August, 2003; Page 4
CADET
NEWS
CLASS OF 2004
“FOR COUNTRY AND CORPS”
Jennifer Barrow: 04, G2: We were glad to have Jen home twice this summer - first for leave after M.P. duty at Ft. Leonard Wood, and then for her A.I.A.D. with the State Attorney's office in Tampa.
The gritty, day-to-day work of the criminal justice system gave Jen a grim
look at society's underside. She was surprised at how many cases were
plea-bargained, and how young some of the juvenile defendants were. She
also saw tragic examples of battered wife syndrome, where abused women
pathetically pleaded for the release of abusive men.
Back at W. P. Jen has been given command of a platoon. She named the
Samurai, and she has her plebes greet with "Death before dishonor,
Sir/Ma'am!" She's also happy to have her favorite law instructor teach
her National Security Law class. He once gave her a piece of candy, after
he asked why Americans hold themselves to a higher standard, and Jen
answered, "Because we're the good guys, Sir!"
Aaron Poe: '04 A3; This has been a memorable summer for our Firstie with the excitement of his engagement and all the planning that a wedding entails. It will be one week after graduation and will take place here in Tampa.
After leave, he returned to West Point for his duties at Buckner as
Battalion S-4 for Highland Warrior. He was in charge of logistics and his
duties ranged from counting rounds as ammo was turned in, to arranging for
a helicopter to med-evac an injured cadet.
After the run back, he started his duties as company supply officer. His
first challenge was arranging for rooms for the Plebes. The first order
of business was assuring that all the upper classmen/women were housed.
Then to the new kids on the block, so to speak. There is a bumper crop of
Plebes and space is limited. He has to put 4 Plebes in 3 cadet rooms and
3 Plebes in 2 cadet rooms AND make certain there is adequate furniture to
accommodate everyone. He commented that the job will be even harder for
whoever has the responsibility next year since plans call for another
bumper crop of Plebes which will result in large '08 as well as '07
classes.
He is eagerly looking forward to the next milestone, Ring Weekend. His
fiancé will fly up and join us for the event. We will report back on the
ceremony and festivities at our next Mom and Pop.
CLASS OF 2005
“Keeping
freedom alive”
Nathan Brown: B4-Nathan had a very interesting summer. It started with Airborne School at Fort Benning. On one jump he was first out the door, so he was able to really see how high they were (1250 feet) for what seemed like a looooong time. Weather delays almost delayed graduation but they were able to get all the jumps in before the 4th of July. His Dad was able to pin on his shiny new airborne wings. After coming back to Tampa for the holiday weekend, Nathan headed to Fort Sill, Oklahoma, home of the Field Artillery for DCLT. They gave him the job of Company Executive Office and Training Officer. Unfortunately, that meant he spent most of his time in an office shuffling papers. He also learned that the Fort Sill area is not the most fun place in the country, especially with the sweltering heat. Oh well, still, quite an adventure. Nate is excited to be back at West Point. He's the Company Academic NCO, a good position to put his academic skills to work helping others get through the rigorous schoolwork. Nate earned a 3.42 GPA for the spring semester, his fourth consecutive Dean's List performance. We're looking forward to visiting Nate when we go up for the USF-Army football game in late September
Charn McAllister: Before Charn left for training this summer, we had a great Memorial Day weekend in NYC seeing shows and just enjoying each other's company. I was so glad to have a weekend with him just talking, chilling and having some fun! He was then off to Ft. Leonard Wood in Missouri for Sapper School. About 10 days into Sapper school he called and I asked if he liked it? His answer was that he doesn't think that anyone really "likes" something like this, but that he has learned a lot. He was rattling off all of the skills he has learned or honed and seemed to be very excited about that aspect. I only heard from him once during Sapper - I just prayed a lot. After returning from Missouri, Charn visited his dad for a couple of days, in Rochester, N.Y., to recharge before reporting to Buckner as a platoon Sgt. He said he really enjoyed the position and has had a good summer albeit very busy with only 3 days off since the term ended. He walked over the threshold on Day 1 of the academic year and when I asked how he felt about that he said it certainly removed any lingering questions that may have been looming out there. Another major decision behind them! Charn begins his position as first sergeant and is looking forward to the experience. While he says that the job is anticipated to be very time consuming, he is looking forward to another great opportunity that West Point has offered him. I can't believe that the cow year is already here -where has the time gone? I plan on flying up sometime in the next couple of weeks just to see his face, plant some kisses and give some hugs. Can't wait!