Military Academy: Difference between revisions

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 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}}

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>