The West Point Association of Graduates 50 Year Affiliation Program
Classmates, as you may know, there is a program administered by our West Point Association of Graduates called the 50 year affiliation program. Under the umbrella of this title the current four classes at the military academy are paired with the class that is fifty years senior to them. In our case, the current Plebe class of 2012 is our 50 year affiliation class.
In this program, which has developed since the mid to late 1990’s, there are significant actions that are accomplished by the paired classes. It is our responsibility as a class to sponsor many of the events that occur in the program, and that includes bearing the financial responsibility for the various events.
Ted Stroup asked me in December 2008 to prepare an information piece for our class describing the 50 year affiliation program. This is the result. I am attaching to this article a memorandum describing the program that I received from the Association of Graduates. Additionally, I have some additional comments to flesh out the programs. The WPAOG memorandum sets forth a description of the various events that are included in the 50 year affiliation program and also describes the approximate economic cost to be borne by the older affiliation class for each event.
My research into this subject led me to discussions with the WPAOG and the class of 1960. In discussing the progress of the class of 1960 through the first two years of the program with their class 50 year affiliation coordinator, Mike Mierau ’60, I discovered that there were several additional items that are now taking place that are not covered in the WPAOG memorandum. These include:
1. A small reception in the lobby outside the Robinson Auditorium following the Cow Affirmation ceremony. This reception included cookies and punch.
2. Separate from the WPAOG, and organized by the 1960 Class President (Charley Otstott ’60) and the Commandant of Cadets (BG Mike Linnington ’80) was some participation by eight members of the class of 1960 in a lesson taught to Cows by the Simon Center for the Profession Military Ethic. First the older graduates had lunch in the mess hall with cadets and then they proceeded to class with the Cows. The eight graduates were individually placed in eight sections of cadets who were discussing topics such as:
a. Moral courage.
b. Harder right vs. easier wrong.
The graduates participated in the discussion along with the instructor and cadets.
3. In the Spring of First Class Year for the Class of 2012 there is a plan for the class leaders of our class to get together with the class leaders of that graduating class.
There are also two pictures attached to the descriptions included with this narrative. The pictures show the front and back of the Cow Affirmation Ceremony coin that was presented this year by the Class of 1960 to the class of 2010. If you are not familiar with the “Cow Affirmation Ceremony”, let me tell you that this event was initiated by then BG John P. Abizaid ’73 in 1998 when he was the commandant of cadets. It takes place in General Roscoe Robinson Auditorium (formerly South Auditorium) on the third floor of Thayer Hall. The ceremony is scheduled for the evening prior to the commencement of academics for the Cow Class. It points out to the Cows that, as they commence academics the next day, they finally incur a lawful commitment to either serve in the military as an officer after graduation, or in the event that they resign or are separated for cause for some reason prior to graduation that they are required to either serve as an enlisted person in the military or pay back the tuition expense they have cost the government by being schooled at West Point up to the time they departed. The decision as to which of these two possibilities to choose is left solely up to the Army, with no input from the departing cadet. This ceremony was designed by General Abizaid to cause cadets to think carefully about their chosen career goals and to remember that they are embarking upon a period of required service by attending academic classes the next day. As it were, this is a point of no return for cadets. They can resign and depart West Point prior to the commencement of third year academic classes without having any service, or payback, obligation. As it were, the first two years at West Point as a cadet are free of obligation. And, every year there have actually been one, or more, cadets who have resigned and departed West Point.
The Affirmation Ceremony itself is rather simple. The entire Cow Class assembles in the auditorium. There are speeches by the Commandant of Cadets and perhaps by another officer or NCO selected to speak about service in the profession of arms. The class is asked to rise and again repeat the oath of allegiance that they recited on R-Day two years earlier. A commemorative coin is distributed to the Cows, and the ceremony is brought to a close. Simple, but effective. And, meaningful for cadets.
At this point in time (January 2009), we are already past the first two events of the 50 year affiliation program. The first event involved manning of a welcoming table for parents in Eisenhower Hall during R-Day (Reception Day) for the incoming class of 2012. That took place on June 30, 2008. The second event was to place a member of our class on the reviewing line for the Acceptance Parade of the Class of 2012. This took place at the conclusion of Reorganization Week (Reorgy Week) this year on Saturday 23 August 2008. Dave Phillips represented our class on the reviewing line at this parade. And this event of stationing a member of our class on the reviewing line of the Acceptance Day parade will continue through the next three years, while our paired class of 2012 is in attendance as cadets at West Point.
As you can see by the WPAOG time line, the next significant event for our paired classes of 1962 and 2012 will be the presentation to the class of 2012 by us of their class flag.
The fifty year affiliation program is a growing program. If you believe that there is an event missing from the program please let us have you idea(s). We want to insure that the program continues to provide a link between our class and the class of 2012.
Respectfully submitted:
Larry D. Smith, K-1
Pictures below are of the 50 Year Affiliation Pins from the Class of 1960
