On 11 April 2015, the army lacrosse team visited Annapolis to face the midshipmen in a well-attended spring classic at the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. For those graduates and friends of army lacrosse, a visit to Annapolis by the army lacrosse team also means an exceptional tailgate organized by the West Point Society of Annapolis (WPSOA). This spring, the tailgate was hosted by the WPSOA, the Northern Chesapeake West Point Society (NCWPS) and the parents of the army lacrosse team. The event was also a joint service academy endeavor; WPSOA's Bob Opatovsky '70, a former army lacrosse player, teamed up with the USNA's Assistant Athletic Director, Carl Tamulevich, a former navy lacrosse player, to secure a prime spot for the tailgate.

The WPSOA advance party arrived at the tailgate location at 0900 to begin setting up the tents and tables. Shortly thereafter, members of the parents group and the NCWPS arrived with their goodies. With the large smoker grill fired up at 1030, the pre-game "light" tailgate began and lasted until game time. Although navy was victorious this year, the post-game "heavy" tailgate was a welcomed relief. In all, more than 300 attendees, including the army team and coaching staff, enjoyed themselves. Mission Barbecue, a local military-friendly establishment, donated enough pulled pork, brisket, sausage, baked beans and macaroni & cheese to more than satisfy the army team, while the hosts provided burgers, hot dogs, sides, desserts and drinks for everyone.

Photo: army lacrosse team members helping themselves to the outstanding barbecue donated by Mission Barbecue

On May 9, 2015, the West Point Society of Idaho held a 50-year class affiliation ceremony for the class of 2019 Idaho cadet candidates. Making the presentation was Mike Hulten, Class of 1969. Mike presented a stirring speech of days of old and provided sound advice to the Idaho cadet candidates.

Photo: L to R - Spencer Rich, Randy Foristiere, Andrew Young, Garrett Plant, Hannah Wentland, James Zimmerman, and Dan Whitfield

The WPS of Tallahassee hosted an informal luncheon recently to bring together New Cadet David Santos ’19 (who will play baseball for Army) with Cadet Zach Yopp ’18 and their most recent graduate, LT Jason Rho ’15. They were deliberately seated across from David, to best be able to provide him a great 2-hour "info dump" on all things West Point and from a contemporary perspective that the Old Grads of the society just don't have.

Photo: L to R - 2LT Rho ’15, CDT Yopp ’18, Eric Yopp, David Rich ’78, Dr. Santos, BG (USAF-R) Webb ’57, MAJ(R) Fairbank ’63, Cadet Santos ’19, and Scott Grant, President US Service Academy Parents Club, father of CPT Grant ’09 and LT Grant ’12

A special tip of the ol’ shako to LT Rho and Cadet Yopp, each forfeiting precious leave time to provide New Cadet Santos with valuable insights on what it means to be a West Point Cadet. LT Rho branched Engineers and is headed to Fort Leonard Wood upon completion of leave. Cadet Yopp successfully completed Air Assault training two days prior to this informal luncheon and only arrived home the night before. Both young men demonstrated the best of "service before self"

West Point Society of Northwest Florida Treasurer and Field Force member Chris Beam ’79 presents Ben Count with his certificate of admission as the latest member of the USMA Class of 2019.

On 8 May 2015, the West Point Society of Atlanta (WPSA) sponsored a luncheon commemorating end of WWII and the liberation of the Death Camps of the Nazi government of Germany.

Atlanta has a significant population of Death Camp survivors (about 80). Many of them have never spoken of the horrors they witnessed. There is a professor of history at Reinhardt University in NW Georgia (Dr. Theresa Ast) who wrote her PhD dissertation on the psychological effects on the American soldiers who liberated some of those camps. Dr. Ast spoke to their membership at a luncheon about five years ago and attended this luncheon as a guest of Don Smith ’75.  Norman Rosner ’59brought a lawyer associate (Hilbert “Hibby” Margol) as a guest. Norman has known Hibby for many years. Hibby was one of two American soldiers who discovered the Dachau camp in 1945.  The second was his twin brother, Howard.

Their featured speaker for the luncheon was Dr. Morton Waitzman, a PhD researcher on eye corneal problems at Emory University Hospital for many years. Dr. Waitzman was provided to us by the Breman Jewish Museum in Atlanta. Little did they know that these three people (Ast, Margol and Waitzman) would converge at the luncheon. Though Dr. Ast did not participate, a captivating joint discussion ensued between Dr. Waitzman and Hibby Margol creating more than an hour of spell-binding history opened for those who were not old enough to have heard about it contemporaneously.

Dr. Waitzman was a young enlisted soldier who stomped ashore at Normandy with the 29th Infantry Division at Omaha Beach on D-Day. Actually, he went ashore 30 minutes before H-Hour for the first wave with a small cadre of engineers to cut their way through the booby-trapped obstacles. Waitzman was fluent in French and the principal in an effort to establish radio contact with the French resistance forces inland.

His radio mission accomplished, he joined his company when it finally came ashore and he walked, rode on trucks, tanks, (anything with wheels) from Normandy to Germany, participating in the siege of Brest and the break out at St. Lo along the way.  When they reached Germany some 300 days later, Dr. Waitzman, now the proud possessor of a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star, was a member of the units that opened up two forced labor camps, thus witnessing horrors unimaginable to any of them.

For the next 50 years Dr. Waitzman refused to talk about his experiences. At that point he realized that if he did not talk about them, there were entire generations who would never hear about the Holocaust from someone who witnessed it first-hand. He is now over 90 years old and has been talking about it for twenty years.

Enter Hibby Margol. He came ashore via Winston Churchill’s “Soft Underbelly of France” with the 42nd Infantry Division in November, 1944. As a field artilleryman, he rode more than he walked from the Mediterranean to Germany, eventually winding up at the town of Dachau a few miles from Munich. He and a fellow soldier (his twin brother, Howard) were walking along a road in an artillery battery firing position when they smelled something strange and foreign to the senses – sort of like burning chicken feathers. They walked through a woods and across a small rise, crossed a set of railroad tracks lined with cars containing cadavers,. and confronted the death camp at Dachau.

Also present was Irv Schoenberg ’48 and his wife, Ann.  They work with a group that reunites families split asunder by the Holocaust. With the information they presented and the back and forth between Dr. Waitzman and Hibby Margol, what was billed as a luncheon with a speaker turned into a seminar on aspects of the holocaust unknown to any attendees.

Photo: Dr Morton Waitzman and Hilbert Margol

The West Point Society of Atlanta (WPSA) has had an active luncheon program for more than 25 years. John Petty ’61 started the program in the early 1990’s. John was joined by Don Reinhard ’59 after about three years; when John bowed out, Don carried on for the next twenty plus years. WPSA sponsored over 100 luncheons and special events during that period of time, including many notable speakers on a variety of subjects, most of historical significance; many speakers were actual participants in the events they discussed, many others were first person witnesses. In no particular order, the following list is a sampling of significant speakers and topics:

• LTC(R) Charles Dryden (“A-Train”) from the second class of Tuskegee Airmen.
• BG Michael Greene ’41, point man for Third Army when it closed off the Bulge and met First Army at Houffalize, Belgium.
• General Brent Pope, USAF Retired ’46 who flew the first unarmed aerial recon mission over Soviet territory in an RF-80 out of northern Japan in 1950.
• The Secret Service Agent who hustled President Reagan into the limo and on to the hospital the day he was shot in March 1981. 
• LTG Lewis Truman ’32 who was standing on the golf course at Hickam Field and watched the Japanese fly over as they attacked Pearl Harbor. He also accompanied his cousin, President Harry S. Truman, to the Potsdam Conference in 1945.
• Jim Starnes (LCDR, USNR), navigator who took the USS Missouri into Tokyo Bay for the surrender ceremony in September 1945. Jim was Officer of the Deck, the only armed man present, and responsible for bringing the Japanese delegation aboard and their safety during the event.
• “Dutch” van Kirk (Maj, USAR), navigator of the Enola Gay on its mission to drop the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima.

The latest in the long succession of luncheons took place on 9 June 2015 when WPSA sponsored an event recognizing all successful candidates for the five US Government military academies – USMA, USNA, USAFA, USCGA, and USMMA. The luncheon immediately followed a gala send-off on the Georgia Capitol Building steps by Governor Nathan Deal. WPSA has sponsored this day of recognition for more than ten years. They had 287 attendees from all over Georgia, including the following new cadets/midshipmen: USMA-29; USNA-16; USAFA-10; USCGA-7; USMMA-2. This was an all-time record for attendance at any luncheon, eclipsed by only two Founders’ Day Dinners and the College Football Hall of Fame Gala sponsored in September 2014 when the Supe spoke.

Photo: Joe Perdue ’89 - President WPSA and MG Brady

The speaker was MG(R) Patrick Henry Brady. MG Brady is a recipient of the Medal of Honor for action during the Viet Nam War as a Medevac helicopter pilot, call sign “Dust Off.” Resplendent and dignified in his Blue Mess uniform that appropriately displayed “The Medal,” ramrod straight and every inch the epitome of a soldier, he lived up to his namesake and gave a rousing speech. The candidates hung on his every word as he talked about the significant responsibility they were about to assume for the future of the Republic. Duty... Honor... Country... Valor... Courage... Patriotism... Dedication... Loyalty... all the attributes expected of a “Soldier” standing in defense of the nation - these were the words he used in his charge to the next generation. The wife of a Society member said “Now THAT was a speech that every new cadet should hear before entering an academy!”

On Thursday, June 25th, the West Point Society of Chicago kicked off its summer networking happy hour series at Rittergut Wine Bar and Social Club with over 25 graduates, including their newest member from the class of 2010, Will Schuh.

New Society President Joe Mislinski ’78 welcomed new members and gave a brief overview of upcoming events, including an Army-Navy golf outing at Cantigny (home of the 1st Division Museum), and a visit to Chicago and workshop by the Army Boxing team. Kevin Kelley ’76, head of the Chicago Public Schools JROTC program, informed attendees of the service opportunities available to help mentor and develop students in the program. Trey McClure ’90 gave a “soft yes” to a JROTC repelling trip the next day up to southern Wisconsin, but no further word if Trey actually yelled “Air Assault” as he descended the mountain with cadets watching.

In order to increase the value of the Society’s networking happy hours, each event has been paired with a professional development aspect. This month, Justin Walker, Navy Seal and founder of PST Solutions, led a workshop on mental mindset training and self-awareness. During the exercise, Justin worked with attendees to identify and solution the mental barriers that hold most people back from meeting their goals, and he helped individuals create a list of ways to build strong mental habits.

Lastly, all members of the Society congratulated Geoff Murray ’07 as he heads to the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan in August to begin graduate school. The Society’s next happy hour event is July 26th and will focus on presentation and speaking skills. The Brief Lab, a communications-consulting firm, will host a workshop on how to gain and hold people’s attention in a world of constant data and information. All Society members are welcome!

Photo: Justin Walker, Navy Seal and founder of PST Solutions, Joe Mislinski ’78, Society President, and Kevin Kelley ’76 pose for a picture at the West Point Society of Chicago June happy hour

The admissions cycle for the class of 2019 ended. We had a total of 12 offers of appointment plus one USMAPS offer of appointment. In total, eight accepted appointments and also 1 accepting the prep offer.
USMA - (Brett Becia, Randy Foristiere - Capital HS) | (Garrett Plant, Hannah Wentland, Andrew Young - Rocky Mountain HS) | (Dan Whitfield - Eagle HS) | (Thomas Zagula, Rigby HS) | (James Zimmerman - Marion Military Institute AL)
USMAPS - Spencer Rich, Rocky Mtn HS
Graduating Cadets Class of 2015- Warren Bunde, Pocatello | Sarah Hill, Military Family stationed in DC | Austin Hunt, Tessa Knight, Aaron Proctor, Ben Shields, Mitxel Totorica, Sam Zakarian-Boise | Jeff Olsen, Caldwell | Branden Pritchett, Meridian

Founders day was celebrated on March 7. There were 56 attendees. The senior grad present was LTG Jim Thompson ’50, the youngest was CPT Pete Guerdan ’06. The West Point special guest speaker was COL Jim Robinette ’87 and the mc was John Buehler ’94. A great time was had by all.
Class role call: Jim Thompson ’50, Jim Robinette ’87, Al Gomez ’79, Aryn Davis ’95, Liz Kent ’06, Pete Guerdan ’06, James Maloney ’57, Jim North ’83, Sarah Draper ’95, John Shaw ’85, Mike Maloney ’61, Stan Pederson ’88, Joe Shea ’59, Dave Hall ’78, Lloyd Brown ’65, Dennis Mansfield ’78, Joe Whitfield ’78, Mac Hartley ’67, Darrel Mooney ’67, Ernie Weyand ’87, Everett Wohlers ’67, and John Buehler ’94.

On 11 April, the Idaho West Point Parents Club hosted a New Comers Welcome Luncheon in Boise for the parents and cadet candidates for the class of 2019. Another grand event and thanks to Annette Konecni for a job well done. Thanks to all who attended and supported.

The West Point Society of Hampton Roads (Virginia) celebrated the 240th birthday of the United States Army with an in-game picnic and Class of 2019 “meet and greet” at Harbor Park in Norfolk, VA on 14 June 2015. Incoming members of the Class of ’19 were introduced to the assembled crowd on the field prior to the game.

The ceremony began with a reminder that the Continental Congress authorized the creation of the Continental Army under the command of General George Washington on June 14, 1775.  The master of ceremonies noted that the United States Army has served the nation with honor for 240 years. He asked that all soldier in attendance, past and present, Active Army, National Guard, and Army Reserve, stand to be recognized. The crowd responded with a standing ovation.

The announcer then recognized four outstanding young Americans who received appointments USMA. Mr. Joseph Ellison - Portsmouth Christian School in Portsmouth | Mr. Caleb Parsons from - Kings Fork High School | Mr. Pieter Honig - Ocean Lakes High School | Ms. Peyton Fancher - Norfolk Collegiate School. A fifth member of the Class of 2019 was unable to attend. Chan Kim - Menchville High School. The crowd enthusiastically welcomed the new members of the West Point Class of 2019  while they remained on the field for the playing of the National Anthem. WPSHR Vice President Michael McGurk ’85 provided some information about each cadet before WPSHR President Bob Alexander ’68 and Treasurer Joy Gibbon ’83 provided each a scholarship check, and Jay Harper, ’69 presented each incoming cadet with a 50 Year Class of ’69 Certificate of Affiliation.

After the introductions and presentations, the Greyest Grad, Ed Hart ’54, and the Greenest Grad, Al Costello ’94, rendered the Army birthday cake edible. This was the third year they celebrated the Army birthday with an incoming class Meet and Greet, and will likely do it again in 2016. The outing was memorable and all had a good time.

Photos compliments of Michael McGurk ’85

The West Point Society of El Paso held a candidate luncheon honoring local men and women selected for admission to USMA and USMAPS. Local admissions coordinator Webster "Dave" Powell gave a nice address at council and did a great job introducing the selectees to the luncheon crowd. The future cadets heard advice from old grads from a 60-year span 1951 to 2011!

On June 26, 2015, The Village at Gainesville, FL, gathered a group of U.S. veterans for a picture. All services were represented and 47 men and women of their total 170 veterans at The Village of 700 total residents attended proudly.

West Point residents Bob Johnson, Class of ’41 & Lou Berra, Class of ’61 are in the picture also. Bob Johnson is in the left rear row with his Army officer hat with scramble eggs on the bill. Lou Berra is in the middle holding his ARMY (USMA colors) flag wearing an Army cap in the front row.

A rainy day proved to be the perfect day for an indoor picnic. O’Toole’s Restaurant & Pub has catered their annual summer picnic for many years, always serving a great BBQ buffet. In addition, a few years ago they changed the picnic venue from an outdoor location (with heat, bugs, and occasional rain) to indoor, air conditioned clubhouses, with O’Toole’s continuing to provide the food. This year, they decided to take the picnic directly to O’Toole’s. John O’Toole, who has been a long-time friend of the West Point Society, opened up a back area of his restaurant, with televisions, a bountiful and tasty buffet, and their own servers. Fifteen Society members enjoyed this special venue, and the set-up provided ample opportunity for people to visit. Importantly, they had several new faces at the picnic, which was very positive to see. Everyone enjoyed the new location, so this may well become their new picnic home. They would like to thank John and Matt O’Toole again for taking such good care of them.

The West Point Society of Idaho is hot on the admissions mission for the class of 2020, yes 2020. They are currently are battle tracking 58 candidates and this year looks to be another competitive group. Of these candidates, 10 were selected for the summer leadership experience (SLE) at WP. Three candidates are recruited athletes and we have identified several candidates for early action.

There has been several new additions to the Idaho Admissions Field Force Team. First is CPT Pete Guerdan '06. MAJ Steve Keeton, Officer Strength Mgr. for the Idaho Army National Guard. He is the National Guard rep. They currently have three former IDARNG soldiers now as WP cadets. Lastly, they have added Annette Konecni, President of the Idaho West Point parents clubs. She will be attending the WP Field Forces Conference 10-14 Aug.

On 29 June, they celebrated R-Day for the class of 2019 in Boise at the Riverside Hotel 'Sandbar.' There was around 40 participants to include alumni, parents of cadets and candidates and their parents.

Al Gomez ’79 society president, had lunch with Cadet Colt Sterk '17. He is in the AFA for an exchange semester. He is on the Army boxing team. They know him because he has beaten all AF boxers who stood before him. Colt just finished up as first detail squad leader for Beast. He reports to all old grads that the Corps is still strong and standards are high. There are standing rules of engagement on how training is conducted but it remains effective. The Corps and the US Army's future are in good hands.

The West Point Society of Upstate South Caroline successfully completed their first Swamp Rabbit 12 mile March Back on August 8^th in honor of the Class of 2019. They had over 20 participants!

On 23 August, the West Point Society of Annapolis (WPSOA) hosted it's annual Picnic and Crab Feast at the Fairwinds Community Pavilion, Severna Park, MD, to welcome the fall exchange cadets to the Annapolis area. The seven exchange cadets, all from the class of 2017 will spend the fall semester at the Naval Academy in Annapolis. In all, more than 70 guests attended the event and welcomed the cadets who enjoyed a picnic consisting of hot dogs, bratwursts, hamburgers and Maryland steamed crabs -- of course some of the cadets were given instruction on how to properly eat the crabs. WPSOA President Steve Heinecke addressed the assemblage, explained the annual tradition and asked the cadets to introduce themselves. After introducing themselves to the assembled guests, the cadets went boating on the Severn River before heading back to the Naval Academy.

Photo: From left to right, cadets Alyssa Chapman, Mario Contreras, Jake Ashcraft, Michael Mooradian, Jack Dingle, Daniel O'Conor and Andrew Matos

The West Point Society of Southwest Virginia held its annual Summer Social on 22 August at the Virginia Mountain Vineyard. Twenty-four members gathered to celebrate the coming end of summer, the pleasure of each other’s company, and to hear a report on the latest from school. Society president, Bob Adams, ’68 and Board Member, Dick Raymond, USNA ’54 reported on what they learned at the Leadership Conference the week before. The gathering got a chuckle from Bob’s recounting of the Superintendent’s reaction to being asked a question by a Naval Academy grad at the conclusion of his informative talk. A good time was had by all.

They are looking forward to The Moving Wall that is coming to the Salem VA Medical Center the 16th of September for four day and the up-coming service project supporting Rebuilding Together - Roanoke on Saturday, 26 September.

"Officers of the Fort Carson Sponsorship Unit, the 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, attended the West Point Society of the Pikes Peak Region (WPSPPR) Oath of Affirmation Ceremony for the Class of 2017 West Point Exchange Cadets attending the U.S. Air Force Academy during the fall semester on 28 August 2015.

“Our mission is to promote and support the goals and ideals of West Point,” said Stover James, President of the he West Point Society of the Pikes Peak Region. “We serve on Service Academy Congressional Nomination Panels; work with Service Academy Admissions Representatives; sponsor the annual Junior Officer of the Year (JOY) Award at Fort Carson; support soldiers, units, and military families; host various charitable and other kinds of supportive and social events; help military veterans in their transition from the military; work in coordination with the Denver West Point Society and with graduates and alumni societies of the other Service Academies in Colorado; and, sponsor and support the West Point Exchange Cadets here at the U.S. Air Force Academy.”

The seven exchange cadets from the West Point Class of 2017 are attending the fall semester of their junior year at USAFA as part of the annual Service Academy Exchange Program. “When one starts his or her third year at West Point and all the Service Academies, one incurs a service commitment to the military” said James, who graduated from West Point in 1976. “All of the Academies conduct a ceremony to mark and celebrate this important milestone as the cadets affirm their commitment. Our Exchange Cadets could not be at West Point to participate in the West Point Oath of Affirmation Ceremony with their classmates - conducted on 16 August 2015 this year - so we host a ceremony for them every year here at the Air Force Academy.”

As part of the ceremony, Fifty-Year Class Affiliation Coins were presented to the cadets by graduates of the West Point Class of 1967. Even though the ceremony was not held at West Point, Joshua Reed, Class of 2017 West Point Exchange Cadet, said it was still an important moment because of who he was able to share it with. “I got to share it with some of my best friends,” said Reed, a native of Denver, Colorado. “Just to know that we are going through this together, get to serve together, and go through the great and rough moments together.”

The partnership between the Air Force Academy and Fort Carson allows for a truly unique learning environment for the exchange cadets. “It is our honor to have a part in their professional development,” said Lt. Col. Joseph Ewers, commander, 2nd Bn., 23rd Inf. Reg., 1st SBCT, 4th Inf. Div. “I think any exposure that you can have as a cadet to an actual real-life Army organization, whether from a training or social perspective, is only going to make them better leaders.”

On 1 September 2015, the West Point Society of Annapolis (WPSOA) and members of the Class of 1967 (50-year Affiliation Class) conducted an Affirmation Ceremony for the 7 exchange cadets from the Class of 2017. The exchange cadets are at the USNA for the fall semester and were unable to join their class in their Affirmation Ceremony held at West Point.

The ceremony took place at O'Brien's Oyster House and Restaurant in Annapolis, where the WPSOA holds its monthly dinners with the exchange cadets. WPSOA President Steve Heinecke began the ceremony by explaining the significance of the Affirmation Ceremony. Steve then introduced LTC (R) Dean P. Risseeuw, Class of 1967, who the addressed the assemblage before administering the Oath of Affirmation to the exchange cadets. Following the oath, members of the Class of 1967 presented the cadets with their Commemorative Coins before the attendees congratulated the cadets.

Photo: The exchange cadets and members of the Class of 1967

For the past seven years, the West Point Society of North Florida has honored the soldiers and officers who were killed or died of disease during the Second Seminole War, and whose remains are buried under the three pyramids in St. Augustine's National Cemetery. This year the Society teamed up with the Seminole Wars Foundation, the Dade Battlefield Society, and the St. Augustine 450th Military Commemoration Committee to organize a special event in conjunction with St. Augustine's 450th anniversary. The overarching goals were to increase public awareness of the Second Seminole War and its impact on the early development of Florida and the United States, and to highlight the vital role West Point graduates played in it.

The commemoration's centerpiece was the re-enactment of the 1842 parade and ceremony that marked the termination of the war and honored those who sacrificed in it. The war had begun in December, 1865, when Seminole Indians ambushed and destroyed a column of 108 regular army troops commanded by Major F. L. Dade (of Dade Monument fame). Five of the seven officers killed were West Point graduates, including the 1st Commandant of Cadets, Captain G. W. Gardiner. Colonel W. J. Worth, the 4th Commandant and commanding officer in Florida, ordered the remains of these men, and hundreds of others who had been buried throughout Florida over the war's nearly seven years, escorted through the streets of St. Augustine in a poignantly impressive funeral procession, where they were re-interred under three pyramids in the then gardens of St. Francis Barracks. Full Story»

This photo collage is from West Point Society Tennessee Valley tailgate and game viewing at Buffalo Wild Wings for Army vs. UCONN. They have a big tailgate party and viewing each week that the West Point Army game is televised.