From the Editor's Desk | #27
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
FOR EVERY HEART IN GRAY
BYE WEEK FUN its always a good time to pick on Air Force, but a bye week is a GREAT time to PICK ON AIR FORCE. Hint - if the caption hasn’t been changed yet, check out the most popular entry.
ARMY - NAVY good luck to WOMEN’S SOCCER and VOLLEYBALL as they take on Navy in Star matches on Friday Sept 27. BEAT NAVY
GRAD INSIDER TOUR there’s this nun, Sister Corita Kent…she was a contemporary of Andy Warhol. Yeah, you read that right. She was a pop-artist. Well she has this passage in Austin Kleon’s newest book Keep Going where she talks about observing a single tree over the course of all four seasons…GREAT JOB AOG of harnessing your inner Sister Corita Kent.
WE’VE GOT SOME BIG NEWS TO SHARE
WeWORK VETERANS-IN-RESIDENCE our little ole magazine - CADET - has been accepted into the 2019B cohort for the WEWORK VETERANS-IN-RESIDENCE BY BUNKER LABS. I’ll get a 6-month stay at the newly opened Dupont Circle DC WeWork. Come say hi…seriously. This is huge for us.
WEST POINT 100: DC WOMEN CADET’s community project during the 6-month stay at WeWork will be focused on a portrait project of West Point Women in the DC area. Want to be part of it or know someone we should be photographing? REACH OUT HERE.
DECEMBER COLLAB earlier this week we locked-in some December plans. Once again we will be the official photographers for the MD, DC, VA JOINT SERVICE ACADEMY BALL on December 21st, 2019.
NOVEMBER COLLAB a few years ago I had the chance to photograph USMA 1990’s Joe Ricciardi’s promotion to COL. Now come this November I will be photographing his promotion to Brigadier General. Congratulations COL (P) Ricciardi.
SPEAKING OF BRIGADIER GENERALS last weekend I had the opportunity to photograph the DCA Sponsored Army Boxing Rumble. It took place in conjunction with the Combined Arms Tailgate that culminated Branch Week. Thanks to an introduction by USMA PAO MAJ Sanders I got to spend a few minutes telling BG Amy E. Hannah, US Army’s Chief of PAO, all about CADET. Pretty cool. Thank You MAJ Sanders!
SPEAKING OF DCA last weekend I spent TWO DAYS PHOTOGRAPHING USMA clubs for the Directorate of Cadet Activities (DCA). This new collaboration will help shine a light on the hardworking and passion of DCA’s Club activities. Ever since I had the opportunity to photograph Army Women’s Team Handball in 2015, I have wanted to make this type of project a priority. Now that CADET has teamed-up with DCA it looks like we’re off to a great start.
THAYER HOTEL COLLAB this coming weekend we will be teaming-up with the Thayer Hotel. We will be digging into our travel photography and blogging toolkit to document one of the many Hudson Valley Experiences coordinated by the folks at the Thayer Hotel. We cannot wait to share this with you all. Stay Tuned.
OUR COOL MAGAZINE IS FEATURED IN ANOTHER COOL MAGAZINE we couldn’t be more excited to share with you that WE ARE FEATURED in the most recent (Volume V) LEGACY MAGAZINE. We had the chance to talk about CADET Magazine, weaving creativity into our lives both in and out of uniform and our journey together. Go support this Military Community Publication. Its a beautiful product that needs to secure a place on your coffee table.
USMA 2003 AT THE ARMY 10-MILER the class of 2003 is kicking off a funderaising effort in conjunction with the Army 10-Miler on October 13, 2019. Guess who’ll be there to document the camaraderie of the PROTECTORS OF THE FREE?? Did you say me? Well you are spot on, my friend.
ADMISSIONS BLOG come Monday you should go check out the most recent BLOG POST FROM USMA ADMISSIONS because…well…we’ve teamed-up with them to help create engaging, helpful and impactful blog content to help attract the next crop of leaders to join the Long Gray Line.
ASFORFOOTBALL PODCAST not next week, but the week after I will be joining the fellas from ASFORFOOTBALL on their weekly podcast. So, that’s pretty cool.
THE DESIGN OF THINGS
POOL & THE STREAM this is ONE OF MY ALL-TIME FAVORITE podcast episodes. It traces the influence and manifestation of a design idea through the lens of a Finnish designer, the LA water drought of the 1970’s and the rise and fall and rise, again, of skateboarding and then pulls a sick backside 180 on itself and lands in the architecture phenomena/oddity that is Columbus, IN. This is a must listen for all you non-linear types. Creativity and design and life is a process, man. Gotta love it.
THE MATRIX
REMEMBER THAT CHANGE IS INEVITABLE and its okay and quite wise TO EMBRACE IT
FORM OUR BLOG
BOOKS! BOOKS! BOOKS! this BOOK LIST OF OURS seems to get a lot of action every time we post it. We want to build a few more book lists. GOT ONE WE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT? LET US KNOW HERE
PENNANTS ARE SELLING OUT
AND LIMITED MEANS LIMITED our HERITAGE PENNANT COLLECTION is nearly sold-out. Be advised, once they are gone - they’re gone for good.
WHAT I AM READING
BUY THE TICKET, TAKE THE RIDE as I delve deeper into the life of Hunter S. Thompson I am making a few self-discoveries. One of the first photographers I ever took notice of is a guy named DANNY LYON - known for his highly personal, radically immersive and quasi-photojournalistic “reportage” photography. And I never quite realized that my first few photo essays were tame versions of Gonzo journalism - interjecting myself directly into the story. Well turns out both of these guys spent considerable time with motorcycle gangs. Not quite sure what that all means, except that I hate-watched the final few seasons of Sons of Anarchy.
PODCAST ROUND-UP
DEAD CARS find out what happens in Bethel, Alaska WHEN A CAR DIES.
A FEW OF OUR FAVORITE PHOTOS
ITS A VERY COLORFUL TIME OF THE YEAR and THIS PHOTO and THIS PHOTO speak to that truth. Enjoy!