West Point Parents Club Of Washington

The USMA Class of 2012 graduates on Saturday, May 26, 2012 culminating a week of graduation-related activities including  several ceremonies, concerts and various receptions during the week leading up to graduation itself. Times and events are subject to change, and to keep up with all of the events please check the Class of 2012 Graduation Schedule located here:

http://bit.ly/USMA2012Graduation

On May 12, 1962, U.S. Army General Douglas MacArthur accepted the Sylvanus Thayer Award and delivered a remarkable speech to the corps of cadets at the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. Since 1958, the Association of Graduates of the United States Military Academy has presented the Sylvanus Thayer Award to an outstanding citizen of the United States whose service and accomplishments in the national interest exemplify personal devotion to the ideals expressed in the West Point motto, “Duty, Honor, Country.”  2012 marks the 50th anniversary of General Douglas MacArthur’s “Duty, Honor, Country” speech at West Point. You can read MacArthur’s moving farewell at http://tinyurl.com/apd-macarthur . His words eloquently describe our men and women in uniform:

• “Duty, Honor, Country: Those three hallowed words reverently dictate what you ought to be, what you can be, what you will be.”
• “Your mission remains fixed, determined, inviolable: it is to win our wars. Everything else in your professional career is but corollary to this vital dedication.”
• “You stand as the Nation’s war-guardian, as its lifeguard from the raging tides of international conflict.”
• “The soldier, above all other people, prays for peace.”

The following site has a list of interesting facts about MacArthur, including a fascinating 28 minute video was made by the U.S. Army about the life and military career of General MacArthur.  It is narrated by CBS newsman Walter Cronkite.

http://www.keytlaw.com/f-4/general-macarthurs-duty-honor-country-speech/

Many West Point graduates, cadets, family and friends are not yet members of the LinkedIn network. Please click this link to read and join the West Point Friends and Family Network on LinkedIn. http://www.linkedin.com/e/vgh/2533382/

A new listing has been added to our Links page which offers a list of several helpful online resources particularly useful for upcoming graduates and other young officers as they progress through their first few years of service after the academy. Simply visit the Links page and scroll down for the table titled “Useful Links for Young Officers”.

If you haven’t seen WPAOG’s coverage of this spectacular annual event, check it out now. Fifty-five teams from around the globe — including 36 cadet companies — competed in the 2012 Sandhurst Challenge on April 20 and 21, 2012. Australia earned 1st place overall and Company C-3 earned top honors for the Corps while the Fourth Regiment won the Sandhurst Trophy, which is given to the highest placed USCC regiment based on the aggregate time of all the companies in that regiment. For more about this year’s competition, including photos and video, click here.

The USMA Class of 2015 Class Crest was unveiled for the first time during the Sponsor Appreciation dinner on April 13, 2012. The class motto, selected by the Class of 2015, is “For Those We Lead”, and the crest features all the usual elements required in every USMA class crest:

• initials USMA
• an eagle
• an officer’s sabre
• a cadet sabre
• the arrows and leaves from the national emblem
• Class year  and motto

Up until the 1950′s, Class Crests were generally monochromatic but today are colorized.

Tradition and custom also dictate the wearing of the class ring. Prior to graduation, the Class Ring is worn with the Class Crest closest to the heart signifying the closeness of the class. After graduation, the ring is worn with the Academy Crest closest to the heart signifying closeness with the Academy.

Click to download a full-sized 1920×1080 desktop image of the class crest