WEST POINT, N.Y. - After shattering his career best mark en route to a first place finish on pommel horse in Saturday's tri-meet with Springfield and William & Mary, Army senior gymnast Connor Venrick has been named the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Specialist of the Week.
Venrick tied for the top spot on pommel horse with a mark of 14.900, surpassing his previous career best of 14.650 set in last year's dual with Springfield.
In addition to his top mark on pommel, the Centennial, Colo., native also earned first on still rings, posting a score of 13.900 to best the field of Army, Springfield and William & Mary gymnasts. Read More
Men’s Volleyball:
Team Handball (Women):
On 28 Feb., nineteen cadets from the West Point Climbing Team traveled to the Gravity Vault in Chatham, NJ, for the 3rd CCS local Climbing Com-petition
Women’s Boxing:
Equestrian:
Opera Forum:
Cadet Community of Civil Military Operations:
Pipes & Drums:
Society of Women Engineers:
Spectrum:
Skeet & Trap:
Tae Kwon Do:
Ethics of War Conference (Upcoming Event) On 27 and 28 March (Friday and Saturday), West Point will host the second annual conference on the ethics of war, a joint project between West Point and Villanova University. The conference will feature the work of some of the most renowned experts in the field as well as undergraduates from West Point and Villanova University. Nigel Biggar, Richard B. Miller, Fiona Robinson, and Jeremy Waldron will each address plenary sessions while Michael Walzer will provide the keynote address. The conference is a rare opportunity for officers and Cadets to discuss these urgent and complex issues with civilian experts and students. For more information, please go to 
West Point Initiative Visits Vassar College. On 27 February, as part of the DEP-sponsored West Point-Vassar Initiative, twenty-two Cadets traveled to Vassar College in Poughkeepsie for training and fellowship opportunities. Cadets enrolled in EP394: Shakespeare participated in an acting workshop conducted by Ben Warwick and Annie Aldington, two members of Actors from the London Stage (AFTLS), a touring ensemble of five British actors. Meanwhile, another group of Cadets participated in Title IX/Sexual Assault prevention and intervention training with Vassar College students. Vassar College students then took all of the Cadets on a tour of the college's library, followed by a group dinner and AFTLS's performance of Shakespeare's Macbeth at Vassar's Martel Theater. Following evening social activities, a small group of Cadets remained overnight in the Vassar College dormitories with student hosts. The next morning these Cadets and their hosts gathered for a group breakfast before concluding the exchange. This weekend visit reciprocates a visit made by students of Vassar College to West Point this past fall, and it follows upon numerous other events designed to bridge the civil-military divide.
The History Department hosted another successful “Night at the Movies” event on 18 February 2015. It featured a viewing and discussion, facilitated by Professor Jen Kiesling, of the 1957 Stanley Kubrick film, Paths of Glory. The film, starring Kirk Douglas, is an examination of the nature of courage and the effects of poor leadership. Douglas’s character is given the task of defending soldiers forced to stand trial for cowardice in order to save face in the wake of a failed assault.
On 19 February 2015, CPT Mark Ehlers and LTC David Siry gave a presentation to the Hellcats of the USMA Band that drew attention to the importance of field music in armies of the American Civil War. The following day, the Hellcats, accompanied by Civil War reenactors, returned the favor by playing bugle, fife and drum calls for cadets enrolled in HI395, History of Civil War America. The cadets found the demonstration to be a valuable supplement to their study of the political, social, and military experience of the American Civil War.
LTC Rick Black served as the guest speaker for the 2015 Black History Month Ceremony at Ebenezer Baptist Church in the City of Newburgh on Sunday 22 February. The ceremony was also attended by the local chapter of the Buffalo Soldiers Motorcycle Club as well as SSG (R) Sanders Matthews, who was a member of the 10th Cavalry Regiment at West Point from 1939-1945. LTC Black’s remarks focused on local black history with a military connection. He spoke about Will Lee, who was a slave belonging to George Washington and served as Washington’s enlisted aide throughout the American Revolution. He also spoke about the 369th Infantry Regiment, more popularly known as the “Harlem Hellfighters.” The talk concluded with a look at the 9th and 10th Cavalry Buffalo Soldiers, highlighting not only their accomplishments in the American west during the post-Civil War era, but also their contributions here at West Point, primarily in the instruction of cadets in horsemanship from 1907 until 1946.
On 27 February 2015, MAJ Brett Lea took the Royal Military College of Canada Men’s Volleyball Team and its coaches on an historical tour of Trophy Point and Fort Putnam. The players braved three feet of snow to reach Putnam's heights and take in the beauty of the Hudson River Valley. Once there, the group enjoyed a discussion about the circumstances surrounding Benedict Arnold’s treasonous attempt to deliver the fortifications at West Point to the British during the American Revolution. The team was here to play matches against club volleyball teams from USMA and VMI. Despite MAJ Lea’s best efforts to exhaust them before the match by trudging through the snow of Ft. Putnam, RMC squeaked by USMA in an extremely competitive match.
Arabic: The Eight Arabic students continue their studies in Morocco and Jordan. The five Cadets in Jordan report they escaped the snow in Amman to visit Wadi Rum and Petra, and are planning a weekend trip to the Red Sea. In Morocco the three Cadets there continue their studies and look forward to a spring break trip to Europe.
“Our trip to Guilin was enhanced by meeting up with one of our Chinese language partners/friends who is from Guilin. She was able to show us parts of Guilin that are familiar to locals and give us an experience that we wouldn’t have been able to get on our own. We went to her uncle and aunt’s house for tea and it was like role playing a dialogue from our textbooks back at West Point. We are able to learn a lot more from being out talking and interacting with local Chinese people than from textbooks. This experience is priceless.”
German: USMA German Club attended a German mass at St. Joseph’s in NYC (Yorkville). Following the service, USMA cadets enjoyed coffee/cake and German conversation during a reception with the German Vice Consul – New York Mission, and members of the Yorkville German community. The USMA cadets also enjoyed a German lunch at the Kolping Society house near the church. St. Joseph’s is located in Yorkville, the traditional German section of New York City (E. 87th St.) and was the place Pope Benedict XVI held mass in 2008 during his trip to NYC. The USMA cadets also visited Glaser’s German Bakery in the neighborhood and ate delicious German pastries made by fourth-generation Glaser family members.
The briefings received at the UN Foundation were from the Iraq Desk Officer of the Humanitarian Affairs Office, the Political Minister-Counselor of the U.S. Mission to the United Nations – New York, the Public Affairs Section Chief of the Department of Peace-Keeping Operations, and the Communications and UN Relations Officer of the UN Foundation.
MOREHEAD CITY, N.C. - The Army baseball team opened its weekend with an impressive 11-1 victory over Mount St. Mary's, before walking off in game two with a 3-2 win over the Mountaineers on Friday at Big Rock Stadium. The Black Knights improved to 5-3 on the year, while the Mountaineers dropped to 2-6 overall.
BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Five members of the Army wrestling team finished in the top eight of their respective weight classes, including three who grabbed automatic bids to the NCAA Championships, during the final day of the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) Championships on Saturday at Stabler Arena.
WEST POINT, N.Y. - With a lineup filled with experienced players, the Army women's tennis team cruised past Siena, 6-1, Saturday afternoon at the Lichtenberg Tennis Center. The Black Knights improve to 7-8 on the season after today's non-conference victory.
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - The Army gymnastics squad continued its success against conference opponents Sunday afternoon, claiming a 414.700-412.200 victory over the Pride of Springfield College. The win marks the 150th dual victory of head coach Doug Van Everen's career.
WEST POINT, N.Y. - Kicking off the spring portion of the 2014-15 season, the Army men's rugby team posted a late 14-point run to claim a 28-16 victory over regional foe UMass from Foley Athletic Center at West Point. Army got on the board first when sophomore Andrew Fargo muscled down the far side of the field to put the Black Knights up by a score of 5-0. Dom Larkin converted the kick and the Black Knights took an early 7-0 lead in the fifth minute.
WEST POINT, N.Y. - Following his performance in helping Army win three of four games over the weekend, senior outfielder Mark McCants has been honored by the Patriot League as the Corvais Player of the Week. The recognition is the first of McCants' career.
WEST POINT, N.Y. - Posting two first half scores in the Army men's rugby team's spring opener, Andrew Fargo led the team to a 28-16 victory from Foley Athletic Complex. For his performance, the sophomore has been tabbed as the Army Athletic Association Athlete of the Week. Fargo opened up the scoring in the fifth minute, muscling his way through the UMass defense for the try and giving the Black Knights an early advantage.
WEST POINT, N.Y. — The Army Crew team’s Golden Oar ceremony and run was established March 2 to honor the memory of U.S. Military Academy graduates and rowers who have been killed in action, wounded in action or have inspired others through their dedication to living the Army Values. Nearly 100 members of the Army Crew family and guests gathered at Battle Monument to reflect on the lives of Lt. Col. Jaimie Leonard (USMA Class of 1997), Capt. Matthew Carpenter (USMA Class of 2003) and retired Capt. Sam Brown (USMA Class of 2006).
WEST POINT, N.Y. - Ring Weekend, 500th Night, Yearling Winter Weekend and 100th Night have all come and gone. Plebe-Parent Weekend is here and now is the time for the Class of 2018 to celebrate.
WEST POINT, N.Y. - Four members of the Army wrestling team will appear in the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships next week in St. Louis, Mo., including automatic qualifiers Russell Parsons (157 pounds), Cole Gracey (165) and Bryce Barnes (197) and Brian Harvey (174), who received an at-large selection on Wednesday.
Lt. Gen. James Everard, Commander Land Forces, British Army, visited West Point to deliver the 68th Annual Kermit Roosevelt Lecture, Mar. 11. The purpose of this lecture series is to foster better understanding between the U.S. military and the United Kingdom, and to educate cadets in international affairs and relations.
Triathlon:
On 8 March, the West Point Marathon Team participated in the Celebrate Life Half Marathon in Rock Hill, NY
Climbing:
Team Handball (Men’s):
Equestrian:
Fencing:
Water Polo:
Model Arab League:
Debate:
Pipes & Drums:
Parachute:
Small Unit Tactic Club:
Alpine Ski:
Ultimate Frisbee:
CDT Rector was the winner of the contest held at the Book Store in February, naming all of the U.S. Presidents in chronological order; the winning prize was a Skateboard. Of all of the entries, five cadets were tied, submitting 100% correct results. A playoff was held with a new challenge with CDT Rector coming in first place.
On 3-4 March, the Center for the Rule of Law (Department of Law) and the Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies (Department of History) co-sponsored a trip to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Twenty five cadets traveled to Washington D.C. where they toured the museum and met with scholars. Presentations included talks on the camp system, the surprising "independence" of the German judicial system, and presentations from the Museum's senior historian and the current Atrocity Prevention and Response Advisor. The trip was capped off with a talk by Henry Greenbaum who survived years in ghettos, work camps, and Auschwitz before being liberated by the U.S. Army.
Russian: Cadets studying intermediate and advanced Russian were recently given a lecture entitled "Military Conflict and Patriotism as Represented in Music: Analysis of Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture" presented by SSG Anna Pennington of the USMA Band. The lecture included a performance of the Overture conducted by the Band's 1LT Theriot. SSG Pennington analyzed Tchaikovsky's famed overture, explaining the cultural importance of each portion of the music, and why it is so widely heard in the United States during our Independence Day celebrations.
Arabic Language Club: “In honor of International Women’s Day, the Arabic Language Club helped facilitate a “Women’s Majlis” (النساء مجلس ) to discuss what it's like for women - and women officers - living and working as professionals in the Middle East. A group of thirteen cadets gathered in the home of Mrs. Carolyn Clark, SOSH Professor and U.S. Foreign Service Officer, to partake in tea, coffee, and authentic Middle Eastern cuisine, while talking with USMA professors and USMA spouses who have worked in the Middle East in both officer and civilian capacities. Mrs. Clark (SOSH), LTC Hailey Clancey (Chemistry), Mrs. Stephanie Irani-Tehrani (Farsi), along with Mrs. Mary Ann Ebner and Mrs. Mai Attiya offered their perspectives and answered questions.”
Capstone team and Instructors attend the MORS Education and Professional Development Colloquium at George Mason University. CDTs Samantha Dorminey and Daniel Lasche (Dr. Kwinn's capstone) traveled to the MORS Education and Professional Development Colloquium held at George Mason University. The cadets had the opportunity to present their capstone project to an audience consisting of OR professionals and students from other schools, including Navy, Air Force, the Citadel, and VMI. The cadets also had the opportunity to compete in the annual Rosenthal Competition, and CDT Dorminey was a member of the winning team, which also included students from Navy, Air Force, and VMI. Pictures attached of the cadets presenting their work, and of CDT Dorminey receiving her award from the President of MORS, Dr. Rafael Matos.
The West Point Chapter of the Women Engineers (SWE) attends the Regional SWE Conference. On 27 February 2015, 6 Cadets (including 2 DSE majors) and 1 OIC (DSE Instructor) from the West Point Chapter of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) traveled to Boston, MA to attend the Region F SWE Conference. This year’s conference theme was “SWE are the future.” Cadets attended workshops and seminars focused on sustainability, creativity, and preparing oneself to be successful in the engineering profession. The Cadets also presented a bid to host next year's Region F Conference at West Point and won the bid. Next year's Regional SWE Conference will be hosted at West Point with the them: Leadership in Engineering. We are very happy to have been selected to host the 2016 conference, given that is the 40th anniversary of the first class of women entering West Point.
IEEE Integrated STEM Education Conference. On Saturday, 7 March, Lori Sheetz presented at the IEEE Integrated STEM Education Conference held at Princeton University. The purpose of the conference was to provide an opportunity to share cutting-edge research and experiences with integrated approaches to the study of science, math, and technology through experiences and activities based in engineering and other design disciplines. Her presentation on, ‘Professional Development for Network Science as a Multi-disciplinary Curriculum Tool’ generated a lot of conversation and positive comments providing an opportunity to broaden awareness of the field of network science and its application to curriculum as early as high school. The conference also organized a poster session for high school and undergraduate students to share some of their research. Through NetSci High the Network Science Center at West Point has mentored teams of high school students doing network science research for three years. Three NetSci High student teams had posters accepted to be presented at the conference. This experience was very beneficial to the high school students who are in the process of applying for scholarships and admission to college. It also brought great exposure to West Point and the Network Science Center for some of the cutting-edge work they have done in the field of network science education at this level.
Army Sailing’s first regatta of the season. Although the Hudson may still be frozen, CPT Matty Haith and the Army Sailing Team traveled to Old Dominion University to compete in mere 34ᵒ water on 7 & 8 March. Despite fierce competition, Army Sailing came from behind to defeat Princeton, Drexel and Stevens Institute, but fell to sailing powerhouses like New York Maritime and St. Mary’s College. Cadets Mike Danko (’17) and Mike Wegner (’17) performed exceptionally well as wind speeds peaked at above 14 mph on Sunday. In addition to the regatta, the team attended the Hampton Roads Founders Day Dinner at Ft. Eustis, where BG Trainor served as the guest speaker. Like others at West Point, Army Sailing looks forward to warmer weather and finally being able to practice on the Hudson. Any officers interested in sailing and serving as a team OIC should contact CPT Haith.
Hudson Valley Culture Forum Trip to Hyde Park and Poughkeepsie. Twelve members of the Hudson Valley Culture Forum conducted a day trip in order to remember the past, eat at a hidden gem, and support the local arts. The first stop was President Franklin Roosevelt’s residence in Hyde Park, NY, which has been preserved largely in its original condition since the president last visited. A former Army sergeant, now a National Parks Service guide, gave the Cadets a guided tour through the residence. Afterward, the Cadets toured the newly renovated Roosevelt presidential library and museum, the nation’s oldest presidential library. The second stop was the Mill House Brewing Company in Poughkeepsie, NY. Situated in downtown Poughkeepsie, Mill House Brewing Company uses ingredients from local farms and dairy farms. The Cadets ended their trip with a visit to the Martel Theater at Vassar College where the touring Shakespeare group, actors from the London Stage, performed Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Actors from the London Stage is one of the oldest touring Shakespeare theater companies in the world, and they have an innovative approach to acting out the plays—five actors perform all of the parts in the play, each handling multiple roles. The performers hail from such stages as the Royal Shakespeare Company and Shakespeare’s Globe Theater.
Officer Women Leadership Symposium, Arlington, VA. From 6-8 March, LTC Naomi Mercer accompanied a group of nine Corbin Forum Cadets to the Officer Women Leadership Symposium (OWLS). The two-day conference took place at the Women in Military Service for America (WIMSA) Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery. The conference consisted of multiple panels and coaching sessions regarding women’s service, professionalization in the military and the civilian sector, and the conference’s theme of “Learning from the Past – Leading into the Future.” The conference’s message of empowerment was inspirational, as was the opportunity to learn from others’ varied experiences.
Accompanied by MAJ Erik Davis, MAJ Rick Anderson, and CPT Mark Ehlers, 34 plebes from HI 155 – Advanced History of the United States toured Independence and Valley Forge National Historic Parks in and around Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on 28 February and 1 March 2015. The trip provided cadets an opportunity to expand their understanding of the origins and context of not only the American Revolution, but also the U.S. Constitution. Cadets began their trip in Philadelphia with a stop at the Benjamin Franklin Museum. The museum is one of the National Parks Service’s flagships for the integration of technology and interactive learning. After lunch, the cadets watched the “Freedom Rising” presentation at the National Constitution Center and toured the museum, where they saw one of the original fourteen copies of the Bills of Rights. The cadets ended their day in Philadelphia at the historic Christ Church, an Episcopal church founded in 1695, for dinner and a tour. During dinner the cadets were joined by a member of the Society of the Cincinnati who presented on his organization’s history and current mission. Additionally, the cadets met and discussed West Point history with COL(Ret.) William Dieal (USMA ’62). The second day of the trip began with a tour of Independence and Congress Halls. After a short bus ride, the cadets enjoyed a quick film and tour at Valley Forge National Historic Site. Rangers at Valley Forge rode along on the bus to discuss the three main sites visited by the cadets, including the Muhlenberg Brigade Huts, Washington’s Headquarters, and The Grand Parade Field under the statue of Baron von Steuben.
In a first-of-its-kind study, cadets from West Point’s class of 2018 joined with ROTC cadets and history students from Purdue University for a staff ride of the Gettysburg battlefield 6-8 March 2015. The staff ride was led by the Department of History in collaboration with the West Point Band. The cadets and students joined in an exploration of the role of command decisions, terrain, information, and technology during the battle. The Purdue students are members of the new "Technology, Innovation, and the Civil War" course offered by joint Purdue-Army Cyber Institute faculty member Dr. Nick Sambaluk. They have been examining the intersections between factors such as political and strategic goals, invention, resources, command, leadership, and ideology in shaping the development and exploitation of innovations such as the rifled musket, railroad, telegraph, ironclad, repeating rifle, and balloon as well as the incorporation of African-American units in the Union Army, the role and impact of civilians in military telegraphy, and changes In transportation and care for the wounded and the sustenance of the army in the field. LTC Dave Siry, LTC Jason Musteen, and MAJ Greg Jenemann facilitated cadet-led discussions that highlighted the use and understanding of terrain on the battlefield, while MAJ John "Rocky" Rhodes helped cadets and students understand issues such as movement across terrain. West Point Band members SGM Eric Sheffler, MSG James "Butch" Barnard, and SSG Jorge Zepeda played period music as the cadets marched Longstreet's attack into the Devil's Den and Pickett's Charge. They also explained the vital role of regimental bands in the war, from mobilization to morale to discipline and communication, and they described acts of valor and service that constituted part of the role of a military band at that time. The students and cadets posed insightful questions to each other and to faculty, while also offering analysis about commanders' roles, in the tradition of the Army staff ride.
The History Department hosted another successful History Trivia Night event at the Firstie Club on 10 March 2015. Although attendance was down from last month’s event because a research paper for HI 302—History of the Military Art was due the next morning, approximately 40 cadets attended the event. The History Department is happy to know that at least forty HI 302 papers were not written the night before they were due. Department faculty collectively came up with three rounds of twelve questions across four categories: general history knowledge, history of science and technology, history of sports, and history of entertainment. The prize for the most creative team name went to “Les Quizerables.” In an extremely competitive night of trivia, an interdisciplinary team of History and Social Sciences majors edged out representatives of the women’s rugby team by two points to win the grand prize of $100 in DCA gift certificates. Cadets had a great time and some asked for more rounds of trivia. The History Department and DCA look forward to hosting the next History Trivia Night event at the Firstie Club in April.
EECS Systers On 26 February, there was a gathering of EECS Systers to share a meal and stories of their experiences. The EECS Systers consists of the female Electrical Engineering, Computer Science and Information Technology majors and includes EECS staff and faculty, as well as a few faculty members. The faculty members in attendance were: LTC Tanya Estes, Dr. WenLi Huang, Dr. Suzanne J. Matthews, Professor Susan Schwartz, MAJ Ben Klimkowski, CPT Janice Blaine, and CPT Mari Torres. Cadets in attendance were: Cadets Holly Rodeo, Alissah McGill, Vanda Niemi, and Rebecca Marigliano. This gathering takes place every semester to build camaraderie and foster long lasting professional relationships. Cadets engage with faculty members about their current courses, projects and interesting research initiatives. Membership is open to all female EECS majors. If you are interested in participating in future EECS Systers functions, please contact Dr. Matthews or CPT Torres.
EECS Cadets Attend 2015 SIGCSE Conference. Four EECS cadets and Dr. Suzanne J. Matthews attended the 2015 SIGCSE conference, held on March 4-7 in Kansas City, MO. SIGCSE is run by the Association of Machinery, and is the premier computer education conference in the field. Students also have an opportunity to network with students, researchers, and faculty from other universities. The cadets presented their accepted poster at the ACM Student Research Competition held at SIGCSE. Dr. Matthews for her part chaired a paper session and presented as part of two special sessions at the conference. The first was on two small parallel clusters that she designed and uses for teaching Parallel Computing (CS 485). The second was a lab on Packet Sniffing that she co-designed with LTC David Raymond, director of the Army Cyber Institute.
EECS Capstone Team’s Outreach in Newburgh. The Cadets educated the students on the Linux operating system, and gave an introduction to the Ubuntu and Kali Operating distributions, using some techniques to test a website for vulnerabilities. The high school students walked away with knowledge of the cross-site scripting and remote file inclusion vulnerabilities as well as how to build better secured websites. This paralleled the student's high school studies in building web sites in a well-timed guest lecture. Our cadets received feedback on their Vulnerable Web Server curriculum and will incorporate their knowledge into a paper which will be submitted for the Colloquium for Information Systems Security Education conference this summer.
Members of the Sociology Program of the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership (BS&L) contributed to the Eastern Sociology Society (ESS) Conference. Members of the Sociology Program of the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership (BS&L) contributed to the Eastern Sociology Society (ESS) Conference in New York City, New York, from 26 February to 1 March 2015. Dr. Morten Ender, LTC Remi Hajjar, CPT Jessica Dawson (Duke University graduate student – reports to BS&L in June), Cadet Ian McWilliams, and Cadet Chelsey Miranda all presented their research. Dr. Ender and LTC Hajjar also presided over multiple panels at the conference, and Dr. Ender was one of two major co-organizers for the special military mini-conference embedded within the overall ESS. The military mini-conference included six panel sessions comprising 24 presentations with 36 participants. Additionally, Major Laura Weimer brought twenty BS&L cadets for a one day visit (26 FEB) to participate in and observe panels of the ESS (see photograph). USMA presentations included: Dr. Morten Ender (“Are Military Brats More Tolerant?”); LTC Remi Hajjar (“Military Linguists: Vital Intercultural Intermediaries;” and, “The Potentially Powerful Teaching Tool of Auditory Feedback”); CPT Jessica Dawson (Duke University and BS&L inbound – “The Halo Effect: Does Status Affect Perceptions of Wrong Doing in the Military Moral Community?”); Cadet Chelsey Miranda (“Female Relational Aggression: The Impacts of Tokenism at West Point”); and Cadet Ian McWilliams (“Why Do Veterans Miss War?”).
BS&L's West Point Negotiation Project ran a 1.5 day training seminar for 35 Navy SEALs, special warfare combatant craft crewmen, and Air Force XXX enrolled in the Naval Special Warfare (NSW) Platoon Leaders Course. From 23-24 February 2015, BS&L's West Point Negotiation Project ran a 1.5 day training seminar for 35 Navy SEALs, special warfare combatant craft crewmen, and Air For ce XXX enrolled in the Naval Special Warfare (NSW) Platoon Leaders Course, at Naval Amphibious Base (Coronado, CA). The mobile training team included MAJ Christina Fanitzi (BSL), Mark Gordon (Vantage Partners), MAJ Michael Rybacki (BSL), CDT Gene Fogh (B4, ’16), and CDT Lewis Black (F3,’16). During the workshop, leaders (E-7 through O3) were introduced to negotiation as a leader competency, learned how to analyze negotiation situations, and practiced managing difficult negotiation counterparts. Cadets and faculty visited the Navy Basic Underwater Demolition School (BUDS) Complex and completed the BUDS Obstacle Course. The Project has run training for SEALs two times annually, since 2011, and expanded to serve as the primary negotiations training team for all four NSW Platoon Leader’s Courses, annually. The West Point Negotiation Project is a USMA faculty effort to improve the ability of military leaders to negotiate and is an activity within BS&L's West Point Leadership Center.
Civil Engineering Cadets Visit New Cadet Barracks: Students from CE472 (Advanced Soil Mechanics) and CE450 (Construction Management) were given tours of the New Cadet Barracks construction project site by Matt Ludwig and CPT Ben Shean (CE ’06), both members of the USACE project team for the project. Working 5 sections through the site, students were able to learn about many aspects of the project, including excavation details, project management challenges, rock bolting details, column placement and crane design. This collaboration with the USACE team is a great resource for educating cadets and a real bonus for the Civil Engineering students
SAE Baja Off-Road Driver Training: On 28 February 2015, an experienced off-road racer, Mr. Tim Tokarsky and members of the Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering’s SAE Baja capstone team conducted drivers’ training. The training started with a classroom discussion of off-road driving techniques, ways to increase vehicle survivability and methods to reduce pit times. Next, the SAE Baja team conducted hands-on training with a UTV at Camp Natural Bridge. The training concluded with driving and testing of the SAE Baja vehicle, noting areas for improvement in the design. The cadets thoroughly enjoyed all training and will implement the recommendations for their competition at Auburn in April.
Davis was a pioneer of his time. Despite being “silenced” during his four years at West Point, where no cadets, faculty or staff members befriended or spoke to him except on an official basis, he persevered to become the fourth African-American to graduate from West Point and the first in the 20th century graduating 35th in his class that numbered 276. His ambition was to enter into aviation but due to segregation, he would wait until 1941 to be accepted as one of the first Tuskegee Airmen, earning aviation wings one year later. During World War II, as a lieutenant colonel, he commanded the 99th Pursuit Squadron flying P-40 Warhawks. Following promotion to the rank of colonel, Davis assumed command of the 332nd Fighter Group known as the legendary “Red Tails” flying P-51 Mustangs and P-47 Thunderbolts. Under his leadership, the unit was commended for its outstanding combat record and was held in such high regard for their discipline and performance that they were sought by bomber crews to escort the most dangerous missions over Germany. Davis was awarded the Silver Star, Distinguished Flying Cross and Air Medal for meritorious service and gallantry. It was his continued obsession with flight that led him to transfer from the Army to the U.S. Air Force in 1947 when the new service was established. There he led the development of policy improvements for ethnic integration in 1948 and spent the next two decades as a prominent leader in the Air Force focused on ensuring equal treatment and opportunities for all. After commanding the 51st Fighter Interceptor Wing, in Korea, he held various command and staff positions before culminating his service time as a lieutenant general and the 13th Air Force commander, Clark Air Base, Philippines. This West Point graduate internalized Army values with a persistent sense of duty and resilience and became a leading innovator behind the development of the modern Air Force.