Duty, Honor, Country.

October 23, 2004

(Photos by Papa)

Got up at 0600 and took the subway to Penn Station. I got off one stop too far from where I was supposed to go, The Port Authority.

I walked up 8th Avenue to the PA then found out I was in the wrong building. I had to go one more building to the north (by the way, 8th Avenue is a little seedy). At the Greyline counter the agent told me that I had to go up to 47th to get my ticket. I pulled out my confirmation and told her that this is the counter that I am supposed to pick up my ticket. So, after a phone call, a ticket was found in my name.

Finding the actual bus was another Indiana Jones-like adventure, but I made my through with a bit navigational prowess. After finding my seat, one by a window, I found out that only three of us on the bus were going to West Point. The rest of the passengers were traveling to an outlet mall in New Jersey.

At the West Point Visitor Center at Highland Falls, NY, we stepped off the bus to see people milling around. After checking in, I stood in line for awhile to get on another bus, the official West Point tour bus. Just as I was about to step on, I was flanked and cut off by two Asian men and an Asian woman. It was like I wasn't even there. I guess that the subtle art of standing in queue and waiting your turn is not a skill taught in some countries. How do you not see a six foot, 240 pound man in a black wool Peacoat and black watch cap? The same thing happened to me in Hawaii. Not that I am drawing any parallels here... but. Throughout the entire tour the three of them were talking to each other loudly and translating for their non-English speaking comrade.

The tour of the Point was extremely informative. This type of history is unsurpassed. The first stop was the Cadet Chapel. The stained glass windows were donated by the graduating classes, and made by the same company in Philadelphia since the 18th century. A lone candle stands alone in a pew roped off and reserved for those missing in action; a seat is always reserved for them.



The next stop was the battle monument for the Civil War. It is made of the largest piece of granite in the western hemisphere. Near by is part of the original steel chain that was used in the Revolutionary War to stop ships coming through this point in the Hudson River. They saved 13 links to represent the original 13 colonies. The guide also pointed out buildings and statues that we could only view from a distance, thanks to the post 9/11 world. It was still overwhelming. The West Pointalumni list is quite impressive. West Point has offered up heads of state, military leaders, astronauts, educators, legislators, writers and scientists. Men like Eisenhower, Grant, Sherman, Custer, Stonewall Jackson, J.E.B. Stewart, Robert E. Lee, MacArthur, Patton, Hap Arnold, and Buzz Aldrin are only some of the greatness that has strolled across these same grounds. Thomas Jefferson himself signed the legislation to officially create West Point on July 4th, 1802. The fort itself was an integral part of our Revolution.

The commandant's house was built in 1819 and the superintendent's was built in 1821. The people appointed to these positions still use these houses today.

MacArthur's mother stayed in the hotel across from the barracks for four years. She used to hide food for him in a cannon nearby the Battle Monument. When he became superintendent, she moved into the superintendent's house with him.

Patton's statue faces the library and he is depicted holding binoculars. His excuse for his poor grades at The Point was that he could never find the library. It's the only statue not facing the parade grounds.

Time to get back on the bus and ride back to the city and into reality.

The point is this: It takes something special to graduate from here, and, as citizens, this is someplace we should all visit.