Author: Bill Wilhelm

Major Ryan McBride from USMA's admission office will be in 12 February to brief us on the latest admissions information.

WHO: WPS-TV members, and especially those volunteering as Admissions Participants
WHAT: Admissions Workshop and general USMA status brief from MAJ Ryan McBride, USMA Admissions Officer for SE USA.
WHEN: 12 Feb 08, 1130-1300
WHERE: SAIC, Research Park
WHY: Communicate with local grads and volunteers about key points on how to help our admissions process. Plus, free catered lunch for all attendees (courtesy of USMA Admissions).

Please sign up to let us know you are planning on coming so we can make sure to have enough food.

Thanks goes to Steve Case and Tom Adams for helping arrange the SAIC location.

Josh Kennedy

Two weeks!  This weekend we play Rutgers – but the only game that counts will be the big one on the 6th with Navy.

At the luncheon this past week it was agreed that the site will be Indigo Joe’s – the Navy has been contacted and they have put out the word to the squids.

The center room will be reserved for the Army-Navy game, but there are plenty of other TV’s and booths for overflow.

You can read about Indigo Joe's in more detail at link below. Nevertheless an executive summary reveals that:

There are over 60 flat-screen TVs distributed throughout the establishment (including the head) so you won't have to miss a play.

IJ's has a great selection of draft beers and a good menu.

IJ's is SMOKE FREE and KID FRIENDLY.

http://www.indigojoes.com/al.html

The Game starts at 1100 hours – the only major football contest that day is the ACC championship which occurs following the Army-Navy game

See you on the 6th!

Art Meier ‘63

Lets Beat Navy this year!

We had a great turnout this morning – despite the rain!  I didn’t take a count but it looked like at least 20+ were present.  I am pretty sure we got through all 65 West Pointers who have Fallen since 9/11 (thanks to many folks running several times)– When Marty gives me the final count I will let everyone know the results.  Rumor has it that over $500 was collected for the Wounded Warriors.  Please Thank Marty Eaton for pulling this event together, and also stop by Fleet Feet and thank them for sponsoring this event.  When I left at 8:45 many other runners were still showing up to Run for the Fallen (other than West Pointers).  Thanks again for your support.

Oh – don’t forget Friday evening at the ROCC for the first Football game – Meeting starts at 5 pm and Kick-off is at 6 pm.  Refreshments are on the Society till at least the end of 1st quarter.  The club dinning facilities are also opened – bring the family and have a great time – Beat Temple.

Art

I have again attached the flyer for the Run for the Fallen Warriors  – This will be held on Sunday the 24th of August. Marty Eaton is working hard to make this a big success, please help him out by supporting this event.  I am planning on being a runner (I think I can make it around the course.)

Mark your calendars for the 29th of August.  This is Army’s first football game – against Temple.  This is a Friday night game and it begins at 6 pm local time.  I have been talking with the club (ROCC) and we can use the “Bob Howell Room” (used to be the Big Spring Lounge).  The Society will be picking up the bar tab starting at 5 pm through the first quarter of the game. – This is because we will be holding a short meeting before the game where I will be discussing anything new from the Class of 1967 Leaders Conference that had gone on the previous week.  We also will be discussing events for the rest of year – The Admission folks are already working a schedule of meetings with schools – college nights etc – Also the 7th of September is Bud Cramer’s last Academy Day meeting.    Please plan on making this meeting.  Bring your family and have dinner at the Club  – This is the Labor Day weekend, so I am sure no one will have an excuse that they have to work late.  (Most will be taking off early I am sure, so go home, change clothes, bring the spouse and have a great evening.)  We will be watching the new offense of Army!

Art Meier
Beat Temple
BEAT NAVY

The West Point "Be thou at Peace" run to honor the 63 West Pointers who have fallen during this war will be conducted starting at 0700 hrs at the Cross Country Park. I will need volunteers to man the sign in tables, assist with the start point, and a couple folks to position on the course to guide the runners/walkers. But most of all, I need every grad available to be there to run/walk one or more miles, each mile in honor of a specific WP grad who has fallen.

The public "Run for the Fallen" run/walk will take place on the same course, beginning at 0800hrs. In this run/walk, members of the public will be able to run/walk a mile in honor of a specific fallen warrior from Iraq. They will receive information on the person they are representing, including that warrior's sequence in the order of the fallen, their name, rank, branch of service, date of death, and if available, hometown, photo, and other details. With well over 4000 fallen warriors to be honored, we hope for a large turnout among the public. Again, I'll need volunteers to help get folks signed in, oriented, started, guide them on the course, and keep things moving.

I've attached a draft flyer to this email for everyone's use. Please assist in getting this email to as many West Pointers as possible.

Thanks, see you on the 24th.

Marty J. Eaton
MAJ, INF
AMCOM Operations Center

Live each day, true to Duty, Honor, Country

Jon Anderson attended the MALO conference this year and brought the main presentation back to us to give at our July Luncheon. We have the presentation and his notes available.

You are invited to the
Alabama Send Off for USMA 2012 

Date:	Saturday, June 7, 2008
Time:	11:30 am to 2:30 pm
Location:	Alabama Power Company, “The Atrium” 600 N. 18th Street Birmingham, Alabama 35291
RSVP:	Beth Moore (256) 533-2640 and/or elmo2308@aol.com by May 28, 2008

 

Directions to Alabama Power:

**From the East take I-20/59 West into Birmingham, when approaching the downtown area, navigate into the left lane, Exit at 22nd Street, at the bottom of the exit ramp, turn left onto, 22nd Street (one way)., Follow 22nd Street to 6th Avenue North, merge to the right hand lane, turn right onto 6th Avenue North (one way), follow 6th Avenue North until reaching APC at the corner of 6th Avenue North and 18th Street.

**From the West take I-20/59 East into Birmingham, Exit at 17th Street, at the bottom of the exit ramp, go straight on 17th Street (one way), follow 17th Street to 5th Avenue North (one way), turn left onto 5th Avenue North and go one block., turn left on 18th Street North (one way) and go one block, turn left on 6th, Avenue North (one way).

**From the South take I-65 North into Birmingham, take I-20/59 East toward Gadsden/Atlanta, Exit at 17th Street, at the bottom of the exit, go straight on 17th Street (one way), follow 17th Street to 5th Avenue North, turn left onto 5th Avenue North (one way) and go one block, turn left onto 18th Street North (one way) and go one block, turn left onto 6th Avenue North (one way)

**From the North take I-65 South into Birmingham, take I-20/59 East toward Gadsden/Atlanta, immediately begin merging across traffic into the far right lane in order to take the first exit, exit at 17th Street, at the bottom of the exit, go straight on 17th Street (one way), follow 17th Street to 5th Avenue North, turn left onto 5th Avenue North (one way) and go one block, turn left onto 18th Street, North (one way) and go one block , turn left onto 6th Avenue North (one way)

Parking is on the Street until further notice. 

Visit On-line at: http://www.west-point.org/parent/wppc-alabama/, and http://www.west-point.org/parent/wppc-alabama/Sendoff2012.html

At the monthly Society luncheon on Tuesday, we discussed several topics.

The first topic was a change in next months meeting.  Due to the scheduled Tactical Missile Conference being on our regular meeting date of the third Tuesday of the Month, we will change the meeting to May 13.  It will be held at the Veterans Museum in John Hunt Park.  The lunch will be provided by the Society, BBQ!.  There will be two speakers that day.  The first speaker will be COL Mark Smith.  He is the commander of Fox and he will briefly run down what Fox is now doing for both the Active and Retired community.  He was also a TAC at West Point at one time, has a son who is a grad, and he will share some of those experiences with us.  The second speaker will be from the Museum staff on the latest with City.  See the website to note that you are coming so we have a good count for the BBQ.

Don’t forget to sign up at the website for the free Army home football tickets.

We are working on a Survey that will be put on the website to allow all to indicate what you would like the Society to do, where to have Founders Day, etc.  When it is ready, we will let you know.

June 14th – Mark your calendars – This is the Army Birthday and also Flag Day.  There will be a big event downtown at the site of Veterans Memorial (to be built).  All of the various veteran organizations will be represented and we are planning on having a table with Admission Information.  Jody Creekmore is running this, if you would like to help, contact him. Joseph.creekmore@us.army.mil  I understand we may even have a Cadet present.  The overall reason is to get as many veterans in the park as they can, then take an overhead picture of everyone.  More information will be coming.

There was some discussion about other venues for Founders Day, so when the survey comes out, put in your suggestions.  One was the Museum of Art along with Military Art showing.

Art Meier ‘63
BEAT NAVY

West Point is best known for producing accomplished leaders of war, such as Eisenhower, Patton, MacArthur and Custer.

A different category of U.S. Military Academy graduate was immortalized Friday during the dedication of bricks in the Apollo Courtyard at the new Davidson Center for Space Exploration.

Read more at the Huntsville Times

At the last meeting of the North Alabama Veterans and Fraternal Organizations Coalition Meeting, the following information was presented. 

The Veterans Memorial is in the process of developing a plan to raise the approximately $4M required.  (They have collected or have pledged about $250K to date.)  The AUSA and ADA have both pledged $10K over the next three years.

Honor Flight: There is a Breakfast at Ruby Tuesday this Saturday morning, $5.  There will be a golf tournament at Redstone Links on Friday 28 March – If I get anymore information I will pass it on.  Supposedly there is information at the Golf course.  The next Honor Flight is April 19 (Saturday), then May 31.  Both these flights are paid for.  Honor Flight is planning on two flights in September and possibly one in October.  These need funds.

Also on Saturday April 19 – the Vets with Vettes will be displaying their vehicles at the Veterans Memorial Museum.  The event is free, but AER is looking for donations!  Come out and show your support for the AER.

Memorial Day is 26 May and there will be a ceremony in Maple Hill Cemetery.

Flag Day – Also the Army Birthday – there will be a two to three hour event planned for the site that the Veterans Memorial will be built.  The idea is get as many veterans down in the park and have a picture taken of them.  (This is still being planned.)  There will be an opportunity for each Veterans group to have a table or space to set up displays.

An Air show at the Airport will be on 18/29 June.

An item of concern:  There is still no decision of the fate of the Veteran’s Memorial Museum.  This will be one of the topics of discussion at our May meeting.  The city still has not told the museum where they would prefer them to locate.  If you don’t know it, the museum is staffed by volunteers and most of the items in the museum are from individuals private collections – the value of which is in the millions – and these individuals have donated the items to the museum.  If the museum is required to move, the cost of a new building and the moving of the items will be staggering.  Plan to come to the meeting on 20 May to learn what we can do to help keep this resource available to the public.

Art Meier