From the Editor's Desk | #17
CONNECT + INSPIRE
CADET is a bi-annual magazine about West Point culture.
Highly independent, quite unofficial, aggressively dedicated.
Based in DC @chrisWpestel @carolinepestel
Things from the Desk of the Editor-in-Chief
THE ORIGINAL West Point MOMS
PINKY & ATHENA here’s a little story: it’s no secret that WEST POINT MOMS ARE INCREDIBLE. Their unbridled enthusiasm for all things West Point is unmatched. It’s the sort of passion that some might say is borderline unhealthy…but lets be real honest, would we want it any other way? The answer is no. This sort of love and admiration has a history that goes back centuries. You could call it a tradition since it goes all the way back to 1899 and PINKY MACARTHUR who went so far as to live at West Point to ensure her son, Dougie, wasn’t bullied. Initially, this singled out her son, making things worse. But ultimately, he was First Captain, graduated #1 in his class, went on to become Superintendent (eliminated hazing, sort of) and became General of the Army. Hard to argue with Pinky, here. And while COL Sylvanius Thayer is widely known as the Father of the Military Academy, IT IS ATHENA, goddess of wisdom, courage, inspiration, civilization, law and justice, strategic warfare, mathematics, strength, strategy, the arts, crafts, and skill (quite the multi-talker) that is the mother of the Military Academy. It’s no longer Mother’s Day but should that stop us all from celebrating it all over again in the middle of the week…the answer is no, Happy Mother’s Day all you wonderful West Point Women.
FOR EVERY HEART IN GRAY
TEE WEEK every year when TEE week rolls around, I reflect on how the hell I made it out of West Point with a diploma. MAYBE YOU CAN RELATE…
BEAT NAVY so, it looks like we get some BONUS ARMY-NAVY BASEBALL this year as the Army Team advances to the Patriot League Championship against Navy this weekend. See you there?
SCHOLAR ATHLETE HONORS well, ANOTHER STELLAR SCHOLAR-ATHLETE was recognized by the Patriot League last week. Congratulations to Women’s Track & Field athlete Lynne Mooradian.
D.C., MD & VA PARENTS CLUB POST-GRADUATION PARTY wanna take part in the big-post-GRADUATION LUNCH at Eisenhower Hall? There may be just a few seats left at this massive gather put on by the D.C., MD & VA Parent’s Club.
SPOUSES CLUB COOK BOOK CALL FOR PHOTOS want your photos featured in the upcoming West Point Spouses Club cookbook? If you answered, yes…you’re in luck. The West Point Spouses' Club Gift Shop Cookbook is looking for your photos that celebrated the songs and traditions of West Point.
USMA 2003 ah, the Protectors of the Free. I will take every chance I can to highlight my own class. This past week our 1st Captain, RICK TURNER, TOOK COMMAND IN HAWAII. You may recognize him as the former handler of the “nuke football” Additionally, on Mother’s Day the West Point Museum shared a post about the MATERNITY UNIFORM OF 2003’s ALAINA MISSBACH which is on display. You need to check it out. We are also doing a big class reunion-ish gathering at this year’s Army 10-Miler as we raise dollars for our own 501(c)3 class fund. Oh, and in case you were wondering, YES we are the inventors of the Virtual Toast (est 2016).
IN OUR SHOP
GRADUATION COLLECTION it’s graduation season and we have a growing COLLECTION OF USMA GRADUATION ITEMS IN OUR ONLINE SHOP. Relive the march-on, the anticipation, the hat toss, and the glory that is graduation day from West Point with a spectacular wall print. Or send out beautiful one-of-a-kind THANK YOU CARDS that you will not find anywhere else.
VOL III are you curious about what is inside CADET VOL III? We’re glad you asked: Get a first-hand perspective on the resurgence of America's independent darling - Army Football from the guys at @ASFORFOOTBALL. Learn about the origins of USMA's first indie magazine from the mind behind @SONS_OF_SLUM_AND_GRAVY. See USMA '95 grad @KATEKBURGESS’s 12-year photo essay on The Old Guard. A beautiful behind-the-scenes reflection on the inspiration & making of @CHANCYMEDIA’s masterful Army-Navy spirit video - Sing Second. A book excerpt from the debut novel Beyond the Point @CLAIRECGIBSON. Remembering USMA 2019's Tom Surdyke. Mess Hall inspired Recipes from @CAROLINEAPESTEL. And much more.
RADIO GA GA
TRUE & PURE on Sunday, the Glee Club tagged us in the comments of a post. Much to our surprise, the post was announcing the first new West Point song in 100 years. Written by COL H.D. McInvale USMA ‘93 and MSG Michael Reifenberg the song is titled DUTY, HONOR, COUNTRY Sunday was the 57th Anniversary of MacArthur’s original Duty, Honor, Country Speech.
PINKY & THE BRAIN Hey all you children of the 90’s…do you remember the cartoon Animaniacs? Well, if you do you certainly remember the INTRO MUSIC…”It’s time for Annnn-i-maaaiiin-iacs” Well it was composed by USMA ‘76’s RANDY ROGEL. Bet you didn’t know that!
FOR YOUR EYEBALLS
A WEST POINT INSPIRED GRAPHIC NOVEL just LAUNCHED ON KICKSTARTER. Its currently being written and in true Bandersnatch fashion, you can (as a backer) help write the story, fashion the protagonists character, etc. It's Avengers Initiative meets Battle of New York meets West Point meets Black Mirror. Go check it out if it tickles your fancy. As of writing they have passed 10% of their funding goal. Help them reach their total and help write the story.
SMOKERS AND JOKERS this FAUX-AD FROM A LATE 70s THE POINTER got us thinking about compiling an article on “Hours” if you have a good story about hours think about SUBMITTING IT HERE. If you have a GREAT story about hours, definitely SUBMIT IT HERE.
2019 DISTINGUISHED GRADS who are Mr. Army Strong, The Elk Destroyer, The Pacific Rim Gentleman, A Champion for Marginalized and Generational George? COME LEARN MORE HERE check out our new blog post about this year’s Association of Graduates 2019 DISTINGUISHED GRADS. We worked with Ryan Witter USMA ‘21 and he created a stunning portrait presentation of the 5 awardees. We really dig Ryan’s work and are excited to highlight his talents. Check out more of his work on his instagram @RYNO.WITTER
THE MATRIX
THE INTERNET IS AWESOME especially when ARMY FOOTBALL QBs, past and present, have a twitter exchange.
RIP DORIS DAY thanks to Billy Joel’s “We Didn’t Start the Fire” I grew up knowing that Doris Day was an actress. It was much later in life that I realized that she starred in “THE WEST POINT STORY” THESE MOVIES sure capture a feeling and attitude that the country had or subsequently formed towards the nations premier leadership Academy. Let’s bring these back, yeah?!THE DESIGN OF THINGS
WEST POINT GROTESQUES how close do you pay attention to the buildings at West Point when you’re there/we’re there? Close enough to notice THESE SPECTACULAR CREATURES? Want to know more about them…we sure do. Who has the number to the History Department?
WHO SAVED THE THAYER HOTEL did you even know the THAYER NEEDED TO BE SAVED? Well, it was and here’s a little of the backstory. We sure are glad it was. Thank TLDG.
WEST POINT 100: CREATORS
THANKS EMMA sometimes the talented ones have to move on to new opportunities. Such is the case with the uber talented Emma Adams. For the past few years her images have graced our social media feeds and helped make the ARMY TEAM THE PRIDE AND DREAM OF EVERY HEART IN GRAY. She will be missed. We can’t wait to see you excel in LA.
PODCAST FROM THIS WEEK
FREAKONOMICS a few weeks back I listened to the CEO OF SPOTIFY on Freakomonics. This brought back a rush of feelings associated with early 2000’s life in the barracks and Gold Coats and Napster and mp3s. What a time to be alive.
GET SOCIAL WITH US
A LITTLE BIT ABOUT US so this past weekend we celebrated our 1st wedding anniversary. Last May 12th, we gathered our collective families at the Thayer Hotel for a DAY WE WONT EVER FORGET.
FACEBOOK HERE
TWITTER HERE
PINTEREST HERE
eNEWSLETTER HERE
WEBSITE HERE
Each week we bring you a few noteworthy “things on our mind” we attempt to weave them together as nicely as possible or relate them to something happening within the West Point universe. This week the interconnectedness of this weekly column has hit a new high mark. As I began to gather, source and collect items to share with you, I started to see an ever increasing interconnected web of inquiry. This weeks header picture (also pictured below) is me trying to make sense of all the things and how they were all pointing back to May 12. So grab a cup of coffee and enjoy this weeks “From the Editor’s Desk”
WEST POINT MOMS
2019 DISTINGUISHED GRADS
ILLUSTRATIONS BY @ryno.witter USMA ‘21
LYRICS
At that mighty river’s curve
A place the forges those who serve
Its armored oath etched in history
May Duty, Honor, Country ever be
Defenders of the free arise
Duty calls for sacrifice
Your tempered hearts safeguard liberty
May Duty, Honor, Country ever be
Grip granite hands, young and old
We Sons and Daughter of the Corps
The Long Gray Line, forever strong
Bonded on the battlefields of war
As my light fades thy flame endures
To guide the way for true and pure
And this remains our prayer for thee
May Duty, Honor, Country ever be
Duty
Honor
Country
Ever be
by H.D. McInvale USMA 1993 & MSG Reifenberg