CONTACT:
FEEDBACK@WEST-POINT.ORG
Provide us the link, and we’ll quickly review the situation!
Army Defends Decision to Have West Point Graduation
The Army’s top leaders are defending their decision to bring 1,000 cadets back to the Military Academy at West Point for graduation, where President Donald Trump is slated to speak.
he Army’s top leaders on Thursday defended their decision to bring 1,000 cadets back to the Military Academy at West Point for graduation, where President Donald Trump is slated to speak, saying that despite the coronovirus risk students would have had to return anyway to prepare for their next duty assignment.
The announcement has been criticized as a political move to get Trump on stage at the academy, where he hasn’t yet given a graduation address. But Army officials said the students must return for final medical checks, equipment and training.
“We can’t telecommute to combat,” Gen. James McConville, the chief of staff of the Army, told Pentagon reporters when asked about the decision, which forces cadets spread out across the U.S. to travel, risking exposure on public transportation, and then land in New York, a coronavirus hot spot.
Cadets have been home since spring break in March, with their return to school delayed because of the outbreak. Only the seniors will return, and the graduation is set for June 13.
‘Extensive search’ for missing soldier, 20, last seen on Texas army base continues after keys, wallet found
An “extensive search” continued Sunday for a 20-year-old soldier who went missing while stationed on a military base in Texas last week.
Pvt. 1st Class Vanessa Guillen was last seen around 1 p.m. Wednesday in the parking lot of her Regimental Engineer Squadron Headquarters, 3rd Cavalry Regiment on Fort Hood.
Her car keys, barracks room key, identification card and wallet were later found in the armory room where she was working earlier in the day, according to the Fort Hood Press Center release.
Guillen was described as of Hispanic descent, 5 feet, 2 inches tall, 126 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a black T-shirt.
A “Be on the Lookout” (BOLO) notice was issued by Fort Hood Military Police notifying surrounding law enforcement. An “extensive search” is underway by military members, as well as civilian and military police, the press release said.
Fort Hood officials and Special Agents from the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command are also asking for the public’s assistance in their search.
Her sister, Mayra Guillen, shared a Facebook post on Friday, writing: “My sister… last seen two days ago. Phone last tracked at Belton, Texas. No contact with boyfriend, close friends or family. Belongings and CAR are at base too back in fort hood. Something is not right please help me find her. Houston Austin Ft hood/ Killeen areas.”
West Point plans to mass test and soft quarantine cadets coming back to graduate
The U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, intends to test all cadets returning to graduate in June for the novel coronavirus using two new GeneXpert devices procured after the academy established a planning group in mid-March to determine how the process would work.
The return will be similar to how the Army has been bringing new recruits into basic training, according to a West Point spokesman. The planning group has also received input from Training and Doctrine Command on that process.
Cadets will return to campus in small, staggered groups. They’ll be paced in hard structures in the summer training area and wait there for tests results to come back, which should be the same day the swab is taken.
“If they come back clean, they’ll come on campus to their dorm room, and we’re calling it a soft quarantine,” said West Point spokesman Lt. Col. Christopher Ophardt.
“They won’t be moving in big groups and having formations,” he added, saying that it’s still yet to be determined what that soft quarantine will entail because of constant updates to Center for Disease Control and Army guidance.
West Point also outfitted its hospital, which had an out-patient focus with an ER and elective surgeries before the pandemic, with a new intensive care unit that includes six ventilators if necessary. There were no ventilators there before.
President Donald Trump has been expected to speak at the graduation ceremony, though the pandemic left it unclear whether the ceremony would happen at all.
The New York Times reported Friday that the president’s announcement at a news conference that he was still attending the graduation caught West Point officials off-guard, though the Times noted that planning had already been underway even if it had not been announced. Cadets have also always known that returning to West Point would have to happen in some manner, said Ophardt.
Some veterans must file information to receive stimulus money for dependents
The Department of Veterans Affairs said stimulus checks will be sent automatically to veterans who receive VA benefits but don’t typically file tax returns. However, those veterans need to fill out an online form to get additional money for dependents.
The deadline for veterans to submit information to the Internal Revenue Service is May 5, the IRS announced Monday. Otherwise, they won’t receive the extra $500 per dependent that the government approved for most Americans.
Lawmakers learned last week that some veterans would be required to send information about dependents to the IRS. It applies to disabled or low-income veterans and surviving family members who receive monthly compensation from the VA but didn’t file tax returns for 2018 or 2019.
The IRS originally set a deadline of April 22 but extended it after receiving criticism about giving such little notice. Veterans are to go to the IRS website to submit the information.