Travel with Terri
A Walk through History and a Glimpse of the Future
By Terri Farris
Photos by Greg Holder
Months before most young adults start their college experiences a group of very special freshmen begin their college careers at freshman boot camp. This month we visit West Point, the Naval Academy and the Air Force Academy for a walk through history and an inspiring glimpse of the future!
West Point –
West Point – our nation’s first military academy – is perched on a bluff overlooking the picturesque Hudson River 45 miles north of New York City. The location, though beautiful, was chosen for strategic reasons by General George Washington during the Revolutionary War. Here the Hudson River narrows and is hard to navigate which gave the American Troops an advantage over the British ships as they sailed up the river. The strategic location proved to be a key factor in the victory over the British.
The list of West Point graduates reads like a book of Who’s Who in American history and includes Generals George Armstrong Custer, George S. Patton, Robert E. Lee, Ulysses S. Grant, Dwight Eisenhower and Douglas MacArthur. Campus tour highlights include the Cadet Chapel – home to the largest church pipe organ in the world – and the West Point Cemetery which is the final resting place of numerous historical figures. The West Point Museum is not to be missed as it houses the oldest, largest and most diverse collection of militaria in the Western Hemisphere. www.usma.edu
Don’t just walk through history, sleep surrounded by it at The Thayer Hotel! Built in 1926, The Thayer Hotel was named after Colonel Sylvanus Thayer who served as Superintendent of the Academy from 1817 until 1833. The hotel is located just inside the gates to the Academy and has hosted numerous dignitaries including General Douglas MacArthur and Presidents Dwight Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy. This historic hotel has recently undergone a transformation restoring its original grandeur. As additional renovations are completed each guest room will serve as a tribute to a West Point graduate turning the hotel into a museum as well as a lodging destination. www.thethayerhotel.com
West Point cadets display an abundance of dedication, but they are not perfect. This is evidenced by the statute of “The Centurian” in the Yard. This statute was erected to commemorate Dwight Eisenhower’s “achievement” of being the first cadet to walk 100 miles in the Yard due to disciplinary issues. Parents, if your college student has a few mess ups, take heart – Dwight Eisenhower turned out just fine!
The Naval Academy –
Secretary of the Navy, George Bancroft, established the Naval School in Annapolis, Maryland in 1845 with an original class of 50 midshipmen. In 1850 it became the United States Naval Academy. As the U.S. Navy grew, the Academy expanded. The campus increased to 338 acres and the student body grew to a brigade size of 4,000 midshipmen.
All 4,000 midshipmen reside in Bancroft Hall. This magnificent Beaux Arts building is the largest dormitory in the world. Completed in 1906, Bancroft Hall contains 1,700 rooms, 4.8 miles of corridors and 33 acres of floor space. Memorial Hall opens off the central rotunda and contains an honor roll of Academy graduates who have died in military operations.
Traditions are an integral (and fun) part of life at the Naval Academy. One such tradition is “Tecumseh”, a figurehead sent to the Naval Academy in 1866 after being salvaged from the wreck of the “Delaware” which had been sunk at Norfolk, Virginia during the Civil War to prevent her from falling into Confederate hands. Tecumseh keeps a stern vigil in the Yard at Annapolis and has become the “God of 2.0” – the passing grade point average required at the academy. Tecumseh is the recipient of numerous prayers during exam weeks. Tecumseh also receives coatings of war paint for special occasions – including the annual Army-Navy football game.
The Army-Navy Game is a long standing and serious football rivalry! After a Navy victory in 1893 an incident between a Rear Admiral and a Brigadier General nearly led to a duel prompting President Cleveland to call a Cabinet meeting. This meeting resulted in the teams being restricted to games on their home fields which meant they would not play again for 5 years – a cooling off period! The game is now held in Philadelphia and the rivalry is still very much alive. “Go Navy Beat Army” signs are everywhere from weights in the athletic center to the porches of Naval officers living on campus. Visitors to the Naval Academy will be greeted by a statue of Bill the Goat, the Navy’s mascot, but don’t expect to see a live goat – Bill’s location is classified!
Highlights of a visit to the Naval Academy include the Naval Chapel which is adorned with stained glass windows appropriately depicting scenes from water related Bible stories including Moses parting the Red Sea. Visit the base of the chapel to see the elaborate crypt of John Paul Jones. Also on campus is The Ship Model Gallery displaying models of warships built between the mid-1600’s and the 1840’s. There is also a unique collection of models carved by French prisoners-of-war during their incarceration in England from the bones of beef rations. The intricate detail of these miniature “bone models” is fascinating. www.usna.edu
The Air Force Academy –
Located just north of Colorado Springs against the magnificent backdrop of the Rocky Mountains, the Air Force Academy’s focus is more futuristic than historic. Established in 1955, the campus buildings evoke this futuristic feeling through a modernistic design. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the design of the Cadet Chapel.
The Cadet Chapel is the most popular man-made attraction in Colorado with more than a half million visitors each year. Completed in 1963, this aluminum, glass and steel structure is 150 feet tall with 17 spires reaching into the Colorado sky. Inside the protestant chapel – the largest of the three chapels housed in this unique structure – the pews are sculptured so the end of each pew resembles a World War I airplane propeller. The backs of the pews are capped by a strip of aluminum simulating the leading edge of a fighter aircraft wing. There are additional chapels within the structure for Catholic, Jewish and Buddhist services as well as two all-faith rooms.
The campus area covers 18,000 acres and rises to an altitude of 7,258 feet above sea level. The 1/3 mile walk from the Visitor’s Center to the Cadet Chapel is a good way to test your altitude tolerance! The main buildings in the Cadet Area are set around a large square pavilion known as “the Terrazzo”. Cadets are considered to be the guardians of their Honor Code. Established by the first graduating class in 1959, the words of the Honor Code are engraved above the plaza. “We will not lie, steal, or cheat, nor tolerate among us anyone who does.”
The Fighting Falcon is the Air Force Academy’s mascot and visitors
are sometimes fortunate enough to witness Cadets working with the Falcons. The birds are trained to fly over the field and return during Air Force football games and it takes hours of work and many feedings to accomplish this task. It is fascinating to watch – even if the birds don’t fully cooperate!
Although the Air Force Academy is younger, it is still very much involved in the athletic rivalries among the academies and competes with the Army and Navy for the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy in football each year. The motto at this academy: “Go Air Force, Beat Army, Sink Navy”! www.usafa.af.mil
The cadets and midshipmen who graduated from these great academies in prior years populate the pages of our history books. Current and future students will populate the pages of future history books. Visit and experience the places that shape these inspiring young adults!
