Photo By Christopher Hennen | After 1,026 firsties received one of the 17 Army branches, they celebrated with their...... read more read more
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By Delancey Pryor III
PV Assistant Editor
The U.S. Military Academy Class of 2022 celebrated one of its most significant milestones at West Point thus far — Branch Night. On Dec. 2, 1,026 cadets assembled inside Eisenhower Hall Theatre in an event hosted by the Department of Military Instruction to discover what branch they will proudly serve upon graduating and commissioning in May.
“To the Class of 2022 ... ‘For Many Stand the Few.ʼ What an absolutely special day it is. You’re 170 days until graduation, a month from entering your final semester as a cadet, two weeks from your second to last set of term ends, one week from beating Navy and minutes from receiving the branch that you worked so hard to earn,” said the Commandant of Cadets, Brig. Gen. Mark C. Quander.
After his speech, Quander introduced the distinguished guest speaker for the evening, retired Gen. Richard A. Cody.
Cody, West Point Class of 1972 graduate and former vice chief of staff of the U.S. Army, took the stage and seemed to break the stress in his opening comment.
“I’m glad you shortened that. Last time I was introduced I thought I was at my funeral.” Cody said.
Cody then quipped about his academy career.
“Truth be known — I was mediocre cadet,” Cody said. With that said, the cadets in attendance clapped and roared in approval of the 50-year affiliate class member.
Then Cody seamlessly spoke about the significance of the 17 Army branches.
“Each branch in our Army is important. You’re joining an Army at a very exciting time. Your Army is undergoing the largest transformation change in over four decades,ˮ Cody said. “These changes are going to dramatically change the way the Army will fight in the future, how it will be organized and how our Army will train. It’s not just about the modernization of our equipment and the new technologies that you read about. I think the most important part of the transformation is leading and how we develop leaders.”
Cody assured the group of cadets that their education from West Point is the best in the world, but alone, it isn’t enough to lead the best asset in the Army.
“Everybody knows that you’ll be from the Class of 2022. They will know you graduated from West Point,ˮ Cody said. “They know that you’re probably pretty smart but when you get there you need to understand (one) thing — the Soldiers who you lead really don’t care how much you know. What they want to know is how much you care. How much you care about them. How much you care about your unit and how much you care about the mission. They’ll learn soon enough that you’re pretty smart and more than capable but that’s what they want to see first.
“Your class motto really says it all. ‘For Many Stand the Few.ʼ We know that you will do your duty. You’ll do it with honor, and you’ll do it for country. Army strong. Beat Navy,” Cody concluded.
With excitement and nervousness in the air, tactical command teams called on each cadet and handed each one a sealed envelope with his or her name on it. The moment had finally arrived.
“Let’s go! Let’s go!” screamed cadets from Company B-2 Bulldogs as they waited for the order.
“Raise those envelopes high to the sky — Class of 2022,ˮ said Col. Alan Boyer, DMI director. “Welcome to the profession of arms. Open your envelopes!”
Hugs, high-fives, screaming, crying and one-of-a-kind celebrations began throughout the theatre.
As the realization of their future in the Army began to set in, cadets were encouraged to leave the theatre, report to their designated branch areas and receive their branch insignia.
Class of 2022 Cadet Cameryn Smith, member of the Black Knight Drill Team and National Society of Black Engineers, shared her excitement of being selected to the Quartermaster branch.
“I am excited to be a part of the logistician corps of the Army, support fellow Soldiers and serve my country,ˮ Smith said. “I have been looking forward to branching Quartermaster since I learned about it as an option.”
With only a few months left in her journey at West Point, she reflected on her time at the academy.
“My time at West Point has been filled with challenges and triumphs. I’ve grown and stretched mentally, physically and spiritually,ˮ Smith said. “Through times when I thought I had reached my max effort, I learned I had more inside. I have made lifelong friends and connections with my peers and adult mentors who believed in me and never gave up on me. I will be forever grateful for the opportunities that West Point has given to me.”
As far as the future goes, Smith is looking forward to making her mark in the Army.
“I am eager to mark my place in history as a member of the Long Gray Line. I am ready for the adventure,ˮ Smith said. “I must also admit that I am looking forward to tasks of ‘adulting,ʼ like having my own living space to personalize, decorate and make my own. There is so much ahead for my fellow classmates and I. This is a golden moment!”
Class of 2022 Cadet John Gordon, a member of S2, Fourth Regiment, expressed excitement in being selected to the Aviation branch.
“I am incredibly happy, and it was my number one choice. Aside from flying helicopters being every young boy’s dream, I love the culture in aviation,ˮ Gordon said. “I think it is the best fit for me.”
As Gordon continued, he started to imagine what his future looks like after West Point.
“Flight School is in Alabama, so I’ll be a lot closer to my family in Georgia,ˮ Gordon said. “Also, I am excited to get back to work. Don’t get me wrong, I am still working hard through my firstie year, but flight school offers a new sort of challenge. I think it will be fun to start the learning process all over again.”
Accessions Chief, Lt. Col. Eric Gust, provided the Pointer View with the following West Point branch statistics of branch/number cadets entering the branch:
• Air Defense Artillery: 60; Adjutant General: 13; Armor: 97; Aviation: 97; Chemical Corps: 8; Cyber: 42; Engineers: 133; Field Artillery: 145; Finance Corps: 7; Infantry: 199; Military Intelligence: 70; Military Police: 14; Medical Service: 21; Ordnance/EOD: 16/16; Quartermaster: 26; Signal Corps: 41; Transportation Corps: 21 — with a total of 1,026 cadets notified of a branch assignment.
Seventy-four percent of cadets received their number one branch choice while 92% of cadets received a top three choice preference. Gust noted that the willingness to serve an additional three years for branch of choice was a determining factor for many cadets.
Seventy-eight of 90 cadets who incurred a BRADSO required it to receive their number one branch preference.
| Date Taken: | 12.02.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 12.09.2021 11:32 |
| Story ID: | 410793 |
| Location: | WEST POINT, NEW YORK, US |
| Web Views: | 496 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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