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As the Yearlings entered the hallowed grounds of the West Point Cemetery, they met with the leaders from the Simon Center for the Professional Military Ethic before their “Inspiration to Serve” tour. At the steps of the Old Cadet Chapel, they met with Dr. Pete Kilner, the chair of Character Development in SCPME and U.S. Military Academy Class of 1990 graduate, who gave an introduction to each member of the USMA Class of 2025 of what to expect before they proceeded on the tour.
At the end of his speech, Kilner asked each Yearling cadet one final thought-provoking question, “What do you want to do with your life.”
That one question was meant to have them contemplate the road ahead as part of their reflection during the “Inspiration to Serve” Cemetery Tour, hosted by SCPME, for the Class of 2025 Cadets on May 4 at the West Point Cemetery.
The purpose of the annual tour is three-fold: to remember and honor fallen USMA graduates, to inspire cadets and strengthen their identities as members of the Long Gray Line, and to catalyze cadets’ reflection on their willingness to freely affirm their commitment to serve in the profession of arms, which the second-class cadets accomplish each August.
This year, the tour, started by SCPME in 2004, highlighted 30 graduates who died in service to the country and a USMA Class of 1975 graduate, retired Col. John McMullen, who was honored by his friend and classmate, retired Lt. Col. John Furman, as part of the 50-year affiliation to the Class of 2025.
However, kicking off the tour, Kilner gave the cadets something to ponder as they began an excursion meant to deepen their connection to the Long Gray Line and provoke emotion toward their commitment to the Army profession.
“Service in the profession of arms is fundamentally about choosing to live for the great ideals of our country, but also having to be willing to die for them – it’s what we call ‘unlimited liability,’” Kilner said. “It is inherent in becoming an officer that you’re responsible for everything you do and everything your Soldiers do, and you have to accomplish the mission up to the point of even dying to do so. There are just no other professions like that.
“This is an opportunity to remember and to honor those who demonstrated that level of commitment with their lives and for them to access their own willingness to follow in those footsteps,” he added. “The profession is beautiful and does great and important things, but it also has big risks, and they have to be willing to accept that and help lead others.”
When someone decides to serve in the profession of arms and doing something bigger than himself or herself, part of everything West Point teaches is the selfless service aspect of doing it for not only yourself, but the man and woman standing to each side of you.
“I think it’s very significant the cadets take their oath on (Reception)-Day as a group, they’ll take their oath of affirmation as a group with their classmates and they will take their oath of commissioning as a group – it’s because it’s not just an individual thing, it’s a thing where they are all in it together,” Kilner said. “As an individual thing, it might be terrifying. The fact that their friends are all signing up for this too and it’s a shared life, it’s a shared lifestyle and I think that is an important part of it because it’s inherently a social thing. But what the profession of arms does is … creates its own society of people willing to develop the expertise and accept the risks.”
Throughout the afternoon, the cadets walked the cemetery in their chalk groups and visited two specific gravesites then spent a pre-affirmation reflection period talking about the experience with their company tactical officer and noncommissioned officer, and then were able to walk on their own to visit gravesites of interest.
One of the highlighted graduates during the tour was Capt. Andrew Houghton, USMA Class of 2001 graduate, who was killed in Iraq on Aug. 9, 2004, from combat injuries suffered during Operation Iraqi Freedom while leading the 3rd Platoon, Anvil Troop, 1st Squadron, 4th U.S. Cavalry, 1st Infantry Division.
Dan Baldi, one of Houghton’s classmates, spoke on his behalf as a gravesite speaker to tell the story of Houghton to the cadets. While they were cadets, Baldi and Houghton had classes together at the academy, but Baldi said they became better friends when they took the armor basic officer course together at Fort Knox, Kentucky, and were assigned to the same Cav Squadron in Germany.
Baldi prepared for his speaking duty by talking to friends who had done it previously and he was coached a bit on the approach to take of telling Houghton’s story.
“It was pretty easy to tell Andy’s story because of the experiences we had together and the way he made people feel better when they were around him,” said Baldi, who served 11 years in the Army and now is the vice president of safety, health, environmental and operational excellence for the defense firm, BA Systems. “It was really just about making sure I could get (the presentation) down to six to seven minutes that they were having us shoot for, but it was actually pretty easy to prepare because of the type of person he was.”
In talking about what kind of person Houghton was to cadets, Baldi spoke about Houghton’s infectious smile that could light up a room.
“Andy had this smile that when you were tired, cold and frustrated, he would come in and he had that smile that just made you feel better,” Baldi said. “That’s the way he impacted everybody he was around. I think that was a reflection of his spirit and I think everybody that I’ve spoken to whether it’s family or friends, or people who knew him from other spots, everybody seems to go back and talk about Andy’s smile.”
During the presentation, Baldi also shared two pictures of him and his sons at Houghton’s headstone where they have visited on a couple of occasions.
“When I have my sons come down with me – this is a very special spot for us,” Baldi said. “I brought my sons down here because Andy didn’t get to be a father. I wanted them to know how important it was that I had the opportunity to do that (be a father), and that’s something that he didn’t get a chance to do.”
As for inspiring cadets, telling Houghton’s story all plays into the risks of responsibility that will be thrusted upon them but also the terrific potential they have being leaders of character in the military.
“Andy made the ultimate sacrifice and that’s why we are here, but there was a lot of fun had along the way,” Baldi said. “I think it’s really good that we have the opportunity to talk to cadets about the realities of what it is in front of them, but it’s also an opportunity for us to talk about all the fun times and all the things that are really positive about the experience if they choose it. It’s a great opportunity to tell both sides of the story and I think Andy’s story is a good reflection of both the good and the real that are in front of them.”
Baldi discussed the big decision the cadets face this summer, but the words of service, sacrifice and commitment have an important meaning to drive forward in the jobs they will soon face, and it is much larger than that when it comes to service.
“Serving time in the Army is a great way to demonstrate your commitment to the country, but it’s not the end of that service,” Baldi said. “I’ve spent time working in corporate America where we work with a lot of veterans, and we talk about continuation of vet service outside of our time in uniform.
“I really see this as an opportunity to give back to an institution that did so much for me, but I also see it as a great opportunity to talk through Andy’s story,” Baldi added. “It’s talking about those opportunities to the cadets so they can choose their path of service in front of them, whether that is in uniform or not.”
Another honored graduate was retired Col. John McMullen, USMA Class of 1975 graduate, who served in the Special Forces throughout his career. He passed away on May 27, 2022, from cardiac issues and his classmate and good friend, retired Lt. Col. John Furman, spoke on his behalf at his gravesite.
While adding 50-year affiliate graduates to the tour is not customary, the Class of 1975 does have a special bond with SCPME and the “Inspiration to Serve” tour. The first director of SCPME was Class of 1975 retired Col. Michael Haith, and the Class of 1975 funds the character education program at West Point.
Furman jumped at the chance to tell McMullen’s story since he has known him since age 17 as they were company mates and roommates during their years at the academy. The friendship grew as the years went on and they were best friends for decades.
Furman wrote McMullen’s memorial article in the TAPS section of an Association of Graduates publication, which is part of what prepared him to speak to the cadets about his great friend. He felt this was a great way to inspire cadets by talking about McMullen’s life as a “Soldier’s Soldier.”
“I think this is a great way to inspire cadets about service,” Furman said. “First of all, I was impressed with the program when I heard about it … and John (McMullen) was a natural candidate because of his lifetime of service.
“What I thought was most important for cadets to hear was the fact that you can spend your entire life in service to the nation and have a good life and career,” he added. “I thought John was an inspirational story for the cadets to hear.”
Furman said that McMullen was a “strong personality who filled the room.” He was not a spit and polish type of guy as he was the definition of a “Hooah” officer.
However, one of the lessons Furman wanted to give to the cadets during their reflection among the other graduates who made the ultimate sacrifice in serving their country is that a majority of them will live a long, prosperous life.
“For about 98 percent of them, they’re going to have a full career in the service,” Furman said. “They may see combat, or they may not depending on who they are, what they are doing and what is going on in the world at that time. But I thought it was essential and one of the reasons I really wanted to do this is to show cadets that lifetime of selfless service as a graduate does not have to be just in combat.”
From his perspective, Furman also wanted to convey the important connection to the Long Gray Line that this Class of 2025 has with all who have come before them.
“This is the very connection to the Long Gray Line,” Furman said. “You see the people who went before you and what they did with their lives … telling stories like these about people who served and served well, I think it’s extremely important. It’s important for the academy to have some mechanism like this to pass down because it’s a good way to connect with the Long Gray Line. (The cadets) are all aware of who they are and where they are, but I think this helps to drive home the point that they’re in this for the long haul. It’s extremely important for the Class of 2025 to hear it.”
Class of 2025 Cadet Ryan Durkan was one of those cadets who received the messages given during the day as he walked the cemetery after the gravesite visits with his company and reflection period with his TACs.
However, for him, it is not a new experience because he had done similar tours with his teammates on the Army West Point Swimming and Diving team. Nevertheless, this experience was different because the people who were talking about the graduates had a connection with them, which in turn, piqued his interest.
“It inspires me to serve because I think about the people standing next to me and how I would do anything for them,” Durkan said. “Seeing those people do anything for their classmates and being here and honoring them is something pretty deep that connected with me.”
From the presentations that he viewed, Durkan said the experience left a profound impression on him, especially learning about relationships where graduates bring their children and spouses to the gravesites to remember their classmates and friends.
“It kind of shows that brotherhood and relationships never die,” Durkan said. “Those people are still a part of your life even long after they are gone. It was interesting to see the relationships formed here that grew into strong relationships later in their lives.”
Durkan got emotional talking about the day as he felt the connection to what he will one day do as an officer as those who made the ultimate sacrifice did before him.
“I currently have the opportunity to be a part of something that such amazing people have been a part of,” Durkan said. “I talked to one person about one of his classmates and to have someone impact just one person so much as he did, you can only imagine how many other people have been impacted so deeply and to think that person was once standing exactly where I was standing. It kind of drives me to be a better person, to grow and always try to positively impact people around me.”
For Durkan, what lies ahead for him and his classmates is the decision to affirm to the last two years at the academy and eight years in the Army with at least five years on active duty and the last three in any combination of active duty or reserves.
“It’s more than just signing a piece of paper that says what I’m going to do the next few years,” Durkan said. “That just doesn’t mean I have a job after college or I have to lead Soldiers, it means I have to personally instill in myself and those I lead a sense of leadership and a sense of helping each other out as a team. It’s kind of hard to explain, but it is a sense of pride in what we’re going to do.”
One of the stated goals, Kilner explained, of “Inspiration to Serve” is to increase the cadets’ sense of connection to the Long Gray Line, and the idea of what they’re preparing for going into the profession of arms.
“It’s very powerful and valuable for the cadets to see the bonds that they build with each other, the shared commitment to service and what they’re feeling now was felt by graduates before them,” Kilner said.
Kilner added that the end goal is to help the cadets focus and help them think about whether this is who they want to be and is this really what they want for their lives.
“It’s a big decision … you’re a leader, you’re the person who helps the younger Soldiers, so it’s just shaping the professional conversation,” Kilner said.
For the Yearlings, this is the pivot point for them in their character development. Within the character program, much of the first two years is learning how to be a good cadet, the Honor Code, and being an honest person with personal virtues.
“It’s focused on being a good person who understands the Army values and how once you commit, (we in SCPME) are going to make sure all your character education and experiences will be focusing on the military context,” Kilner said.
After they commit, their Cow and Firstie years are focused on the Army and seeing how their character needs to operate within the Army’s perimeters, this includes the MX400 course, which is an extension of the “Inspiration to Serve” in some ways, Kilner explained.
“We talk about the profession and what it does for society and why it’s so important,” Kilner said. “We talk about unlimited liability with the risks inherent in the profession, not only to themselves, but to their families and everyone else.”
The “Inspiration to Serve” program started in 2004 under the purview of retired Col. Richard Swain, who was the SCPME director at the time. Ever since, Kilner explained, this has been a “powerful experience to really think about their commitment to civic virtue, which is how you serve your society.”
“This gets to the heart of what it is the unique factor of our profession – in that we’re involved in killing and dying, and people don’t like to talk about that,” Kilner said. “(This event) personalizes the emotional psychological aspect of arms, which is incredibly important in execution in war and it’s hard to really train here for that. I hope this gives them an experience that helps them reflect better about what it is going to be like to lose a friend or lose a Soldier (during their career).”
| Date Taken: | 05.11.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 05.12.2023 11:44 |
| Story ID: | 444631 |
| Location: | WEST POINT, NY, US |
| Web Views: | 26 |
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