The Class of 2004 reported on a somewhat overcast morning. The new cadets and their parents reported to Miche Stadium. With the conclusion of the "Welcome to the Academy" ceremony, the New Cadets parted from their parents and marched across the field to begin their life as a West Point Cadet. From the Stadium, the New Cadets were driven to Thayer Hall where "in processing" was performed this year since Arvin Gym is under renovation. As you will be able to see from the pictures, they were then marched to the barracks area for the rest of their processing including the traditional haircuts and military training. The parents were driven from the stadium to Ike Hall where they picked up information about their cadets company, talked to the TAC officers and purchased postcards to immediately mail to their cadets. In the ballroom area, booths had been setup by the various support organizations of the academy. There was an excellent turnout of the Parents Clubs from across the nation including a table for our club manned by Candi Wise, Terri Taylor and Lynn Chase. They reported that one of the most asked question for the day was "What is the Clubs group number for purchasing Army/Navy tickets?" As expected, many of the club members stopped by the booth but there were several parents who joined that day. Welcome!

After the Superintendent's welcome the parents moved to Trophy Point for the Oath Ceremony. While they were waiting, many of the parents reviewed outdoor displays by the 10th Mountain Brigade. These included one of the M series tanks, a helicopter (like those used in Air Assault), a camo/sniper site and several weapons displays including rifles, mortars and artillery. The weather had been great all day but as the parents waited for the ceremony to begin, clouds begin to form, When looking up the Hudson you could see this wall of clouds and rain moving toward the Point. A little before 6pm a decision was made to move the ceremony into Ike Hall. Everyone made a mad dash to the Hall to look for seats. The rain held off until most were in the Hall. Eventually, everything was reorganized and the new cadets and the cadre marched in dressed in their rain gear to the cheers of the proud parents. The swearing in was completed and the new cadets marched back to their barracks for their first night at the Point and as New Cadets.

Check out our pictures. They are somewhat arranged in the sequence of the day. Hopefully you may see your cadet. Parents with cadets in G and H companies may want to look closely as many of the shots during the day were in their training area.