Category: WP-ORG

Through your generosity, WP-ORG has reached its fundraising goal for FD 50 in only 15 days!

Thanks again to the WP-ORG community for supporting us through your donations of both money and time. We could not do this without you.

This marks 25 straight years of successful fundraising campaigns, and we are as committed now as we were back then to our mission of providing “an online communications infrastructure that enables graduates, parents, and friends of the military academy to maintain and strengthen the associations that bind us together. We will provide this community any requested support, consistent with this purpose, as quickly and efficiently as possible.”
Sincerely,
Warren Hearnes ’89
for WP-ORG Advisors

As you are likely aware, WP-ORG is conducting its 50th fund drive.  Thanks to the generosity of those who use our service, we have successfully concluded 49 fund drives in a very short period of time. Typically, we send approximately 4-6 emails to our users per bi-annual fund drive, asking that you support us.  You always come through, and here we are, 25 years after the beginning.

To donate, please go to:
https://www.west-point.org/donate/

I am privileged to speak to every person who has contacted me through the years, but some contacts emphasize to me the great importance of what we do.

A phone call comes into WP-ORG from a graduate in a class with members who fought in both Korea and Vietnam. I recognize his voice immediately.  I assume our WP-ORG numbers are posted on his computer, though I have never asked. He apologizes to me for calling me “yet again”, and I assure him there is no reason to apologize. His memory is fading, and he forgets that he called me just a few days ago with the same question. He does not recall how to get to specific websites, and often forgets how to get to his email. I don’t mind at all. He is most worried that he does not remember the living and dead count for his class. It’s very important to him that he knows those numbers. So often has he called me for the information, that I asked our CIO write a script that sends me the most current living and dead numbers from every class on a weekly basis, so that those numbers are available to me in an instant when he, or anyone else, wishes to have them. I tell him the numbers, and relief comes over his voice. He now knows how many classmates are waiting to grip hands with him from the shadows. It comforts him. He often sings the Alma Mater to me, which is still available to him in his fading memory. He remembers all of the songs. He sings me “The Corps” –  “…Grip hands with us now though we see not, grip hands with us strengthen our hearts.”  In mid song, he often stops and speaks as his memories flood back, and I can hear his heart strengthen, and his mind becomes temporarily sharp again.  He tells me stories of his roommates, and those that the class lost along the way. He remembers, and then he sings  “….And the last man feels to his marrow the grip of your far off hold.” He stops, and asks me who the last man was that died in his class.  I tell him, and then I listen to vivid memories of that man. His memories are now sharp, and he sings to me more. Finally, we say goodbye, and I know that he will soon forget that we had the conversation, and that he made me smile for about a half hour just listening to his memories come into focus. He forgets, but I don’t. I am now privileged to hold his memories, and my heart strengthens too. His calls come less frequently now, but I am pleased to have been the voice on the end of the phone, and privileged to hear the songs and the stories.

It is through exchanges such as this, that I know WP-ORG is serving a great purpose. It isn’t all about email lists, websites, and email addresses. It’s about connection. The connections for graduates, the connections for parents, and sometimes, a connection to precious memories sparked by calling the lady who answers her work phone.

It is the personal link we have to our graduates and grad families that I personally benefit from every day.  When my WP-ORG office or cell phone rings, I answer.  You will not get a telephone tree with WP-ORG. You get me. It is my pleasure to do all I can to assist. We will stay faithful to our pledge to be here for your online needs, even if those needs are just to have someone answer a phone and give you time to connect to the most powerful memories you hold dear.

Links you may wish to check out:
Our main page: www.west-point.org
WP-ORG Budget: https://www.west-point.org/budget/
Donation Report: https://secure.west-point.org/donate/report/
IRS Letter Confirming WP-ORG 501(c)(3) Status:
http://www.west-point.org/publications/501SUMMARY.PDF

—
Dian Welle
WP-ORG, Inc.
www.west-point.org
208-263-8063(office)

http://www.west-point.org/donate/

Every morning I wake up and count myself fortunate to be a member of the military community. Last week, I had lunch with my father-in-law, CAPT Dick Catone. He is a decorated Naval aviator, and one of the original Sea Wolves, the first helicopter combat support squadron. His stories are incredible. My dad was CPT Jack Price ’64 and this morning, going through some old boxes, I found his Purple Heart with oak leaf cluster (he called that the mistake badge) and his Silver Star. He served in Vietnam with the 173rd Airborne and as a LRRP (Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol). Weekly, I receive West Point Class of 1996 email updates from Kevin Offel, our class president and my friend of 30 plus years, and I am amazed at the accomplishments of my classmates still serving in the military.

I say all this because I believe in patriotism, the continuing strength of our country, and the professionalism of our military forces. My mom and my dad raised me to believe in all that 🙂 and those beliefs were solidified through my time in the Army. The United States has the best trained and best equipped military fighting force our world has ever seen. They are bad-ass warriors and our nation owes them a huge debt of gratitude for waging our country’s wars. The average American doesn’t sufficiently appreciate the sacrifice of our military forces and their families.

Reach out to your classmates who are still in the military and thank them for what they do every day. Give them a smile, a hug, and some sincere appreciation for their sacrifices. Keep the bond of the Long Gray Line intact and share the true story of West Point with others who don’t know, appreciate, and love our Alma Mater.

And don’t forget to donate to WP-ORG. An organization tirelessly working to keep the Long Gray Line connected for more than 25 years!

http://www.west-point.org/donate/ All donations are 100% tax-deductible.

Here is a link to our very frugal budget: http://www.west-point.org/budget/

Thank you to all our volunteer WP-ORG list moderators, who do the heavy lifting each day to keep West Point classes, societies, and parent clubs connected and engaged, furthering the mission of WP-ORG to strengthen the associations that bind us together. We couldn’t function without them.

I hope that you have an awesome week. Call your parents if they are still around. If not, reach out to your kids and tell them how much you love them.

And if you are ever down on the Gulf Coast, come visit the world-famous Flora-Bama 🙂 I’ve got cold beer, frozen bushwackers, and great stories to share.

Thanks!
Cameron Price ’96

Thanks from WP-ORG for supporting us for over 24 years.

Click here for LIVE report and donation breakdown
Thank you again for your support!