How’s the Cow?
A publication of the West Point Parent’s Club of Alabama
www.west-point.org/parent/wppc-alabama
November 2006
Volume 06-07 Issue 10
and 31st . The Parents Club will be supporting the team by
providing drinks and snacks for the Team during this two
day event. This is another example of your dues money at
work supporting cadets.
From the President
Dear Parents,
Fall is here and we hope that everyone is doing well.
The plebe parents are anxiously awaiting their holiday
visits with their cadets and for us parents with older
cadets, we are counting down the semesters.
Judy hosted the fall boodle party this year at her home
in Warrior. Several plebe parents were able to attend.
We all had a great time sharing our cadet stories. They
were all ready to make the long trek to West Point for
Plebe-Parent Weekend. We hope all of you enjoyed the
weekend with your cadets.
Our thanks go out to all the parents who made
donations for the fall boodle. We mailed 60 bags with
all sorts of goodies. Please ask your cadet if they
received their boodle. The next boodle will be this
winter during the Gloom/Doom period after Christmas
Break. January and February have gray skies and white
on the ground. Winter boodle helps during the gloomy
time at West Point.
This year Navy will be hosting the All Academy Ball.
The ball will be held at the Vestavia Country Club on
Friday, December 29. The dress is formal. Men may
wear a tuxedo or a dark suit. Please remind your cadets
to bring home their uniforms for the ball. Cadets
requested last year for the uniform to be Full Dress over
Gray. Invitations will be sent. RSVP cards will be
enclosed and returned to Liddell. Please make all
checks payable to WPPC of Alabama for your
reservations. A photographer will be available for
pictures. The ball is a fun time and a great chance to see
everyone dressed up. Please encourage your cadet to
attend. Army will be hosting next year’s event.
Our term is about to come to an end. We have both
enjoyed this year as your Co-Presidents. We have met so
many new folks. The club is doing great and it will do
even better next year with your new Co-Presidents, Gary
and Marcie Kennedy. They live in Madison and their son
Dereck is class of 2009. Please give them as much support
as you have given us.
Enjoy the holidays and have a happy new year. We hope
to see all of you at the All Academy Ball.
Sincerely,
Judy Jackson
Liddell Davis
Co-Presidents
Bits n’ Brags
Cadet Samuel Ketcham (‘07, Wilsonville ), below center,
was named to the 42 man 2006 US Rugby Collegiate All
American National Team roster along with 3 other USMA
rugby players. The All-American team is made up of the
nation’s best collegiate rugby players who are picked
annually, primarily on the basis of performance at the
Collegiate All Star Championships, but with consideration
given to form throughout the preceding collegiate season.
The All-American Team has long been a precursor to
international honors, with many All Americans graduating
to the USA National Team.
The Parents Club continues to support the recruitment
process by attending College fairs, Admissions visits,
and Academy days held by local legislatures. Thanks
to all the parents who take time from their busy
schedules to support West Point in these efforts.
The Golf Team will be participating in a tournament at
Bent Brook County Club in McCalla on October 30th
How’s the Cow?
Page 1
(L-R) Cadets Andrew Locke, Sam Ketcham,
& Brendan McCarthy (all ‘07) in Victoria, BC
November 2006
Sam and two other USMA players (above) were named
to the All American
Touring Team. The
All-American team
faced Rugby
Canada’s U21
National Team on
August 24-26 in
British Columbia and
won one of two
games with the
Canadians. Sam had
to miss his Ring
Weekend in order to
play in those games,
but Sam felt it was
definitely worth it.
Sam Ketcham in Army rugby game
Cadet Gregory Shaw (‘07, Montgomery) is the
Captain of the Spirit Band Drum line and the Drum
Sergeant of the Pipes and Drums Corps.
This is his
second year, he
also served as
Captain as a Cow,
very unusual for a
Cow. As far back
as anyone can
remember, only
Firsties have been
Captain.
Cadet Eric Hamilton (‘08, Madison) attended the
annual AUSA convention in Washington DC on Oct 9
as part of the Cadet Public Relations Council. He is
pictured here with retired LTGEN Daniel Christman,
former superintendent of the USMA.
Staff from the
West Point
Public Affairs
Office and Cadet
Public Relations
Council members
participated in
the event to help
tell the West
Point story to
attendees.
Cadet Eric Hamilton, far right, at AUSA with
LtGen Daniel Christman, center, & CPRC
cadets.
Cadet Robert Davis
(‘08, Southside),
third from left,
competed recently
with Army Crew in
Philadelphia.
How’s the Cow?
Page 2
Cadet Andrew Jones (‘09, Huntsville ) received the
Superintendent's Award for Achievement. The insignia is
a gold wreath and is presented to the top 15% of cadets
who excel in academic, military and physical programs.
Andy is also on the drill team which performs at home
games and will be in the Veteran's Day parade in New
York.
Cadet Brian Riser (‘09, Mobile) received the
Superintendent’s Award which was based on his
performance during Plebe
Year 2005. The
Superintendent’s Award
recognizes cadets who
simultaneously achieve
excellence in all programs
(Academic, Military and
Physical). This picture was
taken at CFT this past
summer.
The Ferguson family (Wayne, Karen, and sister,
Elizabeth) visited Cadet Joseph Ferguson (‘09, Dothan)
on Friday 13 October and were able to spend a few
minutes with LTC Charlie Packard (Associate Professor,
Dept of Civil & Mechanical Engineering, USMA, Class of
1985), Cadet Ferguson’s sponsor, before leaving the West
Point area. The Fergusons spent the long Plebe Parent
Weekend in Baltimore, where they visited family
members. Highlights of the visit included a dinner at
Baltimore's Inner Harbor, and long hours watching college
and pro football and
eating junk food.
The weekend was
concluded on Monday
evening 16 October
after returning to West
Point and having dinner
with the Packards at
their lovely home onpost. Cadet Ferguson
made it back with more Cadet Joe Ferguson, with fat her-Wayne, sisterElizabeth & sponsor-LTC Charlie Packard.
than five minutes to
spare before formation
at 1900!
Cadet Charles Wood (‘09, Ft Mitchell) plays with the
Spirit Band for USMA sports events. He is shown here,
3rd from the left
(arm up, looking
over his shoulder),
riding up to the
VMI game at
Michie Stadium.
November 2006
Cadet Jamie DeSpain (‘10, Hoover) was awarded
Soldier of the Quarter for his Company.
CPT Chris Graves (‘03. Birmingham) was home in
August/September on furlough from Iraq. Mom, Renee,
reports that he was in great spirits, very relaxed &
enjoying every minute of his time (so did they). Most of
Ft. Campbell returned late in September, but Chris’s
brigade (4th) will be home in November.
Cadet Jamie Despain at PPW with parents,
Keith & Tonja, and brother, Brendon.
Reed and Lynne Alexander, parents of Cadet Josh
Alexander (‘10, Madison) report, “We had a great time
(at PPW). The weather was perfect. We were able to
meet some of Josh’s professors, attend classes, met his
sponsor, saw a great review parade and enjoyed the
banquet and hop. On
Sunday, we toured
some of New York
City. On Monday,
Oct. 30, Josh and
ten of his
teammates from
Company C-1 won
the Brigade
Biathlon
Championship.
LT Zachary Kaye (‘04, Tuscaloosa) and his fellow
paratroopers from Company D, 2nd Battalion, 505th
Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division,
were featured in a Defend America News article for
having uncovered numerous sizable weapons caches on
Oct. 21-22 outside a village north of Samarra, Iraq. Iraqi
Army soldiers made the initial discovery while on joint
patrols with D Company. LT Kaye was quoted in the
article. Go to: www.defendamerica.mil/articles/oct2006/
a102706ms1.html to read more.
LT Smith Griggs (‘04, Dothan)
is a Longbow apache pilot with
the First Calvary (1-227th )
Attack Battalion out of Ft Hood,
Texas. LT Griggs deployed as
part of the advance team on
September 24th for Iraq. After
two weeks in Kuwait, he has
moved north to Iraq. He will be
stationed at Camp Taji just north
of Bagdad.
Ring Weekend
Reed, Lynne, & Josh Alexander
Below is a photo of Cadet Justin Kay (‘10, Vestavia
Hills) with parents, Morris and Allison Kay.
They had a great
time at PPW
and report that the
highlight of the
weekend was the
Plebe-Parent
Banquet and the hop
that followed.
Grad News
CPT David Graves (‘98, Birmingham) is the proud
father of a new daughter, Julia Frances Graves, born on
10/2/06, weighing 9 lbs. 1 oz. David was able to talk to
his wife, Mary, by phone from Tikrit during her labor
& delivery, and received some e-photos within a few
hours of her arrival. Mother & daughter are doing
beautifully & can't wait to see Daddy probably in
December on furlough.
How’s the Cow?
Page 3
On Friday afternoon, August 25th , the Class of 2007
received their class rings in the amphitheater at Trophy
Point on the banks of the Hudson. At exactly 1640 a drum
cadence began to sound and the Class of 2007 made their
way from the Plain striding towards Trophy Point in
perfect step. What a glorious sight! Rank on rank, row by
row they filed in and took their positions as a crowd of
family, friends and alumni stood about on the surrounding
slopes. There was a nice speech by the Commandant and
then the Company Tactical Officers and NCOs moved
through the ranks dispersing the class rings. The cadets
stood patiently at full attention, appreciating the moment,
November 2006
until every class member held their ring. Then came the
permission to “don your rings” followed by the singing
of the Alma Mater. As the last chord of the last phrase
of the last stanza of the Alma Mater lingered,
pandemonium erupted! It was a back slapping,
classmate hugging, ring gazing, show-and-tell frenzy.
They all seemed to have learned a new way to shake
hands. A sure grip, followed by a sequence of wrist
rolls to properly display the rings to one another. The
class seemed forever united at that moment.
We salute all the Class of 2007.
“ALWAYS REMEMBER, NEVER SURRENDER!!”
Cadet Gregory Shaw, (Montgomery), with
parents, Greg & Sam, and brother, CJ.
Cadet Austin Milster (Hoover), left, with
Miss Mallory Barnes & father, Danny.
Cadet Tyler Hallmark
(Florence), right
Cadet Greg Shaw &
Grandfather, Bill Slimp
On 30 August I asked Delta to “book” my flight using
frequent flyer miles up and back from Montgomery to
Newark. The night before I left on 11 October, I called
Delta because I realized I had never gotten an e-ticket. I
was told that while I had a confirmation number, they had
my credit card number, and my flight had been “booked,”
they canceled my reservation on 2 September because I
never called back to “ticket” it.
Once I revived from that news, they told me IF there still
was a seat available on the flights, it would cost me
$1200+ to get a ticket at that late date. Again, I had to be
revived…and after several conversations with several
different Delta reps, I was able to get back on the flights
previously scheduled using my same frequent flyer miles
(plus $50 for the late “ticketing!”)
The next lesson learned PPW was that when you
experience delays because of late connecting flights, you
sometimes are afforded the opportunity to meet some very
interesting people. Much to my plebe daughter’s chagrin,
the Commandant of Cadets and I had the pleasure of
chatting for well over an hour while waiting for flights and
luggage. Needless to say, we covered a lot of territory and
by the time we parted, he assured me he would stroll over
to her company, introduce himself and check on how
things were going for her. I thought that was very nice of
him. Kelly is not as enthused about the idea as I was…go
figure?!
Another lesson learned during PPW is that while having
specific plans ahead of time about people and places to see
and activities to do is all fine and good, it is best to
approach the entire weekend with a flexible mind,
generous heart (and checkbook), and good walking shoes!
My game plan was never realized, but instead we were
treated some spontaneous good times by just going with
the flow!
Saturday night I learned that while switching shoes to
make the trek from the dinner at the Mess Hall to the Hop
at Ike Hall was great advice…I would carrying it a “step”
further and keep on those comfy shoes while I stood on
line for hours for pictures and the reception line! I thought
I had suffered permanent damage wearing my heels for so
long, but fortunately, have since recovered.
Cadet Todd Mainwaring (right, with
ring) & Cadet Jeff Mainwaring (‘10,
left, without). Both of Dothan.
What I learned over Plebe Parent Weekend
By Jane McKeon, ‘80 and proud parent of Kelly, ‘10
Did you know that there is a totally different outcome
between telling a Delta reservations specialist to “Book
a flight” and “Ticket a flight”??? Well, that was the
first lesson I learned PPW.
How’s the Cow?
Page 4
Cadet Kelly McKeon with mom, Jane, and
uncle, David Perkins
November 2006
On Sunday of PPW, I learned that while my daughter
woke up nauseous and a little green, she is made of
some pretty tough stuff!
She competed
in her first crew
meet on the
Hudson (and
won!) and did
not get sick in
her boat. I also
learned that she
has picked
up this attitude of “gutting it out” that wasn’t nearly as
finely developed while she was in high school.
Finally, on Monday, my last day of an absolutely
glorious weekend, I learned that while I miss my
daughter and she misses her family, she is thoroughly
enjoying her life as a young cadet. The challenges of
plebe year are bringing out the best in her and have
drawn her into some pretty strong, supportive
relationships. She is very involved with Navigators,
teaching Sunday school to high schoolers on Post, her
company Bible study, and the crew team. She firmly
believes she is right where she belongs, in the center of
God’s will for her life. I learned that those were the
exact words I needed to hear to calm my mother’s
heart.
I also learned that there probably was no better place
for my daughter to be than West Point when her Dad
deployed to Iraq just a few short weeks ago. As the
word got around, she was immediately surrounded by
cadets from all classes who offered her encouragement
from their own experiences of having someone they
loved and cared for deployed in harm’s way. They
understood the sacrifice from a soldier’s perspective
and from the perspective of those left behind.
Plebe Parent Weekend was so much more than “Fall
Break at College.” It was a time of celebration for how
far my daughter and I had both come in such a few
short months. We have both grown in ways we couldn’t
ever have imagined. I learned the West Point of my
days and the West Point of my daughter’s days have
remarkable similarities and yet there has been much
positive growth and change that reflects the seriousness
of our world situation. There is camaraderie in the
Corps that binds these young people together and truly
encourages them to rise to life’s challenges.
delayed and get into Atlanta AFTER the last flight out has
left…on a night where, because of a convention, all hotel
rooms and rental cars are taken; and the airline has no
pillows or blankets; and you packed your coat in your
suitcase because you are heading back south; and they are
using jack hammers to bust up tile all night long; and those
annoying announcements continue on the loud speakers
every 2 minutes even though there are no flights leaving
the airport in the wee hours of the morning; you are going
to have to cope with sleeping in an airport with a few
hundred strangers.
After walking the concourses back and forth and getting
pretty picky with exactly where I was going to try to lay
my head down and get a few minutes of sleep, I got a
small taste of that camaraderie that develops between folks
desperate to rise to life’s challenges.
Plebe Parent Weekend...what doesn’t kill you, WILL
make you stronger…and will cause you to reflect on the
value of life’s challenges for yourself and your cadet! I
will cherish the lessons learned and the memories I have
of this Plebe Parent Weekend for years to come.
Cadet Kiley Merrigan (Huntsville),
wearing the new women’s mess dress
uniform, with parents, Lisa & Kevin.
Cadet Philip Forester (Guntersville) with
parents, Ray & Nancy, and brother, Will.
Cadet Justin Kay (Vestavia), Center
Cadet Josh Alexander &
Miss Jennifer Olsen
(Madison)
Maybe some of that rubbed off on me. Because of
course, the weekend was not over for me until I landed
back in Alabama.
Perhaps the most critical lesson I learned from PPW
was to never “book” (I mean “ticket”) the last
connecting flight out of Atlanta. See when you are
How’s the Cow?
Cadet Michael Allen
(Branchville)
Page 5
Cadet Philip Forrester, second from right
November 2006
All Academy Ball
CPA
If you are looking for a special way to mark the
holidays with your cadet consider the All Academy
Ball, a festive event held each year to acknowledge the
special young men and women who have decided to
serve their country. Alabama cadets and midshipmen
from all five service academies (the US Military
Academy, the US Naval Academy, the US Air Force
Academy, the US Coast Guard Academy, and the US
Merchant Marine Academy) and their families come
together for an evening of dinner, dancing, and fun. It is
a formal dress event with all the pomp and ceremony
that each service academy accords these types of
festivities. A letter from co-president, Liddell Davis
follows with the details:
A cadet’s overall standing in the class is his/her
Cumulative Point Average (CPA). That number is
comprised of the three main areas being evaluated at
USMA with 55% being the academic score, 30% the
military score, and 15% the physical score of the cadet in
question. Class standing becomes important as cadets
choose their branches and their posts during firstie year
(see Branch Night, next page), as well as earlier when they
compete for cadet chain of command assignments.
Dear Parents,
Navy will be hosting the All Academy Ball this year at
the Vestavia Country Club in Birmingham on Friday,
December 29. Official invitations will be sent and
RSVP cards will be enclosed.
Please remind your cadets that this year the uniform has
been changed to Full Dress Over Gray. The change
was requested by our cadets. Dress for family members
is formal. Men may wear a tuxedo or a suit. There will
be a photographer available for pictures.
Let's show our club support and have a great turn out
this year.
Sincerely,
Liddell Davis
Co-President
The Strength of the Corps
At the start of the academic year, the official USMA
information on the size of each class was as follows:
Class of 2006 - 13 cadets (December grads)
Class of 2007 - 1013 cadets
Class of 2008 - 1001 cadets
Class of 2009 - 1086 cadets
Class of 2010 - 1259 cadets
Total
--------- 4,372 cadets
New Airline to Operate out of Stewart
AirTran Airways, a subsidiary of AirTran Holdings, Inc.
(NYSE: AAI), announced that the airline will add
Newburgh, NY as its 51st destination. The airline will
launch new nonstop service from Stewart International
Airport to Atlanta, Ft. Lauderdale, Orlando and Tampa,
on January 11, 2007. Go to: www.stewartintlairport.com
for more complete information.
Lodging/Ticket Exchange Site Established
WPPC-AL Treasurer Report
Craig Davis (Robert, ’09)
June 2006 Balance
$ 528.61
Dues/Donations
$ 2267.73
$ 2796.34
The AOG is very pleased to announce the creation /
establishment of a new site for ticket / lodging exchanges.
Grads and parents alike have been asking for a forum to
exchange tickets and lodging for various USMA sports
events. Instructions: Go to: http://www.westpoint.org/parent/wpp-net/exchange/. Log in using the
following username and password: parent/GoArmy .
Expenditures
Checks
Name Badges
Howitzer Ad
Newsletter-Postage/Printing
Boodle
Boodle Postage
Balance as of 11-01-06
How’s the Cow?
($ 19.00)
($ 73.58)
($ 255.00)
($ 80.77)
($ 30.00)
($ 214.52)
($ 672.87)
Plebe-Net Website Great Resource for ALL
The revamp ed Plebe-Net website is a wonderful resource
for all USMA parents, even those who no longer have
plebes.
Click on: http://www.west-point.org/parent/plebenet/links.htm. Bookmark this site as soon as it opens in
your browser. (Please!) Read all the wonderful links that
your moderators added to this page. And silently say
"thank you Moderators" for such a wonderful resource.
$ 2123.47
Page 6
November 2006
Branch Night
Branch Night for the Class of 2007 occurred on this
past Sunday, November 5th. Cadets in the Class of
2007 gathered en masse in Eisenhower Hall for the
ceremony. Envelopes containing the insignia of their
assigned branches were handed out, but could not be
opened until the command was given. Once given, the
only sound was of 1,000+ envelopes being
simultaneously ripped open. Whoops of joy (and a few
less joyous) filled the room, insignia were promptly
pinned upon their uniforms and the celebrations
commenced. From now until they are commissioned,
the Class of 2007 will wear their branch insignia on
their cadet uniforms.
Earlier in October, 2007 class members submitted a
preference sheet which ranked in order of preference all
the specialties for which they were qualified and
eligible. Branches were then assigned according to
performance (CPA), preference and current branch
goals (each branch has a minimum and maximum).
There are 16 possible branches: Combat Arms —Air
Defense, Armor, Aviation, Engineer, Field Artillery,
and Infantry; Combat Support—Chemical, Military
Intelligence, Military Police, and Signal; and Combat
Service Support—Adjutant General, Finance, Medical,
Ordnance, Quartermaster, and Transportation.
(Branching results will be published in the next
newsletter.)
Army Navy Game
The Army Navy game will be played at 2:30 EST on
Lincoln Field in Philadelphia on December 2nd this
year. It has historically been a VERY COLD weekend
and dressing in multiple layers is absolutely essential.
Cadets and parents alike need to dress appropriately or
they will be absolutely miserable.
Most of the Corps of Cadets will attend the game by
riding to Philadelphia and back in a convoy of official
USMA buses. This is free to the cadet, provided by the
Academy . Cadets on the USMA bus will have to be in
uniform, and will travel with their cadet company and
tactical officer. After the game they will have to depart
on the official USMA bus either immediately (short
boomerang) or later in the evening (around midnight long boomerang). No staying overnight.
To stay overnight in Philadelphia, a cadet must take a
weekend Spirit Pass. If a cadet is taking a Spirit Pass,
they cannot ride on the official USMA bus to and from
the game. In the past this meant they had to get to and
from Philadelphia on their own by finding an alternate
means of transportation, usually with a Firstie who has
a car or going in together to rent one. For the past few
years GMK Travel has offered charter bus service to
How’s the Cow?
Page 7
cadets on Spirit Pass to get down to and return from
Philadelphia. They purchase tickets in the same manner as
they do with the GMK buses that run to and from the
various airports for Thanksgiving and Christmas leave
periods.
While many of your cadets will tell you (Mom and Dad)
that they are going to band together and rent a car, the
reality is that the weather at that time of year is often
wicked. One year our older son drove down to
Philadelphia with his classmates in the middle of a raging
snowstorm. It was a truly nail-biting experience for all of
us. Encourage your son/daughter to take the charter bus
option rather than renting a car ... Many cadets turned it in
to a rolling party last year and arrived in Philadelphia safe,
secure and refreshed...
Incidentally, when on a Spirit Pass a cadet can travel in
civilian clothes. They will need to have their uniform so
that they can form up with the Corps before the stadium
march-on (prior to the game) and sit with the Corps during
the game, but afterwards they can change back to civilian
clothes for the remainder of the weekend and for their
return to USMA.
Cow Loan Briefing
During January, the Cows (Class of 2008) will assemble to
be advised about their Cow Loans. A Cow Loan is a sum
of money provided to the Cow cadet by a lending
institution at a very low interest rate. While the money is
available in March, the loan payments do not begin until
ninety days following graduation. The amounts and rates
vary, but as an example, for the class of 2005 the amount
was $30,000 at an interest rate of 1.0%. Loans for this
class were made available through USAA of San Antonio,
Texas. The loan can be used to purchase a car, or to
reinvest, etc. Repayment of the loan occurs over 60 equal
monthly payments, ending (coincidentally) as the Cow’s
five year service commitment has been reached. The
lending institution (bank) will require that the officer’s
monthly paycheck be deposited into a checking account at
that bank and the bank will have the cadet sign an
authorization form allowing the bank to withdraw the
monthly payment from the personal checking account. It
becomes an automatic process.
There is one downside for cadets. If they leave USMA
before graduation, and thus do not become officers in the
Armed Forces, or if they graduate but are not
commissioned due to a medical problem, the loan becomes
immediately due and payable, and must be immediately
repaid in full to the lending bank.
In addition, if an officer leaves the service prior to the loan
being paid off (usually again for medical reasons) the
remaining unpaid principal and interest will become due
and payable to the lender at that moment.
November 2006
How’s the Cow?
WPPC of Alabama
www.west-point.org/parent/wppc-alabama
c/o Debbie Mainwaring
1289 Bethlehem Road
Midland City, AL 36350
Email: jd mainwaring@centurytel.net
Phone: 334-702-7505
2007 Class Crest Afghan
COLOR photographs of picturesque scenery and vibrant
cadet life. It runs from January until December 2007 and
includes key dates that parents will appreciate. It makes a
great holiday gift!!
On sale now at www.west-point.org/parent/wppcmddcva.
For the past 8 years,
WPPC of MD/DC/VA
has offered a class
afghan as a service for
each class. The profit
from all sales of this
year’s afghan goes into
the 2007 Class Fund.
If you would like to purchase a calendar, please send a
check made payable to Cadet Activities Fund in the
amount of $18.00 (price includes shipping/handling) to:
Directorate of Cadet Activities
Attn: Publications (West Point Wall Calendar)
Eisenhower Hall, Bldg. 655
West Point, NY 10996
Cost is $60, including
shipping. Great
Christmas gift for 2007
cadets !
2007 WALL CALENDARS
The 2007 West Point Wall Calendar is scheduled for a
November delivery. There is still time to pre-order!!
The wall calendar is 9 x 12 inches with beautiful
How’s the Cow?
Page 8
November 2006