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West Point and the Army
1. West Point and the Army
2. Luther D. Coble, Jr.
3. Banner for Donald R. Long
Looking towards the college.
4. Banner for Donald R. Long
5. Some places in August 1969
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West Point
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West Point
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West Point
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Minuteman
monument
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Coast Guard
Academy
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Gettysburg
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On vacations each year, we would visit many battlefields, museums and historical sites.
All the kids loved it!
Many years later dad would clarify the situation.
One moment can change a life. Late in 5th grade or early in 6th grade I found a book on the United States Military Academy at West Point in the library.
I had been reading a lot of history and decided I wanted to go there. I ended up going there as a cadet, graduating, and serving in the Army.
6. Gretna Glen camp
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Gretna Glen in the forest about 2 miles away. Still running today. Had a pool, separate cabins. Met Craig in 9th grade.
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Years later, in 1988, at Baptist Church in Tarrytown, NY, met someone who had thrown her piece of wood in the fire and became a Christian. Upon asking, it was at Gretna church camp. Unfortunately, I did ask for any more details.
7. Charlie Getty
New Jersey (Pompton Lakes) football, track and wrestling star.
All American lineman for Penn State football.
Penn State wrestler (5th and 3rd in NCAA tournaments)
Student teacher for EAHS (Elizabethtown Area High School) in 1974, helped coach shot put and discus
Athletes in Action visit to West Point in January 1975.
Offensive lineman, Chiefs (1974-1982), Packers (1983). mostly a starter.
Army-Navy game - old Memorial Collesium, Veterans Stadium.
Tom Grace - American Kettle Ball
Woman in A D G companies in each of four regiments.
8. West Point Motto and Honor Code
The United States Military Academy at West Point has a motto of "
Duty, honor, country".
"
Make us choose the harder right instead of the easier wrong and never to be content with a half truth when the whole can be won.". From the Cadet Prayer, United States Military Academy, West Point.
The West Point honor code that states that "
A cadet will not lie, cheat, steal or tolerate those who do". If found in violation of this code, the punishment is expulsion from the Academy.
9. First day and year
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Colonel Silvanus Thayer (1785-1872), the Father of the Military Academy, method of teaching. Superintendent from 1817 to 1833.
Gray granite Thayer Hall. Originally a closed arena for horse training.
Winnebago campers could park at river level.
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10. West Point
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Chain across the (deep) Hudson River, Benedict Arnold
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Parades on "The Plain". Chapel above.
Football stadium further up in elevation.
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Constitution Island, Anna and Susan Warner, Say and Seal novel, Johnny Fox, "let His little child come in", through 1915. West Point Cemetery.
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11. West Point
12. July 4, 1802
July 4, 1802 was 26 years after July 4, 1776. The United States Military Academy at West Point opened as an engineering school to train military officers.
On July 8, 1974, the last class required to learn how to use a
slide rule was admitted. TI SR-50 calculator allowed starting Spring semester.
As an engineering school, slide rule were used until 1975. In the fall of 1974, the class of 1978 (my class) was the last class required to learn how to use a slide rule to do engineering calculations. In the spring of 1975, we were issued and allowed to use Texas Instruments calculators to do calculations.
13. NO excuse sir
When a cadet at West Point has done (wrong) or not done something (that was to be done), the required response is "
No excuse sir" (starting in 1976, it became "
no excuse sir/ma'am"). There may be "
reasons" but there are no "
excuses".
One might not have known about something (ignorance) or chose to ignore something known. There could be "
reasons" that could not be anticipated. It does not matter. There is "
no excuse".
14. Meta-questions
Can I ask a question? You just asked a question.
A
meta-question is a question about questions.
Did you mean, can I ask
another question? The first question was a
meta-question.
When a new cadet (in the first year) at West Point needed to ask an upper-class cadet a question, one needed to say (before 1976 when women were admitted) "
Sir, may I ask a question?".
Some upper-class cadets would respond, "
You just did ask a question.". The new cadet was required to ask (that upper-class cadet) "
Sir, may I ask another question?".
A
meta-problem is a problem about problems. Are some people a problem about being a problem?
15. Room in the barracks
Attention to detail
Clothes and inspections, one pair on top
Lay out things for the morning,
[making changes when one got to the top]
A written exam was called a writ.
Gym class - swimming, boxing, gymnastics, wrestling, obstacle course, 2 mile run in boots, change quickly, Intramurals: pentathlon, swimming, volleyball. Swimmers as rocks.
16. From the room window in Fall 1974
At West Point, the months after Christmas in January until about March are known as the "
gloom period".
The granite buildings are gray.
The uniforms are gray.
The clouds and fog and fallen snow are gray.
The cement walkways and formation areas are gray.
Early in the morning and at night the outside is dark and gray.
Everything is gray and gloomy.
There are gloomy parts of the Bible that have some interesting words and ideas.
[Thayer method of teaching and learning]
17. Academic lists
Is it
good or
not good to be
"chosen"?
Most schools have what is known as a
"Dean's List" for the
"best" students.
West Point is a traditional
engineering school and the top of the class are called the
"engineers".
At
West Point, those cadets near the bottom of the class, the
"goats", often talked of being on the
"Dean's Other List".
It appears that, since the Naval Academy midshipman are known as "
goats", the idea was that the West Point cadets at the bottom of the class were on par with any of the Naval Academy midshipman. The reference to "
goat" does
not appear to be related to the parable of the "
sheep" and (young) "
goats". Nor does it refer to the "
goat" that "
escaped" or "
scapegoat".
18. Uniforms
19. Army Navy game
20. West Point vs. Penn State: October 5, 1974
Jay Greider, veteran and Penn State fan and long time St. Paul's member (and family), including 50 year member Ken Greider, visited 50 year member Robin Snyder, a cadet at West Point at the time, to see West Point play Penn State in football on October 5, 1974.
21. Kurt Leiberich
Colonel (Oberst) Kurt Leiberich (1920-2012): German soldier and officer who served as a forward observer and battery commander on the Eastern Front, including
Leningrad, from 1941 to 1945 during World War II. He was an German language instructor at the United States Military Academy at West Point, NY (1974-1978).
Course: Military and scientific German (1976)
Term paper:
EMP (Electro-Magnetic Pulse) (non-classified material)
22. Fort Benning and Airborne School
Class of 76 graduation at West Point (President Gerald Ford speaker). A day later, on the way to Airborne school at Fort Benning, GA, there were West Point cadets and Air Force Academy cadets in the same group. There were 30 foot poles around a training field. Each had a letter that together spelled "
AIRBORNE".
One night, some Air Force cadets climbed the poles and changed some letters. Later that night some West Point cadets climbed a pole and changed one letter. It was very hot and humid those weeks. It was not clear how those cadets had the energy to do this at night.
23. Summer 1976
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12th Engineer Battalion, Mobile Bridge Platoon in West Germany (6 weeks). 19 years old.
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24. Bridges
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Eu-rail pass travels (2 weeks) in Vienna, Munich, etc.
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25. 1976 Exchange program with West German Officer's School
West Point exchange program with West German Officer's School (2 weeks).
Back at West Point with new companies, first women class entered in July
26. West Point and the Army
27. Dan Riley
Strength coach at West Point in the 1970's.
USMA purchased Nautilus equipment in 1975. Riley said he opposed that purchase.
Dan Peterson decided to do extensive studies of the equipment using the high intensity protocol. Riley assisted.
Riley adapted, added theory, taught classes (theory and practice), refined the method.
Took the method to Penn State to build up the two championship teams for Joe Paterno.
Left to help Joe Gibbs and the Redskins win three Super Bowls. Good coaching and some transfer effect of strength to good athletes.
Continued with other NFL teams (e.g., Texans) for many years.
As intensity increases, the volume must decrease.
28. 1977: MacArthur movie
Douglas MacArthur (American military leader) (1880-1964) graduated at the top of the class in 1903 from West Point.
Wars are caused by unprotected wealth.
In war there is no substitute for victory.
DVD: MacArthur staring Gregory Peck, filmed and released 1977. The movie starts and ends with parade and dining hall scenes from West Point and his famous speech in the dining hall to the Corps of Cadets in 1962.
[flash cords of economic terms]
29. Fourth summer: NBC Committee
30. Graduation in 1978
Non-combat branches opened for selection.
Branch selection: #44. Ordnance Corps, Missile Material Management, Homestead AFB (Air Force Base) in Florida (Hawk ADA missiles, Nike Hercules missiles in Key West).
Senior International Relations paper: Policy analysis of the potential deployment of the neutron bomb
31. Missile Material Management Officer
Missile Material Management Officer
Ordnance Corps
Officer Basic: Aberdeen Proving Grounds, MD (Aber-dump)
Officer Basic: Redstone Arsenal, Huntsville, AL (Redrock)
32. Army - Ordnance Corps
3/68 ADA (Air Defense Artillery) Battalion
Move from Homestead AFB, FL, to Fort Bragg, NC.
Warrant Officers and NCO's.
Jimmy Carter and Iran (1979), warrant officers and NCO's and stories.
Coscom, Airborne Corps, Management Analyst in Comptroller
Management studies and recommendations.
Post laundry and tailor system, Post trash collection system
Pope AFB fuel system
Post check control program (COBOL, PX, Commissary, Tom Grace at PSU)
33. Tom Grace
Tom Grace:
West Point 1978, M.S. in Exercise Physiology, Penn State
Worked with Dan Riley while a cadet at West Point
Airborne Ranger, Special Forces
Associated with Hammer Strength
Founder of Black Iron Strength
Developer of the Modern American Kettlebell
https://blackironstrength.com/ (as of 2025-05-19)
34. Central Pennsylvania WWII Round-table
The Central Pennsylvania WWII Round-table is a non-profit organization that provides a forum for WWII veterans, authors, historians, and interested citizens to educate, discuss, study, and share their knowledge and experiences related to this global conflict
Our monthly meetings are held the first Thursday of each month at 7:00 pm in Grace United Methodist Church, 433 E Main St, Hummelstown, PA, 17036, and online at our YouTube channel. See the Upcoming Speakers and Speaker Press Releases pages for more information. http://www.centralpaww2roundtable.org (as of 2023-11-18)
Most previous meetings available on YouTube.
35. End of page
