Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Ways to Give



Your gifts to West Point support cadet internships and overseas experiences, athletic teams, and clubs, as well as the Academy’s world class centers and academic programs. Each gift, be it an annual gift or a planned estate gift, reaches every aspect of a cadet’s West Point experience.
There are several ways to give to West Point. The West Point Association of Graduates offers opportunities to accommodate the giving interests and capacities of alumni, friends, and corporations and foundations.....

rest of article can be found here.

Sunday, December 19, 2010

The Parting: A Story of West Point on the Eve of the Civil War


The Parting: A Story of West Point on the Eve of the Civil War                                        By Richard Barlow Adams, West Point Class of 1967                            
www.RichardBarlowAdams.com
(c) 970-471-1952; richadams67@yahoo.com                                                                                               
ISBN: 978-1-4502-3118-3 (Hardback): $32.95 retail price
ISBN: 978-1-4502-3117-6 (Softcover): $22.95 retail price

Story Description
It is July 18, 1861 near Winchester, Virginia. The Civil War has begun, and Confederate Lieutenant John Pelham, formerly of the West Point Class of 1861, is about to confront his former classmates and best friends at the First Battle of Bull Run.
The confident Pelham bears little resemblance to the seventeen-year-old who journeyed alone five years earlier from Jacksonville, Alabama, to West Point, New York, to enter the United States Military Academy. As the class begins its final year, Pelham meets Clara Bolton, a Philadelphian belle who captures his heart. In the months that follow, Pelham, Clara, and the Class of 1861 witness the unraveling of the Union and the birth of the Confederacy against the political backdrop of slavery and states' rights, the Democratic and Republican Parties, the fire-eaters of the South, and the abolitionists of the North.
The book's cover artwork is adapted from the painting Encampment on the Plain, by William Guy Wall, 1862, courtesy of the personal art collection of Thomas Petrie. Superimposed on the painting are cameo photographs of John Pelham and Edmond Kirby, West Point classmates and best friends. 
To a very great extent, The Parting authentically defines the Victorian world of West Point and embodies characters who are real and whose personalities and relationships are based on non-fictional sources. The principal protagonist, John Pelham, one of Alabama's most lauded sons, is the most popular man in his class, but also the one with the most demerits. Other cadet characters include Edmond Kirby (New York), Henry du Pont (Delaware), Thomas Rosser (Texas), George Custer (Ohio), Adelbert Ames (Maine), Nathaniel Chambliss (Tennessee), Charles Patterson (Arkansas), Henry Walter Kingsbury (Connecticut), Emory Upton (New York), Charles Hazlett (Ohio), Patrick O'Rorke (New York), Charles Ball (Alabama), and Henry Farley (South Carolina).
Woven into the story are the Academy's military and academic leadership; past graduates Ulysses S. Grant, Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, Irvin McDowell, Thomas Jackson, John Reynolds, William Hardee, Oliver O. Howard, J.E.B. Stuart, Fitzhugh Lee, and others; the venerable General Winfield Scott; the first-ever visit to North America by British Royalty culminating in an appearance at West Point; and the legendary tavern keeper and thorn in the Academy's side, Benny Havens.  

Reviews:
“…Thanks to the great work of Rich Adams in The Parting, such a terrible period in America’s history is presented in a most profound and riveting fashion. There is a truth on these pages we can all benefit from. A great read.” —Hal Moore, Lieutenant General, USA (Ret.), Distinguished Graduate of West Point, and co-author of We Were Soldiers Once…And Young and We are Soldiers Still.
"I've just now finished reading "The Parting"--a very fine achievement! I think you handled your complicated plot expertly, especially the shifting time settings. I also like the tone and general balance to the military in your love story with Clara. Really, this is very good work and I hope you're hard at work on another book (maybe a sequel?)."—Max Byrd, professor emeritus of English, UC Davis, and author of Jefferson, Jackson, and Grant: A Novel.
 “In this wonderful book, Rich Adams tells a powerful and poignant story about West Point and West Pointers on the cusp of the Civil War… A “must read” for every fan of historical fiction as well as for Civil War buffs in general. Brilliant. Stunning.”—Tom Carhart, author of Lost Triumph: Lee’s Real Plan at Gettysburg—And Why It Failed.
About the Author     
Rich Adams received his appointment to join the West Point Class of 1967 from Texas congressman, Homer Thornberry, and was the first of three brothers to graduate from West Point. Six months after graduation, he deployed to Vietnam with the 1/506th Infantry, 101st Airborne Division (of WWII "Band of Brothers" fame). Upon completion of this tour, he became an army aviator, meeting and marrying the love of his life while in flight school. After seven years in the military, he and the family returned to his hometown, Austin, Texas, and he began a career as a consulting civil/environmental engineer. Eventually moving to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, he formed, grew, and later sold an environmental consulting company, and since then has consulted as a sole practitioner on a wide range of groundwater and related environmental issues.
He is active in West Point alumni affairs and in the many activities of his class, and has served as adjunct assistant professor to West Point's Department of Geography and Environmental Engineering, and as adjunct professor to the School of Engineering and Applied Science, Southern Methodist University. He and his wife reside part of the year in Destin, Florida, and part of the year in Denver, Colorado.
In his free time, he enjoys golfing, hiking, biking, and traveling the world, and during the winter season is a ski instructor at Beaver Creek, Colorado.

As an author, he is working on a number of other novels and expects to soon publish his first book of poetry.

To Book Sellers

The Parting may be purchased from iUniverse under the “Booksellers Return Program,” and is distributed by the Ingram Book Group.


Friday, December 17, 2010

New LaGuardia Boss: Tom Bosco '80

12/17/2010 Grad Tom Bosco '80 new head of LaGuardia Airport, Dec 2010LaGuardia Airport is under new management. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey named 24-year employee Tom Bosco, formerly deputy general manager, as general manager of the 71-year-old airport.

Bosco has worked at all three of the area’s major airports. He has a long career in aviation, and served in the U.S. Army, where he flew helicopters. The 1980 graduate of West Point served in Operation Desert Storm and, as a Lt. Colonel, led his National Guard battalion in providing security at Ground Zero after Sept. 11.

Bosco said his priority is “the safety, security and efficiency of the airport,” which he said will serve a total of 23 million passengers in 2010, employs 7,000 people and creates $7 billion in local economic activity.

More Tom Bosco '80, the new head of head of LaGuardia Airport ..

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Army accepts Armed Forces invite

DALLAS (AP) -- Army is headed to its first bowl game in 14 years.
The Black Knights on Tuesday accepted an invitation to the Armed Forces Bowl in Dallas. Army had an agreement to play in the game if it was bowl eligible and either Conference USA or the Mountain West couldn't fill their allotments.


Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/football/ncaa/11/30/army-armed-forces-bowl.ap/index.html#ixzz16nh0Vn00

Monday, November 29, 2010

Army Drill Beats Navy

The U.S. Military Academy Black Knight Drill Team bested the midshipmen and came in first place Nov. 20 in the Cornell University Invitational Drill Meet. The combined military drill and military excellence tournament is hosted by Cornell Naval ROTC, and draws teams from ROTC units and academies of all branches to... compete in various drill and athletic events. Class of 2013 cadets Armando Pena and Mitch Acosta also came in first place in the two-man trick competition

Friday, November 19, 2010

Branches for USMA '11






Here
is a summary of the branch results for USMA '11 as reported by AOG.

Infantry
230 personnel as primary branch
38 personnel as detailed branch
First person to go Infantry was ranked #1 in the class

Engineers
136 personnel as primary branch
12 personnel detailed to another branch
29 females
First person to go Engineers was ranked #4 in the class

Field Artillery
147 personnel as primary branch
4 personnel as detailed branch
5 females
First person to go FA not available

Armor
83 personnel as primary branch
30 personnel as detailed branch
First person to go Armor not available

Aviation
114 personnel as primary branch
no details in or out
17 females
First person to go Aviation was ranked #2 in the class

Air Defense Artillery
51 personnel as primary branch
30 personnel detailed to another branch
6 females
First person to go ADA not available

Military Intelligence
69 personnel as primary branch
30 personnel detailed to another branch
13 females
First person to go MI was ranked #7 in the class

Signal Corps
46 personnel as primary branch
9 personnel detailed to another branch
5 females
First person to go Signal was ranked #27 in the class

Ordnance Corps (I like them)
41 personnel as primary branch
10 females
First person to go OD not available

Quartermaster Corps
30 personnel as primary branch
21 females
First person to go QM not available

Adjutant General Corps
29 personnel as primary branch
23 females
First person to go AJC was ranked #26 in the class

Transportation Corps
24 personnel as primary branch
8 females
First person to go TC not available

Military Police
20 personnel as primary branch
14 females
First person to go MP not available

Medical Service Corps
20 personnel as primary branch
13 females
First person to go MS not available

Chemical Corps
11 personnel as primary branch
9 females
First person to go with the crossed retorts on a benzene ring not available

Finance Corps
7 personnel as primary branch
3 females
First person to go FI not available

Also, branched somewhere above but elegible for Medical School (and the Medical Corps)
were 14 men and 5 women.

Combat Arms = 773 before adding detailed members, 812 including detailed members

The above information drawn from a report by J. Phoenix in AOG's Gray Matter.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Army shows support for Eric LeGrand

Army coach Rich Ellerson never appreciated an off week so much.
"It was a good time to have a week off," Ellerson said as his Black Knights returned to practice for Saturday's game against VMI at Michie Stadium.
The Black Knights needed time off since their overtime loss to Rutgers at the New Meadowlands Stadium on Oct. 16, when Eric LeGrand was left paralyzed from the neck down after tackling Army's Malcolm Brown on a kickoff return.
At the start of the week, LeGrand, a junior defensive tackle for the Scarlet Knights, had not shown any sign of improvement. The outpouring of support for the 20-year-old LeGrand has been a positive that Rutgers coach Greg Schiano said cannot be measured. He's received messages of support from fellow Big East coaches and administrators and people nationwide.

Too see the rest of this article, click here.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Thayer 2010: The Honorable James A. Baker, III

10/8/2010 James A. Baker, III receives the 2010 Thayer Award; WPAOG Chairman Jody Glore '69 & Superintendent LTG David Huntoon '73On the afternoon of 7 October the Corps of Cadets honored the 2010 recipient of the West Point Sylvanus Thayer Award, former Secretary of the Treasury and former Secretary of State James A. Baker III with a brigade review on the Plain and a formal dinner in Washington Hall. Secretary Baker received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1991, and numerous other awards for his distinguished public service while serving under three presidents.

to see more on this, click here

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Hassin Named Independent Player Of The Week




WEST POINT, N.Y.  –  Army sophomore fullback Jared Hassin has been named the Rivals.com Independent Player of the Week for his three-touchdown performance in the Black Knights’ 31-27 victory at Eastern Michigan.

Hassin made his collegiate debut versus the Eagles, running for 68 yards on 12 carries. He scored the game-winning touchdown on a seven-yard run with 38 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Hassin’s other scoring runs were both three yards in distance. He was the first Army player to run for at least three scores since Collin Mooney reached paydirt four times on Oct. 4, 2008.

It was Hassin’s first game action since his final scholastic season in 2007. He attended the Air Force Academy for a portion of 2008 and had to sit out the 2009 season due to NCAA transfer rules.

To see the rest of the article, click here

Monday, August 30, 2010

Army Football Needs You!

Army Football Needs You! Coach Rich Ellerson would like grads to send emails addressed to "The Army Team" to be copied and given to each player to read before the first game. Please send to jennifer.guzman"AT"usma.edu by 31 August. Let them know how grads around the globe are vitally interested in the program. THX!

Monday, August 16, 2010