Report from Alex Alexander, ’65, on his recent episode of recidivism, as Cdt CPT, Commanding A-1 . . . _________________ Here is the full account of the spirit mission in the form of a journal entry. I wrote it to preserve the memory for myself. I've also included the letter I sent to the men and women of company A1, the Avengers. West Point Reunion 2015 - The Spirit Mission December 2014 -May 17, 2015 I've been prepping for this reunion for months, loosely, and a couple of weeks intensely. Late last year I was remembering my favorite West Point "moment." When I was a cadet captain, and commander of company A-1, I used to start off all the parades on the Plain. When the A-1 Commander said, "Forward: March!" the band played and everything went into motion. The moment before that, everything was quiet, with an expectant air. It occurred to me that, at the upcoming West Point 50th reunion, I might be able, with the help of some cadets, to sneak into the A-1 Commander's slot, and once again, as in the "days of yore" lead off the parade, turning aside after passing the reviewing stand to join my classmates and watch the rest of the parade from the sidelines, like I was supposed to do in the first place. So I sent a blind email to the Avengers Newsletter (Company A1 produces a quarterly newsletter for all of us old grads who used to be in A1) suggesting we do a black ops prank: sneak me into the parade, in full dress uniform, as a joke and a surprise to all and sundry. A good morale builder for the cadets, and an even better one for my classmates at our 50th reunion. Long story short, they went for it. It seems that the Corps still has a sense of mischief. So, this coming Tuesday, weather permitting (rain is predicted - damn!), I'll don cadet grey, and one last time march where cadets have marched since 1802. Monday, May 18, 2015 After the memorial service (I sang in the choir), I joined my co- conspirator for the Cadet Parade, Cpt. Sean Breen, age 32, so we could do some reconnaissance and practicing in case tomorrow's expected rain didn't happen and I could actually march in the parade. Sean turned out to be a stalwart supporter, with a backbone to match (more about that later). We reconned the Plain to see how the parade works these days, and then he took me through the barracks where I would be donning the uniform tomorrow, introduced me to some cadets and staffers, all of whom were completely on board, loving the prank, and inclined to see me in a good light for initiating it. Breen and I parted after a couple of hours, regretting that the rain was almost certainly going to wash us out, yet, hoping somehow the parade might happen. We wouldn't know until the next morning at 7:00am, when this kind of weather/parade decision gets made. Tuesday, May 19, 2015 Up at 7:00am, and called Sean Breen first thing. Miracles do happen. The parade is ON! And now I have to deliver on my promises. I'll hit the highlights. I arrived at WP just after 9:00am, got off the bus, and met up with Sean. We headed to the cadet barracks, where my uniform was waiting, along with the Cadet regimental commander (Bill Goodwin) and his cadet sergeant major, (Casey Childers) all of whom helped me into the uniform, which - yay team! - fit well. Except for the hat, which would later prove to be a problem. Quick trip to the bathroom (old bladder), then out into Central Area where the cadets were forming up for the parade. Sean, plus the company commander, Bob Hill (whose place I'd be taking), and the guidon bearer, Tyler Griffin (who would march one step behind and left of me, coaching me every step of the way), took me under their collective wings, and launched into an intensive training session, in which I had to relearn stuff I'd long forgotten, mainly what commands would be happening when, and how to handle the cadet saber. (The saber and the ill-fitting hat would meet up later.) While we were practicing, hundreds of cadet eyes were staring our way, wondering what we were up to. I felt conspicuous as hell, but enjoyed it nonetheless. As the stares continued, and the word circulated that the old fart was actually going to march in the parade, the stares turned into smiles, and I found myself posing for a lot of pictures. Sean called me over to company A1, my old company, and the one I'd be commanding for the parade, so he could introduce me, and so I could say a few words. He glorified me a bit, and then I spoke to the company. I told them that I fondly remembered when I was the commander of A1 fifty years ago, to be patient with the old fart up in front in today's parade, and finally what a privilege it was for me to be marching with the likes of them. They seemed to like my remarks. And then it was time to march off. It could have been a disaster - I was that out to lunch - but we actually pulled it off pretty well. The guidon bearer did a masterful job of coaching me through all the motions (he was a great kid, a former Prep Schooler, with excellent presence of mind, which was important because I was pretty much in a haze). I screwed up almost every small motion, but got the big ones right, which was okay because, at our distance away from the audience nobody could see the small things. Like my damned hat. It didn't quite fit right, and for the 45 minutes or so of the parade, it was slowly, slowly slipping down my forehead, toward my nose. I didn't dare adjust it - the white gloves would draw every eye in the place if I reached upward. So I said to myself, "deal with it" and carried on, slowly tilting my head backward to keep the hat level. I got into a good marching rhythm (I always could keep in step), so as we passed in review, I looked like I belonged there - except, as a number of people later told me, for the frizzy old-guy hair sticking out from under my hat and over my collar. Still, when we finished the pass in review, the cadets called out to me, "Good job, sir!" All in all I felt pretty good about it. Finally, after the "Eyes, Front" I reached the leading edge of my classmates, who were occupying their part of the day's Long Gray Line. I did a sloppy right turn, started the saber salute I had planned, caught the tip of the saber on my hat, and flipped the damn thing in the air. Luckily I caught the hat on the fly and didn't drop it. I inserted this picture because I love his smile and the smiles of all the cadets behind him. At that point my classmates realized what had happened, and that one of their own had done something that had never been done before (as far as I know) since West Point was established in 1802.an old grad had marched in a cadet parade, and not only that, but had "commanded" a company. After that it was handshakes, pictures, smiles, laughs, and "how the hell did you pull that off?" For the rest of the day and into the next, I was a minor celebrity. I'd have to call it the highlight of the reunion for me, actually one of the highlights of my life. But wait. There's more. Immediately after the parade, Sean Breen and Stephen Ruth, the Regimental Tactical Officer (the LTC in charge of the Army staff overseeing the cadet regimental organization) came up to me: both the Superintendent and the Commandant of Cadets were pissed and the cadet and military staff, including Sean Breen, were in hot water for my prank. We had known that there might be some flack, and Sean was willing to take the heat, and now, here it was. So I told Ric Shinseki (former Chief of Staff of the Army, 4 stars), and Dan Christman (former Supe, 3 stars, I used to date his sister), both of whom are classmates whom I know quite well, about the potential dustup, and asked them if they would use their influence to ease whatever repercussions might be in the works. Next Sean and LTC Ruth plus the cadets involved plus me (still in cadet uniform) marched over to the Brigade Tactical Officer's office presumably to be royally chewed out. It looked ominous. I was safe from any harm arising from the stunt that I had instigated, and, although I had no power or influence in the affair, I wanted to protect Breen and the cadets as best as I could because they were all standup guys, and had done so much for me. Well, the bird-colonel loved it. He launched into a five minute speech, praising us for the stunt, and congratulating Breen for having the cohones to pull it off, adding that it's this kind of thing that creates legends in the Corps of Cadets, and that any aftermath would dim with time and do no career harm, and in fact would informally enhance the reputations of all involved. He pledged his full support, saying, "I stand with you in this." We wrapped up the meeting by taking a picture of me standing before him, giving him a snappy salute. Later in the day, Sean texted me that it had all blown over, with no negative impact on him or the cadets. Yay, team! We hustled back to the barracks so I could change back into my own clothes. I thanked Sean for all he had done, and pledged to stay in touch. Then I scooted over to the cadet mess hall, where lunch was served, and more formalities (presentation of Distinguished Graduate awards). The final result as reported to me by Cpt. Breen is this: The official punishment from the event: We had to submit a few reflective essays to the Superintendent and the Commandant. We finalized and submitted those yesterday and have been absolved accordingly. General Shinseki assisted greatly in keeping us off the area, but I can tell you that had we been put on the area, most of the Corps would have voluntarily been out there with us and it would have been worth it-100%. Since that day, I have been getting all kinds of feedback, all of it positive, from cadets, grads of all classes, and of course my classmates. The only regret I have is that I should have paraded down the full line of the class of '65, instead of veering off at the beginning. That way the whole class could have borne witness to the "spirit mission." Maybe next time. Alex Alexander Alex92240@yahoo.com 530-432-2882  Next we have the letter that Alex wrote to his old Company A-1 (The Avengers): Dear Avengers, I want to thank you all, and add some thoughts from my old grad's perspective. You can't know (until you reach my advanced years) how grateful I am for the privilege of marching with you in one of life's really cool spectacles, a West Point parade. I hope it wasn't evident to you, but throughout the parade, I felt like a bumbling old fool, making mistake after mistake. Yet we pulled it off. The only reason I didn't totally screw up and embarrass all of you is that Bob Hill called the commands and Tyler Griffin coached me every step of the way, and your TAC, Cpt. Breen put everything in place so that the venture could succeed (I suspect that he even had something to do with clearing up the weather). Fortunately, the many mistakes I made were small scale and invisible to the spectators, so to them I looked like I belonged, and thanks to all of you, I felt like I belonged. Most importantly, mission accomplished. I want you to know that this "prank" had a deeper meaning to me and my classmates than you might think. At our stage in life, having lived all the joys and tragedies that come to people who engage in the risks of war and service to the nation, we have (and you will have) a deeper appreciation of ourselves and our comrades than does the average citizen. Because of our caper, my classmates felt an even closer connection to the spirit of the Corps, a spirit that shaped each of us profoundly 50 years ago, and continues to shape us even now. Bumbling or not, I, and therefore in a very real way, they, were again a connected part of, not just the Long Gray Line, but the very spirit that is the essence of that legacy. We all know that spirit starts with Duty, Honor, Country, but it also contains kinship and the love of brothers (and now sisters). And threaded through it all - all the dedication, sacrifice, risk, and hardship - is a twinkle of the eye. I have never known a West Pointer - even the deadly serious ones - who didn't have room for joy in hardship. It's more than cracking jokes and pulling stunts like our Old-Grad-Marches-in-Parade caper. There's a deep thread of humility that fuels it. We can laugh at ourselves; we can see the light side to everything (except the death of comrades, and even then we derive joy from having known them); we can see the good in any situation, and when there's no good there, we make it appear. I don't know how, but this spirit gets built into us during our West Point years, and pranks are a small part of it. Even "Beat Navy" is much more than the desire to win a contest. It's part of the connective tissue that binds us all in service of a common goal. We're in it together and we depend on each other, whether the goal is to win a war, keep the nation safe, or triumph in a sporting contest. This parade prank made me an instant celebrity among my Classmates, at least for a little while, and it struck the deeper chords I spoke of, but it's all due to you. So, once again, I thank you. Alex Alexander, Class of '65 more pictures of this 50th reunion prank - http://usma1970.smugmug.com/.../50th-Reu.../Class-of-65-40th-Pix 

Report from Alex Alexander, ’65, on his recent episode of recidivism, as Cdt CPT, Commanding A-1 . . .

Forwarded from Classmate Chip Leonard - Report from Alex Alexander, ’65, on his recent episode of recidivism, as Cdt CPT, Commanding A-1 . . . _________________ Here is the full account of the spirit mission in the form of a journal entry. I wrote it to preserve the memory for myself. I've also included the letter I sent to the men and women of company A1, the Avengers. West Point Reunion 2015 - The Spirit Mission December 2014 -May 17, 2015 I've been prepping for this reunion for months, loosely, and a couple of weeks intensely. Late last year I was remembering my favorite West Point "moment." When I was a cadet captain, and commander of company A-1, I used to start off all the parades on the Plain. When the A-1 Commander said, "Forward: March!" the band played and everything went into motion. The moment before that, everything was quiet, with an expectant air. It occurred to me that, at the upcoming West Point 50th reunion, I might be able, with the help of some cadets, to sneak into the A-1 Commander's slot, and once again, as in the "days of yore" lead off the parade, turning aside after passing the reviewing stand to join my classmates and watch the rest of the parade from the sidelines, like I was supposed to do in the first place. So I sent a blind email to the Avengers Newsletter (Company A1 produces a quarterly newsletter for all of us old grads who used to be in A1) suggesting we do a black ops prank.sneak me into the parade, in full dress uniform, as a joke and a surprise to all and sundry. A good morale builder for the cadets, and an even better one for my classmates at our 50th reunion. Long story short, they went for it. It seems that the Corps still has a sense of mischief. So, this coming Tuesday, weather permitting (rain is predicted.damn!), I'll don cadet grey, and one last time march where cadets have marched since 1802. Monday, May 18, 2015 After the memorial service (I sang in the choir), I joined my co-conspirator for the Cadet Parade, Cpt. Sean Breen, age 32, so we could do some reconnaissance and practicing in case tomorrow's expected rain didn't happen and I could actually march in the parade. Sean turned out to be a stalwart supporter, with a backbone to match (more about that later). We reconned the Plain to see how the parade works these days, and then he took me through the barracks where I would be donning the uniform tomorrow, introduced me to some cadets and staffers, all of whom were completely on board, loving the prank, and inclined to see me in a good light for initiating it. Breen and I parted after a couple of hours, regretting that the rain was almost certainly going to wash us out, yet, hoping somehow the parade might happen. We wouldn't know until the next morning at 7:00am, when this kind of weather/parade decision gets made. Tuesday, May 19, 2015 Up at 7:00am, and called Sean Breen first thing. Miracles do happen. The parade is ON! And now I have to deliver on my promises. I'll hit the highlights. I arrived at WP just after 9:00am, got off the bus, and met up with Sean. We headed to the cadet barracks, where my uniform was waiting, along with the Cadet regimental commander (Bill Goodwin) and his cadet sergeant major, (Casey Childers) all of whom helped me into the uniform, which - yay team! - fit well. Except for the hat, which would later prove to be a problem. Quick trip to the bathroom (old bladder), then out into Central Area where the cadets were forming up for the parade. Sean, plus the company commander, Bob Hill (whose place I'd be taking), and the guidon bearer, Tyler Griffin (who would march one step behind and left of me, coaching me every step of the way), took me under their collective wings, and launched into an intensive training session, in which I had to relearn stuff I'd long forgotten, mainly what commands would be happening when, and how to handle the cadet saber. (The saber and the ill-fitting hat would meet up later.) While we were practicing, hundreds of cadet eyes were staring our way, wondering what we were up to. I felt conspicuous as hell, but enjoyed it nonetheless. As the stares continued, and the word circulated that the old fart was actually going to march in the parade, the stares turned into smiles, and I found myself posing for a lot of pictures. Sean called me over to company A1, my old company, and the one I'd be commanding for the parade, so he could introduce me, and so I could say a few words. He glorified me a bit, and then I spoke to the company. I told them that I fondly remembered when I was the commander of A1 fifty years ago, to be patient with the old fart up in front in today's parade, and finally what a privilege it was for me to be marching with the likes of them. They seemed to like my remarks. And then it was time to march off. It could have been a disaster - I was that out to lunch - but we actually pulled it off pretty well. The guidon bearer did a masterful job of coaching me through all the motions (he was a great kid, a former Prep Schooler, with excellent presence of mind, which was important because I was pretty much in a haze). I screwed up almost every small motion, but got the big ones right, which was okay because, at our distance away from the audience nobody could see the small things. Like my damned hat. It didn't quite fit right, and for the 45 minutes or so of the parade, it was slowly, slowly slipping down my forehead, toward my nose. I didn't dare adjust it - the white gloves would draw every eye in the place if I reached upward. So I said to myself, "deal with it" and carried on, slowly tilting my head backward to keep the hat level. I got into a good marching rhythm (I always could keep in step), so as we passed in review, I looked like I belonged there.except, as a number of people later told me, for the frizzy old-guy hair sticking out from under my hat and over my collar. Still, when we finished the pass in review, the cadets called out to me, "Good job, sir!" All in all I felt pretty good about it. Finally, after the "Eyes, Front" I reached the leading edge of my classmates, who were occupying their part of the day's Long Gray Line. I did a sloppy right turn, started the saber salute I had planned, caught the tip of the saber on my hat, and flipped the damn thing in the air. Luckily I caught the hat on the fly and didn't drop it. I inserted this picture because I love his smile and the smiles of all the cadets behind him. At that point my classmates realized what had happened, and that one of their own had done something that had never been done before (as far as I know) since West Point was established in 1802.an old grad had marched in a cadet parade, and not only that, but had "commanded" a company. After that it was handshakes, pictures, smiles, laughs, and "how the hell did you pull that off?" For the rest of the day and into the next, I was a minor celebrity. I'd have to call it the highlight of the reunion for me, actually one of the highlights of my life. But wait. There's more. Immediately after the parade, Sean Breen and Stephen Ruth, the Regimental Tactical Officer (the LTC in charge of the Army staff overseeing the cadet regimental organization) came up to me.both the Superintendent and the Commandant of Cadets were pissed and the cadet and military staff, including Sean Breen, were in hot water for my prank. We had known that there might be some flack, and Sean was willing to take the heat, and now, here it was. So I told Ric Shinseki (former Chief of Staff of the Army, 4 stars), and Dan Christman (former Supe, 3 stars, I used to date his sister), both of whom are classmates whom I know quite well, about the potential dustup, and asked them if they would use their influence to ease whatever repercussions might be in the works. Next Sean and LTC Ruth plus the cadets involved plus me (still in cadet uniform) marched over to the Brigade Tactical Officer's office presumably to be royally chewed out. It looked ominous. I was safe from any harm arising from the stunt that I had instigated, and, although I had no power or influence in the affair, I wanted to protect Breen and the cadets as best as I could because they were all standup guys, and had done so much for me. Well, the bird-colonel loved it. He launched into a five minute speech, praising us for the stunt, and congratulating Breen for having the cohones to pull it off, adding that it's this kind of thing that creates legends in the Corps of Cadets, and that any aftermath would dim with time and do no career harm, and in fact would informally enhance the reputations of all involved. He pledged his full support, saying, "I stand with you in this." We wrapped up the meeting by taking a picture of me standing before him, giving him a snappy salute. Later in the day, Sean texted me that it had all blown over, with no negative impact on him or the cadets. Yay, team! We hustled back to the barracks so I could change back into my own clothes. I thanked Sean for all he had done, and pledged to stay in touch. Then I scooted over to the cadet mess hall, where lunch was served, and more formalities (presentation of Distinguished Graduate awards). The final result as reported to me by Cpt. Breen is this: The official punishment from the event: We had to submit a few reflective essays to the Superintendent and the Commandant. We finalized and submitted those yesterday and have been absolved accordingly. General Shinseki assisted greatly in keeping us off the area, but I can tell you that had we been put on the area, most of the Corps would have voluntarily been out there with us and it would have been worth it-100%. Since that day, I have been getting all kinds of feedback, all of it positive, from cadets, grads of all classes, and of course my classmates. The only regret I have is that I should have paraded down the full line of the class of '65, instead of veering off at the beginning. That way the whole class could have borne witness to the "spirit mission." Maybe next time. Alex Alexander Alex92240@yahoo.com 530-432-2882 Next we have the letter that Alex wrote to his old Company A-1 (The Avengers): Dear Avengers, I want to thank you all, and add some thoughts from my old grad's perspective. You can't know (until you reach my advanced years) how grateful I am for the privilege of marching with you in one of life's really cool spectacles, a West Point parade. I hope it wasn't evident to you, but throughout the parade, I felt like a bumbling old fool, making mistake after mistake. Yet we pulled it off. The only reason I didn't totally screw up and embarrass all of you is that Bob Hill called the commands and Tyler Griffin coached me every step of the way, and your TAC, Cpt. Breen put everything in place so that the venture could succeed (I suspect that he even had something to do with clearing up the weather). Fortunately, the many mistakes I made were small scale and invisible to the spectators, so to them I looked like I belonged, and thanks to all of you, I felt like I belonged. Most importantly, mission accomplished. I want you to know that this "prank" had a deeper meaning to me and my classmates than you might think. At our stage in life, having lived all the joys and tragedies that come to people who engage in the risks of war and service to the nation, we have (and you will have) a deeper appreciation of ourselves and our comrades than does the average citizen. Because of our caper my classmates felt an even closer connection to the spirit of the Corps, a spirit that shaped each of us profoundly 50 years ago, and continues to shape us even now. Bumbling or not, I, and therefore in a very real way, they, were again a connected part of, not just the Long Gray Line, but the very spirit that is the essence of that legacy. We all know that spirit starts with Duty, Honor, Country, but it also contains kinship and the love of brothers (and now sisters). And threaded through it all - all the dedication, sacrifice, risk, and hardship - is a twinkle of the eye. I have never known a West Pointer - even the deadly serious ones - who didn't have room for joy in hardship. It's more than cracking jokes and pulling stunts like our Old-Grad-Marches-in-Parade caper. There's a deep thread of humility that fuels it. We can laugh at ourselves; we can see the light side to everything (except the death of comrades, and even then we derive joy from having known them); we can see the good in any situation, and when there's no good there, we make it appear. I don't know how, but this spirit gets built into us during our West Point years, and pranks are a small part of it. Even "Beat Navy" is much more than the desire to win a contest. It's part of the connective tissue that binds us all in service of a common goal. We're in it together and we depend on each other, whether the goal is to win a war, keep the nation safe, or triumph in a sporting contest. This parade prank made me an instant celebrity among my Classmates, at least for a little while, and it struck the deeper chords I spoke of, but it's all due to you. So, once again, I thank you. Alex Alexander, Class of '65

more pictures of this 50th reunion prank - http://usma1970.smugmug.com/…/50th-Reu…/Class-of-65-40th-Pix

RIP, Peter H. Jones, USMA 1970, H1

RIP, Peter H. Jones, USMA 1970, H1 Jones, Peter Howze Posted: Saturday, May 16, 2015 7:09 am Peter Howze Jones, of Vinton, Va., passed away on Monday, May 11, 2015. Born in Fort Wayne, Ind., on January 23, 1948, he was the son of Henry and Nancy Jones, and is survived by his wife, Betsy; children, Melissa Jones (Howard Schur), Elliot Jones (Marin Lorenson), Katrina Choi (Sam Choi), Katya Jones, Olga Jones, and siblings, Chris Jones (Carol), Debbie Roush (Michael), and Judy Wolf (Winston);and seven grandchildren. Peter grew up in Wyncote, Pa., near Philadelphia, and graduated from Wyncote High School in 1965. He attended Virginia Military Institute for one year, and then went on to four years at the United States Military Academy (West Point), graduating in 1970, following a long line of West Point graduates in his family. He served his country for 30 years (six years in active duty, 24 in the Army Reserve), retiring in 2000 as a Colonel. During his active duty he served in the Vietnam War from 1971-1972, and as a Battalion Commander during Desert Storm in Saudi Arabia and Iraq in 1990-1991. Peter was an equally accomplished businessman, finishing his career as President of U.S. manufacturing company, WEXCO. Peter met Betsy during his freshman year at West Point and they married on June 7, 1970. Together they raised six children and lived in 10 states as Peter pursued his military and business careers. Peter accomplished much success in military and business, but was very proud of his recent work as a full-time volunteer at Second Helpings and the Roanoke Rescue Mission. Peter loved hiking through the Blue Ridge Mountains, loved his church, his work at the Mission, and his family. Our hearts are heavy with his loss - we will miss him greatly. Peter will be remembered at a memorial service at 6 p.m. Thursday, May 14, 2015 at the Blacksburg Christian Fellowship Church, 2300 North Main St., Blacksburg, VA 24060 and interred later this summer at West Point. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that those wishing to honor Peter's memory consider making a charitable donation in Peter's name or send a cherished story about Peter to betsycjones@aol.com.

For distribution to Class of ’70. Please read before the Class Business Meeting if possible. Betsey and I share our home email dbblakeslee@me.com. My work email is don.b.blakeslee.mil@mail.mil. Dear Classmates, At the Class of ’70 business meeting I will be talking about how our class can make a significant contribution to saving General Washington’s Revolutionary fortification system at West Point, designed and constructed primarily under the leadership of Chief Engineer Tadeusz Kosciuszko. The Class officers have reviewed this proposal and have expressed their support for your review and discussion at the business meeting on Friday. This project would be considered in addition to the funds proposed for the NCEA initiative and is for $150,000 of class money. My wife, Betsey Blakeslee, Ph.D., has been leading the efforts at West Point over the past 5 years to save the Revolutionary sites at West Point. She is the president of the 501c3 Friends of the American Revolution at West Point, Inc., (FAR), that is leading this restoration effort along with Dr. Jim Johnson ’69, Vice President, who was the former Chief of Military History at West Point, and is the currently endowed chair of military history at Marist College and Executive Director of the Hudson River Valley Institute. FAR is approved by the State of New York, the federal government for tax exempt purposes, the Department of the Army and West Point officials. They meet regularly with Garrison Commander Dunham and members of his team, and they also meet quarterly with Superintendent Caslen who has publicly expressed his support for this initiative in many public forums at West Point. General Dave Palmer, former Superintendent at West Point and the author of the seminal book on West Point in the American Revolution, The River and the Rock, serves as senior advisor on the FAR board. In addition, Distinguished Graduate Ed Rowny, ’41, has just expanded the scope of the Rowny Fund at West Point to include: Kosciuszko’s Garden; Kosciuszko’s Monument; and the Revolutionary fortifications at West Point. AOG is in support of this expanded role for the Rowny Fund to support funding for the fortifications. AOG Rowny FUND Document Our class has the opportunity to significantly influence the ability to preserve the fortification system that General Washington called “the key of America.” We will ask for your consideration to reopen the historic connection between Kosciuszko’s Garden and the Revolutionary Supply Trail, known to you as Flirtation Walk but originally called Chain Battery Walk after the founding of West Point. The link between the two Revolutionary sites was only closed off 20 years ago because of some erosion on the trail. Making this connection will allow the one-third of Flirtation walk to be reopened and improve exposure to the many Revolutionary fortifications on the trail. I am very proud of the work Betsey has accomplished. She was awarded the highest civilian award from the Republic of Poland, (given to her by the president of Poland), for her work in restoring Kosciuszko’s Garden and Kosciuszko’s fortifications at West Point. Two weeks ago she received the President’s Gold Points of Light Volunteer Award which was presented to her at West Point by Dean (BG) Tim Trainor and Commandant (BG) Thomson and the Garrison Commander. Although the awards are well deserved, they are not why you should consider this project. The Revolutionary fortifications at West Point represent the most comprehensive series of fortifications in existence in America today from the Revolutionary period. It was West Point that Benedict Arnold commanded and that he attempted to sell the fortification plans for to the British for the equivalent of one million dollars. Over 70% of the 30 batteries, redoubts and forts are in need of significant preservation. I look forward to discussing this with you at the business meeting. Best regards, Don If you care for more information, you can read this report submitted to the class officers. Also - some pictures - Kosciuszko’s Garden at West Point in 1779 Redoubt 7 on Constitution Island Caved In Betsey Receives Gold Cross of Merit in NYC Problems with the links to Monaco; questions about the proposal to Blakeslee

45th Reunion Final Draft Agenda

Click Here.

Westminster College - Barney and Jane Forsythe

COLONEL JAMES S. MCHONE, MD, RIP 1 April 2015

Dr. (Colonel, US Army, Retired) James S. ”Jim” McHone of Columbia, SC died April 1, 2015 after a long history of treatment for colorectal cancer. Dr. McHone was born in Denver, CO on November 23, 1947. He was predeceased by his mother Marion Samson McHone, his father Clarence D. McHone, his stepmother Annie Westmoreland McHone and his older sister Mary McHone Wilkie.

Dr. McHone is survived by his wife of many years and medical business partner Linda Jordan McHone of his home in Columbia, SC.  He is also survived by his stepchildren Angie West Guy and Lindsay Guy of Boykin, SC; James R. West IV and Valerie Peak West of Lugoff, SC; grandchildren Margaret Guy, Emily Guy, James Guy, Edwin Guy, Camryn West and Zachary West; his brother, Michael L. McHone and Elizabeth McHone of Mt Airy, NC; his sister Patricia McHone Newsome and Earl Newsome of Sanford, NC, as well as many nieces and nephews. His mother-in-law Myrtle P. Jordan, of Camden, SC, also survives him.

Dr. McHone grew up in Mt. Airy, NC and graduated from Mt. Airy High School in 1966. He participated in many athletics and clubs and was the president of several high school organizations, also elected the school’s “most school spirited senior”.   He then attended the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York and graduated in 1970, where he participated as the stage manager for the Cadet Glee Club and helped operate the auditorium in the old North Gymnasium.  He subsequently spent twenty-six years in the Army reserves and active duty as a Signal officer and an Orthopedic Surgeon. He retired as an Army Colonel in 1996. He received many Army awards and decorations to include the Legion of Merit and the Meritorious Service Medal. He served a tour in Korea in 1972 in the Second Infantry Division. He graduated from the Medical College of Georgia in 1978 and from the Fitzsimons Army Medical Center Orthopedic Residency in 1982. Dr. McHone then moved to Fort Jackson in Columbia, SC and practiced orthopedic surgery there for twenty-five years until his retirement in 2007.  Throughout this time, he was always very active in his community and with local high school athletics, Mt. Airy High School, the West Point Class of 1970, the West Point Association of Graduates and the Army Athletic Association.  He was on the Board of Trustees and a member of many other boards and committees of the West Point Association of Graduates.  He also made a major donation of West Point Art to the Association of Graduates, which is on prominent display in their building, Herbert Hall, at West Point. Dr. McHone loved his dogs Gretchen, Jorge, Maddie and TJ and they followed his every step in the last years of his life!

Dr. McHone has been a very active member of his community for the past 25 years in Columbia, SC. He has served on his homeowner boards for many years in different communities in Columbia. He is a charter member and organizer of his Presbyterian Church and has been on the building committee of two major churches. He has been very active with the local school boards and he participated in school rezoning planning and helped several multimillion dollar bond referendums to pass. He has also worked for many successful road and transportation projects in the community. He has won many awards for his volunteer work with the local high schools to include being selected as the State High School Volunteer of the year. He has twenty years experience working with the United States Military Academy at West Point, NY, the Army Athletic Department and the West Point Association of Graduates as a board member and as a Major Donor to the Academy, and as a fundraiser. He ran an active orthopedic practice in Columbia specializing in sports medicine and joint replacement. Dr. McHone was the Founder and Former Chief of the Orthopedics Department at Providence Hospital, Columbia, SC and performed the first total joint replacement at Providence in 1985. He is still serving on Senior Orthopedic Staff at Providence.  Doctor McHone retired from active surgical practice in 2007 due to colorectal cancer.

Visitation will be held at the Northeast Presbyterian Church (601 Polo Rd, Columbia, SC 29223, #803-788-5298) at 11:30 AM on Wednesday, April 8, 2015. Visitation will be followed by a Funeral Service (also at the Northeast Presbyterian Church) at 12:30 PM and a grave side memorial service with full military honors for Dr. McHone at the Fort Jackson National Cemetery at 2:00 PM under the direction of Dr. George Crow, United States Air Force Academy Class of 1970 and Chaplain Harry Phillips, US Navy, Retired.  A reception at the Fort Jackson Officers’ Club will follow at 3:00 PM. Memorials may be made to the Northeast Presbyterian Church and to the Newkirk Presbyterian Church, Blythewood, SC.

Dr. McHone wishes to extend a special thanks to Dr. Leland “Joe” McElveen, Dr. Steven Minter, Kim Dewitt, PA and their staff at SC Oncology Associates as well as his oncology doctors at Duke University Medical Center for all their care and concern over the years.  In addition, Dr. McHone would like to extend thanks to Dr. Sidney Morrison, Dr. Mark Mayson and Dr. Rick Dryer.   Powers Funeral Home of Lugoff, SC is in charge of his arrangements.