Military Academy: Difference between revisions

|OrganizationName=Military Academy

The '''United States Military Academy''' ('''USMA''', '''West Point''', or '''Army'''<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.si.com/college-football/2015/04/13/army-football-new-uniforms-logo|title=Army unveils new name, uniforms and logo in athletics rebrand |first = S. I. |last=Wire |website = SI.com |date=13 April 2015 }}</ref>) is a [[United States service academies|United States service academy]] in [[West Point, New York]]. It was originally established as a fort during the American Revolutionary War, as it sits on strategic high ground overlooking the [[Hudson River]] {{convert|50|mi|km|0|sp=us}} north of New York City. The academy was founded in 1802, and it is the oldest of the five American service academies and educates cadets for [[Commission (document)#United States|commissioning]] into the [[United States Army]]. The academic program grants the [[Bachelor of Science]] degree with a curriculum that grades cadets' performance upon a broad academic program, military leadership performance, and mandatory participation in competitive athletics. The U.S. Military Academy at West Point is classified as a [[liberal arts college]] by [[U.S. News & World Report|U.S. News]] and is ranked #8 in the 2025 edition of the Best Colleges in the National Liberal Arts Colleges category.

The academy's traditions have influenced other institutions because of its age and unique mission. It was the first American college to have an accredited [[civil engineering]] program and the first to have [[class rings]], and its technical curriculum became a model for [[engineering]] schools. West Point's student body has a unique rank structure and lexicon. The academy fields 15 men's and nine women's [[National Collegiate Athletic Association]] (NCAA) sports teams. Cadets compete in one sport every fall, winter, and spring season at the intramural, club, or intercollegiate level. Its [[Army Black Knights football|football team]] was a national power in the early and mid-20th&nbsp;century, winning three national championships. Among the country's public institutions, the academy is the top producer of [[Marshall Scholarship|Marshall]] and [[Rhodes Scholarship|Rhodes]] scholars.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.marshallscholarship.org/about/statistics|title=Statistics|website=www.marshallscholarship.org|access-date=2 November 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rhodeshouse.ox.ac.uk/office-of-the-american-secretary/us-winners/colleges-and-universities-of-all-us-rhodes-scholars-over-time/|title=US Rhodes Scholars Over Time|website=www.rhodeshouse.ox.ac.uk|access-date=2 November 2020}}</ref> Its alumni are collectively referred to as "The Long Gray Line," which include U.S. Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower and [[Ulysses S. Grant]]; [[Confederate States of America|Confederate]] President [[Jefferson Davis]]; Confederate general [[Robert E. Lee]]; American poet [[Edgar Allan Poe]]; U.S. generals [[Douglas MacArthur]] and [[George S. Patton|George Patton]]; presidents of [[Costa Rica]], [[Nicaragua]], and the [[Philippines]]; and 76 Medal of Honor recipients.

The [[Mexican–American War]] brought the academy to prominence as graduates proved themselves in battle for the first time. Future [[United States Civil War|Civil War]] commanders [[Ulysses S. Grant]] and [[Robert E. Lee]], who also later became the superintendent of the academy, first distinguished themselves in battle in Mexico.<ref name="grantlee">{{cite web |url=http://www.usma.edu/Bicentennial/history/1833.asp |title=Challenges and Validation|work=USMA Bicentennial|publisher=United States Military Academy|access-date=16 December 2008|archive-date=12 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181012175449/https://www.usma.edu/Bicentennial/history/1833.asp|url-status=dead}}</ref>{{sfnp|Crackel|2002|p=120}} In all, 452 of 523 graduates who served in the war received battlefield promotions or awards for bravery.<ref name="grantlee"/>{{sfnp|Simpson|1982|p=46}} The school experienced a rapid modernization during the 1850s, often romanticized by the graduates who led both sides of the Civil War as the "end of the Old West Point era."<ref name="Mexican War">{{cite web |url=http://www.usma.edu/Bicentennial/history/1848.asp|title=Mid-Century Time of Trial|work=USMA Bicentennial|publisher=United States Military Academy|access-date=20 December 2008|archive-date=27 May 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100527195822/http://www.usma.edu/Bicentennial/history/1848.asp|url-status=dead}}</ref> New barracks brought better heat and [[gas lighting]], while new ordnance and tactics training incorporated new rifle and [[musket]] technology and accommodated transportation advances created by the steam engine.<ref name="Mexican War"/>{{sfnp|Simpson|1982|pp=48–49}} With the outbreak of the Civil War, West Point graduates filled the [[general officer]] ranks of the rapidly expanding Union and [[Confederate States of America|Confederate]] armies.{{sfnp|Crackel|2002|p=135}} 294 graduates served as general officers for the Union, and 151 served as general officers for the Confederacy.<ref name="Mexican War"/> Of all living graduates at the time of the war, 105&nbsp;(10%) were killed, and another 151&nbsp;(15%) were wounded.<ref name="Mexican War"/> Nearly every general officer of note from either army during the Civil War was a graduate of West Point, and a West Point graduate commanded the forces of one or both sides in every one of the 60 major battles of the war.<ref name="Mexican War"/>{{sfnp|Crackel|2002|p=135}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.usma.edu/wphistory/sitepages/notable%20graduates.aspx |title=Notable USMA Graduates: Did You Know?|publisher=United States Military Academy|access-date=14 July 2014}}</ref>

The demand for junior officers during the [[Spanish–American War]] caused the class of 1899 to graduate early, and the [[Philippine–American War]] did the same for the class of 1901. This increased demand for officers led Congress to increase the Corps of Cadets' size to 481&nbsp;cadets in 1900.<ref name="ww1">{{cite web|url=http://www.usma.edu/Bicentennial/history/1890.asp|title=Supporting an Emerging Global Power|work=USMA Bicentennial|publisher=United States Military Academy|access-date=2 January 2009|archive-date=12 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181012134740/http://www.usma.edu/Bicentennial/history/1890.asp|url-status=dead}}</ref> The period between 1900 and 1915 saw a construction boom as much of West Point's old infrastructure was rebuilt.<ref name="ww1"/> Many of the academy's most famous graduates graduated during the 15-year period between 1900 and 1915: [[Douglas MacArthur]] (1903), [[Joseph Stilwell]] (1904), [[Henry "Hap" Arnold]] (1907), [[George S. Patton]] (1909), Dwight D. Eisenhower, and [[Omar Bradley]] (both 1915). The class of 1915 is known as "[[the class the stars fell on]]" for the exceptionally high percentage of general officers that rose from that class (59 of 164).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://americanhistory.si.edu/westpoint/history_6b.html|title=The Class the Stars Fell On|publisher=Smithsonian National American History Museum|access-date=16 December 2008}}</ref>{{sfnp|Simpson|1982|p=178}}

Unlike previous conflicts, the Korean War did not disrupt class graduation schedules. More than half of the Army leadership during the war was composed of West Point graduates. The Class of 1950, which graduated only two weeks prior to the war's outbreak, suffered some of the heaviest casualties of any 20th century class and became known sourly as "the class the crosses fell on." A total of 157&nbsp;alumni perished in the conflict.<ref name="coldwar">{{cite web|title=Meeting the challenges of the Cold War|publisher=United States Military Academy|url=http://www.usma.edu/Bicentennial/history/1950.asp|access-date=20 January 2009|archive-date=18 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181118081454/http://www.usma.edu/Bicentennial/history/1950.asp|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Garrison H. Davidson]] became superintendent in 1956 and instituted several reforms that included refining the admissions process, changing the core curriculum to include electives, and increasing the academic degree standards for academy instructors.<ref name="coldwar"/> The 1960s saw the size of the Corps expand to 4,400&nbsp;cadets while the barracks and academic support structure grew proportionally.{{sfnp|Ambrose|1966|p=230}}<ref>{{cite magazine|url= http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,840798,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090522045849/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,840798,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=22 May 2009 |title=Hilton on the Hudson |magazine=Time| publisher=Time Inc |date=23 December 1966|access-date=25 January 2009}}</ref>

West Point was not immune to the social upheaval of American society during the Vietnam War.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1970/11/21/archives/is-west-point-troglodytic-a-critical-look-at-the-way-the-army.html |title=Is West Point Troglodytic?; A Critical Look at The Way the Army Trains Its Cadets |last=Bunting |first=Josiah |access-date=25 January 2009 |date=21 November 1970 |work=The New York Times |page=30}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,829847,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081222102933/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,829847,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=22 December 2008 |title=West Point & All That |publisher=Time Inc.|magazine=Time|access-date=25 January 2009|date=8 February 1963}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,904585,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090211071235/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,904585,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=11 February 2009 |title=Humanizing the U.S. Military |access-date=25 January 2009|date=21 December 1970|magazine=Time| publisher=Time Inc}}</ref> The first woman joined the faculty of the all-male institution amidst controversy in 1968.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1968/02/02/archives/first-for-west-point-a-woman-teacher.html |title=First for West Point: A Woman Teacher |date=2 February 1968 |access-date=25 January 2009|page=37 |work=The New York Times}}</ref> West Point granted its first [[honorable discharge]] in 1971 to an African-American West Point cadet, Cornelius M. Cooper, of California, who applied for [[conscientious objector]] status in 1969.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Schumach|first=Murray|date=1971-02-13|title=West Point Alumnus Released Honorably As a War Objector|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1971/02/13/archives/west-point-alumnus-released-honorably-as-a-war-objector-west-point.html|access-date=2021-12-17|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The academy struggled to fill its incoming classes as its graduates led troops in Southeast Asia, where 333 graduates died.<ref>"In Memory of Our Classmates who Fell in Vietnam" by Ron Meier USMA '66</ref><ref name="changeform">{{cite web |url=http://www.usma.edu/Bicentennial/history/1970.asp|title=The Long Gray Line Changes Formation|work=USMA Bicentennial|publisher=United States Military Academy|access-date=16 December 2008|archive-date=8 January 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090108061545/http://www.usma.edu/Bicentennial/history/1970.asp|url-status=dead}}</ref>

During the [[Gulf War]], alumnus General [[Norman Schwarzkopf|Schwarzkopf]] was the commander of Allied Forces, and the American senior generals in [[Iraq]], Generals [[David Petraeus|Petraeus]], [[Raymond T. Odierno|Odierno]] and [[Lloyd J. Austin|Austin]], and Afghanistan, retired General [[Stanley McChrystal]] and General [[David M. Rodriguez|David Rodriguez]], are also alumni. Following the [[September 11 attacks]], applications for admission to the academy increased dramatically, security on campus was increased, and the curriculum was revamped to include coursework on terrorism and military drills in civilian environments.<ref name="Sept11">{{cite news|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B01E3DB1F39F935A25750C0A9649C8B63 |title=For a Bastion of Tradition, A New World; Events of Sept.&nbsp;11&nbsp;Altered West Point, Too |work=The New York Times |date=16 March 2002 |access-date=25 January 2009|last=Foderaro |first=Lisa}}</ref> One graduate was killed during the 9/11 terrorist attacks and ninety graduates have died during operations in [[Operation Enduring Freedom|Afghanistan]], [[Operation Iraqi Freedom|Iraq]], and the ongoing [[War on Terror|Global War on Terror]].<ref>{{cite web |title=In Memoriam |publisher=West Point Association of Graduates |url=http://www.westpointaog.org/page.aspx?pid=734 |access-date=20 January 2013 |archive-date=20 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130320165606/http://www.westpointaog.org/page.aspx?pid=734 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Hampson |first=Rick |title=West Point's Quiet Place of Honor, Lost Dreams |newspaper=USA Today |date=28 December 2011 |page=1}}</ref> The Class of 2005 has been referred to as [[Class of 9/11|The Class of 9/11]] as the attacks occurred during their first year at the academy, and they graduated 911 students. In 2008 gender-neutral lyrics were incorporated into West Point's "Alma Mater" and "The Corps" – replacing lines like "The men of the Corps" with "The ranks of the Corps."<ref>{{cite web|author=<!-- Byline --> The Associated Press |url=http://www.armytimes.com/article/20080604/NEWS/806040313/West-Point-adopts-gender-neutral-song-lyrics |title=West Point adopts gender-neutral song lyrics &#124; Army Times |publisher=armytimes.com |access-date=30 December 2013}}</ref> In December 2009, President [[Barack Obama]] delivered a major speech in Eisenhower Hall Theater outlining his policy for [[Military operations of the War in Afghanistan (2001–present)#2009|deploying 30,000 additional troops]] to [[War in Afghanistan (2001–present)|Afghanistan]] as well as setting a timetable for withdrawal.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/02/arts/television/02watch.htm |first=Alessandra |last=Stanley |title=Before Audience of Cadets, a Sobering Message of War |work=The New York Times |date=1 December 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/02/world/asia/02prexy.html |title=Obama Adds Troops, but Maps Exit Plan |first1=Sheryl Gay |last1=Stolberg |first2=Helene |last2=Cooper |date=1 December 2009 |work=The New York Times }}</ref> President Obama also provided the commencement address in 2014.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2014/05/28/remarks-president-united-states-military-academy-commencement-ceremony|work=[[whitehouse.gov]]|title=Remarks by the President at the United States Military Academy Commencement Ceremony|via=[[NARA|National Archives]]|date=28 May 2014}}</ref>

In 2020, the campus confronted its first major pandemic in a century, with the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] causing limitations on classes, and the relocation of the traditional [[Army–Navy Game|Army-Navy football game]] to ensure [[social distancing]]. For the first time in many years, the 121st iteration of the game was held at West Point rather than the traditional [[Lincoln Financial Field]] in Philadelphia. Ultimately, West Point beat Navy 15–0.<ref>{{Citation|last=Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff|title=201212-D-WD757-2874|date=2020-12-12|url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/thejointstaff/50721292907/|access-date=2021-08-19}}</ref>

The [[West Point Cemetery]] is the final resting place of many notable graduates and faculty, including [[George Armstrong Custer]], [[Winfield Scott]], [[William Westmoreland]], [[Earl Blaik]], [[Margaret Corbin]], and eighteen Medal of Honor recipients.{{sfnp|Poughkeepsie Journal|2003|p=16}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.usma.edu/sites/default/files/pdfs/ABOUT/Cemetery%20Brochure.pdf |title=West Point Cemetery|publisher=USMA Memorial Affairs|access-date=31 December 2019}}</ref> The cemetery is also the burial place of several recent graduates who have died during the [[War on Terror|ongoing conflict]] in Iraq and [[Afghanistan]]. Many of the older grave sites have large and ornate grave markers, the largest belonging to [[Egbert Viele]] (class of 1847), chief engineer of [[Brooklyn]]'s [[Prospect Park (Brooklyn)|Prospect Park]].{{sfnp|Poughkeepsie Journal|2003|p=16}} The cemetery is also home to a monument to [[American Revolution|Revolutionary War]] heroine [[Margaret Corbin]].<ref>{{cite web |title=West Point Cemetery |publisher=USMA Memorial Affairs |url=http://www.usma.edu/history/SiteAssets/SitePages/Cemetery/West%20Point%20Cemetery.pdf |access-date=15 February 2014 |archive-date=25 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140225231003/http://www.usma.edu/history/SiteAssets/SitePages/Cemetery/West%20Point%20Cemetery.pdf}}</ref>

Although the academy's honor code is well known and has been influential for many other colleges and universities, the academy has experienced several significant violations. For example, 151 junior cadets were found guilty of "violating the honor code" in their exams in 1976.<ref>From [[The Economist]] magazine, [https://www.economist.com/news/books-and-arts/21610180-rise-ronald-reagan-meant-far-more-victory-republicans-purpose-and?fsrc=scn/tw/te/pe/ed/purposeandworth accessible here (see final paragraph marked '''correction''')]. The corrected article is dated 1 September 2014; accessed 8 September 2014.</ref> In 2020, more than 70 cadets were also accused of cheating on exams.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2020/12/21/west-point-catches-70-cadets-worst-cheating-scandal-50-years/5856130002/ |title=West Point accuses more than 70 cadets of cheating in worst academic scandal in nearly 45 years |first=Tom |last=Vanden Brook |website=USA Today |date=21 December 2020 |access-date=21 December 2020}}</ref>

An unofficial motto of the academy's history department is "Much of the history we teach was made by people we taught."<ref name="Sept11"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.westpoint.edu/about/public-affairs/news/fact-sheets|title=Fact Sheets|publisher=USMA West Point|access-date=31 December 2019}}</ref> Graduates of the academy refer to themselves as "The Long Gray Line," a phrase taken from the academy's traditional hymn "[[The Corps (song)|The Corps]]."<ref name="ellerson">{{cite web |title=Army names new football coach |work=Army Times |url=http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/12/army_ellerson_122708w/ |access-date=8 January 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Glossary |publisher=United States Military Academy|url=http://admissions.usma.edu/glossary.html|access-date=31 January 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120214032549/http://admissions.usma.edu/glossary.html|archive-date=14 February 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The Corps |publisher=West-Point.org |url=http://www.west-point.org/greimanj/west_point/songs/thecorps.htm |access-date=4 January 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080612072233/http://www.west-point.org/greimanj/west_point/songs/thecorps.htm |archive-date=12 June 2008 }}</ref> The academy has produced just under 65,000&nbsp;alumni,<ref>{{cite book|publisher=The Association of Graduates|title=The Register of Graduates and Former Cadets of the United States Military Academy |location=West Point, NY|year=2007|page=865}}</ref> including two [[President of the United States|Presidents of the United States]]: [[Ulysses S. Grant]] and Dwight D. Eisenhower; the president of the [[Confederate States of America]], [[Jefferson Davis]]; and four foreign heads of state or government: Former [[President of Nicaragua|Nicaraguan President]] [[Anastasio Somoza Debayle]], Former [[Philippine President]] [[Fidel V. Ramos]], Former [[Costa Rican President]] [[José María Figueres]], and Current [[Prime Minister of Cambodia|Cambodian Prime Minister]] [[Hun Manet]]. Alumni currently serving in public office include [[United States Senate|Senator]] [[Jack Reed (Rhode Island politician)|Jack Reed]], [[Governor of Nebraska]] [[David Heineman]], [[Governor of Louisiana]] [[John Bel Edwards]], [[United States House of Representatives|Congressmen]] [[Warren Davidson]], [[Mark Green (Tennessee politician)|Mark Green]], [[Brett Guthrie]], [[John Shimkus]] and [[Steve Watkins]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.usma.edu/about.asp|title=About the Academy|publisher=United States Military Academy|access-date=31 December 2008|archive-date=3 May 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080503120921/http://www.usma.edu/about.asp|url-status=dead}}</ref>

During World War I, academy alumni included [[General of the Armies]] [[John J. Pershing]], and Major Generals [[Charles T. Menoher]] and [[Mason Patrick]]. West Point was the alma mater of many notable World War II generals, [[Henry H. Arnold]], [[Omar Bradley]], [[Mark Wayne Clark]], [[Robert L. Eichelberger]], [[James M. Gavin]], [[Leslie Groves]], [[Douglas MacArthur]], [[George S. Patton]], [[Joseph Stilwell]], [[Maxwell D. Taylor]], [[James Van Fleet]], [[Jonathan Mayhew Wainwright IV]], and [[Simon Bolivar Buckner, Jr.]] the highest ranking General to be killed in combat during World War II, with many of these graduates also serving in commanding roles in the Korean War. During the Vietnam War, notable graduates general officers included [[Creighton Abrams]], [[Hal Moore]], and [[William Westmoreland]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.usma.edu/bicentennial/history/NotableGrads.asp|title=Notable USMA Graduates|work=USMA Bicentennial|publisher=United States Military Academy|access-date=4 January 2009|archive-date=18 May 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090518095835/http://www.usma.edu/bicentennial/history/NotableGrads.asp|url-status=dead}}</ref> West Point also produced some famous generals and statesmen of recent note including [[John Abizaid]], [[Stanley A. McChrystal]], [[Wesley Clark]], [[Alexander Haig]], [[Barry McCaffrey]], [[Norman Schwarzkopf, Jr.]], [[Brent Scowcroft]], [[Lloyd Austin]], and former [[Director of the Central Intelligence Agency]], retired General [[David Petraeus]].

A total of 76&nbsp;graduates have been awarded the Medal of Honor.<ref>{{cite web|title=West Point Congressional Medal of Honor Recipients|publisher=Medalofhonor.com |url=http://www.medalofhonor.com/WestPoint.htm|access-date=20 January 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070630233102/http://www.medalofhonor.com/WestPoint.htm |archive-date=30 June 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref>