CPT Nathaniel Sheehan attended The Society of American Military Engineers (SAME) Joint Engineer Training Conference (JETC) in Kansas City, MO recently. The JETC features education and training opportunities designed for professional growth and collaboration to find solutions to national security needs. CPT Sheehan attended JETC as an award recipient of a Young Member Stipend from the SAME Young Member national council as well as a representative of the USMA SAME Student Chapter. He utilized this opportunity to increase knowledge of and impact of the USMA SAME Student chapter initiatives and grow the bench professional USMA instructors and cadets can utilize for future mentorship and service. The culminating events of the conference included an Engineering Service Chiefs Panel, Joint Engineer Table Top Exercise and the SAME Society Ball & Awards Gala.
SAME Annual Joint Engineer Training Conference
DE-JTO 2018 Annual Review
COL John Hartke '88 traveled to Albuquerque, NM to participate in the Joint Directed Energy Transition Office (DE-JTO) Annual Review. COL Hartke serves as the DE-JTO chairman for the Advanced Concepts Technical Area Working Group (AC-TAWG). At the Annual Review COL Hartke presented two briefs. One summarized the high energy laser research efforts at USMA funded by DE-JTO; the other was a summary of AC-TAWG's work over the last year. He also took part in DE-JTO leader's meeting where he represented AC-TAWG and the Army during the discussions about the research and development strategy for FY19.
SOSH Graduation Awards
The Department of Social Sciences (SOSH) recently hosted its annual Graduation Awards Ceremony. The event recognized academic and extracurricular excellence among cadets and featured award presentations from more than a half-dozen distinguished guests. During the reception immediately following the ceremony, faculty enjoyed the chance to congratulate cadets and socialize with their families.
Photo: Danny Nguyen receives the CPT John Ryan Dennison Iron Legacy Award from CPT Dennison’s parents, Jack and Shannon Dennison
Winant Scholars Start their AIAD
This year's Winant Scholars started their summer course examining U.S. and U.K. grand strategy during WWII and the "special relationship" that developed between the two countries. They traveled to the FDR library to learn about conducting archival research and begin primary source research for their first paper. This orientation and familiarization is in preparation for more extensive research at the National Archives in College Park, MD for their final paper this summer. The cadets officially begin their Academic Individual Advanced Development (AIAD) flying to London for two weeks before spending a week in D.C.
West Point History of Warfare 2018 Award
The West Point History of the American Revolution, a print volume based on chapters from the digital West Point History of Warfare used by cadets in HI301, received a Distinguished Writing Award from the Army Historical Foundation. The previously published West Point History of the Civil War and The West Point History of World War II received the same award in 2014 and 2016. As with those previous awards, the editors (Prof. Cliff Rogers, Col. Ty Seidule, and Prof. Sam Watson) are donating the $1,000 prize to the Association of Graduates.
Cadets Fare Well at the Combat Diver Qualification Course
Five Cadets continue Army combat diver training after a challenging pool week at Combat Diver Qualification Course 004-18. Department of Social Sciences (SOSH) instructor, MAJ Zachary Griffiths, is simultaneously attending the Combat Dive Supervisor Course and continues to take in valuable lessons to improve the train up for next year. Cadets performed well in one of the Army's most challenging courses that dropped 55% of students. Cadets Benn, Donnan, Hoyes, Morello, and Russell are expected to graduate following their success at the "one-man" event. About 50% of students pass the rigorous test, which pits student breath holds against simulated rough surf and fouled regulators.
Faculty Attend the 4th MG Fugh Symposium
LTC Winston Williams and MAJ Ronald Alcala attended the 4th Major General John L. Fugh Symposium. The topic of this year's symposium was "Future Conflict." During this event, LTC Williams presented remarks on the nature of future armed conflicts and the sufficiency of the law to regulate these conflicts. Also, the symposium provided LTC Williams and MAJ Alcala the opportunity to informally meet with head legal advisors from Uganda, Malawi, Nigeria, Colombia, and Mexico. Much of these informal discussions covered the application of human rights law and the law of armed conflict to military operations against non-state actors like Boko Haram and drug cartels in Central America. This symposium is named in honor of MG John L. Fugh who was the Army Judge Advocate General from 1991 to 1993. He was the first Chinese-American to become a general officer in the United State Army.
CALDOL Hosts DHS LEAD Program
The Center for the Advancement of Leader Development and Organizational Learning (CALDOL) hosted the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Investigations New York’s Leadership, Education and Development (LEAD) Program. The LEAD program grooms select individuals who have demonstrated a capacity and desire for leadership roles within the DHS. These law enforcement professionals go through a tailored leadership development program, which includes special developmental opportunities from outside organizations, such as CALDOL. DHS Special Agents in attendance received an insider’s tour of West Point and an afternoon of leadership development activities, including a dog tag exercise, leadership in action story telling session, and a discussion on third generation leadership.
CDTs Suarez & Stephens Poster Presented at APS-DAMOP
Dr. David O. Kashinski was TDY in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, attending the 49th annual meeting of the American Physical Society’s Division of Atomic Molecular and Optical Physics (APS-DAMOP), where he presented a peer-reviewed poster summarizing progress made on col-laborative research during AY2018. The project is titled “DFT Calculation of the Renner Coefficient for the Renner-Teller Splitting in the NCO radical: Assessing the accuracy of functional families and basis sets”, and is a part of an ongoing collaboration with ARL-WMRD. Cadets M. G. Suarez and C. C. Stephens (both CLS, ‘19), as well as Dr. E. F. C. Byrd (ARL-WMRD), are co-authors on the project. The meeting was successful. Dr. Kashinski was able to meet and discuss topics of interest with current collaborators as well as make con-nections with peers doing similar work at AFRL and USAFA. He was also able to advise groups interested in accessing DoD-HPCMP resources for DoD-supported projects. Dr. Kashinski acknowledges and thanks the DoD-HPCMP for continued computer time and travel support and resources.
Happy Birthday U.S. Army
June 14, 1775 America's Army was founded when our nation's leaders established the Continental Army. Today, the Army is the strategic land power of the joint force, at its core, selfless soldiers. Never wavering. Never faltering. 243 years of defending our great Nation. Happy Birthday, United States Army!!
MAJ Zapf & 2LT Peltier Featured in Small Wars Journal
The online publication Small Wars Journal featured an article by MAJ Andrew Zapf and recent graduate 2LT Joshua Peltier. The article, entitled “Security Sector Reform and the Popular Mobilization Forces in Iraq” ex-amines some of the implications of Iraq’s transition from a burgeoning nation at war to a functioning nation-state. The article drew on research conducted using the Dean’s Faculty Research Funds (FRF), a related LN490 Language and Culture Capstone project by 2LT Joshua Peltier ’17, and MAJ Zapf’s research trip to the Office of Security Cooperation – Iraq Tribal Engagement Coordination Cell in the Summer of 2017. The article combines Arabic language skills, cultural understanding, and regional expertise – all pillars of the Department of Foreign Languages (DFL) – reflecting on the value of DFL Faculty development and DFL Language major curriculum in addressing multi-faceted problems facing today’s Army. http://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art/security-sector-reform-and-popular-mobilization-forces-iraq
LTC Breuer & SGM Engel Award Gold GAFB
LTC Michael Breuer, the German Liaison Officer to the United States Military Academy, and SGM Stefan Engel awarded the German Armed Forces Proficiency Badge (GAFB), (Gold) to four members of the USMA Faculty, four Columbian exchange Cadets, and two Polish exchange Cadets in front of Washington Statue. The USMA Faculty included LTC Zachary Miller, MAJ Leland Case, and MAJ Andrew Zapf from the Department of Foreign Languages, who received the award after months of training, testing, and camaraderie.
Rosoff, Burggraaf Named ABCA/Rawlings All-Region
Two cadet-athletes from the Army West Point baseball team have been selected to the 2018 American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA)/Rawlings NCAA Div. I All-Region team. The teams are voted on by members of the American Baseball Coaches Association and the process is led by the ABCA NCAA Div. I All-America Committee. Newly commissioned 2LT Jon Rosoff and rising firstie Daniel Burggraaf were honored after being named to the first and second team, respectively, for the Northeast Region. Rosoff and Burggraaf are the first two Black Knights selected to the all-region teams since the 2015 season when right-handed pitcher Alex Robinett was tabbed to the first team.
Rosoff, who was named the Patriot League Player of the Year while also garnering his second-straight All-Patriot League First Team praise, led the conference with 47 runs batted in. He also finished tied for first with 73 hits, second with 95 total bases, third with a batting average of .340, fourth with 15 doubles and an on-base percentage of .430. The Durham, N.C., native also helped the Black Knights' pitching staff post the second-best earned run average in the conference (4.08) while throwing out a league-best 18 runners trying to steal.
Burggraaf was a dominate force for Army on the mound this season, holding the second-lowest ERA on the team at 2.90. He compiled seven wins in 17 appearances. After being converted from a closer position to a starter, the righty made 11 starts, while finishing with 62.0 innings on the mound. He added one complete game and three saves to his cow year accolades. Opponents were batting just .213 against the Belfair, Wash., native. Burggraaf garnered All-Patriot League second team honors after striking out 83 batters on the year, including a team-high 53 during conference play alone. Read More
Winant Scholars London Studies
The Winant Scholars finished the London portion of their studies. They visited the command and control center for the RAF during the Battle of Britain, toured Parliament, visited Winston Churchill’s estate, spent a day at the Imperial War Museum, and visited Bletchley Park where code breakers deciphered Nazi messages. They also met with Dr. Niall Barr, a Senior Lecturer in the Defense Studies Department of King’s College and author of Eisenhower’s Armies: The American-British Alliance During World War II. Throughout the week, cadets continued their rigorous reading and discussions, equivalent to two lessons per day.
Assistant Prof Kofoed Feature in Inside Higher Ed
Building on his recent mention in the Wall Street Journal’s economics blog, Assistant Professor Mike Kofoed’s research was also featured in Inside Higher Ed, a digital publication focused on serving the higher education community. The article discusses correlating trends between government assistance and tuition costs.
“Kofoed, the West Point researcher, noted that about one in three veterans has used the Post-9/11 benefit to attend for-profit colleges, spending about 40 percent of GI Bill dollars at these institutions. He and his fellow researchers say lawmakers should consider the behavior of for-profits when designing future financial aid programs.”
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2018/05/29/study-profits-raise-tuition-post-911-gi-bill-benefit-grows
ABET Program Evaluator Training
The Department of Physics and Nucklear Engineering (PaNE) had one member of the Nuclear Engineering Program complete ABET Program Evaluator (PEV) training at ABET HQ in Baltimore, MD. The Engineering Accred-itation Commission PEV certification consists of an online portion, a face to face training and then program specific tasks with the American Nuclear Society. Having LTC Ron Hasz become PEV certified facilitates the NE program continuing to stay in compliance with ABET accreditation criterion and facilitates continuous im-provement within the program. As a PEV is selected by ABET to do an accreditation visit, this also gives a chance for our PEV certified members to have an inside look at other NE programs to see their best practices.
Note: The Department of Physics and Nuclear Engineering has 67 cadets on AIADs to 29 locations. Seven cadets are traveling to foreign locations.
Prof Rogers Conference to Faculty
Prof. Cliff Rogers gave a conference paper entitled “How Ancient and Medieval Military History Contribute to Developing Modern Military Officers” at the Estonian War Museum/Estonian National Defence College Con-ference, “The Past: A Soldier’s Guide for the Present? Experience, History and Theory in Military Education,” in Tartu, Estonia. Additionally, Prof. Rogers gave a "Battle Seminar" on the battle of Agincourt (1415) to tactics faculty at the Baltic Defence College. He also hosted a session to introduce interested BDC faculty to the West Point History of Warfare.
Women’s Swimming & Diving Earns Academic Honors
The Army West Point women's swimming and diving team was honored for its work in the classroom during the spring semester by being named to the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Scholar All-America list on Tuesday afternoon.
The CSCAA recognizes teams with the Scholar All-America Award for achieving a grade-point average of 3.0 or higher. With a combined GPA of 3.22, Army was one of eight Patriot League schools to be recognized with the award and received the honor for the second consecutive semester.
Marie Docken (4.1), Serica Hallstead (4.1) and Kim Caccamo (4.0) held the top GPAs on a Black Knight squad that had over 20 Cadets carry a GPA over 3.2.
To view the full list of schools named Scholar All-America, Click Here.
Meet the Newest Members of the Long Gray Line
On June 15, 2018, 12 cadets became second lieutenants in the U.S. Army upon graduating from West Point - The U.S. Military Academy. After receiving their diploma, Three members of the 50 Year affiliate class of 1968 handed each graduate their 2LT bars.
Hats off to the June graduates of the Class of 2018. Well done!
Class of 2018 June Graduates: Megan A. Bryn, Sara K. Emsley, Ruby G. Garcia, Denis D. Glinski, Spencer D. Goldstein, Kameron E. Grubaugh, Caroline A. Harris, Leslie Mitlassou, Said A. Ruelas-Outlaw, Mitchell A. Sanderson, Vanessa A. Wesley and Chelsea N. Zerman.
The 50 Year affiliates: Dr. Thomas K. Jewell '68, COL(R) Patrick A. Toffler Sr. '68 and Mr. John A. Dodson '62.
Cadets Earn Recondo Badges
Congratulations to the following cadets on earning their Recondo badges this summer!
CDT O'brien, Charles; CDT Lowery, Jeremiah C; CDT Wallace, Noah R, CDT Bayles, Wesley R; CDT Leisle, Michael C; CDT Mazzanti, Luca C; CDT Morgan, Jacob E; CDT Haug, Luke F; CDT Abercrombie, Bailey R; and CDT Daines, Zachary K
The events to earn this badge included Land Navigation, a 6-mile Ruck March, completing the Anzio Obstacle Course, earning 30/40 on M4 Rifle qualifications, completing the APFT, a 5-mile run, the Marne Obstacle Course, the Water Obstacle Course, and disassembly and reassembly of the M4 and M240B Squad Automatic Weapon.