How's the Cow? - West-Point.ORG, The West Point Connection

How’s the Cow?A publication of the West Point Parent’s Club of Alabamawww.west-point.org/parent/wppc-alabamaJanuary 2005Volume 04-05 Issue 3From the PresidentDear Parents,Greetings! Another year has started and the winterperiod has kept us busy in the WPPC – AL. We hostedthe All Academy Ball in December, Winter Boodle hasbeen packaged and sent to the cadets and a budget forthe upcoming term must be planned. Also, in January,two big weekends at West Point for the Cows andYuks: the 500 th Night and Yearling Winter Weekends.Lastly, in April, the Parents Club President Conferencewill by hosted at West Point.The All Academy Ball in December was a greatsuccess and all who attended enjoyed the evening. Theyoungsters particularly enjoyed the inspiring guestspeaker and the DJ after dinner and the officialprogram. Our guest speaker, retired U.S. Air Force Lt.General Cleveland, a U.S. Military grad, stressed theimportance of integrity, character and determination tothe cadets and midshipmen. During Cleveland’s 35-year military career, he achieved the status of “ace” inthe Korean War, where he flew F-68 fighter aircraft. Inthe Vietnam War, he was executive assistant to GENWilliam Westmoreland, and his capstone militaryassignment was as commander of the USAF AirUniversity in Montgomery. We were grateful for hisattendance and I would like to extend a personal thankyou to Mrs. Sam Shaw for locating him. Carol Milsterand I would also like to extend a BIG thanks to thefollowing people whose hard work, help and supportmade the Ball a success: LTC Stephen and Jamie Kaye,Mrs. Sam Shaw, Mrs. Liddell Davis, Mrs. JudyJackson, Mr. And Mrs. Brooks Davis, Lisa Worley,Col. Thomas L. (ret.) and Mrs. Johnson, John Joinson,Mr. And Mrs. Philip Hallmark, LTC John (ret) andDebbie Mainwaring, the 313 th Army Show Band andLt. General Cleveland. Lastly, I want to thank the otheracademies’ parents club presidents for their guidanceand help: Nita Thompson, Jeanne Rudzki, and ThomasBoone.The winter and upcoming spring have many plannedactivities. The winter Gloom/Doom boodle for thecadets has been packaged and sent to the cadets in thebeginning of January thanks to Judy Jackson, LiddellDavis and Cindy Pass. The boodle included a letterfrom Governor Riley, a State of Alabama lapel pin andvarious snacks such as chocolate covered pretzels andcandy.In January, the 500 th Night Weekend for the Class of 2006and Yearling Winter Weekend for the Class of 2007included a banquet and hop. Despite the snow and cold,many cadets enjoyed dates/families on this specialweekend and many took the opportunity for a trip to NewYork City for a Broadway play or dinner or into thesurrounding areas of West Point.In April, Dolores Salvatore, U.S. Military Academy’sParents Club Coordinator, will host the 2005 Parents ClubPresident Conference on April 14, 15 and 16 at WestPoint. The new WPPC – AL president for the April ’05 –March ’06 term and another attendee will participate. Theconference will offer information about West Point; newideas to strengthen the parents club program and manyopportunities for networking, information sharing andgood fellowship among cadets’ parents and Academy staffmembers.As we receive the 2009 candidates’ names this year, wewill pair them with a 2008 family to answer questions andhelp the candidate and the family with the transition ofbeginning their time at the U.S. Military Academy.Everyone will meet at the June Send-Off Party hosted bythe 2008 Families and their cadets prior to R-Day. The2008 cadets have just finished their first year at West Pointand they can pass on tips and hints to the new candidates.Finally, membership fees will be due again this spring andwill be vital to our club as we budget for the upcomingactivities such as the Howitzer ad congratulating the classof 2005, U.S. Flags to present to the new Graduates, Send-Off Party for the 2009 new candidates and upcomingboodle for all of the cadets. Remember, we also have anapplication for corporate sponsors on our website. Thankyou!Regards,Karen JoinsonWPPC – AL, PresidentHow’s the Cow? Page 1 January 2005

Grad News2LT Smith Griggs (‘04, Dothan) graduated this pastMay and branched Aviation. At graduation his barswere pinned by his two grandfathers who both servedin WWII. Smith is stationed at Ft Rucker where he hascompleted the first phase of flight school. He haspurchased a home in Enterprise where he lives with twoformer cadets from his company at WP. He expects tobe stationed at Ft Rucker for 18-24 months.2LT Wesley Harding (‘04-Culman) completed ArmorOBC at FT Knox, KY in late 04 and from there wasassigned to the 1st Brigade,1st Infantry Division, FTRiley, KS. As of 24 Jan. he will be 3rd Platoon Leaderof Bravo Co- 1st Battalion. 34th Armor Regiment. Onthe day he takes over they will be going to the field fortank training. Wish him luck- may be a little nervous onthe new job. Two of his classmates in the 2nd Brigadeleft for Iraq the first of this week. Our prayers go withthem.2LT Zachary Kaye (‘04, Tuscaloosa) graduatedDecember 17 th and reported to Ft. Benning, GA onJanuary 30th for the Infantry Officer Basic Course(IOBC). He will remain at Ft Benning for RangerSchool and Airborne School and is currently slotted togo to Ft Hood for his first post assignment.LT Bart Tate (‘03-Birmingham) continues to be postedto Ft. Campbell where he enjoys the company of manyclassmates including Lt. Chris Graves ('03-Birmingham). The main news is that he becameengaged on New Years Eve and a May wedding isbeing planned.Bits n’ BragsBrian Mainwaring (‘05-Dothan) is engaged to MindyPage of Dothan, anelementary education majorat the University of Alabamaand, with their marriage onJune 25 th 2004, he willbecome a bona fide memberof the 2% Club.John (JP) Policastro (‘06,Montgomery) popped the bigquestion on New Year’s Eve toJamie Elise Verble ofMontgomery, a student at TrinityBaptist College in Jacksonville,Florida. She said yes!! JP is onhis company Sandhurst team andmade the Dean’s list this pastsemester.David Jackson (‘08-Warrior), a member of F-2, has beennominated for soldier of the quarter for his platoon.Robert Bender (‘07, Gulf Shores), pictured here with hisfamily, has a twin brother (Nathan) and an older sister(Hannah) at Auburn. The Benders (Bob & Linda) are inreal estate in the Gulf Shores area and our thoughts arewith them as they try to repair the extensive damagecaused by Hurricane Ivan. Mr. Bender sponsored ourAlabama Acceptance Day BBQ up at West Point lastAugust.Robert Davis (‘08-Southside) has become involved withthe Boy Scouts at West Point. All the West Point cadetsthat work with the scout troops are Eagle Scouts. Theymeet with the various scout troops that come to WP forevents and take them on a tour and help out with theevents. This past weekend (Jan 22-23) was supposed tohave been an Adirondack race, where the scout troopsbuild their own sleds and race them, but it was postponedbecause of the weather.Admissions VisitLTC Cynthia Curtis, ‘04 parent and our AL StateCoordinator for West Point Admissions, announced thatCPT Rob Romans, South East Regional Commander forthe Department of Admissions—USMA will be visitingAlabama in February. His proposed itinerary is: Mobile,22 Feb; Montgomery, 23 Feb; Birmingham, 24 Feb; andHuntsville, 25 Feb. His schedule in each town he visitswill include an Educators’ Luncheon and a By-InviteBriefing for interested students.LTC Curtis would greatly appreciate any assistance ingetting the word out to interested students and in helpingCPT Romans while he is in our region. Please contact herat 256-772-9024(h), 256 885-7244(w) or at gc77@aol.comif you have questions or would like to help.The All Academy BallThis year’s 14 th Annual All Academy Ball at the HooverCountry Club was a truly festive event. The West PointParents Club of Alabama, under the capable leadership ofKaren Joinson, did an excellent job all around. It was awonderful, wonderful night.How’s the Cow? Page 2 January 2005

The club was beautifully decorated with Christmastrees, white twinkle lights, giant nutcrackers andgarland. The tables were covered in red and white tablecloths with centerpieces of candelabras entwined withfresh greenery. And everyone enjoyed a deliciousbuffet dinner of salad, chef-carved prime rib of beef,buttermilk-battered Chicken with Supreme Sauce, avariety of vegetables and apple cobbler with ice cream.Daniel Pate (’07, Helena) with his date, Courtney, andparents, Karen (WPPC-AL President) and John JoinsonArmy LTC Stephen Kaye (’04 parent, Tuscaloosa) wasMaster of Ceremonies for the evening and Retired U. S.Air Force Lt. Gen. Charles Cleveland of Montgomery,a USMA graduate, was guest speaker. Retired AirForce Colonel Thomas Johnson of Elberta explainedthe traditional POW/MIA table, representing absentcomrades, and two videos were presented. The firstvideo opened the program with a welcome from Gen.William J. Lenox, commandant of the USMA at WestPoint, and the second concluded the program with aslide show set to music depicting military personnelcurrently serving in the Middle East.The 313th United States Army Show Band entertainedthe group with a variety of music during the early partof the evening. They also played patriotic and academysongs as LTC Kaye introduced all the cadets andmidshipmen who were in attendance. The U. S.Military Academy cadets who attended the 14 th AnnualAll Academy Ball are pictured above left to right. 1 strow: Clifford Walker ('08-Montgomery), ToddMainwaring ('07) and Brian Mainwaring ('05)-Dothan,David Jackson ('08-Warrior), and Erik Hamilton ('08-Madison). 2 nd row: Austin Milster ('07-Hoover) and KaseyClark ('08-Madison). 3 rd row: John Oliver ('06-VestaviaHills), Daniel Pate ('07-Helena), James Pickett ('07-Montgomery), David Irvine ('07), Brian Bifulco ('06), andMark Gerasimas ('06) all of Huntsville; JP Policastro ('06-Montgomery), Robert Davis ('08-Southside), KendrickVaughn ('08-Madison), John Wright III ('08-Hoover),Brandon Davis ('08-Mobile) and Samuel Ketcham ('07-Wilsonville).After dinner, everyoneenjoyed a light showand music by DJ MikeTalerico of Tuscaloosa.Many of the cadets,midshipmen, andfamily members tookadvantage of the musicand filled the dancefloor for the remainderof the evening. Many thanks to all who made this amemorable night. If you missed this year’s event, be sureto mark your calendars for next December.Boodle ReportAustin Milster (‘07, Hoover) with hisMom, Carol Milster (WPPC-AL Treasurer)January Gloom Boodle was mailed to the 59 Alabamacadets on Monday, January 3, 2005. Most were receivedon Friday, January 7. The packages included a letter ofsupport from Governor Bob Riley along with a State ofAlabama lapel pin provided by his office. In addition,there were tootsie rolls, butterfingers, smiley face pencils,post-it notes, and homemade (by Liddell Davis) chocolatecovered pretzels provided by the West Point Parents Club.Thanks to the following '08 family members for assistancewith this boodle: Liddell Davis (Robert), Cindy Pass(Mary Alice), Stephanie Jackson (David's sister), and JudyJackson (David).Branch Night Report{The following is an excerpt from an article appearing inthe AOG’s Assembly magazine; January/February 2005issue}On 14 November, 2004 in Ike Hall, the audience waitedwith rapt anticipation for the command to open theenvelope. When the First Captain, CDT Ryan Boeka ’05,gave the command, a crescendo of hoots and hollerserupted, culminating in a scene of great celebration ascompany mates and friends pinned one another with theirbranch insignia. The vast majority of the firsties receivedtheir first or second choice of branch assignment.The notification of branch assignments for the last severalyears is probably different from what most Old Gradsremember. After the desires of each member of the classare entered into the computer and an electronic sorting toHow’s the Cow? Page 3 January 2005

determine the allocation of branch assignments iscompleted, each cadet ultimately receives the finaldecision by way of a small, brown envelope. In theenvelope [was] a presentation card with the AOG andClass Crests and the words “A gift from the AOG to theClass of 2005” on the cover. Inside, there [were] boldletters stating “Congratulations on your BranchAssignment” and the following inspirational message:“You have made another decision, one among themany that will be the hallmark of your career as anofficer serving your nation. We at the Association ofGraduates are honored to present you with your ‘firstbrass’ knowing that you will wear it proudly as amember of the long line of soldiers who have gonebefore you, serving the branch you have chosen.Our best wishes for a career filled with challenge,success, and many opportunities to be the LEADEROF CHARACTER that you have been called to be.”Between the listing of services and the inspirationalmessage, [was] affixed the branch insignia of thebranch to which [each] member of the class was beingassigned.First Captain, CDT Ryan Boeka, spoke the followingwords as he presided over the evening:“The truth is, like everyone else in this room, all Ireally care about is opening up that envelope andpinning on my branch insignia……But no matterwhat insignia we pin on tonight, we are all joining thesame team, we all have the same mission and we willall soon be fighting the same fight.”Branching Info—Class of 2005Here is the distribution of branching for the entire Classof 2005. Included are the rank number of the first cadetto select that branch, and the last.Class of 20051st Last AssignedBranch CPR CPR Men Women TotalInfantry 1 912 191 0 191Armor 12 712 117 0 117Field Artillery 28 943 95 0 95Air Defense 131 930 35 6 41Aviation 19 616 106 14 120Engineers 6 913 90 15 105CA Total 634 35 669Signal 154 914 34 9 43Military Police 53 875 7 17 24Intelligence 2 608 70 29 99Chemical 604 878 5 1 6Adj. General 257 838 0 18 18Finance 451 455 0 2 2Ordnance 398 938 3 6 9Quartermast. 145 845 6 6 12Transportation 128 808 7 8 15Med. Service 25 286 7 13 20CS/CSS Total 139 109 248Med. Corps 3 477 16 3 19IS Transfer 4 862 7 0 7Total 796 147 943Alabama’s Class of 2005—Branch SelectionsEdwin Minges - ArmorBrian Mainwaring - InfantryDouglas Reynolds - InfantryRobert Domitrovich - AviationJason Seales - AviationMarquese Lewis - Military IntelligenceDaniel Gentry - EngineersLaberrick Williams - OrdnanceJeremy Boone - Field ArtilleryReginald Gholston - Field ArtilleryDavid Pierce - Field ArtilleryAlex Dean - Field ArtilleryAmaka Ezekannagha - QuartermasterRonald Carter - SignalJarick Evans – SignalMay I make a Correction, Sir/Ma’am? (PlebePoop Revisited)The correct plebe poop (I have been informed) that isrecited as plebes admire the Firsties’ newly acquired ringsduring Ring Weekend is:Oh my God Sir/Ma'am, what a beautiful Ring!What a crass mass of glass and brass!What a bold mold of rolled gold!What a cool jewel that you got from your school!See how it sparkles and shines!It must have cost you a fortune!May I touch it, may I touch please, Sir/Ma’am?”USMAPS(Submitted by Lisa MacFarland, ‘06 parent)The United States Military Academy Prep School islocated at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey and its chiefmission is to prepare and motivate candidates for successat the United States Military Academy. Admittance to theprep school is made through an application to the UnitedStates Military Academy. USMAPS was originally startedto assist enlisted soldiers in making the transition from themilitary to West Point. While it still remains as a sourcefor enlisted soldiers to prepare for West Point, it also hasIndividual Reservists. Individual Reservists are graduatedHigh School Students who are chosen because they havethe significant leader potential that USMA is looking for,but need assistance with academics and/or SAT/ACT’s.Also, many Cadet Candidates are recruited athletes.Students are called Cadet Candidates. Cadet Candidateswill go through many of the same rigors as Wes t Point.They suffer through an “R” day, Vanguard Forge and theCadet Manual. They have formation in the morning, go toclass for the day, participate in team sports and trainingexercises. The USMAPS Class of 2005 had cadets fromWest Point running their version of ‘R” day and BeastBarracks.How’s the Cow? Page 4 January 2005

The USMAPS motto is Desire, Faith, and Effort. If aCadet Candidate has the desire to attend West Point andputs forth the effort, and he meets the standard, he/shewill receive an appointment to West Point at the end ofthe term. The current class of 2005 consists of 58Regular Army and 157 Individual Reservists. Of thattotal, 30 are females and about 30% are recruitedathletes. Typically about 25% will not complete theyear at the Prep School. Of the 75% that rema in, about80% of them will graduate from West Point. Once atWest Point they will be referred to as “Prepsters”.Because of their prior association with each other atUSMAPS and their experience there, the prepsters formthe nucleus of each entering West Point Class and areusually given many of the early cadet leadershippositions as a result. The friendships that they make atthe Prep school will follow them throughout theirmilitary career.My son, Matthew MacFarland (’06), graduatedUSMAPS in 2002 and his sister, Bridget, is in the classof 2005. Three appointments were given by West PointAdmissions to USMAPS in the Southeast Region lastyear. All three were given to students from EnterpriseHigh School in Enterprise, Alabama: BridgetMacFarland, Stephen Dwyer, and Christopher Carter.For more information on USMAPS go to the WestPoint website and click on USMAPS500 th Night WeekendThe snow that began to fall fast and furiously aroundnoon on Saturday, Jan 22nd wreaked havoc with theremainder of the 500 th Night weekend activities for theclass of 2006. Cadets and their dates, who werescattered all over New York city on Friday sightseeing,eating out and attending Broadway productions, had toslowly make their way back to West Point in the snowto make the banquet and ball scheduled for Saturdayevening.Retired Gen. Wesley K. Clark spoke to the class of2006 at the Cadet Mess Hall during the banquet. Clark,a 1966 graduate, a Rhodes Scholar, the former SupremeAllied Commander Europe and a former presidentialcandidate, encouraged the cadets to pursue militaryservice as a career and to meet the challenges everylevel brings.With the safety of cadets and their dates the foremostconcern, USMA cancelled the ball and permitted any"stranded" date to stay overnight in the barracks. Cotswere secured and brought into various rooms toaccommodate extra folks – day rooms were opened,female cadets willingly shared their rooms with thefemale dates while male cadets let male dates bunk inwith them. While the snow stopped midday Sunday, thehigh winds caused many airlines to cancel flights, leavingmany dates without a means of getting home. The entireweekend turned out to be an exercise where our cadets hadto find ways to take care of themselves and their dates,with the help of their friends and sponsors.Becky Hewitt (Will, ‘06, Dothan) reported, “Will'sgirlfriend, Sydney Smith, flew up via LaGuardia . Will andanother couple met her in NYC and they all enjoyed eatingat an Italian restaurant, then saw The Phantom of theOpera. Yes it was freezing, but thankfully everything theydid was only a short walk apart. They made it to WP forthe banquet. The hop was cancelled due to the blizzard, soeveryone hung around and visitedawhile after dinner, before headingto the B and B in Tarrytown wherethey were staying. Slow drive inthe snow but they made it. Somedates slept on cots at West pointdue to the weather! By the timethey finally woke Sundaymorning, I already knew thatSydney's flight had been cancelledand she was re-booked forMonday afternoon--not good. They drove to LGA anyway(roads ok by Sun. afternoon), and after much pleading anda few tears, she was able to get re-routed thru D.C., thenon to Atlanta, so she could be back for classes at Auburnon Monday. Happy ending and a fun weekend!”Marianne Policastro (JP, ’06,Montgomery) stated “[JP andJamie] actually had a great timethis weekend. They had a lot offun at the Officer's ChristianFellowship (OCF) house inHighland Falls and visiting witheveryone else. The girls prayedreally hard that there would besnow delays and their prayerswere answered!! They got to stay2 extra days and got a free plane ticket out of the deal. Sothey stayed on post until Wednesday, and exp erienced alittle bit of "normal" life. She actually got to go to OCFwith him and just get coffee when he was not in class!”InaugurationThe Academy sent more than 90 U.S. Military Academycadets to Washington to take part in the inauguration ofPresident George W. Bush for a second term. Up at WestPoint there was an open call to try out for the parade.Over 160 cadets showed up and had to pass inspection onappearance, ability to handle their weapon in theappropriate manner, and in marching ability. It wascharacterized as a very hard tryout.How’s the Cow? Page 5 January 2005

The inaugural theme was “A Vision of America.” Partof that vision was the contingent of cadets marching inthe parade along the intersection of Pennsylvania andConstitution Avenues. Cadet 1st Class Ryan Boeka,West Point’s Cadet First Captain and BrigadeCommander, marched with the Army staff. Cadet 1stClass Jayson Williams, the deputy brigade commander,lead the cadets. This was the 23rd time members of theCorps of Cadets have marched in an inaugural parade.The tradition started in 1873, when cadets marched forthe second inauguration of President Ulysses S. Grant.Please email Karen Joinson at kjoinson@charter.net if youare interested.Class SizesAs the cadets returned to USMA to start the secondsemester the current size of each class was:Class of 2005 = 951Class of 2006 = 904Class of 2007 = 1123Class of 2008 = 1129Total Strength of the Corps = 4107USMA TermsDoD photo by Staff Sgt Jacob N. BaileySeveral upper-class cadets applied for a special pass toattend the Inauguration apart from the paradecontingent. Cadet Daniel Gentry (’05, Ft Payne) alongwith two company mates received special invitationsfrom Congressman William Clay (D, MO) to attend theInauguration as his guests and viewed the entire eventfrom a great vantage point. At the parade, they wereactually interviewed on national TV by ABC! Below isa picture taken at the inauguration ceremony before theparade.Shawn Lonergan (OR) andDaniel Gentry (‘05, Fort Payne)WPPC-AL President and Vice Presidentpositions openWe are looking for one or two '06 and/or '07 parents tobe president/vice president or co-presidents of theWPPC - AL for the April '05 - March '06 term.Honor Cadets are cadets with a cumulative 3.5 or higherCadet Performance Score (CPS) which is the combinationof the Academic (55% weight), the Military (30% weight)and the Physical (15% weight). Typically less than 5% ofthe class will achieve a CPS in excess of 3.5. Honor cadetsare recognized only at Graduation and the award is gettingto go first to receive their diplomas. Honor Cadets usually(but not always) come from the lists of DistinguishedCadets and Superintendents Cadets.Distinguished Cadets are those who have achieved a 3.67Academic Performance score (or GPA) or better eithercumulatively or for the previous year, carry a fullacademic load (minimum of five academic courses perterm) and receive no I, F, or NC grades. There are around100 of these per class and they are awarded a gold star towear on their uniform.Superintendent’s Cadets are those with 3.0 or better inall three cadet performance areas: Academics, Militaryand Physical Fitness. There are usually about 125 of thesecadets per class and they are awarded a gold wreath towear on their uniform.To signify their status as both Distinguished Cadets andSuperintendent's Cadets, some cadets in each class (about75) are awarded a five-pointed gold star within a goldwreath. Interestingly enough, because of the high percentweight given to the military performance score, only halfof the Star and Wreath Cadets in this group earn HonorCadet designation at graduation.To qualify for the Dean’s List, a cadet must have achievedan Academic Performance Score greater than 3.0, carry afull academic load (minimum of 5 academic classes) andhave received no I, F, or NC grades. Cadets who havequalified for the Dean’s list are awarded a silver star towear on their uniforms.How’s the Cow? Page 6 January 2005

If there have been academic difficulties, the threeweeks of vacation during the summer are spentintensively re-taking courses in which a “D” or “F” wasreceived. This Summer Term Academic Program(STAP) allows cadets to remain on the normalacademic track. For CPS calculations, grades earned inSTAP completely replace the “D” or “F” received inthe normal academic year.From the EditorThe next edition of How’s the Cow?, the WPPC-ALnewsletter, will come out in early May. Please emailany articles of interest, ‘bits n’ brags’, pictures (Jpegfiles), grad news, or upcoming club activities tomainwar@snowhill.com for publication. I would verymuch like to include something on every cadet duringthe course of each year’s four issues. If you have notsubmitted yet, please make the effort. We are proud ofALL of our Alabama cadets. If you are not computersavvy or do not have a computer, please mail yoursubmission to the address on the outside of thisnewsletter. I keep a file of everything submittedbetween issues so feel free to send your info at ANYtime. I will simply save it until the next issue. Hope tohear from you!Important Upcoming EventsRing Show, Class of 2006, Feb 7 - Feb 10The Class of 2006 will be making their selections andordering their rings this week, based on informationgiven out in January. Discuss selections with yourCow cadet in order that he/she will choose wisely.While they do not receive the ring until “RingWeekend” in August, this is a special event. It is alsoat this time that mother’s rings and other nice mom’sand dad's matching jewelry are ordered.100th Night, Class of 2005, Feb 25 - Feb 27 Thisevent commemorates the mere 100 days remaininguntil graduation. The firsties reflect upon their fouryears at the Academy and capture and relive thosememories through the 100 th Night Show, a full lengthmusical comedy written, directed, acted and producedby firsties. The celebration begins with the 100 th NightShow on Friday night at Ike Hall for the firsties andtheir guests. On Saturday evening a formal banquet isheld at Washington Hall followed by a formal ball.The 100 th Night show is performed again during theball for the public and underclass cadets. This is anenjoyable weekend for parents if you can manage toobtain an invitation from your firstie. Keep the wineglasses and the programs as keepsakes.Post Night, Class of 2005, Feb 23Each branch meets separately for its own “post night” onFebruary 23 rd . (For example, all those who have branchedInfantry will meet together with an Army officer incharge.) Prior to this evening, the firsties have listed theirthree graduation post assignments in order of preference.Also prior to this evening, the Department of Defense hasinformed West Point what geographic locations areavailable and how many slots are available at eachlocation for each branch. Names are called according toclass rank and each firstie makes his choice. This night isan exciting time for firsties and after the “post selectionmeeting” there is much celebration!!Spring Break, All Classes, Mar 11 – Mar 20Spring Leave is a week of freedom for your cadet and aneeded break from the gloom period at West Point andthose March winds that blow down the Hudson. Goingsomeplace WARM is often a goal for this week and, whilethe under-classes often just come home for rest andrelaxation, this is a popular time for firsties to vacationtogether for, what may be, the last time in a long time. Allcadets should be back for 7PM formation on March 20 th .Sandhurst Competition, April 30(Summary from July/August 2003 Assembly)The Sandhurst Competition is an annual multinationaltraining event held at West Point. Squads from USNA,USAFA, various ROTC programs, the Royal MilitaryCollege (RMC) of Canada and the Royal MilitaryAcademy, Sandhurst in England, participate alongside 32cadet company squads and a USMA Brigade team in agrueling competition that pits squad against squad in anarduous course that tests the proficiency of each squadmember in various soldier skills .Each squad leaves at a different time over an eleven hourspan and begins the race by donning protective masks andrunning a breath taking mile. Next, each paddles a boat inLong Pond’s cold murky water, following up with a run toits next site. Here, a test of marksmanship on the riflerange separates the killers from the ammo carriers. Afterleaving the rifle range, each team must run to anotherrange to be scored on its ability to throw a dummy grenadeaccurately. Next comes the construction of a one-ropebridge at a river crossing, an ascension of a twelve footwall with no equipment, and a rappel down a cliff. Thefinal event is the Commandant’s Challenge. This event iskept a secret until game day to ensure that all squads areforced to deal with surprise. The Reginald E. MemorialPlaque goes to the squad with the highest overall score.The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst has been theperennial winner of this competition.How’s the Cow? Page 7 January 2005

How’s the Cow?WPPC of Alabamawww.west-point.org/parent/wppc-alabamac/o Debbie Mainwaring1289 Bethlehem RoadMidland City, AL 36350Email: mainwar@snowhill.comPhone: 334-702-7505photo by Cadet Greer '07How’s the Cow? Page 8 January 2005