By Chuck Stewart, Jr.
West Point - The U.S. Military Academy Class of 2008 graduated last Saturday and were commissioned.
All but two on the 972 cadets were commissioned as Second Lieutenants in the U.S. Army. One cadet was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Marines and one as an officer in the U.S. Navy.
Approximately 79 percent of the cadets who entered West Point four years ago received their diplomas on Saturday. Among them were 148 women, 57 African-Americans, 69 Asian/Pacific Islanders, 56 Hispanics and 12 Native Americans.
The cadets marched into Michie Stadium, a place better known for football games. However they didn’t talk about football or even graduation. Ironically, they talked about the weather.
Cadet McLaughlin explains one of many West Point superstitions. "If it rains on a graduating class, that class deploys to a new place," she said. "If it’s good weather, that means we’re not going to war with another country."
The ceremony started off with blue skies, changed to party cloudy skies and by the end, it was raining. (We’ll have to wait to see what that means.)
The Honorable Pete Geren, Under Secretary of the Army, in his graduation address, thanked the cadets for their service "to a grateful nation." Since last year’s commencement, 11 West Point graduates have been killed in combat.
Geren talked about his office prior to his nomination by President Bush to Under Secretary. Located in Washington, D.C., it overlooked the mall, monuments and memorials. Now, as Under Secretary of the Army, it overlooks Arlington National Cemetery. For him it is a constant reminder that he is responsible for more than 1.3 million active duty, National Guard, Army Reserve and civilian personnel. That includes the graduates of the Class of 2008.
The male graduates of the Class of 2008 overwhelmingly chose the infantry over 17 other branches. Female graduates chose Engineer and Quartermaster as their branch of choice followed by military intelligence and adjutant General’s Corps.
This year marked West Point’s 210th graduation class and the 29th class to graduate women. The class motto of "No Mission Too Great" will be put to the test as they embark upon their chosen field.
