Today at Trophy Point, the West Point Class of 2017 received their class rings during the annual Ring Ceremony. The rings donned by 2017 are symbols of pride and commitment as they enter their final year at West Point, and within each gold ring remains a physical connection to previous West Point graduates. Ring Weekend, which includes the Ring Ceremony, Ring Banquet and a Cadet Hop, commemorates the Firsties’ academic careers as they enter their final year at West Point. Each year since 2001, the gold from rings that have been worn and donated by U.S. Military Academy graduates has been melted and mixed into the gold to make the rings for the Academy’s next graduating class, a WPAOG tradition that physically and symbolically links The Long Gray Line with its newest members. Watch this short video on the Class of 2017 Ring Melt: https://vimeo.com/179239310
Photo courtesy of Staff Sgt. Vito T. Bryant. For more photos from the ceremony, visit https://flic.kr/s/aHskFsGQQ1.