West Point Parents' Club of Oregon
& SW Washington Newsletter - Sept. '01

List of Newsletter Articles:
Notice of OCT. 18th Meeting (above)
Minutes of Aug. 18th Meeting (Boodle-making BBQ
Academics & Redbook Link
'02's Ring Weekend
Official Bicentennial Website:  http://www.usma.edu/Bicentennial/
'03's -need news!  '03  parents please submit smoething/anything!
'04's -Buckner
'05's - Shining Shoes
Holiday Bus Schedules
All Service Academies Ball Invitation & Registration Form
All Army Personnel to Have On-line Accounts

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Minutes of Aug. 18th Meeting
(Picnic & Boodle-making)

(Will post as soon as received from Carole)
The West Point Parent's Club Meeting
Respectfully Submitted:
Carole Cox, Secretary

Academics - FOS & Majors

FOS= Field of Study
All cadets will graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree. They have to take a minimum of 40 semester courses to graduate. That is 5 courses per semester times 8 semesters = 40 semester courses.

If a cadet does not take any additional classes he/she will not receive a major in the subject field he is studying.  He (please assume both genders in the subsequent use of "he" in this or any article) will receive a Bachelor of Science degree with a Field of Study in Economics, for example. A Field of Study is like a more general degree in a subject or area.  The FOS degree is not accredited by other institutions of higher learning in the manner which a degree with a Major would receive, say for graduate work in a specific area.  If they take the extra coursed required for a major, they will graduate will receive a Bachelor of Science Degree with a Major in (whatever they took) as
the Degree.

To obtain a Major in a subject while at USMA the cadet must take more than 40 semester classes. Each major has a different number of classes required but let us say that a Major in Economics, for example, requires 44 semester courses. That means that in four of the eight semesters at USMA the cadet must take six classes a semester instead of the normal five. That is often referred to as an "overload", or "overloading", although is not technically so according to the Academic Redbook, the official source of information on courses and academic programs, etc. (Please note that we now have the Academic Redbook linked off our main page--find it in the USMA section at the top left column--I sure wish I'd had access to it in my cadets' early years--ed.)  Note: If a cadet has validated courses then these count towards the total course credits, making it easier to obtain a major without taking 6 courses for four semesters.

Ring weekend was great! Craig invited us (there were only maybe 2-3 other parents there) to a dinner cruise that about 150 firsties and their dates were taking out of Manhattan, circling the
Statue of Liberty Friday night after the ceremony. (Oh my God; how impresseive that was no, in light of the events of Sept. 12th.  The skyline will never be the same--see below--ed.) It was great being able to be with, and observe, so many firsties and their dates just having so much fun! In some ways, I think Ring Weekend is almost better than graduation. They are on top of the world with their new rings, while at the graduation hop (following graduation banquet the Friday night before Sat. a.m. graduation) it almost seemed redundant, like they had already "moved on", and so the energy wasn't as focused on being there or having a good time at graduation as it is Ring Weekend. We did get to meet the new superintendent, GEN Lennox, and his wife in the receiving line. I think he will be good, but is a little more soft-spoken (his first official "address" was at the banquet) and reserved; not as rah-rah as GEN Christman was. (i.e., I doubt if he'll do the naked chest butt with "A" man during football games!)
** For related article, please click on archives September 2000 newsletter, above left column (sorry, the links to the pictures are break with archiving, and Al doesn't know how to fix that)
The Statue of Liberty on NYC harbor tour, after the ring ceremony & the last time the firsties onboard and your editors saw the world trade center towers.

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03's - need news, please!

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04's - Buckner
The New Test - Operation Highland Warrior
by Jackie (Kalata) Whiteside '93, excerpted from "Grey Matter"

     There is a new look to the grand finale of Cadet Field Training - a week once known as Infantry Week or, more recently, Viking Thrust. It is called Highland Warrior, and the Class of 2004 has been called to the challenge. Their leaders in 2002 and 2003 have been training the yearlings all summer for this deployment to Cortina, the fictional country that requires assistance from the terrorist activities of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) and the imminent invasion of the Atlantican Army. It will be two weeks that test the mettle, determination, and mental toughness of all the warriors involved.
     Overseen by Major (P) Al Ahuja of the Department of Military Instruction, this is a complex and intense operation that involves almost 3,000 people and stretches the talents of this former Operations Officer from the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault). It also involves a significant contribution from the 1st Battalion, 87th Infantry of the 10th Mountain Division (Light). Otherwise known as the PLA and Atlanticans, they will haunt the cadets day and night with their expert camouflage, movement, and marksmanship skills in the woods of the New York Highlands - woods they are well at home in. The philosophy behind Highland Warrior is to expose cadets to the challenges of the combat arms officer,
while inspiring them with the rewards of leading soldiers in the close fight.
    This exercise closely resembles a rotation at the Joint Readiness Training Center (JRTC) in Ft. Polk - with cadets constantly being attacked by the OPFOR (Opposition Force) over a five day period. This is brought home every morning as their one hot meal a day arrives in a Humvee mounted with an M249 SAW and several cadets pulling security. Their respective platoon perimeters have been probed all night by some dedicated PLA, leaving the cadets somewhat bleary eyed.
     After breakfast one particular morning, a platoon begins a footmarch to a Pickup Zone (PZ) for an Air Assault raid. In the humid Hudson morning, they are soaked and out of water by the time they arrive. They barely have time to top-off water when the Black Hawks arrive. The cadets share looks of excitement as they run out for their first helicopter rides ever. Since this is a tactical mission, the helicopters scream across the valleys of West Point at tree top level - with hard banks and several zero-G moments that cause several cadets to lose their hard won breakfast. The platoon is inserted into an LZ (Landing Zone) that is notable for the elephant grass that is way above their heads, and the intense heat that accompanies it.  Soon they are on the way to the raid site, according to the FRAGO that the platoon leader had briefed the night before. The infiltration route is a deep creek that runs towards Camp Shea, the objective.   Some cadets are waist deep in the water, and one is lost to a sprained ankle.
   Just short of the objective, a watchful PLA on the bluffs above the creek opens fire, compromising the platoon. The cadet platoon leader orders the support to open fire while the assault element scales the bluff and assaults the objective. There is a village there, and the objective is a radio transmitter next to a house - one that is heavily obstacled by the PLA. In the next twenty minutes, two thirds of the platoon is annihilated by the hard fighting 10th Mountain troops.
   After the mission, I ask Cadet Tau ('04) from 3rd Platoon, 3rd Company, about what he thought of the mission. He is waiting for a truck back to the company AO, where the fight rages on.  "Today is the best day of my life!"  They just did an air assault with an infiltration, MOUT fighting, and had civilians on the battlefield.  The Commandant is right about this exercise. It might be a handful for the cadets, but its exactly what they want and need.
Author's note: This article was written with help from a Highland Warrior Participant.
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05's - Shining Shoes

There is no substitute for elbow grease. Nothing works as well or lasts so long.

I would not recommend mop'n'glo for daily use on shoes, as it will seal the leather, cause it to crack, and should a drop of moisture fall on a mop 'n'glo'd shoe, it will leave a white ring which is very hard to get rid of.   Most cadets quickly learn that one needs one to wear and one to show, and it is ideal for the "inspection" pair of shoes. My cadets had one pair of boots and shoes that were carefully spitshined, and kept under wraps except for inspections, when the "everyday" pair would be carefully hidden.

HOW TO SPIT SHINE

     Spread a thick layer of paste polish over the leather to be spit shined. Allow it to dry for 5 minutes. Wrap a soft, clean cloth around your index finger so you have a smooth area on the end of your finger and dip it in water so it is thoroughly wet but not dripping (see note 1 below).
    Using a small circular motion (see note 2 below), buff the dried polish with the wet cloth until a shine starts to develop. Then, still using the damp rag on your finger, apply a fine layer of polish in a circular motion and keep on rubbing lightly until a hazy shine develops. Keeping the rag damp, build up the shine with thin layers of polish applied in circles with light pressure until a glossy shine develops.
     When sufficient shine has developed, use a clean, dry, soft cloth to give it a final buff and remove any last haze.
     NOTE:
(1) The reason you use a wet cloth is to stop the fine coats of polish sticking to
the cloth and to encourage the polish to stick to the leather. You want to keep on
building up thin layers of wax until you have a completely smooth surface that
gives the glossy shine.
(2) After the first heavy coat of polish you must use minimal amounts of polish to
build up the shine. If you use too much polish, the solvent in the polish you are
applying will dissolve the base you have already built up and you will have to
start again in that area.

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Here are the GMK Travel Bus schedules for the below holiday dates. These schedules are linked to the wpp-net home page and parent-forum as well.
Approximate travel times are:
> West Point to Stewart Airport: 35-45 Minutes
> West Point to Newark Airport: 1 3/4 - 2 Hours
> West Point to LaGuardia Airport: 1 1/2 - 1 3/4 Hours
> West Point to JFK Airport: 2 - 2 1/4 Hours
> West Point to Albany: 2 1/2 - 2 3/4 Hours>
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ THANKSGIVING DAY 2001 TICKET SALES
Bus ticket sales will be on November 12, 13, & 19from 1700-1930 in Grant Hall.
> Bus departures from West Point: 21 November 2001
To Stewart Airport  OW $10 RT $19 1200,1315,1515
To Newark Airport  OW $15 RT $271200,1315,1515
To LaGuardia Airport  OW $18 RT $35 1200,1315
To JFK Airport OW $25 RT $45 1200, 1315
To Albany Airport OW $25 RT $48 1315
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>  Return buses to West Point: 25 November 2001
From Stewart Airport 1500 & 1715
From Newark Airport 0800,1000,1400,1700
From LaGuardia Airport 1200,1400,1700
From JFK Airport 1100,1600
From Albany Airport 1630
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CHRISTMAS 2001 TICKET SALES
>Bus ticket sales will be on December 10 & 11, from1700-1930 hours, and December 16 from 1400-1730, in Grant Hall.
> Bus departures from West Point: Wednesday, 19 December 2001
To Newark Airport  OW $15 RT $27 1200,1900
To LaGuardia Airport  OW $18 RT $35 1200,1900

> Bus Departures from West Point: Thursday, 20 December 2001
To Stewart Airport  OW $10 RT $19 1200
To Newark Airport  OW $15 RT $27 0800,1200,1900
To LaGuardia Airport  OW $18 RT $35  1200, 1900
To JFK Airport 1200 OW $25 RT $45
To Albany Airport 1200 OW $25 RT $48

> Bus Departures from West Point: Friday, 21 December2001
To Stewart Airport  OW $10 RT $18 1200
To Newark Airport  OW $15 RT $27 0800,1200,1900
To LaGuardia Airport 1200 OW $18 RT $35
To JFK Airport 1200 OW $25 RT $45
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Special return buses to West Point: Saturday, 5 January 2002
From Newark Airport 1900
From LaGuardia Airport 1730
From JFK Airport 1630

>Return buses to West Point: Sunday, 7 January 2002
From Stewart Airport 150 From Newark Airport 0800,1000,1400,1700
From LaGuardia Airport 1200, 1400, 1700
From JFK Airport 1100
From Albany Airport 1630

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You will want to come to this event!  Mark your calendar and star talking it up with your cadet and close relatives (grandparents, etc.).  It's an outstanding opportunity for us to see our nations' future military leaders from all our area's academy clubs.  Our club is sponsoring;  it's the first, and may be the only, ball like this you will have the opportunity to attend while your son/daughter is a cadet.  To hold your spot, we need you to send in your reservations starting now!  I know that it seems early, but we have an attendance cap, and want to make sure our members have first chance to reserve their spot!  Reservations will be open to all Academies in just a few weeks.  Please secure yours by sending your reservation in now. Thanks.  Al & Patty Klascius, co-chairpersons ASAB 2001

Sounds like fun, huh? 
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    Army Knowledge On-Line Accounts

WASHINGTON (Army News Service) -- Every soldier, reservist and Army civilian will be
required to have an Army Knowledge Online account by Oct. 1.

This requirement was spelled out in a memorandum signed Aug. 8 by Secretary of the Army
Thomas E. White and Army Chief of Staff Gen. Eric K. Shinseki. The memo outlines the goals
and direction for Army Knowledge Management.

In the future soldiers, reservists, National Guardsmen and civilians will no longer have to send
away for copies of their personnel and financial records; they will be able to access this
information through an online account, Army officials said.

All Army Knowledge Online users will also be given an e-mail account that they can use for the
rest of their careers and even after retirement, officials added.
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http://www.usflag.org   Everything you always wanted to know about the flag. Includes history with pictures of the different looks the flag has had over the years, the rules on folding the flag and flying it at half-staff, songs, poems, and much more.

2001 Oregon/SW Washington Club Officers

President: Richard and Susan Adams (Matt '02) swadams@home.com

L.O.-WA: David & Mary Graham (Doug '01, Franchesca '04) merovin@halcyon.com

Treasurer: Lou & Marilyn Fox (David ‘03) mfox76@hotmail.com


**Please feel free to contact any of the above with questions, suggestions,  corrections, or for "free" advice.  Your  newsletter editor regrets any errors, and appreciates notification of such. Thank you.