Date: Fri, 17 Oct 2003 20:12:28 -0700
To: wpp-net@west-point.org
From: Dian Welle <diwelle@west-point.org>
Subject: wpp-net: FD14: A reflection

Dear fellow parents,

Joannie Parr was going to write a WP-ORG fund drive message yesterday, but a family emergency has prevented her from doing so. I know we all send our best wishes to her and look forward to her rapid return when things are settled. The fund drive committee agreed to my writing a message in her absence.

Some of you recall my blind enthusiasm when I came on board the WP-ORG scene. My daughter was a new cadet, and I was completely in the dark as to what this all meant, and what my part in all of it might be (if anything). Now, I'm on the other side. My 2LT. was deployed to Cuba right out of OBC in 2002, and is now getting ready to deploy to Iraq. And what was my place in all of it? Mostly to just be there and support her when she needed it, and to push her (sometimes with force) when she needed a good push (or kick in the pants). I expected no more than that as my part in her experience.

West Point is a national treasure. Not only because of what she teaches, but what she represents. West Point must always be there to produce leaders for our military. Perhaps our job, as parents, is to keep vigil, and to be sure our voices are heard loud and clear should West Point ever find the political winds are shifting away from her purpose.

I was no different than you. Just a mom. Just someone who fell in love with a place I had never been to before R-Day 1998. Someone who didn't want to overstep her boundaries, and step into a life that she felt she didn't belong to. But I was taken in and relationships were fostered. The more I gave, the more I was accepted as a part of the family. I worried. Was I really entitled to this? "This is my daughter's world, not mine" was my mantra. But, slowly, I realized that West Point herself isn't selective. If you love the place, the place takes you in, and everyone associated follows suit. So now, I, like you, are a small piece of the West Point family, and something amazing happened along that journey from one side of the tunnel to the other. I met, and brought into my life, some of the most amazing people I have ever had the privilege to call friends, and most of them can be found on these lists. Many are my fellow parents, who I forged a friendship with through the years. Your moderators are high on my list of people I call friends. They're an amazingly devoted group of people, giving freely of their time, energy and expertise in order to make these lists worthwhile, and if for no other reason than that, I admire and respect them, and luckily, I like them too. Others, who are now important in my life, are people I have met at USMA. I now make a point to visit them whenever I have reason to go there (and yes, I make excuses to go there -- I love the place). Many of them joined these lists to help make sure the info given is correct, and help us when needed. These are the people I honestly feared initially, that I now consider friends (I feared everyone at USMA, regardless of rank, thinking they could have my new cadet done away with, by just a wave of the hand, were I to say or do the wrong thing). They are Officers at USMA, employees in the various offices to include the Public Affairs office and the Association of Graduates. I wouldn't consider going to West Point without taking time to say hello to these people who are so important to me, and yes, to these lists as well. But most of all, in the years between that first trip through Thayer Gate to today, I have a new family in the WP-ORG advisors. Each one is devoted to the West Point family. Each one has dedicated every free moment (or stolen moments) to giving the West Point family all they can to keep the Long Gray Line connected and thriving.

Now I am proud to call myself a member of the West Point family. I no longer fear that I have overstepped some self-imposed boundaries. I'm not considered as "only" a West Point parent, but rather, as Dian, friend of West Point--a member of the fold. I am so proud to be so considered. None of this would have been possible without that initial connection through WP-ORG in plebe year 1998.

What you get in return is proportional to what you give. I volunteered, I attended, and I participated, all the while working very hard to stay out of the business and training of my cadet. In return, I have been privileged to bring special people into my life. I attended a 50th class reunion (yes, by invitation). I have touched old writings in the archives, and taken in the words of people who lived and died for this country. I have walked alone through the cemetery on quiet mist-filled mornings, and touched the headstones in thanks to the ones that indicated a life of service for me, or a life cut short in the protection of my country. I have been in the basements and attics of a place where mischief was a relief from training. I have talked to graduates, who told me stories of service that brought me to tears, or made me laugh so hard that tears were the result there too. I have consoled the brother of a deceased West Point football hero of the past, because he just needed someone to talk to, and I happened to be the one who got his initial email. I shook hands with an astronaut, and left flowers for another astronaut (a hero of mine) who is in the cemetery. I have stood in the kitchen of the Supe's house and chatted with a 3-star general. I have co-written a book about the place, and actually saw it to publishing.

Has West Point changed my life? Obviously. Has West Point changed me? Oh yes! It all started with joining a list on WP-ORG, and that is the reason for this message. WP-ORG lives on volunteerism and donations. If you feel you have gained benefit in your life from these lists, I hope you will consider a donation to keep this small part of the LGL thriving. You are asked to donate no more than you can comfortably donate, but every small part helps.

Regardless of your ability to donate, this note serves as my special welcome to the families who are on the opposite side of the tunnel than I am today. You are the ones who probably just enjoyed Plebe-Parent weekend. The ones who, if they attended the weekend, probably got their first relaxed look at a place that has taken that raw material that was your child, and will deliver back to you a leader in return. More than that, you had your first relaxed look at a place that will always welcome you, and embrace you as it does everyone who recognizes its value, its beauty, and its purpose.

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To donate to WP-ORG, please use your credit card at our secure server location of:
<https://www-secure.west-point.org/donate>

We will also take a check if that is what you desire to do. Make the check payable to "WP-ORG" and mail it to:
WP-ORG
P.O. Box 595
Floyd, VA 24091-0595

Please be sure to indicate your affiliation (Parent) and year on your check. 100% of your donation is tax deductible.

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Take a peek at how our parents are donating...
<https://www-secure.west-point.org/donate/report>

Dian Welle
2002 Mom and Friend of West Point

(wpp-net) Posted By: WELLE Dian <diwelle@west-point.org>
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We are over 2/3rds of the way to our goal. As of 9:45 PM EDT, 17 Oct 2003, a total of $66,114.34 for 67.19% of our goal has been donated from 1339 members. Thanks to the 71 members who contributed today. We are also grateful for the sponsorship of the AAFMAA whose home page may be seen at: http://www.aafmaa.com/home.asp
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The donation report may be seen at:
https://www-secure.west-point.org/donate/report

Donations may be made by clicking on:

https://www-secure.west-point.org/donate

Or you may donate by check made payable to WP-ORG and sent to:
WP-ORG
PO Box 595
Floyd, VA 24091-0595