and Rep Jim Saxton center left 2008 The academy was founded in 1802 one year after President Thomas Jefferson directed that plans be set in motion to establish it It was constructed on site of Fort Clinton on West Point overlooking the Hudson which Colonial General Benedict Arnold conspired to turn over to the British during the Revolutionary War The entire central campus is a national landmark and home to scores of historic sites buildings and monuments The majority of the campus s Norman style buildings are constructed from gray and black granite The campus is a popular tourist destination with a visitor center and the oldest museum in the United States Army Candidates for admission must apply directly to the academy and receive a nomination usually from a member of Congress Other nomination sources include the president and vice president 8 Students are officers in training and are referred to as cadets or collectively as the United States Corps of Cadets USCC The Army fully funds tuition for cadets in exchange for an active duty service obligation upon graduation About 1 300 cadets enter the academy each July with about 1 000 cadets graduating The academic program grants a Bachelor of Science degree with a curriculum that grades cadets performance upon a broad academic program military leadership performance and mandatory participation in competitive athletics Cadets are required to adhere to the Cadet Honor Code which states that a cadet will not lie cheat steal or tolerate those who do The academy bases a cadet s leadership experience as a development of all four pillars of performance academics character physical and military Most graduates are commissioned as second lieutenants in the Army Foreign cadets are commissioned into the armies of their home countries Since 1959 cadets have also been eligible for an interservice commission in one of the other armed services provided that they meet that service s eligibility standards A small number of cadets do this The academy s traditions have influenced other institutions because of its age and unique mission It was the first American college to have an accredited civil engineering program and the first to have class rings and its technical curriculum became a model for engineering schools West Point s student body has a unique rank structure and lexicon All cadets reside on campus and dine together en masse on weekdays for lunch The academy fields 15 men s and nine women s National Collegiate Athletic Association NCAA sports teams Cadets compete in one sport every fall winter and spring season at the intramural club or intercollegiate level Its football team was a national power in the early and mid 20th century winning three national championships Among the country s public institutions the academy is the top producer of Marshall and Rhodes scholars 9 10 Its alumni and students are collectively referred to as The Long Gray Line the former include U S Presidents Dwight D Eisenhower and Ulysses S Grant Jefferson Davis of the Confederacy Confederate general Robert E Lee American poet Edgar Allen Poe U S general George Patton presidents of Costa Rica Nicaragua and the Philippines and 76 Medal of Honor recipients Contents 1 History 1 1 Colonial period founding and early years 1 2 After the Civil War 1 3 World War II and Cold War 1 4 Modern era 2 Campus 2 1 Athletic facilities 2 2 West Point Museum 3 Administration 3 1 Academy leadership 3 2 Admission requirements 4 Curriculum 4 1 Academics 4 2 Military 4 3 Physical 4 4 Moral and ethical training 5 Cadet life 5 1 Rank and organization 5 2 Life in the corps 5 3 Activities 6 Athletics 6 1 Football 6 2 Other sports 7 Traditions 7 1 Cullum number 7 2 Class ring 7 3 Thayer Award 7 4 Sedgwick s spurs 7 5 Goat Engineer game 7 6 Walking the area 7 7 Sandhurst Military Skills Competition 8 Education of dependents 9 Notable alumni 10 West Point Garrison and Stewart Army Subpost 11 See also 12 Notes 13 References 13 1 Citations 13 2 Sources 14 External linksHistory EditMain article History of the United States Military Academy For USMA archives see National Archives and Records Administration Affiliated facilities French map of West Point in 1780 Artillery cadet in 1805 wearing a mixture of commissioned and non commissioned uniforms prescribed for artillery cadets West Point from Phillipstown 1831 engraving by W J Bennett showing the original buildings of the United States Military Academy Colonial period founding and early years Edit The Continental Army first occupied West Point New York on 27 January 1778 11 and it is the oldest continuously operating Army post in the United States 12 Between 1778 and 1780 the Polish engineer and military hero Tadeusz Kosciuszko oversaw the construction of the garrison defenses 13 However Kosciuszko s plan of a system of small forts did not meet with the approval of New York Governor and General George Clinton or the other general officers It was determined that a battery along the river to annoy the shipping was more appropriate and Washington s chief engineer Rufus Putnam directed the construction of a major fortification on a hill 500 feet 150 m above sea level that commanded the West Point plain General Alexander McDougall named it Fort Putnam 14 The Great Hudson River Chain and high ground above the narrow S curve in the river enabled the Continental Army to prevent British Royal Navy ships from sailing upriver and thus dividing the Colonies 15 16 While the fortifications at West Point were known as Fort Arnold during the war as commander Benedict Arnold committed his act of treason attempting to sell the fort to the British 17 18 After Arnold betrayed the patriot cause the Army changed the name of the fortifications at West Point New York to Fort Clinton 17 With the peace after the American Revolutionary War various ordnance and military stores were left deposited at West Point 19 Cadets underwent training in artillery and engineering studies at the garrison since 1794 20 During the Quasi War Alexander Hamilton laid out plans for the establishment of a military academy at West Point and introduced A Bill for Establishing a Military Academy in the House of Representatives 21 In 1801 shortly after his inauguration as president Thomas Jefferson directed that plans be set in motion to establish at West Point the United States Military Academy 22 He selected Jonathan Williams to serve as its first superintendent 23 Congress formally authorized the establishment and funding of the school with the Military Peace Establishment Act of 1802 which Jefferson signed on 16 March 2 The academy officially commenced operations on 4 July 1802 24 The academy graduated Joseph Gardner Swift its first official graduate in October 1802 He later returned as Superintendent from 1812 to 1814 20 In its tumultuous early years the academy featured few standards for admission or length of study Cadets ranged in age from 10 years to 37 years and attended between 6 months to 6 years 20 The impending War of 1812 caused the United States Congress to authorize a more formal system of education at the academy and increased the size of the Corps of Cadets to 250 20 Thayer monument Robert E Lee American Civil War general who graduated from West Point and later served as its superintendent from 1852 to 1855 In 1817 Colonel Sylvanus Thayer became the Superintendent and established the curriculum elements of which are still in use as of 2020 update Thayer instilled strict disciplinary standards set a standard course of academic study and emphasized honorable conduct He was very much inspired by the curriculum of the French Ecole Polytechnique where he had been sent upon his demand for two years in order to study the scientific and technological achievements developed by the French Republican faction and bring them back to the United States Known as the Father of the Military Academy he is honored with a monument on campus for the profound impact he had upon the academy 25 26 Founded as a school of engineering for the first half of the 19th century USMA produced graduates who gained recognition for engineering the bulk of the nation s initial railway lines bridges harbors and roads 27 28 29 The academy was the only engineering school in the country until the founding of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1824 It was so successful in its engineering curriculum that it significantly influenced every American engineering school founded prior to the Civil War 28 29 30 In 1835 during the Army s first year of the Second Seminole War they had only three generals Winfield Scott Edmund P Gaines and Thomas S Jesup 31 The Army s remaining fourteen generals held their rank by brevet only 32 and none of them were West Point graduates Nearly the only way to obtain a commission up to 1835 was thru the academy which created loud complaint and added to the Jacksonian Democracy a deep desire to get rid of the Academy where Jacksonians were sure an aristocratic tradition was being bred 33 The Mexican American War brought the academy to prominence as graduates proved themselves in battle for the first time Future Civil War commanders Ulysses S Grant and Robert E Lee who also later became the superintendent of the academy first distinguished themselves in battle in Mexico 34 35 In all 452 of 523 graduates who served in the war received battlefield promotions or awards for bravery 34 36 The school experienced a rapid modernization during the 1850s often romanticized by the graduates who led both sides of the Civil War as the end of the Old West Point era 37 New barracks brought better heat and gas lighting while new ordnance and tactics training incorporated new rifle and musket technology and accommodated transportation advances created by the steam engine 37 38 With the outbreak of the Civil War West Point graduates filled the general officer ranks of the rapidly expanding Union and Confederate armies 39 294 graduates served as general officers for the Union and 151 served as general officers for the Confederacy 37 Of all living graduates at the time of the war 105 10 were killed and another 151 15 were wounded 37 Nearly every general officer of note from either army during the Civil War was a graduate of West Point and a West Point graduate commanded the forces of one or both sides in every one of the 60 major battles of the war 37 39 40 West Point Cadet C Benek by Mathew Brady After the Civil War Edit Henry Ossian Flipper Immediately following the Civil War the academy enjoyed unprecedented fame as a result of the role its graduates had played 41 However the post war years were a difficult time for the academy as it struggled to admit and reintegrate cadets from former confederate states 42 The first cadets from Southern states were re admitted in 1868 and 1870 saw the admission of the first black cadet James Webster Smith of South Carolina 42 43 Smith endured harsh treatment and was eventually dismissed for academic deficiency under controversial circumstances in 1874 44 As a result Henry O Flipper of Georgia became the first black graduate in 1877 graduating 50th in a class of 76 42 45 Two of the most notable graduates during this period were George Washington Goethals from the class of 1880 and John J Pershing from the class of 1886 42 Goethals gained prominence as the chief engineer of the Panama Canal 46 and Pershing would become famous for his exploits against the famed Pancho Villa in Mexico and later for leading American Forces during World War I 47 United States Military Academy uniform in 1882 Besides the integration of southern state and black cadets the post war academy also struggled with the issue of hazing In its first 65 years hazing was uncommon or non existent beyond small pranks played upon the incoming freshmen but took a harsher tone as Civil War veterans began to fill the incoming freshman classes The upper class cadets saw it as their duty to teach the plebes their manners 48 Hazing at the academy entered the national spotlight with the death of former cadet Oscar L Booz on 3 December 1900 Congressional hearings which included testimony by cadet Douglas MacArthur investigated his death and the pattern of freshmen s systemic hazing 49 When MacArthur returned as superintendent he made an effort to end the practice of hazing the incoming freshmen by placing Army sergeants in charge of training new cadets during freshman summer 50 The practice of hazing continued on some levels well into the late 20th century but is no longer allowed in the present day 51 Corps of Cadets c 1870 Class at West Point 1929 The demand for junior officers during the Spanish American War caused the class of 1899 to graduate early and the Philippine American War did the same for the class of 1901 This increased demand for officers led Congress to increase the Corps of Cadets size to 481 cadets in 1900 52 The period between 1900 and 1915 saw a construction boom as much of West Point s old infrastructure was rebuilt 52 Many of the academy s most famous graduates graduated during the 15 year period between 1900 and 1915 Douglas MacArthur 1903 Joseph Stilwell 1904 Henry Hap Arnold 1907 George S Patton 1909 Dwight D Eisenhower and Omar Bradley both 1915 The class of 1915 is known as the class the stars fell on for the exceptionally high percentage of general officers that rose from that class 59 of 164 53 54 The outbreak of America s involvement in World War I caused a sharp increase in the demand for army officers and the academy accelerated graduation of all four classes then in attendance to meet this requirement beginning with the early graduation of the First Class on 20 April 1917 the Second Class in August 1917 and both the Third and Fourth Classes just before the Armistice of 11 November 1918 when only freshman cadets remained those who had entered in the summer of 1918 52 In all wartime contingencies and post war adjustments resulted in ten classes varying in length of study from two to four years within a seven year period before the regular course of study was fully resumed 55 Douglas MacArthur became superintendent in 1919 instituting sweeping reforms to the academic process including introducing a greater emphasis on history and humanities 56 He made major changes to the field training regimen and the Cadet Honor Committee was formed under his watch in 1922 57 58 MacArthur was a firm supporter of athletics at the academy as he famously said Upon the fields of friendly strife are sown the seeds that upon other fields on other days will bear the fruits of victory 59 West Point was first officially accredited in 1925 and in 1933 began granting Bachelor of Science degrees to all graduates 60 In 1935 the academy s authorized strength increased to 1 960 cadets 60 World War II and Cold War Edit As World War II engulfed Europe Congress authorized an increase to 2 496 cadets in 1942 and began graduating classes early The class of 1943 graduated six months early in January 1943 and the next four classes graduated after only three years 61 To accommodate this accelerated schedule summer training was formally moved to a recently acquired piece of land southwest of main post The site would later become Camp Buckner 62 The academy had its last serious brush with abolition or major reform during the war when some members of Congress charged that even the accelerated curriculum allowed young men to hide out at West Point and avoid combat duty A proposal was put forth to convert the academy to an officer s training school with a six month schedule but this was not adopted West Point played a prominent role in WWII four of the five five star generals were alumni and nearly 500 graduates died 61 Immediately following the war in 1945 Maxwell Taylor class of 1922 became superintendent He expanded and modernized the academic program and abolished antiquated courses in fencing and horsemanship 63 Unlike previous conflicts the Korean War did not disrupt class graduation schedules More than half of the Army leadership during the war was composed of West Point graduates The Class of 1950 which graduated only two weeks prior to the war s outbreak suffered some of the heaviest casualties of any 20th century class and became known sourly as the class the crosses fell on A total of 157 alumni perished in the conflict 64 Garrison H Davidson became superintendent in 1956 and instituted several reforms that included refining the admissions process changing the core curriculum to include electives and increasing the academic degree standards for academy instructors 64 The 1960s saw the size of the Corps expand to 4 400 cadets while the barracks and academic support structure grew proportionally 65 66 West Point was not immune to the social upheaval of American society during the Vietnam War 67 68 69 The first woman joined the faculty of the all male institution amidst controversy in 1968 70 West Point granted its first honorable discharge in 1971 to an African American West Point cadet Cornelius M Cooper of California who applied for conscientious objector status in 1969 71 The academy struggled to fill its incoming classes as its graduates led troops in Southeast Asia where 333 graduates died 72 73 Modern era Edit Class of 1980 Cadets Carol A Young Gregory Stephens and Kathryn A Wildey at West Point December 1976 Following the 1973 end of American involvement in Vietnam the strain and stigma of earlier social unrest dissolved and West Point enjoyed surging enrollments 74 On 20 May 1975 an amendment to the Defense Authorization Bill of 1976 opening the service academies to women was approved by the House of Representatives 303 96 The Senate followed suit on 6 June President Ford signed the bill on 7 October 1975 75 West Point admitted its first 119 female cadets in 1976 76 77 Also in 1976 physics professor James H Stith became the first tenured African American Professor 78 In 1979 Cadet later General Vincent K Brooks became the first African American to lead the Corp of Cadets 79 Kristin Baker ten years later became the first female First Captain a depiction of her is now on display in the Museum the highest ranking senior cadet at the academy in 1989 80 Six other women have been appointed as First Captain Grace H Chung in 2003 Stephanie Hightower in 2005 Lindsey Danilack in 2013 Simone Askew in 2017 Reilly McGinnis in 2020 and Lauren Drysdale in 2022 81 82 Simone Askew was the first African American woman to lead the Corps 79 In the 21st century women comprise approximately 20 of entering new cadets 83 First female graduates in 1980 In 1985 cadets were formally authorized to declare an academic major all previous graduates had been awarded a general bachelor of science degree Five years later there was a major revision of the Fourth Class System as the Cadet Leader Development System CLDS became the guidance for the development of all four classes 73 84 The class of 1990 was the first one to be issued a standard and mandatory computer to every member of the class at the beginning of Plebe year the Zenith 248 SX The academy was also an early adopter of the Internet in the mid 1990s and was recognized in 2006 as one of the nation s most wired campuses 85 At the height of the Cold War in October 1987 President Reagan visited the academy and delivered a speech about ending the Evil Empire During the Gulf War alumnus General Schwarzkopf was the commander of Allied Forces and the American senior generals in Iraq Generals Petraeus Odierno and Austin and Afghanistan retired General Stanley McChrystal and General David Rodriguez are also alumni Following the September 11 attacks applications for admission to the academy increased dramatically security on campus was increased and the curriculum was revamped to include coursework on terrorism and military drills in civilian environments 86 One graduate was killed during the 9 11 terrorist attacks and ninety graduates have died during operations in Afghanistan Iraq and the ongoing Global War on Terror 87 88 The Class of 2005 has been referred to as The Class of 9 11 as the attacks occurred during their first year at the academy and they graduated 911 students In 2008 gender neutral lyrics were incorporated into West Point s Alma Mater and The Corps replacing lines like The men of the Corps with The ranks of the Corps 89 In December 2009 President Barack Obama delivered a major speech in Eisenhower Hall Theater outlining his policy for deploying 30 000 additional troops to Afghanistan as well as setting a timetable for withdrawal 90 91 President Obama also provided the commencement address in 2014 92 After the Don t Ask Don t Tell policy was lifted 20 September 2011 the academy began admitting and retaining openly gay cadets By March 2012 cadets were forming a gay straight alliance group called Spectrum 93 By March 2015 Spectrum had two faculty and 40 cadet members a mixture of gay straight bi and undecided According to a Vanity Fair essay the LGBT cadets were well accepted 94 After the ban on transgender service members was lifted in 2016 the Class of 2017 saw the first openly transgender graduate However she was denied a commission and was honorably discharged 95 The Corps of Cadets assembled with facemasks for the 2020 Army Navy game Brig Gen Diana Holland became West Point s first woman Commandant of Cadets in January 2016 96 In 2020 the campus confronted its first major pandemic in a century with the COVID 19 pandemic causing limitations on classes and the relocation of the traditional Army Navy football game to ensure social distancing For the first time in many years the 121st iteration of the game was held at West Point rather than the traditional Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia Ultimately West Point beat Navy 15 0 97 Campus EditMain article United States Military Academy grounds and facilities Looking north toward the central campus The Trophy Point Amphitheater hosts cadet ceremonies as well as free summer concerts The academy is located approximately 50 miles 80 km north of New York City on the western bank of the Hudson River West Point New York is incorporated as a federal military reservation in Orange County and is adjacent to Highland Falls 98 Based on the significance both of the Revolutionary War fort ruins and of the military academy itself the majority of the academy area was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1960 99 100 In 1841 Charles Dickens visited the academy and said It could not stand on more appropriate ground and any ground more beautiful can hardly be 101 One of the most visited and scenic sites on post Trophy Point overlooks the Hudson River to the north and is home to many captured cannon from past wars as well as the Stanford White designed Battle Monument 102 Though the entire military reservation encompasses 15 974 acres 65 km2 the academic area of the campus known as central area or the cadet area is entirely accessible to cadets or visitors by foot 103 Cadet Chapel One of the six wings of Washington Hall during lunchtime In 1902 the Boston architectural firm Cram Goodhue and Ferguson was awarded a major construction contract that set the predominantly neogothic architectural style still seen today 104 Most of the buildings of the central cadet area are in this style as typified by the Cadet Chapel completed in 1910 105 These buildings are nearly all constructed from granite that has a predominantly gray and black hue The barracks that were built in the 1960s were designed to mimic this style 104 Other buildings on post notably the oldest private residences for the faculty are built in the Federal Georgian or English Tudor styles 106 A few buildings such as Cullum Hall and the Old Cadet Chapel are built in the Neoclassical style 107 Nininger Hall part of the original Cadet Barracks The academy grounds are home to numerous monuments and statues The central cadet parade ground the Plain hosts the largest number and includes the Washington Monument Thayer Monument Eisenhower Monument MacArthur Monument Kosciuszko Monument and Sedgwick Monument Patton Monument was first dedicated in front of the cadet library in 1950 108 but in 2004 it was placed in storage to make room for the construction of Jefferson Hall With the completion of Jefferson Hall Patton s statue was relocated and unveiled at a temporary location on 15 May 2009 where it will remain until the completion of the renovation of the old cadet library and Bartlett Hall 109 There is also a statue commemorating brotherhood and friendship from the Ecole Polytechnique in the cadet central area just outside Nininger Hall The remaining campus area is home to 27 other monuments and memorials 110 West Point Cemetery The West Point Cemetery is the final resting place of many notable graduates and faculty including George Armstrong Custer Winfield Scott William Westmoreland Earl Blaik Margaret Corbin and eighteen Medal of Honor recipients 111 112 The cemetery is also the burial place of several recent graduates who have died during the ongoing conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan Many of the older grave sites have large and ornate grave markers the largest belonging to Egbert Viele class of 1847 chief engineer of Brooklyn s Prospect Park 111 The cemetery is also home to a monument to Revolutionary War heroine Margaret Corbin 113 Athletic facilities Edit Main article West Point athletic facilities West Point is home to historic athletic facilities like Michie Stadium and Gillis Field House as well as modern facilities such as the Lichtenberg Tennis Center Anderson Rugby Complex and the Lou Gross Gymnastics Facility 114 Michie Stadium recently underwent a significant upgrade in facilities for the football team and the academy installed a new artificial turf field in the summer of 2008 115 West Point Museum Edit See also National Museum of the United States Army Other Army museums The visitor s center is just outside the Thayer Gate in the village of Highland Falls and offers the opportunity to arrange for a guided tour These tours which are the only way the general public can access the academy grounds leave the visitor s center several times a day The old West Point Visitor s Center was housed in the now demolished Ladycliff College library building On 9 September 2016 West Point broke ground in order to begin construction of the new 31 000 square foot Malek West Point Visitors Center It is being built on the location of the former visitor s center The Malek West Point Visitors Center is named after Frederic Malek USMA Class of 1959 and a 2014 Distinguished Graduate 116 The West Point Museum is directly adjacent to the visitor s center in the renovated Olmsted Hall on the grounds of the former Ladycliff College Originally opened to the public in 1854 the West Point Museum is the oldest military museum in the country 117 118 During the summer months the museum operates access to the Fort Putnam historic site on main post and access to the 282 acre Constitution Island 119 Some of the most notable items on display at the museum are George Washington s pistols Napoleon s sword a dagger carried by Hermann Goring when he was captured a revolver that belonged to Goring and a silver plated party book signed by Charles Lindbergh Herbert Hoover and Mussolini among others Arguably the most prized artifact on display is a gold plated pistol that belonged to Adolf Hitler Administration EditAcademy leadership Edit Main article Superintendent of the United States Military Academy The 57th amp 58th Superintendents LTG Franklin L Hagenbeck L amp LTG David H Huntoon R The commanding officer at the USMA is the Superintendent equivalent to the president or chancellor of a civilian university In recent years the position of superintendent has been held by a lieutenant general three star general The 61st Superintendent Lieutenant General Steven W Gilland took command on 27 June 2022 replacing Darryl A Williams 120 The academy is a direct reporting unit and as such the Superintendent reports directly to the Army Chief of Staff CSA 121 122 There are two other general officer positions at the academy Brigadier General Mark C Quander is the Commandant of Cadets equivalent to a dean of students at the civilian level Brigadier General Shane Reeves is the Dean of the Academic Board equivalent to a provost at the civilian level 123 Brigadier General Diana Holland was the first female commandant 124 Brigadier General Jebb is the first female Dean 125 There are 13 academic departments at USMA each with a colonel as the head of department These 13 tenured colonels comprise the core of the Academic Board These officers are titled Professors USMA or PUSMA 126 The academy is also overseen by the Board of Visitors BOV The BOV is a panel of Senators Congressional Representatives and presidential appointees who shall inquire into the morale and discipline curriculum instruction physical equipment fiscal affairs academic methods and other matters relating to the academy that the board decides to consider Currently the BOV is chaired by Representative John Shimkus and is composed of three Senators five Representatives and six presidential appointees 127 Admission requirements Edit West Point in a New York Central Lines ad Candidates must be between 17 and 23 years old waivers have been accepted for 24 year olds in rare cases where the candidate is in the military and deployed and therefore unable to attend before his or her 24th birthday unmarried and with no legal obligation to support a child Above average high school and or previous college grades and strong performance on standardized testing is expected 128 The interquartile range on the old SAT was 1100 1360 and 68 ranked in the top fifth of their high school class 129 130 To be eligible for appointment candidates must also undergo a Candidate Fitness Assessment 131 and a complete physical exam 131 Up to 60 students from foreign countries are present at USMA educated at the expense of the sponsoring nation with tuition assistance based on the GNP of their country 132 Of these foreign cadets the Code of Federal Regulations specifically permits one Filipino cadet designated by the President of the Philippines 133 The actual application process consists of two main requirements candidates apply to USMA for admission and separately provide a nomination The majority of candidates receive a nomination from their United States Representative or Senator Some receive a nomination from the Vice President or even the President of the United States 134 The nomination process is not political Applicants do not have to know their congressman to be nominated The academy applicant typically provides written essays and letters of recommendation The applicant then submits to a formal interview 135 Admission to West Point is selective 7 74 of applicants were admitted total of 1232 to the Class of 2024 136 Candidates may have previous college experience but they may not transfer meaning that regardless of previous college credit they enter the academy as a fourth class cadet and undergo the entire four year program 137 If a candidate is considered academically disqualified and not selected he or she may receive an offer to attend to the United States Military Academy Preparatory School 138 Upon graduation from USMAPS these candidates are appointed to the academy if they receive the recommendation of the USMAPS Commandant and meet medical admission requirements 139 The West Point Association of Graduates WPAOG also offers scholarship support to people who are qualified but not selected The scholarships usually cover around 7 000 to civilian universities the students who receive these scholarships do so under the stipulation that they will be admitted to and attend West Point a year later Those who do not must repay the AOG Marion Military Institute New Mexico Military Institute Georgia Military College Hargrave Military Academy Greystone Preparatory School at Schreiner University and Northwestern Preparatory School are approved programs that students attend on the AOG scholarship prior to admission to West Point 140 Curriculum Edit Graduates of the Class of 2008 toss their hats after class dismissed West Point is a medium sized highly residential baccalaureate college with a full time four year undergraduate program that emphasizes instruction in the arts sciences and professions with no graduate program 141 There are forty five academic majors the most popular of which are foreign languages management information systems history economics and mechanical engineering 130 142 West Point is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education 143 Military officers compose 75 of the faculty while civilian professors make up the remaining 25 144 A cadet s class rank which determines his or her Army branch and assignment upon graduation is calculated as a combination of academic performance 55 military leadership performance 30 and physical fitness and athletic performance 15 145 146 Academics Edit The academy s teaching style forms part of the Thayer method which was implemented by Sylvanus Thayer during his tour as Superintendent 147 This form of instruction emphasizes small classes with daily homework and strives to make students actively responsible for their own learning by completing homework assignments prior to class and bringing the work to class to discuss collaboratively 148 The academic program consists of a structured core of thirty one courses balanced between the arts and sciences 149 The academy operates on the semester system which it labels as terms Term 1 is the fall semester Term 2 is the spring semester Although cadets choose their majors in the spring of their freshmen year all cadets take the same course of instruction until the beginning of their second year 150 This core course of instruction consists of mathematics information technology chemistry physics engineering history physical geography philosophy leadership and general psychology English composition and literature foreign language political science international relations economics and constitutional law 151 152 Some advanced cadets may validate out of the base level classes and take advanced or accelerated courses earlier as freshmen or sophomores Regardless of major all cadets graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree 149 Military Edit Cadets cross a rope bridge during summer training As all cadets are commissioned as second lieutenants upon graduation military and leadership education is nested with academic instruction Military training and discipline fall under the purview of the Office of the Commandant of Cadets Entering freshmen or fourth class cadets are referred to as New Cadets and enter the academy on Reception Day or R day 153 which marks the start of cadet basic training CBT known colloquially as Beast Barracks or simply Beast 154 155 Most cadets consider Beast to be their most difficult time at the academy because of the transition from civilian to military life Their second summer cadets undergo cadet field training CFT at nearby Camp Buckner where they train in more advanced field craft and military skills During a cadet s third summer they may serve as instructors for CBT or CFT Rising Firstie senior cadets also spend one month training at Camp Buckner where they train for modern tactical situations that they will soon face as new platoon leaders Cadets also have the opportunity during their second third and fourth summers to serve in active army units and military schools around the world 156 The schools include Airborne Air Assault Sapper Pathfinder etc 157 Active duty officers in the rank of captain or major serve as Company Tactical Officers TAC Officers The role of the TAC is to mentor train and teach the cadets proper standards of good order and discipline and be a good role model 158 There is one TAC for every cadet company There is also one senior Non Commissioned Officer to assist each TAC known as TAC NCOs 159 The Department of Military Instruction DMI is responsible for all military arts and sciences education as well as planning and executing the cadet summer training 160 Within DMI there is a representative from each of the Army s branches These branch reps serve as proponents for their respective branches and liaise with cadets as they prepare for branch selection and graduation 161 Within DMI sits the Modern War Institute a research center devoted to the study of contemporary conflict and the evolving character of war 162 Physical Edit Indoor obstacle course The Department of Physical Education DPE administers the physical program which includes both physical education classes physical fitness testing and competitive athletics The head of DPE holds the title of Master of the Sword dating back to the 19th century when DPE taught swordsmanship as part of the curriculum 163 All cadets take a prescribed series of physical fitness courses such as military movement applied gymnastics boxing survival swimming and beginning in 2009 advanced combatives Cadets can also take elective physical activity classes such as scuba rock climbing and aerobic fitness 164 As with all soldiers in the Army cadets also must pass the Army Physical Fitness Test twice per year Additionally every year cadets must pass the Indoor Obstacle Course Test IOCT which DPE has administered in Hayes Gymnasium since 1944 165 166 Since Douglas MacArthur s tenure as superintendent every cadet has been required to participate in either an intercollegiate sport a club sport or an intramural referred to as company athletics sport each semester 59 Moral and ethical training Edit Class of 57 honor memorial on which the honor code is inscribed Moral and ethical development occurs throughout the entirety of the cadet experience by living under the honor code and through formal leadership programs available at the academy These include instruction in the values of the military profession through Professional Military Ethics Education PME2 voluntary religious programs interaction with staff and faculty role models and an extensive guest speaker program The foundation of the ethical code at West Point is found in the academy s motto Duty Honor Country 1 West Point s Cadet Honor Code reads simply that A cadet will not lie cheat steal or tolerate those who do 167 Cadets accused of violating the Honor Code face an investigative and hearing process If they are found guilty by a jury of their peers they face severe consequences ranging from being turned back repeating an academic year to separation from the academy 168 Cadets previously enforced collective censure by an unofficial sanction known as silencing by not speaking to cadets accused of violating the honor code but the practice ended in 1973 after national scrutiny 169 170 Although the academy s honor code is well known and has been influential for many other colleges and universities the academy has experienced several significant violations For example 151 junior cadets were found guilty of violating the honor code in their exams in 1976 171 In 2020 more than 70 cadets were also accused of cheating on exams 172 Cadet life EditRank and organization Edit Cadet collar and shoulder sleeve insignia Cadet captains shoulder sleeve insignia Cadets are not referred to as freshmen sophomores juniors or seniors Instead they are officially called fourth class third class second class and first class cadets Colloquially freshmen are plebes sophomores are yearlings or yuks juniors are cows and seniors are firsties 173 174 Some of the origins of the class names are known some are not Plebeians were the lower class of ancient Roman society while yearling is a euphemism for a year old animal The origin of cow is less known There are a number of theories for the origin of the term cow however the most prevalent and probably accurate one is that cadets in years past had no leave until the end of their yearling year when they were granted a summer long furlough Their return as second classmen was heralded as the cows coming home 175 The Corps of Cadets is officially organized into a brigade The senior ranking cadet the Brigade Commander is known traditionally as the First Captain The brigade is organized into four regiments Within each regiment there are three battalions each consisting of three companies 176 Companies are lettered A through I with a number signifying which regiment it belongs to For example there are four H companies H1 H2 H3 and H4 First class cadets hold the leadership positions within the brigade from the First Captain down to platoon leaders within the companies Leadership responsibility decreases with the lower classes with second class cadets holding the rank of cadet sergeant third class cadets holding the rank of cadet corporal and fourth class cadets as cadet privates 177 Life in the corps Edit Cadet color guard on parade Because of the academy s congressional nomination process students come from all 50 states Puerto Rico the District of Columbia the Mariana Islands Guam American Samoa and the US Virgin Islands 178 179 The academy is also authorized up to 60 international exchange cadets who undergo the same four year curriculum as fully integrated members of the Corps of Cadets 180 Cadets attend the United States Military Academy free of charge with all tuition and board paid for by the Army in return for a service commitment of five years of active duty and three years of reserve status upon graduation 181 Starting on the first day of a cadet s second class year non graduates after that point are expected to fulfill their obligations in enlisted service Cadets receive a monthly stipend of 1 017 00 for books uniforms and other necessities as of 2015 182 From this amount pay is automatically deducted for the cost of uniforms books supplies services meals and other miscellaneous expenses All remaining money after deductions is used at the individual cadets discretion All cadets receive meals in the dining halls and have access to internet on approved issued devices 183 The student population was 4 389 cadets for the 2016 2017 academic year The student body has recently been around 20 female 130 Student body composition as of May 2 2022 Race and ethnicity 184 TotalWhite 62 62 Black 13 13 Hispanic 12 12 Asian 8 8 Other a 4 4 Foreign national 1 1 Native American 1 1 Economic diversityData not availableAll cadets reside on campus for their entire four years in one of the nine barracks buildings Most cadets are housed with one roommate but some rooms are designed for three cadets Cadets are grouped into companies identified by alpha numeric codes All companies live together in the same barracks area 185 The commandant may decide to have cadets change companies at some point in their cadet career This process is known as scrambling and the method of scrambling has changed several times in recent years 186 187 All 4 000 cadets dine together at breakfast and lunch in the Washington Hall during the weekdays 188 The cadet fitness center Arvin Cadet Physical Development Center usually just called Arvin by cadets and faculty which was rebuilt in 2004 houses extensive physical fitness facilities and equipment for student use 189 Class of 2012 s motto Each class of cadets elects representatives to serve as class president and fill several administrative positions 190 They also elect a ring and crest committee which designs the class s crest the emblem that signifies their class and is embossed upon their class rings Each class crest is required to contain the initials USMA and their class motto 191 The class motto is proposed by the class during cadet basic training and voted on by the class prior to the beginning of their freshman academic year Class mottos typically have wording that rhymes or is phonetically similar with their class year 191 Cadets today live and work within the framework of the Cadet Leader Development System CLDS which specifies the roles that a cadet plays throughout their four years at the academy 192 Cadets begin their USMA careers as trainees new cadets then advance in rank starting as CDT Privates freshmen and culminating as CDT Officers seniors Freshmen have no leadership responsibilities but have a host of duties to perform as they learn how to follow orders and operate in an environment of rigid rank structure while seniors have significant leadership responsibilities and significantly more privileges that correspond to their rank 193 Activities Edit Rwandan President Paul Kagame visits his son s room during Plebe Parent Weekend Cadets have a host of extracurricular activities available most run by the office of the Directorate of Cadet Activities DCA 194 DCA sponsors or operates 113 athletic and non sport clubs 195 Many cadets join several clubs during their time at the academy and find their time spent with their clubs a welcome respite from the rigors of cadet life 196 DCA is responsible for a wide range of activities that provide improved quality of life for cadets including three cadet oriented restaurants 197 the Cadet Store 198 and the Howitzer and Bugle Notes 199 The Howitzer is the annual yearbook while Bugle Notes also known as the plebe bible is the manual of plebe knowledge Plebe knowledge is a lengthy collection of traditions songs poems anecdotes and facts about the academy the army the Old Corps and the rivalry with Navy that all plebes must memorize during cadet basic training 200 201 202 During plebe year plebes may be asked and are expected to answer any inquiry about plebe knowledge asked by upper class cadets Other knowledge is historical in nature including information as found in Bugle Notes 203 However some knowledge changes daily such as the days a running list of the number of days until important academy events 204 the menu in the mess hall for the day or the lead stories in The New York Times 203 Each cadet class celebrates at least one special class weekend per academic year Fourth class cadets participate in Plebe Parent Weekend during the first weekend of spring break In February third class cadets celebrate the winter season with Yearling Winter Weekend In late January the second class cadets celebrate 500th Night marking the remaining 500 days before graduation First class cadets celebrate three different formal occasions In late August first class cadets celebrate Ring Weekend in February they mark their last 100 days with 100th Night and in May they have a full week of events culminating in their graduation All of the class weekends involve a formal dinner and social dance known in old cadet slang as a hop held at Eisenhower Hall 205 206 Grant Hall formerly the cadet mess hall at West Point is now a social center 207 Athletics EditMain article Army Black Knights Beat Navy tunnel Since 1899 Army s mascot has officially been a mule because the animal symbolizes strength and perseverance 208 209 The academy s football team was nicknamed The Black Knights of the Hudson due to the black color of its uniforms 210 211 This nickname has since been officially shortened to the Black Knights 212 U S sports media use Army as a synonym for the academy On Brave Old Army Team is the school s fight song 213 Army s chief sports rival is the Naval Academy due to its long standing football rivalry and the interservice rivalry with the Navy in general Fourth class cadets verbally greet upper class cadets and faculty with Beat Navy while the tunnel that runs under Washington Road is named the Beat Navy tunnel Army also plays the U S Air Force Academy for the Commander in Chief s Trophy In the first half of the 20th century Army and Notre Dame were football rivals but that rivalry has since died out 214 215 Notre Dame beat Army 44 6 in 2016 Football Edit Main article Army Black Knights football Army football began in 1890 when Navy challenged the cadets to a game of the relatively new sport Navy defeated Army at West Point that year but Army avenged the loss in Annapolis the following year 216 The rival academies still clash every December in what is traditionally the last regular season Division I college football game The 2015 football season marked Navy s fourteenth consecutive victory over Army the longest streak in the series since inception The following year Army won 21 17 217 Army s football team reached its pinnacle of success under coach Earl Blaik when Army won consecutive national championships in 1944 1945 and 1946 and produced three Heisman trophy winners Doc Blanchard 1945 Glenn Davis 1946 and Pete Dawkins 1958 218 Past NFL coaches Vince Lombardi 219 and Bill Parcells 220 were Army assistant coaches early in their careers The football team plays its home games at Michie Stadium where the playing field is named after Earl Blaik Cadets attendance is mandatory at football games and the Corps stands for the duration of the game At all home games one of the four regiments marches onto the field in formation before the team takes the field and leads the crowd in traditional Army cheers 221 From 1992 through 1996 Army won all of the games against Navy for the first time since the legendary days of Blanchard and Davis and it introduced the fraternal group of players identifying themselves as the Fat Man Club initiated by the offensive linemen of the Class of 1996 Between the 1998 and 2004 seasons Army s football program was a member of Conference USA but has since reverted to its former independent status 222 Other sports Edit See also Army Black Knights men s basketball A cadet in action during the 2009 Army Navy lacrosse game Though football may receive a lot of media attention due to its annual rivalry game West Point has a long history of athletics in other NCAA sports 216 Army is a member of the Division I Patriot League in most sports 212 while its men s ice hockey program competes in Atlantic Hockey 223 John P Riley Jr was the hockey coach at West Point for more than 35 years Every year Army faces the Royal Military College of Canada RMC Paladins in the annual West Point Weekend hockey game 224 This series was first conceived in 1923 The men s lacrosse team has won eight national championships and appeared in the NCAA tournament sixteen times In its early years lacrosse was used by football players like the Lonesome End Bill Carpenter to stay in shape during the off season 225 The 2005 06 women s basketball team went 20 11 and won the Patriot League tournament They went to the 2006 NCAA Women s Division I Basketball Tournament as a 15th ranked seed where they lost to Tennessee 102 54 It was the first March Madness tournament appearance for any Army basketball team The head coach of that team Maggie Dixon died soon after the season at only 28 years of age Bob Knight formerly the winningest men s basketball coach in NCAA history began his head coaching career at Army in the late 1960s 226 before moving on to Indiana and Texas Tech One of Knight s players at Army was Mike Krzyzewski who later was head coach at Army before moving on to Duke where he has won five national championships 227 Army men s rugbyApproximately 15 of cadets are members of a club sport team West Point fields a total of 24 club sports teams that have been very successful in recent years winning national championships in judo boxing orienteering pistol triathlon crew cycling and team handball 228 229 The majority of the student body about 65 competes in intramural sports known at the academy as company athletics DPE s Competitive Sports committee runs the club and company athletics sports programs and was recently named one of the 15 Most Influential Sports Education Teams in America by the Institute for International Sport 230 The fall season sees competition in basketball flag football team handball soccer ultimate disc and wrestling while the spring season sees competition in combative grappling floor hockey orienteering flicker ball and swimming 231 In the spring each company also fields a team entry into the annual Sandhurst Competition a military skills event conducted by the Department of Military Instruction 232 Traditions Edit The Corps source source Bishop H S Shipman s The Corps is considered the second most important song at the United States Military Academy behind the Alma Mater Problems playing this file See media help Due to West Point s age and its unique mission of producing Army officers it has many time honored traditions The list below are some of the traditions unique to or started by the academy Cullum number Edit The Cullum number is a reference and identification number assigned to each graduate It was created by brevet Major General George W Cullum USMA Class of 1833 who in 1850 began the monumental work of chronicling the biographies of every graduate He assigned number one to the first West Point graduate Joseph Gardner Swift and then numbered all successive graduates in sequence Before his death in 1892 General Cullum completed the first three volumes of a work that eventually comprised 10 volumes titled General Cullum s Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the United States Military Academy and covering USMA classes from 1802 through 1850 From 1802 through the Class of 1977 graduates were listed by general order of Merit Beginning with the Class of 1978 graduates were listed alphabetically and then by date of graduation clarification needed Seven graduates have an A suffix after their Cullum Number For various reasons these graduates were omitted from the original class roster and a suffix letter was added to avoid renumbering the entire class and subsequent classes 233 Class ring Edit Main article United States Military Academy class ring 2012 West Point class ring West Point began the collegiate tradition of the class ring beginning with the class of 1835 234 The class of 1836 chose no rings and the class of 1879 had cuff links in lieu of a class ring Before 1917 cadets could design much of the ring individually but now only the center stone can be individualized 234 One side of the ring bears the academy crest while the other side bears the class crest and the center stone ring bears the words West Point and the class year The academy library has a large collection of cadet rings on display 235 Senior cadets receive their rings during Ring Weekend in the early fall of their senior year Immediately after senior cadets return to the barracks after receiving their rings fourth class cadets take the opportunity to surround senior cadets from their company and ask to touch their rings After the cadets recite a poem known as the Ring Poop the senior usually grants the freshmen permission to touch the ring 236 In 2002 the Memorial Class ring donor program began Donations of class rings are melted and merged A portion of the original gold is infused with gold from preceding melts to become part of the rings for each Firstie class 237 Thayer Award Edit Main article Sylvanus Thayer Award West Point is home to the Sylvanus Thayer Award Given annually by the academy since 1958 the award honors an outstanding citizen whose service and accomplishments in the national interest exemplify the academy s motto Duty Honor Country 238 Currently the award guidelines state that the recipient not be a graduate of the academy The award has been awarded to many notable American citizens to include George H W Bush Colin Powell Tom Brokaw Sandra Day O Connor Henry Kissinger Ronald Reagan Barry Goldwater Carl Vinson Barbara Jordan William J Perry Bob Hope Condoleezza Rice 238 and Leon E Panetta Sedgwick s spurs Edit Sedgwick s spurs A monument to Civil War Union General John Sedgwick stands on the outskirts of the Plain Sedgwick s bronze statue has spurs with rowels that freely rotate Legend states that if a cadet is in danger of failing a class they are to don their full dress parade uniform the night before the final exam The cadet visits the statue and spins the rowels at the stroke of midnight Then the cadet runs back to the barracks as fast as he or she can According to legend if Sedgwick s ghost catches them they will fail the exam Otherwise the cadet will pass the exam and the course 239 240 Although being out of their rooms after midnight is officially against regulations violations have been known to be overlooked for the sake of tradition 241 Goat Engineer game Edit 2009 Goat Engineer game As part of the run up to the Navy football game the Corps of Cadets plays the Goat Engineer game 242 First played in 1907 it is a game between the Goats the bottom half of the senior Firstie class academically and the Engineers the top half The game is played with full pads and helmets using eight man football rules The location has changed over the years with recent venues being Richard Shea Stadium Doubleday Field Michie Stadium and Daly Field Legend states that Army will beat Navy if the goats win and the opposite if the engineers win 242 In recent years female cadets have begun playing a flag football contest so there are now two Goat Engineer games played consecutively the same night 243 Walking the area Edit Walking the area From the earliest days of the academy one form of punishment for cadets who commit regulatory infractions has been a process officially known as punishment tours 244 This process is better known to the cadets as hours because as punishment cadets must walk a specified number of hours in penalty Cadets are awarded punishment tours based upon the severity of the infraction Being late to class or having an unkempt room may result in as little as 5 hours while more severe misconduct infractions may result in upwards of 60 to 80 hours In its most traditional form punishment tours are walked off by wearing the dress gray uniform under arms and walking back and forth in a designated area of the cadet barracks courtyard known as Central Area Cadets who get into trouble frequently and spend many weekends walking off their hours are known as area birds 245 Cadets who walk more than 100 total hours in their career are affectionately known as Century Men 246 An alternate form of punishment to walking hours is known as fatigue tours where assigned hours may be worked off by manual labor such as cleaning the barracks Certain cadets whose academics are deficient may also conduct sitting tours where they have to sit hours in a designated academic room in a controlled study environment for which they receive half credit towards their reduction of tours Cadets uniforms are inspected before their tours begin each day The inspection process is arduous and considered part of the punishment but the time spent does not count against the awarded number of tours 247 A small number of cadets may be relieved of their tours that day if their uniforms are exceptionally presentable Another tradition associated with punishment tours is that any visiting head of state has the authority to grant amnesty releasing all cadets with outstanding hours from the remainder of their assigned tours 248 249 Sandhurst Military Skills Competition Edit In 1967 the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst presented West Point with a British Army officer s sword for use as a trophy in a military skills competition at West Point In 2019 the Sandhurst competition spans two days 12 and 13 April with teams from USMA the ROTC programs the Naval Coast Guard and the Air Force academies International academies including the UK Canada Australia and Ireland have won the Sandhurst Military Skills Competition 250 Education of dependents EditThe Department of Defense Education Activity DoDEA maintains for children of military personnel West Point Elementary School and West Point Middle School on the academy grounds 251 The academy is physically in the Highland Falls Central School District 252 USMA sends high school aged students who are dependents of on base military personnel to James I O Neill High School of Highland Falls schools under contract In 2021 190 children living on West Point attended O Neill In 2021 the agency at West Point announced that the bid to educate West Point High School students would be competitive 253 In March 2022 the O Neill contract was renewed 254 Notable alumni EditFor a more comprehensive list see List of United States Military Academy alumni and List of United States Military Academy alumni non graduates An unofficial motto of the academy s history department is Much of the history we teach was made by people we taught 86 255 Graduates of the academy refer to themselves as The Long Gray Line a phrase taken from the academy s traditional hymn The Corps 256 257 258 The academy has produced just under 65 000 alumni 259 including two Presidents of the United States Ulysses S Grant and Dwight D Eisenhower the president of the Confederate States of America Jefferson Davis and three foreign heads of state Anastasio Somoza Debayle of Nicaragua Fidel V Ramos of the Philippines and Jose Maria Figueres of Costa Rica Alumni currently serving in public office include Senator Jack Reed Governor of Nebraska David Heineman Governor of Louisiana John Bel Edwards Congressmen Warren Davidson Mark Green Brett Guthrie John Shimkus and Steve Watkins 260 The academy has produced many notable generals during its 212 years During the Civil War graduates included John Bell Hood Stonewall Jackson Ulysses S Grant Robert E Lee George McClellan Simon Bolivar Buckner James Longstreet George G Meade Phillip Sheridan William Tecumseh Sherman J E B Stuart and Oliver O Howard note 1 George Armstrong Custer graduated last in his class of 1861 262 The Spanish American War saw the first combat service of Lt later Brigadier General John Gatling Gun Parker the first Army officer to employ machine guns in offensive fire support of infantry During World War I the academy produced General of the Armies John J Pershing and Major Generals Charles T Menoher and Mason Patrick West Point was the alma mater of many notable World War II generals Henry H Arnold Omar Bradley Mark Wayne Clark Robert L Eichelberger James M Gavin Leslie Groves Douglas MacArthur George S Patton Joseph Stilwell Maxwell D Taylor James Van Fleet Jonathan Mayhew Wainwright IV and Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr the highest ranking General to be killed in combat during World War II with many of these graduates also serving in commanding roles in the Korean War During the Vietnam War notable graduates general officers included Creighton Abrams Hal Moore and William Westmoreland 263 West Point also produced some famous generals and statesmen of recent note including John Abizaid Stanley A McChrystal Wesley Clark Alexander Haig Barry McCaffrey Norman Schwarzkopf Jr Brent Scowcroft Lloyd Austin and former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency retired General David Petraeus A total of 76 graduates have been awarded the Medal of Honor 264 West Point has produced 18 NASA astronauts including five who went to the Moon Other noted alumni include Jim Kimsey founder of AOL Bob McDonald CEO of Procter amp Gamble who was later nominated to be the Secretary of Veteran Affairs 265 Alex Gorsky CEO of Johnson amp Johnson Keith McLoughlin President and CEO of Electrolux Jeffrey W Martin CEO of Sempra Energy 266 and Alden Partridge founder of Norwich University 267 West Point s contributions to sport include three Heisman Trophy winners Glenn Davis Doc Blanchard and Pete Dawkins West Point has produced many high government officials including Brent Scowcroft the National Security Advisor under presidents Gerald Ford and George H W Bush and Eric Shinseki former Secretary of Veterans Affairs under President Barack Obama West Point graduate Frank Medina organized and led the nationwide campaign that brought the Congressional Gold Medal to the 65th Infantry Regiment also known as the Borinqueneers Among American universities the academy is fifth on the list of total winners for Rhodes Scholarships 268 seventh for Marshall Scholarships and fourth on the list of Hertz Fellowships 269 The official alumni association of West Point is the West Point Association of Graduates WPAOG or AOG headquartered at Herbert Hall 270 West Point Garrison and Stewart Army Subpost EditAs an active duty U S Army installation there are several regular Army units that provide support for the USMA and the West Point installation The U S Army Garrison 271 includes a Headquarters and Headquarters Company Provost Marshal and Military Police Religious Program Support Keller Army Community Hospital the West Point Dental Activity the USMA Band a regular Army band USMA cadets are not members of the USMA band and the Directorate of Human Resources DHR The DHR is the higher headquarters for Military Personnel Division MPD Army Continuing Education System ACES Administrative Services Division ASD and the Army Substance Abuse Program ASAP The 1st Battalion 1st Infantry Regiment 1 1 INF and the 2d Army Aviation Detachment both stationed on nearby Stewart Army Subpost provide military training and aviation support to the USMA and the West Point Garrison Additionally active duty Army support such as recent field artillery training conducted at Camp Buckner in July 2017 is sometimes provided by the 10th Mountain Division based at Fort Drum NY 272 See also Edit Hudson Valley portal National Register of Historic Places portalUnited States Military Academy grounds and facilities List of monuments at the United States Military Academy Kosciuszko s Garden Army University U S Naval Academy U S Air Force Academy U S Coast Guard Academy U S Merchant Marine Academy Redoubt Four West Point West Point Cadets Sword West Point Band The Jazz KnightsNotes Edit Howard was later known for the founding of Howard University 261 Other consists of Multiracial Americans amp those who prefer to not say References EditCitations Edit a b About the Academy United States Military Academy Archived from the original on 3 May 2008 Retrieved 25 December 2008 a b Ambrose 1966 p 22 Gracia Jorge 3 June 2021 West Point promotes recognizes new Dean during COR ceremony dvidshub net USMA Commandant s Corner United States Military July 2014 Retrieved 4 November 2014 Army Now Down to 496 079 Army Times 6 May 2015 Retrieved 11 May 2015 Official Colors PDF United States Military Academy Style Guide 2 October 2014 SiteAssets USMA styleguide 10 02 2014 WEB pdf Archived PDF from the original on 2 October 2015 Retrieved 14 August 2019 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a Check archive url value help Wire S I Army unveils new name uniforms and logo in athletics rebrand SI com United States Military Academy West Point West Point Admissions Statistics www marshallscholarship org Retrieved 2 November 2020 US Rhodes Scholars Over Time www rhodeshouse ox ac uk Retrieved 2 November 2020 Crackel 1991 p 41 Palka 2008 p viii Crackel 1991 p 44 Hubbard Robert Ernest General Rufus Putnam George Washington s Chief Military Engineer and the Father of Ohio pp 64 72 McFarland 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