WEST POINT – Four of the cadet candidates who arrived on campus at the United States Military Academy on Sunday to begin cadet basic training tested positive for COVID-19 and will spend their first weeks either in isolation or quarantine on campus.

Lt. Col. Robert Kinney confirmed Monday that the four cadet candidates, who were screened as part of their reception day on Sunday, will be isolated for 10 days or quarantined for 14 days on campus while their classmates begin their West Point careers with four weeks of cadet basic training.

Asked Monday if there were more cases, the public affairs office declined to state a number. Answering for the office, spokeswoman Cheryl Boujnida wrote: “Less than 1% of the cadets have tested positive. Those who tested positive were immediately moved into isolation and will participate in Cadet Basic Training tasks virtually until they can rejoin the group.”

Boujnida said the rapid test is administered by a nose swab and processed by a diagnostic device on campus. While awaiting results, which take two to three hours, the new cadets are socially distanced and required to wear a mask.

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WP-ORG Members:

We hope that each of you continue to be safe and secure during this COVID-19 outbreak and are focusing on the things most important to you at this time.

In April, we sent out an email to let you know that we were delaying the start of our semi-annual fund drive due to the impact of the virus to each other and the economy. WP-ORG operates on donated funds collected every six months from those that find value in the services we provide grads, societies, parents clubs, and other friends of our nation’s oldest military academy. The donated funds from the October 2019 fund drive theoretically ran through March 2020 and we would have normally started Fund Drive 47 in April. However, WP-ORG chose to buckle down, examine every expenditure, and stretch our dollars as far as possible – just as many of you were doing.

We feel that we need to start that fund drive to keep WP-ORG continuing its mission. WP-ORG also understands that many of our members may not be in the position to donate at this time, but some are. For those that are not in a position at this time, that is understandable and we want to emphasize that no one is required to send in any money in order to utilize our email lists, web sites, and other services. WP-ORG has — and always will be — funded by donations from those that have seen value and have the funds to spare during that six-month budget cycle. We help each other carry the load.

Here is what we plan to do:

(1) We will publish our original April – September 2020 budget.
(2) Instead of sending weekly emails until the goal is met, we will instead send four (4) weekly messages to our entire membership asking for donations.
(3) WP-ORG will close the fund drive after those four weeks and operate until October on the monies that we raised.
(4) In October, we will start the next fund drive as we normally do, with the hope that the pandemic situation — and its economic repercussions — has improved.

Please donate if you can at https://secure.west-point.org/donate/.  We’re here to serve in any capacity that we can.

Sincerely,
Warren Hearnes ’89
for WP-ORG Advisors

You received this email because you are on an email list hosted by WP-ORG: https://www.west-point.org/

++++ IMPORTANT LINKS ++++

Budget: https://www.west-point.org/budget/

Donation page linking to all payment methods (credit card, check or PayPal): http://www.west-point.org/donate/

        By credit card:
        https://secure.west-point.org/donate/

        By check, please indicate class year and affiliation:

        WP-ORG
        23802 Oscar Road
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        By PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=GXGCWRKX48UHY

        After entering Donation Amount, login to PayPal account. On next screen, please click on “Add special instructions to the seller”; enter class year and affiliation, and comment if you wish.

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

What is WP-ORG & Why Donate?: https://www.west-point.org/why_donate/

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

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

WEST POINT, N.Y. — New cadet candidates arriving at the U.S. Military Academy on Monday were promptly tested for COVID-19, stood at attention in face masks and were given shouted orders to wash their hands.

The transition from civilian to West Point cadet is different for the Class of 2024 as the academy adapts to the pandemic, starting with Reception Day, or R-Day.

Reception Day still ushers in an intense period of training that introduces new arrivals to the rigors of cadet life. But this year, older cadets barked orders through face masks. New cadets will still have to endure the weeks of drills, marches and exertions of Cadet Basic Training, unofficially known as “Beast Barracks.” But that training will be two weeks shorter this year.

“I know that it’s shorter, but I trust it will be the same experience overall. I’ll still get to know all my classmates,” said Justin Suess of Batavia, Illinois. “I am prepared. I’ve been exercising hard.”

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As the military wrestles with racial inequities in the ranks, the general in charge of Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) acknowledged Tuesday that the senior officer corps is not as diverse as it should be.

Speaking at an Association of the United States Army virtual event, Gen. Paul Funk II agreed that the general officer ranks do not represent the demographics of the country when compared to the enlisted force.

“First of all, we’ve got to recognize the diverse talent that we have, and put them in the proper positions, so that they can succeed,” Funk said.

Out of the 13 active Army four-star generals, one is Black: Gen. Michael Garrett, commander of Army Forces Command. Of the 296 general officers in the active Army, 43 are Black, 21 are female and six are Hispanic as of April 30, Army spokesman Lt. Col. Emanuel Ortiz told Military.com.

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