From 30 May to 12 June, the Department of History and the Department of English and Philosophy conducted an AIAD staff ride, “World War I in Memory and Literature” in France and Belgium. Following preparatory studies during the spring semester, fifteen cadets participated along with COL Mike Stoneham, LTC Jason Musteen, LTC Dave Siry, MAJ Deb Daley, and 2LT Niki Boyda in an in-depth examination of the conflict as well as the literature and poetry it generated. Through the study of history and literature, the cadets gained a greater appreciation for the conduct of the war, the individual experience of warfare, and the individual and national memories that emerged from the war. Battlefield studies included the 1st and 2nd Battles of the Marne, Verdun, Loos, the Somme, the Ypres Salient, Passchendaele, the 1918 German offensives, Château-Thierry, and Belleau Wood. At each location, cadets presented historical analysis and examined literature and poetry from soldier-authors such as Robert Graves, Wilfred Owen, Siegfried Sassoon, Ernst Jünger, Henri Barbusse, Herbert McBride, Alan Seeger, and others. To conclude the study, the cadets will prepare academic papers for presentation at the West Point conference, “Literature, Memory and the First World War” to be held in September.
Photo: Cadets discuss memory of war at the grave of Rudyard Kipling’s son, Jack.
CDT Kiana Frick briefs AIAD Capstone at East-West Institute – NYC
On 06 AUG, CDT Kiana Frick (’16), briefed her capstone at the completion of her AIAD with the East-West Institute (EWI) in NYC. Kiana, given an independent project, analyzed a real time problem set and offered her recommendations to GEN (Ret) Moseley, 18th Chief of Staff, USAF; COL (Ret) James Creighton, EWI Chief Operating Officer; David Firestein, EWI VP of Strategic Trust-Building Imitative and Former US Diplomat to China and Russia; MAJ Christina Fanitzi, West Point Negotiations Project OIC. Kiana’s work set the stage and enabled East-West Institute to make decisions regarding the way-forward in pertinent real-world mediations. The East-West Institute is an international not-for-profit, non-partisan "think and do" tank focusing on international conflict resolution through a variety of means, including track 1.5 and 2 diplomacy (conducted with the direct involvement of official actors), hosting international conferences, and authoring publications on international security issues. 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. POC: MAJ Christina Fanitzi, BSL, x3295.
FBI Crisis Negotiation Course
On 04-08 August 2014, BS&L's West Point Negotiation Project hosted the FBI’s Crisis Negotiation Unit in an educational course for approximately 32 participants, including 20 cadets, 8 Officers, 4 NCOs, and 2 Civilians. Participating leaders came from BSL, BTD, Center for the Study of Civil-Military Operations, New York Police Department (NYPPD), USCC, and the West Point Provost Marshall’s Office. During the course, cadets learned the importance of negotiation in crisis situations, were introduced to a framework for active listening, analyzed real FBI footage of 1993 Waco Crisis and the 2014 Dothan Kidnapping to apply concepts learned, and practiced negotiating in a series of role-playing exercises, including a team competition. Cadets observed members of The Department of Foreign Language (DFL) conduct practical exercises in the use of an interpreter in negotiations, which they later applied in practice during a hostage role-play, mirrored after the event’s following the Boston Marathon bombing. Supervisory Special Agents (SA) Mark Flores and Michael Yansick, of the FBI Crisis Negotiation Unit served as primary trainers who shared with cadets how they used negotiation to meet the FBI’s mission to successful mitigate situations without undue, and excessive, force. Cadets also heard from 5 Supervisory SAs from the FBI Crisis Negotiation Unit-New York Office and Orange County Behavioral Health Professionals on frameworks to identify suicidal behavior. Participants received 40-hour training certificates to apply to their permanent records. 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. POC: MAJ Christina Fanitzi, BSL, x3295.
CDT Lewis Black presents “Your Community, Leadership, and You” to students at the Raffles Institution, Singapore
As a part of a Minerva research grant to Dr. Luke Gerdes, CDT Black participated in network science research being conducted at Raffles Institution (RI) and he was invited to give a talk to over 250 RI students. Following a lively introduction by LTC Matt Clark, CDT Lewis Black gave a talk on his personal leadership journey to date to the student leaders of RI in Singapore. RI is a prestigious college preparatory school in Singapore that has educated several important Singaporean leaders, including Lee Kuan Yew, the first Prime Minister of Singapore. CDT Black gave an inspiring talk on the need for continual self improvement, the importance of leading ethically, and the value of service in our lives. As part of this AIAD, CDT Black also participated in meetings with senior leaders in the Singapore Armed Forces with Dr. Gerdes and LTC Clark. Specifically, they met with the Singapore Armed Forces Training Institute on the topic of leader development and with the Defense Psychology Department on the topics of critical thinking and research methods.
POC: LTC Matt Clark, ext. 5644.
Triathlon: During 16-17 August, the West Point Triathlon Team hosted the 10th Annual Toughkids Triathlon and 25th Annual West Point Triathlon at Camp Buckner. Over 1100 athletes from across the Northeast participated in the two-day event which featured 3 children’s races and an adult race. The proceeds from the event go to support the West Point team’s training and competition throughout the year. This year the race and the season are dedicated to CDT Alex Werden who was a rising yearling on the team. During past the summer, Alex was diagnosed with a rare form of juvenile cancer. He has taken a medical leave from the academy while he undergoes therapy back home in Chapel Hill, NC. The team placed purple ribbons on all the race bibs for awareness and the OIC of the team, LTC Ken Allen, addressed all the participants prior to the start of the race letting them know the significance of the ribbon stickers and how the team would be a man down this year until Alex gets back. In addition to the able-bodied participants, we were honored to have 3 challenged athletes complete the race two of which were wounded warriors. The adult race was organized by the Race Director, MAJ Brian Montgomery and supported by the New York Highway Patrol, USMA DES and Fire Department, Ike Hall Restaurant, team Red White and Blue, West Point Crew and Marathon teams, and numerous cadet volunteers from across the corps. Without the volunteers, the event would not have been successful.
The 2014 West Point Civil Rights Staff Ride: Teaching Diversity, Commemorating Freedom Summer and the Civil Rights Act of 1964
The West Point Civil Rights Staff Ride was focused on the events of 50-years ago which shaped the nation and moved us closer to true equality. This intensive AIAD program combined interdisciplinary study in the classroom with a two-week staff ride through the Deep South to understand diversity and immerse cadets in the culture of the Civil Rights Movement of the post-WWII era. Cadets were competitively chosen and went through a rigorous week of classes in the law, politics and history of the Movement. All rising Yearlings, Cadets Lance Baggett, Michelle Golonka, Jazzmyn Miller, Adam Reynolds, Nathan Townsend, and Leah Tonetti were well versed in those subjects by the date of departure for the trip south.
The Staff Ride was sponsored by the West Point Center for the Rule of Law and the Department of Law, as well as the Departments of History, Social Sciences, English & Philosophy, and Behavioral Science & Leadership. Truly interdisciplinary, the participating faculty included period literature, music and culinary appreciation to supplement cadets’ recognition of the importance of diversity.
Civil Rights Staff Ride Cadets and Faculty Meet Legendary Civil Rights Attorney Fred Gray in Tuskegee, Alabama
Escorting cadets on this exciting journey were Maj. Andrew Forney from History, Dr. Rachel Yon from SOSH, and Dr. Robert J. Goldstein from the Department of Law who led the Staff Ride. Each day of the journey was filled with encounters with storied veterans of the Civil Rights Movement, their children and grandchildren.
In Richmond, VA they were met at the State Capitol by Judge John Charles Thomas, the first African-American on the VA State Supreme Court, and federal Judge Roger Gregory of the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals. The judges led a lively discussion which prepared cadets for their meetings, and posed questions that would resonate as the group travelled to the Deep South. Judge Gregory raised the issue of whether it might be useful in the current day to focus on the “equal” part of the mandate of “separate but equal” in the case of Plessey v. Ferguson.