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Monument to Col Sylvanus Thayer ‘Father of the Military Academy’
• Advancement or promotion strictly according to merit, with no distinction between students because of family or financial background.
Introducing a curriculum based largely on engi- neering, Thayer insisted on regular study by cadets, and instigated a rule that cadets had to pass every course to graduate. He rated cadets on their performance, limited class sizes and instigated a streaming system to transfer cadets between sections as their averages rose or fell. Thayer’s insistence on leadership and excellence in both character and knowledge has been the cornerstone of the West Point experience since his day. He remained as Superintendent until 1833. The West Point motto ‘Duty, Honor, Coun- try’ adopted in 1898 puts Col Thayer’s ideals into words.
Graduates of West Point include two Ameri- can Presidents (Ulysses S Grant and Dwight D Eisenhower), and the President of the (short- lived) Confederate States of America (Jefferson Davis), as well as numerous famous generals including Robert E Lee (who chose the Confed- erate side in the Civil War and commanded the
Army of Northern Virginia), John ‘Black Jack’ Pershing, Douglas MacArthur, Omar Bradley, George Patton, ‘Stormin’ Norman Schwarzkopf and David Petraeus. Because West Point was the first engineering school in the USA, West Point graduates were employed to build much of the country’s infrastructure, including railroads, roads, bridges, harbours and public buildings. Eighteen West Point graduates have served as astronauts, including Frank Boorman and Buzz Aldrin. In addition, at the time of writing this arti- cle (July 2019), six of President Trump’s Adminis- tration are West Point graduates, including Mike Pompeo, the US Secretary of State.
USMA West Point today
Today, West Point is a four-year co-educational federal service academy providing officers for the active (regular) US Army. Candidates for admission must both apply directly to the Acad- emy and receive a nomination, usually from a member of Congress. Other nomination sources include the President and Vice President of the United States. There are also stiff educational and physical requirements, of course. Applicants must be between 17 and under 23 on 1st July of the year of entering the Academy and must be US Citizens. They can neither be married nor pregnant during their time at the Academy. There are also foreign cadets, as at Sandhurst, for whom the entry criteria are different.
Students are officers-in-training and are referred to as ‘cadets’ or collectively as the ‘United States Corps of Cadets’ (USCC). Tuition for cadets is fully funded by the Army in exchange for an active duty service obligation upon graduation (currently 5 years with a further 3 years Reserve service). Approximately 1,200 cadets enter the Academy each July, with about 1,000 cadets graduating.
The academic programme grants a Bachelor of Science degree with a curriculum that grades cadets’ performance upon a broad academic programme, military leadership performance, and mandatory participation in competitive athletics. Cadets are required to adhere to the ‘Cadet Honor Code’, which states that ‘a cadet will not lie, cheat, steal, or tolerate those who do.’ Cadets accused of violating the ‘Honor Code’ face a formal investigative and hearing process. If they are found guilty by a jury of their peers, they face severe consequences ranging from being ‘turned back’ (repeating an academic year) to expulsion from the Academy. The Acad-
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