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LTC Dave Jones' Founders Day Speech |
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Written by Administrator
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Sunday, 26 March 2006 |
[From Dave Jones remarks to Washington, D.C. and Buffalo, NY Founders Day Banquets]
Distinguished guests, and fellow graduates of the United States Military
Academy, good evening and thank you for giving me the opportunity to
share this special evening with you all.
On behalf of the Superintendent, LTG Lennox, the Dean, BG Finnegan, and
the Commandant, BG Scaparrotti it is indeed a privilege and honor to
share some insights with you on this special day, this 204th Founder's
Day.
Tonight I will provide you a short update on your Military Academy and
more importantly to tell you about our 4100 cadets and our graduates who
serve our Nation around the globe, especially as our Nation is at War.
Since I work directly under the Commandant, my comments will focus
mainly on the commandant's side of the house, but I intend to address
all areas of cadet development. And based on my grades as a cadet, I
may just be better qualified to talk about the Commandant's programs.
Please know that especially since the events of 9-11, the members of the
Corps of Cadets are keenly aware how significant a role each will play
in serving our Nation, our Army and our soldiers shortly after
graduation. The seriousness and focus in the Corps, even within the
plebe class is evident and each prepares for the eventuality of their
involvement in our Nation's continuous fight for freedom. It is a tone
and attitude known only by a few classes in our Academy's history... and
it certainly resides in the Corps of Cadets today.
Please let me first briefly address the important subject of our many
graduates involved in the Global War on Terror, and then I will update
you on the state of the Academy itself.
West Point graduates, particularly the recent grads, the
lieutenants and captains, are demonstrating great competence and courage
and are serving magnificently in a tough fight. I can assure that they
are building upon the proud legacy of the Long Gray Line. Some of you
may also know that:
- 6 of 10 division commanders are USMA graduates
- The CENTCOM Cdr, the Cdr of Combined Forces Command-Afghanistan, and the VCSA are USMA grads.
This is offered simply to reinforce that USMA graduates continue to
serve our nation selflessly at all levels of responsibility, whether in
command or staff positions. The Long Gray Line continues to answer the
call.
As each of us are well aware, a large number of our graduates,
young and old, are deployed today and fighting an adaptable and vicious
enemy, motivated by religious and cultural beliefs which are hard to
understand and harder to overcome. To beat them, we need leaders who
are smarter, more creative, and more culturally aware. This is tough
business, and our leaders are making critical and complex decisions,
while grounded in our Army's and Nation's Core Values.
There's one story that I want to share with you. This one is about a
soldier who we look forward to welcoming into the Class of 2011. This
young man already epitomizes the concept of "Duty, Honor, Country."
He recently wrote to us:
I am requesting removal from the class of 2010. This has been the
hardest decision of my life. I am torn between myself, my brothers, and
my future. With the upcoming deployment of 1/23 INF this summer, I
cannot in good conscience leave my fellow comrades at their greatest
time of need. God willing, I hope that both missions can be completed. I
wish, if possible, to reapply to the United States Military Academy for
the class of 2011 and in some small way benefit my future classmates
with the experiences learned in the Army and in combat.
Respecfully, Neil Vigil
I look forward to the arrival of the Class of 2011 when New Cadet Vigil
reports for his R Day. He'll be a great one!
Another story is one of a personal nature involving a cadet that I
sponsored my last tour at West Point.... There is no better example of
DUTY HONOR COUNTRY in my book....
With that, let me transition to a quick overview of the Cadet
Experience at West Point today....
Our Superintendent shared this with the Class of 2009 last Summer during
CBT. He said "What makes West Point different than any other college in
the Nation is our focus on Values and Character Development.... it is the
most important thing we do here at West Point"
You may not be aware, but within my specific area of responsibility,
every cadet at West Point participates in over 70 hours of small group
discussion that centers around West Point's Bedrock Values and our Army
Values over the four year experience. These conversations continue in
and out of the classroom, with their instructors, sponsors, and TAC
Teams often focusing on lessons learned from the present conflict in
Iraq and Afghanistan.
Another story comes to mind that illustrates the character of our
cadets. The West Point experience isn't easy. Some don't make it
through, but for many, strong values endure.
Released for academics, a former Plebe showed his high school and West
Point transcripts to the Dean of another college. The Dean did not
accept him at their College and told the former cadet that he would have
a better chance of getting in to a good college if he did not show his
recent grades from West Point. The young man replied, "if I learned
anything from my time at the Academy, I learned about integrity and
honor, I will show my grades from West Point-- good or bad-- it's the
right thing to do." A day later, the Dean called to apologize for his
comment and invite the former cadet to transfer into his College.
Our cadets know the value and critical importance of honor and
respect... they are living it every day, and internalizing it with every
new experience. They get it ... there is no better environment then West
Point for developing Leaders of Characte r... the experience is first
rate, lead by a faculty that is second to none.
We are all "role models" first and foremost at West Point... or we
shouldn't be teaching them... our role as role models is more important
then any subject we may teach. All Coaches, Instructors, TACs,
sponsors... are charged with the responsibility of "building leaders of
character", leader development and role-modeling our Bedrock Values.
It's inherent in every one of our jobs, every day and the staff and
faculty take that seriously.
Let me offer one great example- As you know, the Academy recently
brought in Coach Bobby Ross, and we have high hopes for his success with
the football team. But more important than his vast experience, more
important than his passion as a football coach is his commitment to the
ideals of West Point... to building "leaders of character" to serve our
Army and our Nation. I promise that is first and foremost on his
mind... he says it, and he lives it... the Corps of Cadets love this
man, and the integrity and character on which he stands.
A few more updates: as you know the Princeton Review has said that West
Point is the toughest college in the United States to gain admission
to... "Beating the Dean" is more real than it's ever been... for most of
us, getting into West Point now, with the records we had, would not be
possible. Our Engineering programs are consistently ranked among the
best in the Nation. In addition West Point has an outstanding
achievement record for prestigious scholarships.
On the Commandant's side, Military Science is once again being taught
throughout the Academic Year. All four classes are diving into
Leadership Topics, Army Values, Tactical and Technical military skills
and tasks, and all programs are incorporating lessons learned from Iraq
and Afghanistan campaigns. The summer leadership experiences are still
CBT/CFT, Military Schools, CLTL and DCLT and the major focus remains on
the Cadre...and their development as leaders.
Of course DPE is fully engaged! After five years of renovation,
Arvin Gym is finally open, and it is a state of the art facility. Of
course, all core courses still exist. Gymnastics, swimming, wrestling,
combatives, boxing... and of course the Indoor Obstacle Course is alive
and well... nothing in the world could not bring that great character
developing tool down! ... and Cadets still love it! (Okay, maybe they
don't love it!)...
Finally, just so you know the Corps is NOT getting over. Area Tours are
alive and well... Cadets are still learning and building character the
old corps way...with a twist. Area formation and area tours now are
conducted in platoon formations... and they drill... for awhile CGR even
played parade music over the loud speakers, but cadets living in Central
area, not on the area complained that they had trouble "racking"... and
we listened! Platoon formation Area continues... I promise "the corps
hasn't"... it would make an old grad proud! In snow... the front rank
is armed with Snow shovels... agile and adaptive leadership at it's
best!
Ladies and gentlemen, West Point's mission, to provide the Army with
outstanding leaders of character, has never been more important. Our
military and Academic programs are sound and relevant in order to meet
the Army's needs. We will continue to produce leaders of character, as
we have for 204 years. We are inspired by your examples of service and
value the legacy of the Long Gray Line. Like you, our cadets come to
West Point for a purpose - to become leaders of character committed to a
lifetime of service to the Nation - and they expect it to be
challenging. Our Soldiers deserve it, and our nation demands it.
Thank you for all you do, for your service in this great
society, in this community and our Nation, and for your support of the
United States Military Academy. West Point could not exist without the
full support of the Long Grey Line!
Thank you for your attention and respect as I shared some insights about
our Military Academy! Go Army and Beat Navy. |
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 26 March 2006 )
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Newsflash |
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We're compiling a list of class "firsts". What memorable thing was our class the first (or last) to experience? Who was the first in our class to -get married, have a child attend USMA, join the Navy? If you have suggestions, send them to
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