West Point Founders Day

Founders Day at West Point March 16, 1802
On March 16, 1802, Congress approved legislation establishing the United States Military Academy at West Point, one of the oldest military academies in the world. The site, on the west bank of the Hudson River 50 miles north of New York City, is the oldest continuously run military post in America.

Ron and I went to one of the Annual Founders Day Celebrations hosted by the West Point Society of Annapolis.It was one of the most BOOORING functions I have been to in a very long time. Ron and I couldn't wait till wesang the Alma Mater so we could run screaming from the building. The "key note speaker" was a Former Commadantof Cadets and he entire commentary was based on a list of talking points that he was given by the Military Academy.If he said "and the next item I'll talk about is..." I was going to throw my dinner roll at him. I woke up from mybob and travel when he started talking about how the corp of cadets was getting plenty of cultural sensitivity andawareness training by all of the workshops at the UN and 2 week trips to Europe. SPARE ME! He actually thinks thatthe corp is going to be prepared to deal with different cultures and backgroups by a field trip to the UN or anothercountry where they all look like each other? Whatever.

To top off the boring part, this $60/person celebration also had a freakin' cash bar even for a SODA! Who was on the planning comittee for this fiasco. I could have set this up at the Captial Grill and had the soda and wine inlcudedin the price. The shoved 10 people at tables that really couldn't handle more than eight and put one bottle of redand one bottle of white ...and a pitcher of water. Okay. No soda or juice and if your table wanted more wine, theanswer was no...see if you could get some from another table. WOW!

Anyway - I won't be doing that again. All dressed up for the ball and hung out there like the ugly duckling. The best part of the evening was when we sang the Alma Mater. I love that song. Here are the lyrics:

Hail, Alma Mater dear,
To us be ever near,
Help us thy motto bear
Through all the years.
Let DUTY be well performed
HONOR be e'er untarned.
COUNTRY be ever armed,
West Point by thee.

Guide us, thy sons, aright,
Teach us by day, by night,
To keep thine HONOR bright,
For thee to fight.
When we depart from thee,
Serving on land or sea,
May we still loyal be,
West Point, to thee.

And when our work is done,
Our course on earth is run,
May it be said, "Well done;
Be thou at peace."
E'er may that line of gray
Increase from day to day
Live, serve, and die, we pray,
WEST POINT, for thee.