Category: WP-ORG

Dear West Point Community, 

Today WP-ORG launches Fund Drive 54:  https://www.west-point.org/donate/

As we begin our semi-annual fundraising campaign, I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude for your unwavering support. Your generosity has been the backbone of our mission for nearly three decades.  

Since our inception, our purpose has been clear: to create a robust online communications infrastructure that strengthens the bonds among graduates, parents, and friends of the United States Military Academy.  From managing email lists and overseeing dedicated volunteers, to orchestrating reunions and crafting websites, every endeavor echoes our collective love for our Alma Mater and its alumni.  

Over the past 27 years, we’ve stood by over 40,000 living graduates and their networks.  It’s a journey that began for me personally with my graduation in 1996, and it’s a privilege to be part of this tapestry of tradition and unity.  

Every six months, we turn to you.  Your contributions are the lifeblood that ensures every cadet, alumni, and West Point enthusiast continues to find the stories, resources, and connections that resonate.  Together, let’s ensure that the spirit of the Long Gray Line endures in the digital realm.  Remember, every gift, big or small, weaves into this legacy.  

With profound gratitude,  

Cameron Price 
USMA 1996

Important Fund Drive Links:
Donate:
https://www.west-point.org/donate/

Fund Drive Donation Report, sorted by WP-ORG member group, etc.:
https://secure.west-point.org/donate/report/

WP-ORG Budget
http://www.west-point.org/budget
Who we are:
https://www.west-point.org/who-we-are/

WP-ORG Member Information Privacy Policy:
http://www.west-point.org/privacy-statement/

IRS Letter Confirming WP-ORG 501(c)(3) Status:
http://www.west-point.org/publications/501SUMMARY.PDF

WP-ORG Board of Advisors:
http://www.west-point.org/board-of-advisors/

We have reached our fund drive goal of $50,252.00. Please STOP SENDING MONEY for FD-53.

Thank you for your continued support!

Thanks for all of the financial support thus far! We currently stand at 87.7% complete. Please get us across the finish line with this final push. As a special “Thank You” for your contribution, I have come up with a fun poem about West Point.

Donate by credit card, PayPal or check: https://www.west-point.org/donate/
Fund Drive 53 Budget: https://www.west-point.org/budget/
Donation report for Fund Drive 53: https://secure.west-point.org/donate/report/

Thanks for your support,

Cameron Price
USMA 1996
For Freedom We Risk

The Cadet’s Crucible (By Cameron Price & Chat GPT)

On hallowed ground, where heroes rise,
A beacon shining in the skies,
West Point, the cradle of the brave,
Where hearts unite and spirits pave.

Upon the Hudson’s mighty shore,
A bond that’s forged forevermore,
In battles fought, in wisdom learned,
The corps of cadets’ trust is earned.

Together, shoulder-to-shoulder they stand,
Defending freedom’s cherished land,
Their courage, honor, and their grace,
A testament to this sacred place.

From storied past to futures bright,
These leaders rise, both day and night,
With every challenge they embrace,
A bond that time cannot erase.

For West Point’s sons and daughters true,
The Long Gray Line, a bond that grew,
In reverence for the ones who’ve gone,
The corps, the corps, the corps lives on.

This poem was created in conjunction with Chat GPT. Chat GPT can do all sorts of cool stuff, and it has an incredibly easy to use interface. You should check it out if you haven’t already 🙂

Every six months, those of us who see to the day-to-day workings of WP-ORG write a fund drive message, requesting funding for the next six months. We take turns explaining how WP-ORG operates, what we do, and how we serve the West Point community. It’s my turn at the wheel. https://www.west-point.org/donate/

As I sit here, I find myself contemplating what I have done, personally, to serve the West Point community. I frequently train new moderators, help you with your email addresses, I assist parent clubs and societies with learning how to create WordPress sites, answer your questions, and, if I can’t, I find a resource who can. Those are the things I do most days. That’s my job. But there is another side that is more than a job, it’s a passion. What I do every single day, is convert the personal web pages of deceased graduates to eulogy pages. If the family or class requests, I add photos and memorials to the main page of the deceased. We don’t charge a fee for adding anything to a memorial page. We have eulogies going back to the late 1990’s! http://defender.west-point.org/service/taps.mhtml

I read every single eulogy written within the WP-ORG system. I do that, so that nothing untoward ends up on the eulogy pages for our graduates, and to correct formatting errors that may occur. Reading each of the eulogies gives me insight to the people we create these pages for. It’s an honor to read them every day. Recently, we have one class son in the class of 1949, who has taken it upon himself to write a memorial entry for every class member in his father’s class. He has nearly completed his task. I have read them every day for months.

Of course some of the people I read about stick with me. When I visit West Point, I always go to the cemetery, where I visit many of the graduates I have come to know through how they’re remembered by their class, friends, and family, and often because I actually spoke on the phone with some graduates frequently before their death. When I have occasion to visit the cemetery, my visits grow longer each time as I reflect at their place of rest. There are some I miss terribly, and knew personally.

This year, however, I remembered one of “my” graduates in the most unexpected way. I took a vacation, which, if you know me, does not happen often. Typically I still do my WP-ORG work from wherever I am. This time, my husband and I celebrated our 50th anniversary in Israel. This was a meaningful trip for us, and I went nearly off the radar for the duration of the trip, and concentrated on being in the moment with my husband in a very spiritual place. Imagine my shock, when our tour guide stopped on a boardwalk in Tel Aviv, on our walk to Joffa, and said that this is where he always stopped, so that we could pay respect to the memory of a young man named Taylor Force. My worlds suddenly collided. Taylor Force (West Point class of 2009) was killed in a terrorist attack on March 8, 2016, during a trip as a Vanderbilt University graduate student, to learn about startup companies overseas. As our guide spoke of Taylor, I immediately pulled up his eulogy page, knowing exactly where to find it, and was able to show our group his photo, which brought a great deal of meaning to this impromptu moment. So, during that trip, I was able to remember Taylor, and pray for his family, friends, and classmates, with an entire group that was in no way affiliated with West Point. What an honor it was to have that meaningful moment that reminded me of why I do the work I do.
https://www.west-point.org/users/usma2009/65378/

If you did not know, the Taylor Force Act was passed by Congress, and signed into law in 2018. https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/1164

I hope this message gives you some insight into the personal way WP-ORG operates.

We require very little to keep our services running. Every six months, our users provide us with a report card on how we’re doing. I hope you find as much value in it as we value each of you.

Link to All Forms of Donation: https://www.west-point.org/donate/
Credit Card Donation Link: https://secure.west-point.org/donate/
Donation Report: https://secure.west-point.org/donate/report/
F53 Budget: https://www.west-point.org/budget/

—
Dian Welle
WP-ORG, Inc.
www.west-point.org