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CORNWALL — Thirteen-year-old Megan Gagnon is killing time outside her middle school on Thursday afternoon, waiting for police and federal agents to finish a sweep of the building. This is a big deal. Gen. David H. Petraeus is about to arrive. He grew up here, she says, graduated from Cornwall High, then West Point. “Now he runs Iraq and Afghanistan.” Gagnon's dad is in the Army too, deployed to Iraq for the past nine months. She told him, over a webcam, that Petraeus was visiting on Thursday so the town could name a street after him. The band was going...

COL (ret) Joel Leson fowards this email about a visit to the US Military Academy (West Point): I visited West Point today for a series of business meetings, mostly with faculty and some with Cadets. Not to go into too much boring detail, but the purpose was to get some feedback for some work my boss and colleagues and I are doing that will (we think and hope) shake up the military's thinking in a positive way. It was of course the eighth anniversary of 9/11, which was on my mind as I listened to the NY radio stations' remembrance...

An e-mail from my friend Michael Anton, who gave me permission to pass it on: I visited West Point today for a series of business meetings, mostly with faculty and some with Cadets.**** It was of course the eighth anniversary of 9/11, which was on my mind as I listened to the NY radio stations' remembrance shows on the way up..***** They feed the entire Corps (4,400) plus much of the faculty and staff in one sitting, every day, in a gigantic building shaped like a six-pointed asterisk.***** About halfway through the meal, there was another announcement from the poop...

Photo Credit: courtesy. The cover of Forbe's Aug. 24 issue features West Point cadets and names the academy as the nation's best college. WEST POINT, N.Y. (Army News Service, Aug. 7, 200) - A report released Wednesday by Forbes magazine ranked the U.S. Military Academy as the top college in the country in their America's Best College review. "Marked by an intense work ethic and drive to succeed on all fronts, the West Point undergraduate experience also allows graduates to leave without a penny of tuition loans to repay," Forbes stated in its release. In the Forbes rating, West...

...Forbes Magazine — in its “second annual” college rankings issue — has just awarded its top spot to an institution that doesn’t tend to win such beauty contests: the United States Military Academy at West Point. As Forbes sees things, West Point tops Princeton (No. 2), the California Institute of Technology (No. 3), Williams College (No. 4) and Harvard (No. 5.)

College senior Raymond Vetter gets up at dawn to fit in a run or a workout. Then, hair shorn neatly and pants pressed, he marches into breakfast, where he sits in an assigned seat. After six hours of instruction in such subjects as Japanese literature and systems engineering, two hours of intramural sports and another family-style meal with underclassmen, Vetter rushes to return to his room by the 11:30 p.m. curfew. Most college students, we think, do not march to meals. A goodly number of them drink into the wee hours, duck morning classes and fail to hit the gym...

The best public and private colleges and universities--from the student's point of view. The best college in America has an 11:30 p.m. curfew. It doesn't allow alcohol in the dorms, which must be kept meticulously clean. Students have to keep their hair neat, their shoes shined, their clothes crisply pressed. They also receive a world-class education, at no cost, and incur no debt--except for a duty to their country. The college is the U.S. Military Academy, or West Point, and it tops our second-annual ranking of America's Best Colleges, compiled by Forbes and the Center for College Affordability and Productivity....

Caroline Miller, a saber in her white-gloved hand, leads cadets of Company D with crisp commands.... She also is following in the footsteps of family members who have marched just like this for seven generations, forming a long gray bloodline, longer than any still existing at West Point. Miller's ancestors have fought in the Civil War, World War I, World War II and Vietnam. They have served since her great-great-great-great grandfather graduated when Andrew Jackson was president 173 years ago. Her father graduated here. Her sister too. Such "dynasties" are not unusual at West Point. What sets the Millers apart...

SWORDLESS SAILORS Graduating midshipmen of the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis are being told in writing to leave at home or in their vehicles all "ceremonial swords" and anything else "that might be considered a weapon or a threat by screeners" for Friday's outdoor commencement ceremonies featuring an address by President Barack Obama. Inside the Beltway has obtained the academy's list of prohibited items for this year's graduation exercises, which, besides ceremonial swords, includes umbrellas. Yes, cell phones and texting are still allowed.

Cadets graduating from West Point were praised by U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates on Saturday for having the courage and patriotism to join the military in "a dangerous new century." Gates noted that the 970 members of the U.S. Military Academy's class of 2009 were preparing their West Point applications in late 2004, even as American forces were battling fiercely in Fallujah in Iraq. "You made your decision to serve knowing not only that America was at war, as did every man or woman who joined the military after September 11, but that this war would be bloody and...

Cadets graduating from West Point were praised by U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Saturday for having the courage and patriotism to join the military in "a dangerous new century." Gates noted that the 970 members of the U.S. Military Academy's class of 2009 were preparing their West Point applications in late 2004, even as American forces were battling fiercely in Fallujah in Iraq. "You made your decision to serve knowing not only that America was at war, as did every man or woman who joined the military after Sept. 11, but that this war would be bloody and difficult,...

<p>Want to trim the federal budget and improve the military at the same time? Shut down West Point, Annapolis and the Air Force Academy, and use some of the savings to expand ROTC scholarships.</p> <p>After covering the U.S. military for nearly two decades, I've concluded that graduates of the service academies don't stand out compared to other officers. Yet producing them is more than twice as expensive as taking in graduates of civilian schools ($300,000 per West Point product vs. $130,000 for ROTC student). On top of the economic advantage, I've been told by some commanders that they prefer officers who come out of ROTC programs, because they tend to be better educated and less cynical about the military.</p>

Note: The following text is a quote: Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by Attorney General Eric Holder at West Point's Center for the Rule of Law Grand Opening Conference West Point, N.Y. Wednesday, April 15, 2009 It is a distinct honor and a special privilege to be here this evening and to serve as the keynote speaker at the grand opening of this new Center for the Rule of Law. The foundation of this center is firmly based not just on bedrock and concrete, but on the very ideals and vision of the United States Military Academy. As such, this...

(CBS/AP) A group of U.S. Military Academy graduates came out of the closet Monday in a bid to overturn the ban on gays in the military and help West Point create an environment of tolerance and acceptance as they educate future officers, reports the Military Times. The 38-member "Knights Out" contacted the military academy's administration seeking to provide an "open forum" for gay troops and Army leaders, the paper reports. The Pentagon's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy was instituted after President Bill Clinton tried to lift the ban on gay service members in 1993. It refers to the military practice...

President George W. Bush playfully kicked a football and presided over the pre-game coin toss on Saturday as he basked in the pageantry of the annual Army-Navy game, one of the sport's most storied rivalries. The crowd at Lincoln Financial Field let out hearty cheers of "USA, USA" as Bush made his way to midfield for the ceremonial coin toss,…MORE Earlier in the day, Bush got a look at how history will remember him — at least in one artist's view — as he presided over the unveiling of his portrait at The Union League of Philadelphia. "Welcome to...

In May of 1992, Guy R. “Bear” Barattieri achieved the singular distinction of graduating last in his class at West Point... “he was an American hero in every sense of the word. He was one of the most down to earth, giving individuals I ever knew, he had a love for his family that was enormous, and he wore his belief in this country on his chest like a badge of honor.”

Three years after a scandal at the Air Force Academy over the evangelizing of cadets by Christian staff and faculty members, students and staff at West Point and the Naval Academy are complaining that their schools, too, have pushed religion on cadets and midshipmen.

The U.S. Army said Friday it will immediately repair barracks at eight facilities in the wake of inspection at bases worldwide. The inspections were done the last week of April and covered nearly 150,000 barracks rooms. They found that 45 repairs needed priority attention, including new heating and cooling equipment, repainting, mold removal and other work. Army Secretary Pete Geren has said that $248 million in emergency funds has been appropriated to fix problems found during the inspections. The Army on Friday identified eight installations that will get priority attention: Fort Polk, La.; Fort Gordon, Ga.; Fort Bragg, N.C.; Fort...

WASHINGTON, April 22, 2008 – Success on today’s and tomorrow’s battlefields requires military leaders guided by conscience who refuse to be “yes men,” Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said in a speech last night to future Army officers at the U.S. Military Academy. Gates told the cadets at West Point, N.Y., that he considers principled dissent a sign of a healthy organization, but he also encouraged loyalty among the dissenters. The Army will need leaders of “uncommon agility, resourcefulness and imagination, leaders willing and able to think and act creatively and decisively in a different kind of world and a...

BREWSTER, Mass. -- The man who had been the oldest living graduate of the United States Military Academy has died. Retired Col. Benjamin Whitehouse died at the age of 105 Wednesday at a Brewster nursing home. He suffered a stroke last month. The West Point Association of Graduates says Whitehouse graduated in 1927 and left military service in 1929. He worked in the automative industry before re-enlisting the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Whitehouse served in North Africa, Italy, France and Germany, earning two Bronze Stars, before retiring from military service in 1957. He's survived by two children,...

RAMADI, Iraq -- Spc. Gerald Bradner, 21, from Brookneal, Va., is an intelligence annalist with 3rd Battalion, 69th Armored Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division stationed at Camp Blue Diamond. He graduated William Campbell High School in 2004 and will attend the U.S. Military Academy, better known as West Point, in August 2008. Bradner is the first person from William Campbell High School to go to West Point in more than 40 years. RAMADI, Iraq -- Spc. Gerald Bradner, 21, from Brookneal, Va., is an intelligence annalist with 3rd Battalion, 69th Armored Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division stationed at Camp Blue Diamond....

A Day in the Life of President Bush (with photos): 12-01-07 Enjoy your visit to Sanity Island PHOTO (s) OF THE DAY ~~Cardboard cutouts of President Bush are represented on both sides of the field at the annual Army/Navy Football Game today. Army cadet Andrew Batule from Honolulu, Hawaii, cheers while standing along side a cardboard cut out of President George W. Bush during the first half of Army's NCAA college football game against Navy in Baltimore, Maryland December 1, 2007. A group of Midshipmen from the United States Naval Academy hold a cardboard cut-out of U.S. President George...

This weekend was Memorial Day weekend and today's dose is a tribute to this special weekend in honour of America's fallen heroes. Rolling Thunder made their annual trip to Washington to honour the fallen on Memorial Day Weekend including visiting the White House on Saturday. On Saturday Vice President Dick Cheney delivered the commencement speech at West Point. Today the President attended Memorial Day ceremonies at the Arlington National Cemetery. In the Green Zone in Baghdad there were the first official high level talks between the US and Iran in 27 years. Americans celebrated Memorial weekend in different ways through...

WHITE PLAINS - The mere presence of Vice President Dick Cheney does not turn West Point into a public forum and is not an "open invitation" to protesters, a federal appeals court ruled on Friday. Cheney is scheduled to deliver the commencement speech at the U.S. Military Academy today, and about 1,000 people had hoped to march onto the campus for an anti-war demonstration. But the Army denied permission, a federal judge in White Plains agreed, and the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals refused on Friday to issue a preliminary injunction that would allow the march...The protesters' attorney, Stephen...

Court: Protesters Can't Enter West Point For VP's Speech POSTED: 1:11 pm EDT May 25, 2007 UPDATED: 1:13 pm EDT May 25, 2007 WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- The mere presence of Vice President Dick Cheney does not turn West Point into a public forum and is not an "open invitation" to protesters, a federal appeals court said Friday. Cheney is scheduled to deliver the commencement speech at the U.S. Military Academy on Saturday and about 1,000 people had hoped to march onto the campus for an anti-war demonstration. But the Army denied permission, a federal judge in White Plains agreed...

WEST POINT, N.Y., April 26, 2007 – It seemed very much like the passing of the torch as Marine Gen. Peter Pace spoke to the U.S. Military Academy Class of 2007 here yesterday. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Marine Gen. Peter Pace speaks to cadets of the U.S. Military Academy Class of 2007 in West Point, N.Y., April 25, 2007. Defense Dept. photo by Staff Sgt. D. Myles Cullen  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Pace probably will be the last chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff with combat experience from Vietnam. He spoke to cadets...

WEST POINT, N.Y. (AP) _ Muslims at the U.S. Military Academy numbered just two in 2001. This year, there are 32. Now West Point has opened its first space dedicated to Muslims, a worship hall complete with a pulpit facing Mecca. The space officially opened Thursday. "I knew the Army had a policy of religious tolerance, but I didn't know it was to this extent," said first-year Cadet Ahmed Moomin, 20, from the Maldives. Until now, Friday prayers were held in an increasingly crowded first-floor office, said Imam Asadullah, the academy's Muslim cleric. The number of Muslim cadets jumped by...

CANANDAIGUA — Charlie Sauter won't have much of a summer vacation next year. And that suits the Canandaigua Academy senior just fine. Sauter is scheduled to graduate from CA next June 23. Two days later, he will report to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. A member of the football, skiing and lacrosse teams at CA, Sauter was granted early acceptance earlier this month as the first official member of the Army Class of 2011.

(AgapePress) - A conservative military watchdog says she intends to question West Point Military Academy officials about why a former cadet was given an award for a thesis objecting to the U.S. military's ban on homosexuals serving in the armed forces. Second Lieutenant Alexander Raggio describes himself as the straightest guy imaginable; but in his senior thesis at West Point Academy, he argued that the military's policy banning homosexuals from service is not only wrong but harmful to America's armed services. For his controversial paper, the then-senior cadet received an award from the Academy's English Department. This incident has led...

The U.S. Military Academy is welcoming its first cadet from Iraq, a 19-year-old who wants serve his country's army after witnessing violence in Baghdad. Incoming Cadet Jameel acknowledged Thursday that attending West Point posed potential dangers to him and his family in Iraq. But he said it was worth it for a chance to serve at the school, which he called "the best military academy in the world." Jameel was interviewed on the condition his first name be withheld and no pictures were allowed. West Point officials said the conditions were set by the U.S. Army to provide security for...

WASHINGTON, June 7, 2006 – Growing up "green" with a pair of Army parents and moving around the world influenced a West Point cadet's decision to give military life a whirl. Cadet Sgt. Philip S. Bucci, a second-generation West Pointer, said his military parents influenced his decision to attend the academy. Photo by Gerry J. Gilmore  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. "Dad graduated from West Point in 1977, and Mom was an Army nurse," recalled Cadet Sgt. Philip S. Bucci, who has just completed his second year at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. "I've always...

C-SPAN aired a repeat appearance of Mr. Chumpsky at West Point Military Academy April 20. Chomsky was evidently invited by a gushing West Point philosophy professor, Robert Tully, who had such reverence for Noam that I wondered why my tax dollars were supporting such an America hater as Chomsky as well as the salary for the leftist professor at West Point. The young, impressionable cadets offered Chomsky a little bit extra applause and a gift at the end of his address. The speech seemed shorter than the overly ingratiating introduction given by the anti-military West Point professor Tully. Chomsky blasted...

WASHINGTON (Army News Service, June 1, 2006) – Comparing the Global War on Terror to the Cold War, President George W. Bush told 861 U.S. Military Academy graduates May 27 that they will face a more elusive enemy – global terrorists. Comparing the years after World War II to the years following 9/11, he said the dedication of President Harry S. Truman helped the U.S. build a stronghold against its challenges. “By the actions he took, the institutions he built, the alliances he forged and the doctrines he set down, President Truman laid the foundation of America’s victory in the...

BOSTON -- Two local high school students have earned scholarships to West Point, but when it comes to awards night at their school the military is not invited. Some said it's a big disservice to those who are ready to serve their country. Newscenter Five's Sean Kelly reported that the principal of King Phillip Regional High School in Wrentham, Mass., told the U.S. Army it would not be welcome at a scholarship banquet that will be held to honor two graduates who have received scholarships to West Point Military Academy.

Noam Chomsky: Failed States: The Abuse Of Power and the Assault on Democracy 11:00PM CSPAN2 60mins. In an appearance at West Point, MIT professor Noam Chomsky ("Failed States") talks with cadets about war theory and the invasion of Iraq.

President George W Bush has likened the US "war on terror" to the Cold War fight against communism after World War II, at a military graduation ceremony. Speaking to cadets at West Point military academy in New York state, Mr Bush said the US would not rest until the threat of terror had been removed. The 861 new graduates must fight a war against terror that knew no boundaries, the president told them. "The war began on my watch but it's going to end on your watch," he said. In a wide-ranging speech, Mr Bush talked of his aim of...

PRESIDENTIAL NEWS OF THE DAY: President and Mrs. Bush and their long-time friends, former Commerce Secretary Don Evans and his wife, are spending Memorial Day weekend together at Camp David. There is speculation in the media that the President may ask Mr. Evans to become the next Treasury Secretary. Today, the President traveled to the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, to give the commencement address to the Corps of Cadets. SCHEDULE UPDATE: NOTE -- so far, new Press Secretary Tony Snow has not been annoucing the Week Ahead in his press briefings. Scott McClellan has stopped...

WASHINGTON, May 27, 2006 – America will take the fight against terrorism to every battlefront with an unrelenting determination that will not cease until terrorists are defeated, President Bush said today in West Point, N.Y. Cadets celebrate at the conclusion of graduation exercises at the U.S. Military Academy, May 27. Those graduating represent approximately 72 percent of the cadets who entered West Point almost four years ago. U.S. Army photo   "Against such an enemy, there is only one effective response: We will never back down; we will never give in; and we will never accept anything less than complete...

The field of battle is where your degree and commission will take you. This is the first class to arrive at West Point after the attacks of September the 11th, 2001. Each of you came here in a time of war, knowing all the risks and dangers that come with wearing our nation's uniform. And I want to thank you for your patriotism, your devotion to duty, your courageous decision to serve. America is grateful and proud of the men and women of West Point. President Bush, May 27, 2006... In this new war, we have set a clear doctrine....

FOUR DECADE5 OF SERVICE TO COUNTRY By Philip L. Bolte ‘50 The smoke from a thirteen gun solute drifted over the parade ground at Fort Myer in August of 1991, the Army Band (Pershings Own) played traditional Cavalry songs --- "Gary Owen" and "Around Her Neck She Wore a Yellow Ribbon" --- and the Third United States Infantry (The Old Guard) passed in review. The ceremony marked the retirement of Major General William F. Ward, Jr., Chief of Army Reserve, and last member of the West Point Class of 1950 to serve on active duty. From the start, the class...

SYRACUSE, N.Y. - The Army warned an anti-war group of former U.S. Military Academy cadets to stop using the words "West Point" in its name, saying they are trademarked. A co-founder of West Point Graduates Against the War countered Friday that his organization is simply following the cadets' code. "At West Point, we were taught that cadets do not lie, cheat or steal — and to oppose those who do," said William Cross, a 1962 West Point graduate. "We are a positive organization. We are not anti-West Point or anti-military. We are just trying to uphold what we were taught."...

West Point -- Twenty-one gay rights activists were detained at the U.S. Military Academy and issued federal citations Wednesday while protesting the Pentagon's "don't ask, don't tell" policy. The academy was their last stop on a cross-country tour of 20 conservative Christian and military colleges that protest organizers say discriminate against gay, bisexual and transgendered people. Members of the protest group Soulforce Equality Riders have faced charges for protests at five of the campuses. Ten were handcuffed and charged with disorderly conduct after demonstrating April 14 at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo. On Wednesday, about 50...

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 4/13/2006) - CAIR National Board Member Dr. Ahmad Al-Akhras offered a lecture this week to more than 1000 cadets, staff and faculty at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. (SEE: http://www.usma.edu/ ) The event was part of the academy's "Diversity Lecture Series." Dr. Al-Akhras also participated in an evening session at which he was able to answer questions on a variety of issues related to Islam, Muslims and international events. CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 32 offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage...

Army Womens Basketball Coach Maggie Dixon, who led the Black Knights to their First NCAA Tournament, in her first Head coaching season has died at age 28 of cardiac arrythmia.

WEST POINT, N.Y. - A cadet at the U.S. Military Academy has been charged with raping two former cadets, a West Point spokesman said Thursday in reporting the latest alleged sex assault involving a military academy. Lonnie Story, a senior from Poplar Bluff, Mo., was on leave when the alleged incidents occurred in January 2005 and October 2005, Lt. Col. Kent Cassella said. The two women had already graduated at the time. In an e-mail message to The Associated Press late Thursday, Story professed his innocence. He faces a pretrial investigation to decide whether the case should proceed to a...

...There is a special reason why you, the future leaders of the United States Army, need to be philosophically armed today. You are the target of a special attack by the Kantian-Hegelian-collectivist establishment that dominates our cultural institutions at present. You are the army of the last semi-free country left on earth, yet you are accused of being a tool of imperialism--and "imperialism" is the name given to the foreign policy of this country, which has never engaged in military conquest and has never profited from the two world wars, which she did not initiate, but entered and won. (It...

WEST POINT, N.Y. (AP) - Gen. William Westmoreland, commander of U.S. forces in Vietnam during a major escalation of the war, was buried Saturday at the U.S. Military Academy, where he was once superintendent. The World War II combat veteran died Monday at the age of 91 of natural causes at the South Carolina retirement home where he lived with his wife, Katherine. "He left his mark in history," a chaplain, Lt. Col. John J. Cook, said in a graveside eulogy. "The season of war is gone ... Now he'll enter a season of rest." Following a private chapel service...

WEST POINT, N.Y. (Army News Service, June 24. 2005) -- The first Afghan native to attend the U.S. Military Academy is scheduled to report for duty at West Point June 27. Shoaib Yosoufzai, one of 21 international cadets accepted as a member of the Class of 2009, comes from Laghman providence in Eastern Afghanistan. Yosoufzai spent two years at Kabul University learning civil engineering. Continuing in the engineering field and gaining a strong military background are two of the reasons he wanted to come to West Point. “I wanted a military career and the U.S. Military Academy has a very...

COLPO TO BECOME CHIEF OF STAFF AT WEST POINT – COL MIKE “NO COMBAT” COLPO (THE “CHAIRBORNE” RANGER) INFANTRY OFFICER DOESN’T GO INTO HARM’S WAY IN GRENADA, PANAMA, SOMALIA, KOSOVO, BOSNIA, GULF WAR, IRAQ OR AFGHANISTAN – ALSO MANAGED TO AVOID OVERSEAS DUTY DURING 27 YEARS IN THE STATES WHILE OTHER WEST POINT GRADS FOUGHT AND DIED FOR THEIR COUNTRY COLPO HUNTOON’S “RIGHT-HAND MAN” DURING SHAMEFUL GEN. BRADLEY AIDE “GUN GRAB” AT TROUBLED CARLISLE BARRACKS “You’re kidding me. This is a joke, right?” said one senior officer at Ft. Bragg when we told him COL Mike “NO COMBAT” Colpo was...

SIERRA VISTA - Buena High School graduate Sean Storey will be among 242 young people who will receive the Congressional Award Gold Medal during a ceremony Wednesday at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington D.C. The award is the highest honor bestowed upon young people by the U.S. Congress, according to an announcement from the Congressional Award Foundation. Storey, 17, the son of Christopher and Syretha Storey, is one of three award recipients from Arizona. The Congressional Award is a public-private partnership created by Congress in 1979 to provide a unique opportunity for young people ages...