West Point Association of Graduates

#OnThisDay - January 10, William Bill DeGraf, Class of 1950, was born. DeGraf earned a battlefield commission in World War II as a 19-year-old. He then attended West Point and graduated first in his class. He was named a Distinguished Graduate in 2014. Read more about DeGraf at: https://www.westpointaog.org//2014-dga-recipient-announcem ... #DutyHonorCountry #LongGrayLine

#OnThisDay January 9, 1973: COL Clyde A. Selleck, Class President of the West Point Class of 1910, died on this date in 1973. Selleck was captured in March 1942 in the Philippines and survived the Bataan Death March. He and other Allied senior officers were liberated from the Japanese POW camp at Mukden (now Shenyang), Manchuria, China in August 1945. Selleck started a family tradition of military service, as he was followed at West Point by his son Clyde A. Selleck Jr, ...USMA 1952, his grandson Clyde A. "Pete" Selleck III, USMA 1977 (who currently serves on the WPAOG Board of Directors), and his great-grandson Christopher A. Selleck, USMA 2007. Read Selleck's Memorial article: https://www.westpointaog.org/memorial-article #DutyHonorCountry #BeThouAtPeace

Calling All West Point Authors! There's nothing like a good book! Especially if it was written by a West Point Grad! ... Reserve your space in the Spring 2021 West Point Authors Bookshelf, a specially priced advertising section in West Point magazine showcasing books by West Point affiliated authors. Learn more about this and other WPAOG advertising and sponsorship opportunities: http://bit.ly/wpmag-advertise Check out the latest West Point Bookshelf in the Winter 2020 issue to discover and support these books: http://bit.ly/bookshelf-winter20

#OnThisDay January 6, 1864: Today is the birthday of John Hanks Alexander (1887), the second African American graduate of West Point and the first African American officer in the U.S. Armed Forces to hold a regular command position. He served in the 9th Cavalry "Buffalo Soldiers" in Nebraska. He died of apoplexy at age 30. #BeThouAtPeace #DutyHonorCountry #WestPoint

#OnThisDay Jan. 5, 2006: MAJ William Bill Hecker '91 was killed in action in Iraq. A Field Artillery officer, Hecker deployed to Bosnia in 1996 and served in USMA's Department of English from 2000-2003. He is interred in the West Point Cemetery. #BeThouAtPeace #WestPoint #DutyCountryHonor

Registration is now open for the Army-Navy Virtual Tailgate! Saturday, December 12th at 1:30pm EST The first 1500 to register by November 19th will receive 2 Army-Navy Spirit Buttons per household. Registration will officially close on December 6th.... https://www.westpointaog.org/GoArmyBeatNavy

#OnThisDay Oct. 27, 2017, the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Frederic V. Malek West Point Visitors Center took place. The culmination of more than seven years of planning, fundraising and construction, the 31,000-square-foot, $25 million, fully donor-funded building created a new front door worthy of the United States Military Academy. Named for lead donor Fred Malek '59, the project also received contributions from eight West Point classes as part of their class reunion ...campaigns. In addition to Malek, 3,798 individuals and eight West Point classes (1972, 1973, 1974, 1978, 1984, 1988, 1990, and 2004) donated funds for the Visitors Center, as did the estate of Margaret Ann Zipp (in memory of her husband, Charles A. Zipp ’53) and the Boeing Company. The Center’s galleries tell the inspiring history of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, give an interactive experience of Cadet life, and detail the service to the nation of its graduates. The center officially opened to the public on Dec. 4, 2017. Read more about the Visitors Center in West Point magazine: http://bit.ly/wpvisitors-center

Don’t miss out on the last SACC of 2020 which starts today! We have a stacked employer webinar series from Monday to Wednesday for this virtual Dallas SACC and 70 employers registered for the career fair on Friday October 30th. Register now at https://bit.ly/3mLfDLc if you’re actively job seeking or researching companies for early next year. ... Text careerservices to 51555 to stay up to date on hot jobs, webinars and announcements from the WPAOG Career Services team. @sacc-jobfair.com #saccjobfair #sacc #wpaogcareers

While the pandemic did not allow for large gatherings and reunions at West Point, the Classes of 1980, 2000, and 2010 virtually presented their class gifts to LTG Darryl A. Williams ’83 and Mr. Todd A. Browne '85, President and CEO of the West Point Association of Graduates. Tom Kilgore '80, who served as Class Fundraising Chairman for the Class of 1980’s successful 40th Reunion Campaign, virtually presented a 40th Reunion Gift of $1,500,000 to support the Class of 1980 Cyber... Research Center Endowment. The Cyber Research Center (CRC) is one of three research centers in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and focuses on opportunities and research that span the entire continuum of cyberspace operations. Mr. Omar Ritter ’00 and Mr. Lorenzo Smith ’00 presented a 20th Reunion Gift of $500K to support the Class of 2000 Cyber Research Center Endowment for Research. CPT Rebekah Jadrnak ’10 and CPT Patrick Ryan ’10 presented a 10th Reunion Gift of $500K to support the new Cyber and Engineering Academic Center (CEAC) at West Point. These generous gifts will leave a lasting impact at the Academy. #LongGrayLine #prideandexcellence #withhonorinhand #loyaltiltheend #MarginOfExcellence #MOE

Join the Parka tradition! Visit WPAOGGiftShop.com to place your order.

The Black Knights are back home after another victory against UTSA (28-16) last week in San Antonio, Texas. This afternoon Army takes on Mercer starting at 12pm at Michie Stadium. Watch the game live on the CBS Sports Network. UPDATE: The 2020 Army-Navy Game location has been changed to West Point's Michie Stadium due to COVID-19 safety protocols for Cadets and Midshipmen.... Click on the link to read the Army-Navy Press Release: https://goarmywestpoint.com//football-2020-army-navy-game- Go Army Beat Navy! #GOARMY #BEATNAVY

#OnThisDay Oct. 24, 1963 COL Vincent "Mike" Esposito, Class of 1925, retired. He was head of the Department of Military Art and Engineering from 1956 - 63. Most grads will remember "Esposito Maps," big map books issued for Military History. Esposito also published the "West Point Atlas of American Wars" in 1959. He is buried in West Point Cemetery. Read Esposito's Memorial Article: https://www.westpointaog.org/memorial-article

As we move into the weekend, WPAOG wants to share these beautiful photos of the fall season at West Point. West Point in the fall is one of the most beautiful places in the country. Although you may not be able to visit this fall, we hope you enjoy these wonderful images and we look forward to seeing everyone again soon. Enjoy!... #WestPoint #WestPointFallPhotos #FallFriday #FallPhotos

Breaking news: The 2020 Army-Navy Game Presented by USAA will be Played at West Point. This is a historic event--it is the first time that the Army-Navy Game has been played at a home site since World War II when Annapolis hosted the 1942 game and West Point hosted the 1943 game. Go Army Beat Navy!... #GoArmy | #BeatNavy | #ArmyNavy

The new Fall 2020 issue of West Point magazine is in the mail, and the digital edition is available now to read online! This issue highlights the agility and resiliency of the USCC, exploring how Cadet Summer Training moved forward in 2020 with changes to adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic. See how the Plebe Class of 2024 joined the Corps with new safeguards in place, from R-Day through Cadet Basic Training, March Back and A-Day. This issue also features the Legacy of Army West ...Point Athletics with an interview with Athletic Director Mike Buddie, profiles of West Point Olympians and memories of some of the greatest Army-Navy football games of all time. Plus, learn about the athletic achievements and legacies of the fallen graduates behind the names of Army West Point Athletic facilities, and get a preview of the new Anderson Athletic Center. Read the digital edition here: http://bit.ly/wpmagfall2020

The West Point Association of Graduates is presenting the 2020 Nininger Award for Valor at Arms today to MAJ John A. Meyer '05 at a ceremony in the Cadet Mess. Watch the ceremony live starting at 7pm on YouTube. Just click on the link below: www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbGB699dyhU&feature=youtu.be... If you have any questions, you can email: [email protected]

#OnThisDay Oct. 22, 2001, then-Captain Jason Amerine, Class of 1993, and his Special Forces Team were in Afghanistan. Shortly after the terrorist attacks on 9/11, Amerine and the rest of ODA 574 were inserted by helicopter into Afghanistan, where he met up with Afghan politician Hamid Karzai in early November. In order to boost Army recruiting and support for the military, Amerine was featured as a G.I. Joe figurine and a character in America’s Army videogame after the operation. Listen to Amerine talk about working with Hamid Karzai in this interview with the West Point Center for Oral History. Watch: https://www.westpointcoh.org//a-good-kind-of-suck-training #DutyHonorCountry #LongGrayLine #DefendersOfTheFree

#OnThisDay Oct. 22nd is the birthday of West Point astronaut Col.(Ret.) Donald Peterson '55 USAF. Peterson was a crew member on Space Shuttle Challenger's maiden voyage (mission STS-6), where he and astronaut Story Musgrave made the first spacewalk (EVA) from a Shuttle. You can read his Memorial at: https://www.westpointaog.org/memorial-article