West Point Military Academy

In our spare time (ha!) when we were not running back and forth to New York City, we took a quick afternoon trip down to Highland Fall, New York to visit West Point. Since 9/11 things have changed on military posts and, although visitors are welcome, there are new restrictions in place. At West Point you have to be part of a tour group to enter the campus and even then cadet areas are off limits to the general public. So we selected the 2-hour tour for our visit. The tour was good, the guide knowledgeable and the bus air conditioned. I wonder why we don’t do more guided tours.

West Point Shield

West Point was opened in 1802 and has educated some of the most elite figures in military history. Most of the generals whose names we remember were graduates of West Point—Bradley, Westmoreland, Patton, Eisenhower, McArthur, Grant, Lee. In fact, according to our guide, during the Civil War 95% of the battles were led by generals on both sides who had been taught the tactics of war by the same instructor.

Cadet Chapel

Inside the chapel

We made three stops on the tour. The first was at the Protestant Chapel. It was a beautiful building, but the day was overcast so we didn’t get the full effect of the gorgeous stained glass. We noticed right away the precision and exactness of placement of the hymnals in the racks on the backs of the pews. Now that is a straight line that the army can do best. The chapel, as well as most of the buildings on campus, is of the military gothic style which simply means they are of the gothic style but with a flat, fortress-like top rather than spires. Hanging along both sides of the sanctuary are replicas of battle flags from the 1812, Mexican, Civil, and Spanish-American wars.

Custer's last stop

Our second stop was at the cemetery. Only West Point graduates (and spouses and dependent children) or those serving at West Point at the time of their deaths are allowed to be buried here. That has not always been the rule, so there are a few exceptions. There are some impressive names on the tombstones here.

Parade Ground with Mess Hall, Student Dorms
 and Chapel in background

Our final stop was at the athletic fields. From here we walked across to Trophy Point which overlooks the Hudson. A little too hazy today, but you can imagine the fine view from this fortress on the hill. Adjacent to the athletic fields is the parade ground with the cadet dormitory and mess hall in the background and the Chapel overlooking it all. Our bus driver took us through the academic area, pointing out the different buildings along the way, on our way back to the Visitor’s Center.

We really enjoyed the tour. This is an impressive campus graduating some very impressive people.