DEDICATION OF VOLUME II

“To our wives and children, whose loyalty, sacrifice, and understanding have enriched our lives beyond measure.”

 

General Overview of the Four Parts of Volume II

 

The history of our classmates will start with the depression as the beginning of Part I --Pre-West Point days (From the depression through High School / prep School), and will continue through 7/5/55; Part II -- Cadet Days (Beast through Graduation); Part III – Military and Civilian Careers through Retirement; Part IV -- Post Retirement. For separation between Parts there will be statistics, tid-bits and segues, such as poems or vignettes, that weave together our story from Beast to 50th Reunion.

 

Defining Moments (As Currently Identified)

 

Part I - Pre-West Point 1932 - 1955

 

·         The Depression Era:  (Lead = Craig Thomas), one vignette to date.

·         Pearl Harbor: (Lead = Court Prisk lead), General overview and six vignettes

·         WWII: (Lead = OPEN), two vignettes, at least four vignettes more needed.

·         V-E Day (Lead = Powell Hutton) one vignette; four more vignettes needed.

·         Hiroshima and Nagasaki (Lead = OPEN); five vignettes more needed

·         Korean War  (LEAD = OPEN); five vignettes needed

·         High Schools: (Lead = Court Prisk), six vignettes needed

·         Prep Schools: (Lead = OPEN)

·         Tony and Sandy Pokorny are working on a map showing where we came from

 

Part II - West Point 1955 -1959

 

·         1st Day of Beast Barracks (Lead = Rudy Letona) five or six vignettes needed

·         Making it through Beast (Lead = OPEN) five or six vignettes needed

·         Plebe Year (Lead = OPEN) five or six vignettes needed

·         Recognition (Lead = OPEN) four of five vignettes needed

·         Yearling Year (Lead = OPEN)

·         Cow Year (Lead = OPEN)

·         Firsty Year  (Lead = OPEN)

·         Graduation Ceremony and Parade, (Lead = Bill Mullen), Need four Vignettes

In each of the last three years there were moments such as:

Clubs, Trips, Special Events personalities, Visits, Achievements, Awards, and Honors.  An example of an incomplete list of possible moments / events for Firsty Year: Unbeaten Football team, trips to Yale and Notre Dame, Glee Club on Television, the ring hop, new cars. 

Statistics such as branch assignments, etc., will be recognized. Jerry Jervell, his editorial board and I will work with whomever steps up to the plate for each year.

 

 

 

 

 

Part III Careers – 1959 - 1989

·         Changes at West Point during that time (Lead = Tom Russell)

·         Branch Courses (Lead = OPEN)

·         Specialized Training: Airborne, Ranger, Pilot, and ?: (Lead = OPEN)

·         Other Services and Specialized Career Paths:

o       USMC: (Lead = John Grinalds) Overview written (USMC classmates please contact John. Pictures during career are requested).

o       USAF:  (Lead = Bob Crawford) Overview written (USAF members who want to provide a Vignette, please contact Bob)

o       Army Air (Lead = OPEN). Recently there has been much discussion of the activities and accomplishments of our Army Aviators, which should be recorded.

·         Initial Assignments. (Lead = OPEN)

·         Cuban Missile Crisis (Lead = OPEN) Have one USAF vignette; need overview and four or five more vignettes, with pictures.

·         Berlin Wall (Lead = Kevin O’Neil) General overview of event and four vignettes submitted.  Pictures or ideas for inclusion send to Kevin. The copy thus far covers broadly the Berlin Wall from construction to demolition, interweaving the history and politics of those times.

·         Viet Nam (Lead = Andy O’Meara).  Viet Nam lasted twelve years of out of the average 22 years that our class served in the military. 

·         Realizing that there are numerous ways to categorize and divide the experiences and events of those twelve years, here is one possible division:

o    Fighting for Democracy and training for a new kind of war (1962 – 1968)

o    Fighting for Victory on the battlefield and respect at home (1968 -1972)

o    Fighting to save lives and salvage something (1972 – 1975)

o    Repairing the military and the country in the aftermath (1975 - )

No one should be bothered or upset by my labels above.  I have played with many variations.  The concept is to tell the experiences (war stories) of Classmates both humorous and not so humorous during those years, as they relate to defining events in and about Viet Nam in-country and back home.  With the goal of having 16 to 20 short vignettes of defining moments / events in our careers and lives for us to remember, and progeny to perhaps read, Jerry and I will entertain any ideas on labels you may suggest.

 

·         Staff College 1970 -1975 (Lead = OPEN), one vignette w/pictures; five additional are needed.

·         Senior Service Colleges 1977 – 1980 (Lead = OPEN)

·         High Level Command (Lead = OPEN)

·         High Level Staff  (Lead = OPEN)

 

Part IV Return to Civilian Life and Retirement Years 1990 - present

 

·         Civilian Jobs, (Lead  = OPEN)

·         Senior Civilian Government Service (Lead = OPEN)

·         Retirement, (Lead = OPEN)

·         Reunions, (Lead = OPEN)

·         “Footprints in the Sand,” Accomplishments and Legacies of the Class.

o       Publications (Lead = Chip Haight)

o       Fine Arts and Substantial Private Collections (Lead = Bob Croteau)

o       Performing Arts (Lead = Jerry Fogel)

o       Athletic Accomplishments (Lead = Kevin O’Neill)

o       Endowments (Lead = OPEN)

·         Wins/Gains/and Losses (Lead = OPEN) This will cover the 50th Reunion, Classmates who are with us in spirit only, and other appropriate ending articles)  

o       Tony and Sandy Pokorny are working on a map showing where we are located now.

o       Vietnam Wall remembrances