West Point Association of Graduates

Printed by USCC Company A-3, Go Big Snakes!

5 April 2011 Written and Submitted by Cadet Lieutenant Adam Schinder ‘11and Cadet Sergeant Jennifer West ‘12

Greetings fellow Anacondas, friends, old grads, and relatives! Wow, did we make some waves last issue! I just want to take some time to express our gratitude to the old grads who responded to us with such positive support. You’re insight was both inspiring and informative. As a staff we had been aware that the A-3 had changed names in the past, but we had no idea that we held six different titles! What a surprise! What we have been able to piece together from our correspondence with a few of the old grads we’ve compiled in this dispatch at the back. We hope to continue hearing from you, whether it’s stories of cadetship or highlights of your careers.

That being said, if there’s anything you wish to have posted in the next bulletin, please contact us with the story and we’ll make you famous! We all sincerely hope you’re doing well and we hope you enjoy the news!

Respectfully, CDT LT Adam Schinder ‘11 CDT SGT Jennifer West ‘12 Go Big Snakes! Go Big Snakes! Go Army Pistol! Go Army Track! [email protected] [email protected] (845) 515-2497 (845) 515-3968

Upcoming Events April’s a busy month! GPB Range : 1 April Uniform Change Over : 3 April 1CL Photo on the Plain : 6 April NCAA Boxing Championships : 7-9 April Class of 2014 Crest Unveiling : 8 April Fundamentals of Engineering Exam : 9 April GPB/AA Ruck March : 9 April Taxes Due : 15 April SANDHURST : 16 April Medieval Times Trip : 21 April Earth Day : 22 April Projects Day : 28 April

Company Commander’s Update CDT CPT Matt Bolian The month of March was a notable one for A-3. We’re leading the corps in the Recycle- mania competition, we’re third in the regiment for the blood drive, we have had multiple scholarships and team victories and it’s all thanks to your dedication and effort! Let’s continue the trend!

Academic: 3.07 GPA Average APFT Score: 295

Win a Brigade Championship Win Sandhurst

I have faith in you! Don’t be A-3’s weakest link! In This Newsletter Current Events Company Sandhurst Team Introduction Company Achievement Summary Spirit Snakes of the Week Spring Break Representation and Achievement Plebe Parent Weekend Summary Company History and Communications



Current events Meeting the Stars During the month of March West Point was pleased to have as its guest many distinguished generals. Each of the three is a member of the Long Grey Line and graciously gave of their time to speak to members of the corps. Lieutenant General Rick Lynch Commanding General, U.S. Army Installation Management Command Assistant Chief of Staff for Installation Management Addressing selected cadets from various MX400 “Officership” sections, Lieutenant General Lynch discussed how the Army grows “from a job, to a profession, to a career.” His speech was both personal and entertaining and it truly connected his experiences in the army to what the cadets are soon to find in their own careers as lieutenants. Key topics included duty, passion, responsibility, and flexibility. Lieutenant General Robert Van Antwerp Jr. Commanding General of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Chief of Engineers of the United States Army Also addressing all firstie cadets enrolled in the MX400 “Officership” course, Lieutenant General Van Antwerp gave a light but moving speech concerning the need for competent engineering and math skills in our Army. He made sure to point out that no matter what you branch, or what job you think you’re going to be doing, you can count on having to provide, manage, and create public works in the areas under your command while deployed. Agility and flexibility, he mentioned, will be key to our success. General (RET) William Ward U.S. Africa Command (0ct 2007 – March 2011) General Ward recently retired his commission on the 8th of March 2011 after a long and storied career. His last and most prestigious command was to be the first Commander, U.S. Africa Command. Shortly after retiring, he visited his alma-mater to deliver a speech to the corps concerning the nature of modern conflict and the role of an officer in decision-making. His remarks were inspirational and well-received by all.



IntroduCIng: the bIg snake sandhurst team

Parker Propst ‘11

Sandhurst Squad Leader “We’ve got a strong team this year with a lot of returning members. The competition will be stiff but we’re still gonna take ‘em. We won’t be anything less than the best!” Go Big Snakes!

David Sieger ‘11

James Myers ‘11

Kyle Volle ‘11

Virginia Albany ‘11

Andrea Lloyd ‘11

The 2011 Team!

Parker Propst ‘11

Our Squad Leader with DMI-6 Colonel Haskins



the bIg snake sandhurst team (Cont.)

Eric Gallagher ‘12

Merlin Boone ‘12

Konrad Bundy ‘13

Brad Neaton ‘14

Daniel Freeman ‘14

Last Year’s Team rowing to victory!



Company aChIevements

Outstanding Academic Achievement We’ve accomplished a lot as a company this past semester, but there are a few big snakes out there that deserve some special recognition for standing tallest in the ranks. Currently we have a Rotary scholar winner and three other cadets pursuing Marshall, Trumann, East-West, and Rotary Scholarships. We are all proud of their accomplishments and wish them the best! Matt Bolian – Rotary Scholarship Awarded

Offered to good-students and good-Samaritans worldwide, the Rotary scholarship has been awarded to over 30,000 men and women in 100 different nations since it’s foundation by Rotary International President Arch C. Klumph in 1917. The endowment was established “for the purpose of doing good in the world” and has kept that spirit ever since. Our recipient, who also happens to be our company commander, has the privilege of having been awarded an “Academic-Year Ambassadorial” scholarship. Source – Rotary.org

Congratulations Matt! Additional Information may be found at the following address: http://www.rotary.org/en/Pages/ridefault.aspx Merlin Boone – Endorsed to Apply Taylor Mosera –Endorsed to Apply Jennifer West – Endorsed to Apply Cadet Merlin Boone ’12, Cadet Taylor Mosera ’12, and Cadet Jennifer West ’12 were each one of twelve cadets from the class of 2012 endorsed by West Point to continue the application process for Marshall, Rotary, Trumann, and East-West scholarships. Good Luck all! “Marshall Scholarships was created by the Parliament of the United Kingdom when the Marshall Aid Commemoration Act was passed in 1953. The scholarships serve as a living gift to the United States of America in recognition of the post-World War II European Recovery Plan, commonly known as the Marshall Plan. Marshall Scholarships provide students with two fully-funded years of study, with a possible third-year extension, at any university in the United Kingdom and applicable to any field of study.” Source – Wikipedia.org “The Harry S. Truman Scholarship is a highly competitive federal scholarship granted to U.S. college juniors for demonstrated leadership potential and a commitment to public service. The scholarship is in the amount of $30,000 towards a graduate education. According to the Washington Post, the Truman Scholarship's ‘sole aim is to pick out people with potential to become leaders—then provide support to help them realize their aspirations.’” Source – Wikipedia.org Additional Information may be found at the following addresses: http://www.truman.gov/ http://www.eastwestcenter.org/scholarships-fellowships/ http://www.marshallscholarship.org/



Company aChIevements (Cont.)

The 22nd Annual Bataan Memorial Death March Two cadets form the Anacondas, Dan Reddy ’11 and Kyle Volle ’11, competed with a team of three other cadets on the 27th of March during the 22nd Annual Bataan Memorial Death March in White Sands, New Mexico. The weather was swelteringly hot, the sun was high, and the road was long. With 26.2 miles of hot desert track and 35 pound rucks, the challenge was indeed a steep one. However, despite the odds these Big Snakes blew the competition out of the water and made West Point and company A-3 damn proud! Coming in first place with a time of 5 hours and 12 minutes, these big snakes beat everyone in the Military Heavy Category, including the West Point A and B marathon teams! More than 6300 runners took on the grueling course to support the survivors and fallen service men of the Bataan Death March.



spIrIt snakes of the week!

Jon “the Man” Hange ‘11 We can’t all be like Jon Hange… but we can smell like him. He smells of Old Spice and excellence… and he’s on a horse. We appreciate your awesomeness, and that’s why you’re our Spirit Snake of the week!

Daniel “Ninja” Oh ‘13 His power level is over 9000! He knows how to throw the palm strike of death! Even F-117A’s could learn a thing or two about stealth from this shadowy night master… Although mere mortals cannot fathom his extreme skill and talent, he’s cheery to us all the time, and we appreciate that. Don’t karate flip the kids too much Dan. You’re Our spirit snake of the week!

Spirit Competitions! In honor of the emergence of Spring…. sort of (it snowed last week)… The Anacondas are hosting a series of Spirit Activities to boost morale, stay active, and earn some well-deserved PMI. Platoons will be pitched against one another on the fields of friendly strife once more!

Tug-Of-War Arm Wrestling Dong Fong Eating Contest

Brian “King” Louis ‘12

A descendant of royalty, King Louis wields the fiercest command hands in the company! The 2nd Platoon Mafia PSG, he demonstrates magisterial judgment. Stay proficient in all three pillars and you may have the privilege of being knighted!

You are an officer, and a gentleman… And our spirit snake of the week!



sprIng break representatIon Spring Break Representation

While most of the Corps journeyed the world over in pursuit of German beer, exotic people, and other diversions upon which they could squander their good health and cow loans for Spring Break, there were a few dedicated individuals in the company who decided to spend their Spring Break representing West Point. Cadet Carolina Espejo-Saenz ’13 on her trip to In Thailand Austin Keeton and I got a chance to meet some of the Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy cadets. We saw them conducting their summer training, met their superintendent, and were able to have dinner with them to talk about our academies. We also got to ride on elephants, visit the king of Thailand's palaces, and saw many different kinds of temples.

Cadet Daniel Freeman ’14 visited the Army’s jump team, the “Golden Knights,” for Spring Break. Sponsored by the contacts in USSOCOM, Cadet freeman represented the Big Snakes proudly as he faced the open skies. AIRBORNE!

Spring Break Training Indeed, the Big Snakes did much more than simply represent West Point this Spring Break. The following anacondas put in serious training with the goal of ultimately destroying Army’s most rivaled foes (ie; Navy). Cadet Jay Newell ’12 had an all intensive Army crew adventure. It consisted of rowing morning, noon, and night along the Florida coast in preparation for the team’s spring season. With a race nearly every weekend after Spring Break, this vacation is basically the only time that they have to prep on the water (the Hudson has this awful habit of freezing over). The team took breaks only to clean the dried blood, sweat, and salt water residue from the slides and rails of their boats.

You see that face? That is the face of a winner, and as every good anaconda knows, winners never tire! Keep up the good work Jay.

Additionally, Alyssa Sohn traveled with the Army Novice Women’s Crew team to Tennessee for their Spring training (novice rowers are not afforded the opportunity to bask in Florida sunshine for their training). Also, cadet Kailee Kunst ’14 spent her Spring Break training with the West Point track team in Puerto Rico. Keep up the good work ladies!



sprIng break aChIevement

Spring Break Victory! Two Anacondas, Cadet Adam Schinder ’11 and Cadet Leilah Johnson ’12, traveled with the West Point Pistol team this Spring Break to Fort Benning, Georgia for the National Intercollegiate Pistol Championships. Despite the pressure of competition, the team excelled and defended their title to national champions for the third year in a row! Both of our shooters performed admirably, scoring in the top of each event they shot. Additionally, Cadet Adam Schinder ’11 was inducted into the first team All-American in Free Pistol and second team All-American in Air Pistol, making this the second year in a row earning All-American honors. Great job guys! For more information about the team’s events, please visit their website at: http://www.usma.edu/uscc/dca/clubs/pstl/Index.htm

Plebe Parent Weekend The Class of 2014 celebrated their Plebe Parent Weekend on the 11th, 12th, and 13th of March. Parents flooded the property to watch their sons and daughters take charge of the corps. For the past three years West Point has been slowly returning to the Old Corps roots concerning this tradition, as many of you will recognize the following: 1) A return to organic peanut butter (courtesy of hours laborers), 2) The re-establishment of the ‘I’ companies 3) The usurping of precious Spring Leave time Plebe Parent Weekend being held during Spring Break. =) The movement of Plebe Parent Weekend to the beginning of Spring Break was renewed three years ago, beginning with the class of 2012. For this weekend, plebes are afforded rare, large scale leadership opportunities to run the corps themselves. The brigade is reduced to a regiment, with each individual company sporting a platoon sized element of fourth class. Little Snakes, of the class of 2014, are pictured below from this year’s plebe parent weekend. Those with key leadership positions were as follows: Savannah Haden ’14 - Guidon Christopher Murray ’14 - Platoon Leader Morgan Dennison ’14 - Platoon Sergeant Daniel Freeman ’14 - Battalion Commander “Please do not feed or antagonize the plebes in their natural habitat.”



Company hIstory and CommunICatIons

Grad Snakes get Tabbed! Recent graduates of the A-3 Anacondas have earned the coveted Ranger Tab after having completed the course in the beginning of March. Second Lieutenant Mike Sorrentino ‘10, Second Lieutenant Sam Freakley ’10, and Second Lieutenant Paul Dwyer ’10 all went straight through the winter Ranger course and have much to be proud of. Eat a steak and get some sleep guys, you’ve earned it!

History Conundrum We were aware as a staff that company A-3 held a few titles in years past, but we had no idea that we had changed titles six times! From what we could gather, the company was founded in 1965 without an official mascot. However, company titles emerged in the late 1960s and the cadets settled upon the “Avengers” (which is, in our humble opinion, an awesome title!). From this point forward we were subsequently renamed the “Assassins,” the “Armadillos,” the “Amigos,” the “Animal House,” and now the “Anacondas.” One of the projects we’ve decided to tackle as a staff has been to reconnect with our past and reach out to the old grads. As part of this mission, we’d like to get an accurate account of key individuals and dates in the company’s history. We’d like to have a set of commemorative plaques hanging in the company hallway with nameplates of the old Cadet Company Commanders, First Sergeants, and TAC Teams; the years they served; and the company name under which they served as a cadet in A-3. This is where you can help! If you know of the year in which we changed names, if you held or know who held those key positions for the company in years past, or if you have other interesting information you’d like to see posted in this publication concerning the history of the company or the achievements of old grads past, please contact either myself, Cadet Adam Schinder ’11 at [email protected] or (845)515-2497 or Sergeant Jennifer West ’12 at [email protected]. Your communications with us thus far have been wonderful and we truly wish you the best! Go Big Snakes!



From Colonel (Ret) Kenneth G. Carlson ‘66 The following is a communication from the above mentioned A-3 graduate concerning the founding of company A-3. We thought everyone would appreciate the insight as we strive to illustrate our company history! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Dear Adam and Jennifer: Thanks for the Anaconda Dispatch sent to me and others through the AOG. Great job! My name is COL Kenneth G. Carlson, (USA Ret.), USMA 1966, one of the "founding members" of Company A-3, USCC. At the beginning of AY 65-66, the Corps, previously only 1st and 2d Regiments, was further divided into four regiments, primarily to accommodate the growth of the USCC from only 2500 cadets into a larger 4000 man body, largely as a result of personnel needs for the War in Vietnam. The two regiment Corps had companies lettered from A to M. The new Corps removed Companies H, I, K, L and M and added a Third and Fourth Regiment, with all regimental companies lettered from A-G So what had previously been Company H-1 became Company A-3 during Reorganization Week 1965. The former First Regiment became the First and Third Regiments, The Second became the Second and Fourth. The brand new A-3 was not given the choice of a name, so we were not the Anacondas in 1965-66. "Snaking" was something one Cadet did to another by stealing his date. Being a "Big Snake" in those days would have been a sure way to receive poor peer ratings from your classmates. Although we didn't have a name, we did invent a company crest for our beer mugs (below). Our motto was "Allegiance Above Ambition" and, if you look carefully, you'll see the Roman numerals MCMLXV for the year you were founded. The cavemen had some meaning, I'm sure, but it's only use now is to remind you that Company A-3 is so old that we can claim to have been from the days "when ships were made of wood and men were made of steel." So the guys who first started your company were from the Class of 1966, the class that suffered the most KIA in Vietnam of any West Point Class. We were the lieutenants and captains that fought that small unit war. You may have read about us in Rick Atkinson's prize-winner, The Long Gray Line. Here's a picture of we Firsties in A-3 who entered West Point in a time of peace and graduated into a time of war… Somehow, we managed to all make it through Vietnam alive, picking up a Silver Star, 5 Bronze Stars for valor, 20 Bronze Stars and 7 Purple Hearts. Our Classmate Art Bonifas was murdered by North Korean soldiers on 18 August 1976 along the Korean DMZ, which later prompted Operation Paul Bunyan. This motley crew also managed to produce a pretty good record of service to our Nation. 8 retired as Colonels, 5 retired as Lieutenant Colonels and 3 retired as Majors, all of whom served at least 20 years. Except for Art Bonifas and Jim Cunningham, all of us are still alive and looking forward to our 45th Reunion at West Point in September of this year. So, moral of the story is that you Big Snakes come from good stock. And we continue to be proud of those of you who follow us in The Long Gray Line, particularly that knowing when you took the oath, our Nation was at war. Stay Alert, Stay Alive! Sincerely, Ken Carlson P.S. For you, Adam —Jim Dickens captained the Pistol Team and Mike Fuller captained the Rifle Team in our Firstie Year! Both All-Americans.

Documents

West Point Association of Graduates