The West Point Society of the Sandhills, North Carolina, is a distinguished society. “A distinguished society is a local alumni chapter recognized by the West Point Association of Graduates (WPAOG) for exceptional service in supporting the U.S. Military Academy, connecting alumni, and upholding ‘Duty, Honor, Country’ within their communities”. The turnout this year was impressive for the hottest day of the year so far at the center of the Universe here in Fort Bragg. The event saw a mix of young, old, and vintage grads. On more than one occasion, speakers noted that the Class of ’97 is now the midpoint class among the West Point Community.
Segra Stadium hosted this year’s event in downtown Fayetteville. The home of the Woodpeckers has hosted West Pointers before, but this was the first time in recent memory that they’ve held a Founder’s Day event. I would love to see another Spring Baseball Tournament come this way. The last one was in 2020, and it was an Armed Forces Invitational that was a three-way tournament between Army, Air Force, and Campbell University. So if we say it out loud enough, it may happen again.
As always, Founders Day had a mix of generations in attendance. There were numerous grades of all classes, from 92-year-old grads to the most recent of second lieutenants. The youngest grad spoke; she was a legacy grad who married another legacy cadet currently in Ranger School. That may have been one of the most West Point things ever. There were generals there, and there were colonels there. We even had a recently redeployed battalion commander from the 82nd Airborne Division. The common thread among all in attendance was a personal relationship that was either founded or developed during their time at West Point. At one of my previous Founder’s Day events, I encountered several retired officers who were force-branched into the Army Air Corps, which later led them to finish their careers in uniform as Air Force officers. Founder’s Day is always a great way to learn more about West Point’s history from the people who lived in generations past.
The Brigade Tactical officer and the youngest grad covered the Academy’s happenings and recent history. Once again, present the same history from different perspectives on opposite ends of their time in service.
Mike Kloepper (‘97), the current Brigade Tactical Officer, served as keynote speaker. As BTO, Mike has unique insights into the daily lives of cadets, what they are training on, and their overall development as they transition from civilians to cadets and then to officers in the United States Army. The majority of his comments focused on the differences between the cadets now and those when he was a cadet. He noted a yearling in attendance and challenged him to create opportunities for cadets to participate in a 100-mile (160 km) foot march over four days. COL Kloepper noted that creating opportunities for other cadets was uncommon during his time at West Point. He noted that 2200 cadets from the Corps voluntarily participated in challenging events this past year. The stories he shared offered a hopeful insight into the level of training and dedication that young men and women from across the nation choose as they pursue future leadership in the military and our nation.
The Corps’s hopeful nature of always changing is not a bad thing. Typically, the overall sentiment I get is that the more things change, the more they stay the same. West Point develops leaders of character who have a desire to lead in the military and beyond.
Rob Robinson, Mike Kloepper, Tom Akerland USMA ‘97
West Point Founder’s Day is an excellent opportunity to reconnect with people from our Rockbound Highland home. Early in my career, I never really saw the need to attend Founder’s Day because, having just spent a year with classmates through the Officer Basic Course and Ranger School, I just wanted to get to my unit and serve. However, as I spent more time in uniform and as the Global War on Terrorism began to distance us from our communities and friends, attending Founders Day became one of the few moments of respite and reconnection with other Academy graduates available.
If you are a graduate, you should attend. The number of graduates that have gone on to do other things in other areas of life gives an attendee a safe haven of people that you can talk to and ask honest questions and inquiries about how their service has been outside of the uniform. The event is a great networking opportunity with others who may still be in uniform or now in corporate spaces, who can point you in a direction that might be helpful immediately or in the near future. Or if you are still in uniform, you can talk shop with someone who has some mutual experience.
If you are a non-graduate or a family member, you should attend because the West Point Community is small. The AOG Representative in attendance noted that there are only 55,000 living graduates from West Point. So if you are not in the military or associated with a West Point Society, you may not have the opportunity to meet someone who graduated from USMA. The other aspect of Founder’s Day was running into a former Military Officer whose son is a Yearling at West Point, whom I have not seen since we were Commanders at JBLM in the 2000’s.
Luther Johnson, West Point Parent and former Stryker Company Commander
As a graduate, there are many ways to maintain a connection with West Point. Founder’s Day is one of the most accessible ways to do so. If you have an active West Point Society, you should participate. The West Point Society of the Sand Hills hosts many of its events at Rally, making them more accessible and allowing you to dress less formally. They also have multiple CTLT cookouts during the summer to allow Grads and Families to connect with cadets who are still in school and willing to bring a fresh perspective on the cadet experience for anyone who takes the time to learn more. Founder’s Day is a great way to reconnect, chat, and have a good time with a group of people who all have a fondness for the United States Military Academy.
10/10. Highly Recommended.
