United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, is the oldest military college in the United States. It prepares young men and women to serve as officers in the United States Army. The academy is supported by the federal government and is supervised by the Department of the Army.
Students at the academy are called cadets. After four years, they earn Bachelor of Science degrees and they receive commissions in the U.S. Army. The academy is part of a military reservation that occupies 16,000 acres (6,470 hectares) on the west bank of the Hudson River, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of New York City. The superintendent, an Army lieutenant general, commands the academy. The academy’s motto is Duty, honor, country.
Entrance requirements.
A candidate for the school must be at least 17 years old and not yet 23 years of age on July 1 of the year of admission. A candidate must be a U.S. citizen, must be unmarried, and must have no legal obligation to support a child. The school generally admits about 1,200 students per year, and has a total enrollment of 4,000.
To be considered for admission to the U.S. Military Academy, a candidate must obtain a nomination from an official source. Approximately three-fourths of the vacancies for the academy are filled by nominations from United States senators and representatives and certain other government officials. At any time, each United States senator and representative, the vice president of the United States, the congressional delegate from the District of Columbia, and the resident commissioner of Puerto Rico may have five cadets attending the academy. The congressional delegates from Guam and the Virgin Islands may have two cadets each at the academy. The delegate from American Samoa and the governor of Puerto Rico may have one cadet each at the academy.
The United States secretary of the Army nominates candidates for about one-fourth of the cadet vacancies each year. These nominations are based on previous military service by the applicants themselves or their parents. Soldiers in the Regular Army, the Army Reserve, or the Army National Guard receive 170 nominations per year. One hundred nominations are reserved for children of career military personnel. Twenty nominations go to children of veterans killed or disabled in action and children of prisoners of war or personnel missing in action. Another 20 nominations are available for students in the Reserve Officers Training Corps. The academy may enroll an unlimited number of children of Medal of Honor winners if they qualify for admission.
An admissions board at the academy examines each candidate’s school records and college entrance examination scores. The board also studies the results of a candidate’s medical and physical aptitude tests and other evidence of character, leadership potential, academic aptitude, and physical fitness.
Cadets are members of the Regular Army. They are paid about $6,500 a year. From this amount, they must pay for uniforms, textbooks, and personal computers. The academy provides housing, meals, and medical care for cadets.
The student body
is called the Corps of Cadets. The corps is broken down into regiments, battalions, and companies. The academy’s honor code is a cherished possession of cadets and graduates. Administered by the cadets themselves, the code states simply that “a cadet will not lie, cheat, steal, or tolerate those who do.” The code requires complete integrity in word and deed. It is strictly enforced, and any intentional violation is a cause for dismissal from the academy.
The cadet academic year extends from August to May. Graduation Week climaxes the year’s events for the graduating First (senior) class. Other classes are called the Fourth (first-year) class; Third (sophomore) class; and Second (junior) class.
A cadet’s day
starts with the first call for reveille at 6:00 a.m. Cadets live in barracks, two or three to a room. They eat meals in Washington Hall. Classes and study time extend from 7:35 a.m. until 3:50 p.m. From that time until supper (5:45 to 7:25 p.m.), cadets participate in extracurricular activities, parades, or intramural and intercollegiate athletics. Taps sounds at 11:30 p.m.
Education and training.
The four-year undergraduate program seeks to prepare students for service as career Army officers. It stresses academic, military, and physical fitness skills. The academic curriculum provides a basic education in engineering, mathematics, science, and the social sciences and humanities. Advanced and elective courses enable cadets to specialize in one of 25 fields of study or 22 optional majors.
Cadets receive training in military skills through participation in the Corps of Cadets, in courses taken during the academic year, and in summer training sessions. Summer training takes place at West Point, at nearby Camp Buckner, and at selected military posts around the world. It includes instruction in Army weapons and field maneuvers. A cadet also spends time as a platoon leader with a real combat unit. Students develop physical fitness skills through varsity or intramural sports and physical education courses.
History.
The idea of a military academy was first proposed in the late 1700’s by such early American leaders as George Washington. In March 1802, Congress established the U.S. Military Academy on an Army site at West Point, New York. The school opened officially in July of the same year.
Under Colonel Sylvanus Thayer, who served as superintendent from 1817 to 1833, the academy became a pioneer in civil engineering. Thayer also introduced many educational reforms that remain important to academy life. During the American Civil War (1861-1865), the school dropped its strict emphasis on engineering.
Today, the U.S. Military Academy provides a broad education, plus specialized and elective programs. In 1976, it admitted women students for the first time. In 1982, it adopted an optional majors program.
Many great American military leaders trained at West Point. They include Robert E. Lee, Ulysses S. Grant, Stonewall Jackson, Philip Sheridan, John J. Pershing, Douglas MacArthur, Dwight D. Eisenhower, George S. Patton, Jr., and H. Norman Schwarzkopf. More than a third of the class of 1915 became generals—the greatest number of any class—earning it the nickname, “The class the stars fell on.”
See also Thayer, Sylvanus .
