USMAPS HONORS FOUNDER’S DAY CEREMONY
March 2nd, 2016
Sixteen members of the Class 1970 attended the USMAPS ceremony and dinner as part of our Class 50 Year Affiliation Program. Attendees were:
Lt Gen (R) James Lovelace (H4) Gary Thomas (G2) John & Mrs Wells (C2)
Frank Monaco (B4) Kerry Lawrence (I4) Russell Ray (E2)
“Fearless” Toby “Q-tip” Quirk Paul Fardink (C2) John Geenwalt (E2)
John Cogbill (G4) Col Don Blakeslee (A2) Perry Casto (E4)
Randall “Craig” Rutler (C3) Ed Hirsch (H2) William Arcuri (D1)
John Veenstra (I4)
A social meeting was held in the Patton Room of the Thayer Hotel the night before with ten members of the Class 1970 and the USMAPS coordinators. Major Joshua Klatzko has attended the pre-event meetings for our previous events with USMAPS. He makes a point of placing a glass of beer on the table with MAJ RANDALL ARTHUR CARLSON’S Class 1970 ring placed in front of the glass. Major Carlson is with us at every USMAPS event.
Captain Elise Ffitch, B Company Tactical Officer, went over the next day’s schedule. She attended Syracuse, plays lacrosse, and had a tour in Iraq as platoon leader and commander.
The ceremonial day started at 1300 hours in the USMAPS conference room. Captain Ffitch used a slide presentation to give us the rundown on the USMAPS operation.
• WP Prep School moved from Ft Monmouth to WP in 2011.
• School year started with 240 Cadet Candidates (CC); now 212
• Acceptance to West Point runs about 85% of each Prep School class
• CCs are paid a little over $1,000 monthly; $375 is taken out and put in a savings account
to make sure the CC has the required $2,000 deposit on R-Day on June 27th
• Prep School is having a great sports year vs Navy Prep School; record now 4-1
• Prep School class has two Army Rangers
• Prep School Class has 94 recruited athletes
• Class composition chart attached
• USMAPS has a team in the Sandhurst competiton and they do well
A CC escort was assigned to each Class 1970 attendee. They gave us each a tour of USMAPS.
In summary: Fantastic facility inside and out.
The tactical officers and administrative staff and Lt Col John Cross, Commandant, Class 1993, are impressive and are doing an outstanding job.
Class 1970 Fifty year Affiliation Program with USMAPS Class 2016 coordinator, Bruce Nolte, did an excellent job of “assigning” specific duties to several members of our class:
• Lt Gen (R) Jimmy Lovelace as the keynote speaker
• John Cogbill as our panel discussion leader
• Oldest Grad Perry Casto speaker
They all did a truly great job!!!!!
At 1400 we had remarks from the oldest and youngest grad.
Class 1966 Prepster Perry Casto entertained Class 1970 and USMAPS CCs.
May not have been part of the speech, may have a been a story afterwards, however, this is the one I like:
Perry wanted to be an aviator, however, eyesight stood in the way. He memorized the eye chart, took off his glasses and went in for the eye exam. He was doing it perfectly when the Doctor said: “We have a problem.” Perry says: “What, what do you mean a problem. “ Doctor says: “You are facing the wrong way. The eye chart is on the other wall”
At 1430, John Cogbill lead our panel discussion. Great stories and background of what life was like in the late 1960s: gas was cheap, Viet Nam was just building up, etc.. John had a great list, too long for here. After John opened up, each member of the Class 1970 spoke for 3 to 5 minutes, pretty much discussing whatever they wanted, not always address the panel subject: “Leadership in a Hollow Army”.
The panel program is attached.
The auditorium portion of the ceremony highlighted with remarks from Lt Col (R) James Lovelace.
Jimmy gave them both the hard core truthfulness of what they would be faced with in the future coupled with entertaining humor and CC participation. Jimmy challenged the CCs to think about what kind of leader they would be. He also stressed that the demanding jobs they would be doing had to be balanced with a sense of humor in everyday life.
The auditorium portion of the day ended with the Founder’s day cake cutting. This was done with a cadet sabre held by Oldest Grad Prepster Perry Casto and CC Dakarai Johnson.
At 1700 we ate in the Dining Hall. Each of us sat at a different table and had some great discussions about whatever the CCs wanted to talk about. I was at a table with CC Smoak. His three brothers all graduated from West Point.
The Cadet candidates to a person are truly remarkable and impressive. They appreciate our class participation. Graduation is coming up with a parade on May 13th and graduation ceremony in Ike hall on May 14th with Gary Steele as the commencement speaker. Class 1970 is invited.
Some short shots:
• Col Don Blakeslee, our active duty doctor, hosted dinner in the Thayer Hotel dining room for the ten Class 1970 attendees who made it to the first night social meeting. By hosted, I mean he paid for dinner. Thank you, Don.
Don also had Ed Hirsh buy a bottle of port wine so we could toast the class 1970.
Ed was not really sure what port wine was, however, he bought it anyway.
Don requested each tell their story and a pleasant evening was had by all
• The CC escort for Craig Rutler was his grandson, Reid D’Amico
• Youngest grad was 2Lt Chandler Smith, Class 2015 back at USMAPS as wrestling coach
He is a nationally ranked cross-fit competitor also
• Tammy Brochetti is the USMAPS and Parents Liaison person. She retired from service after 20 years in the Air Force.
• On the first night at the social gathering, John Cogbill proudly informed us that on that very day, his son, John Patrick Cogbill, Class 1994, was promoted to full colonel. He is out on the west coast and John and Janet are traveling to the promotion ceremony.
John Patrick and my oldest daughter, Kimberly, were both born inside the Berlin Wall.
John’s other son grad Georgetown and is a Lt Col in Hawaii
USMAPS Commandant Lt Col John Cross, Class 1993, was in Company C-1 as was
now Col John Patrick Cogbill, Class 1994.
• Bill Arcuri flies up from Florida for every event and never comes empty handed. He always has a supply of Viet Nam 50th anniversary lapel pins, commemorative certificate and a couple more pins. He gave a commemorative flag to Don Blakelsee to be flown at his West Point home.
• I did not know Bill Arcuri’s history as a POW after he bailed out of his B-52. It is not my place to tell his story here, however, I will relate one part. This is a perfect example of exactly what Jimmy Lovelace challenged the 2016 USMAPS CCs: be prepared to face some tough situations and think about what kind of leader you will be and also temper that with a good dose of common sense and humor.
As the newest POW in the Hanoi Hilton, those that had been there for a while were eager for the current outside news. They asked Bill if he could give them the current news. Many of the POWs were Navy servicemen. Bill agreed to do that. On cigarette paper he penciled some news and sent it out. He got it back. That was not the news they wanted to hear. Bill had written the Army-Navy football scores from 1965 to 1973. I had to look that one up.
Army was 5-3-1 during that span.
• Bill Arcuri discussed with his family and has announced he will donate his Class 1970 ring
to be included with Maj Carlson’s ring, and there will be others, in the ring melt when the Class 2020 rings are made.
• My cadet escort was Eddie Harwell. This Alabama boy has had tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. He has jump wings. In Afghanistan the Commander needed an RTO and asked Eddie. That commander suggested he try to attend West Point and Eddie is on his way to doing that. That commander: Maj Gen Scotty Miller, now Commanding Officer of Ft. Benning. At USMAPS, Eddie participates in Honor Flights, escorting veterans to see their memorials in Washington D.C.. For me, this was a truly humbling experience.
• You have to ask Johnny Greenwalt to tell you his story about the time he decided to walk through the train tunnel at West Point and was in the middle when a train showed up.
• My cell phone died at 5 pm and I missed a family announcement that was to be made at 6 pm.
Got home in NJ at midnight and found my seventh grandchild will be a seventh grandson.
• Bruce Nolte, our Class coordinator with USMAPS, was not able to attend this event as it was his 45th anniversary and he did not think his wife would appreciate his being gone nor would she like to spend it at USMAPS. I do not recall that the government issued us wives.
• I have been to the Prep School for a couple 50 year affiliation events and I went up for a couple of their soccer games with Joe Casey ’67 as he and I have the good fortune to be within driving distance of West Point and can participate as alumni with the WP soccer program. There are four soccer recruits at USMAPS. Every time I have gone to USMAPS,
I somehow run into 6’ 11” Dylan, basketball recruit from Wisconsin. This trip I gave him a copy of Bobby Knight’s biography in which Jimmy Oxley and Mike Gyovai are discussed as great basketball players from Class 1970. I also gave him copies of all Class 1970 basketball players, copied from our yearbook. A copy of what I gave him attached.
• Gary Thomas’s son is currently attending the Culinary Institute at Hyde park
If I said anything out of school, it is because I am out of school.
BEAT NAVY!
John Veenstra
Another Class 1970 Member Assigned by Bruce Nolte
Pictures here:
https://usma1970.smugmug.com/Affiliation-with-USMAPS-2016-a
Files here:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/8jh2il6mtxlcqvy/AABEelEDUfi1v6Oah_TlFTUGa?dl=0
