222: West Point

 222 years ago today (March 16, 1802) West Point was founded.

The United States Military Academy or West Point was established by President Thomas when he signed the following: “that the said corps, when so organized, shall be stationed at West Point in the state of New York and shall constitute a military academy.”

There are 4,294 Cadets at West Point.

Candidates for admission must bet between 13 and 23 years old, unmarried and apply directly to the Academy and receive a nomination, usually from a member of Congress. Other nomination sources include the President and Vice President.

To be eligible for appointment, Candidates must also undergo a Candidate Fitness Assessment and a complete physical exam.

Up to 60 students from foreign countries are present at USMA, educated at the expense of the sponsoring nation, with tuition assistance based on the GNP of their country.

Of these foreign cadets the Code of Federal Regulations specifically permits one Filipino cadet designated by the President of the Philippines (from when the Philippines was a US Territory from 1898-1946.)

Students are Officers-in-Training and are referred to as "Cadets" or collectively as the "United States Corps of Cadets" (USCC).

The Army fully funds tuition for Cadets in exchange for an Active Duty service obligation upon graduation.

The Academic Program grants a Bachelor of Science Degree with a curriculum that grades cadets' performance upon a broad academic program, military leadership performance, and mandatory participation in competitive athletics.

Henry Ossian Flipper, a former Slave, was the first Black American to graduate West Point in 1877.

The first Females graduated from West Point in 1980.

The first Homosexuals were officially graduated in 2016.

 

Notable West Point Alumni include: US Presidents (Ulysses S. Grant and Dwight D. Eisenhower), US Military Leaders (William Tecumseh Sherman, George McClellan, George G. Meade, George Armstrong Custer, John J. Pershing, Omar Bradley, Douglas MacArthur, George S. Patton, William Westmoreland and  Norman Schwarzkopf, Jr.)