WPAOG sends warm wishes for a very Happy Thanksgiving! We wish to express our sincere thanks for all that you do for West Point during this season of gratitude. It is an honor to serve the Long Gray Line.

“Big Bites” to Class of 2024 CDTs Fahad Abdulrazzaq and Isabella Sullivan who have been selected for a Rhodes Scholarship which will allow them to study at Oxford following graduation. WPAOG is proud to help support the Graduate Scholarship Program and thanks our Margin Of Excellence Donors. See all scholarship award winners.

On October 25, 2023, LTC (P) McKinley Wood (USAR) ’01, accepted the 2023 Alexander R. Nininger Award for Valor at Arms. Read more. Wood sat down with fellow Nininger Awardee COL James Enos ’00 on our latest podcast to talk about how to lead in asymmetric warfare through moral, ethical, and fair leadership, and how West Point taught him the most important lesson of all, the value of teamwork. Listen.

The Simon Center for the Professional Military Ethic at West Point hosted the National Conference on Ethics in America (NCEA). The theme this year was “Developing Judgment: Bridging Theory & Practice.” A generous endowment from the West Point Class of 1970 (“Serve with Integrity”) supported the conference that saw more than 350 undergraduate, graduate, and faculty participants from over 77 institutions. Read more. Photos.

We're excited to announce the launch of the West Point Association of Graduates’ Veterans Services Program for the Long Gray Line! This is just another program your future graduate will be able to access as a grad! Read more about this initiative.

West Point hosted the 74th annual Class of 1971 Student Conference on U.S. Affairs (SCUSA). This year’s theme was “Innovation and the Future of American Foreign Policy.” Secretary John Kerry served as this year’s keynote address. The conference saw 200+ students from 100+ institutions engage in 15 roundtable discussions on how the U.S. can innovate to tackle the pressing challenges of domestic and foreign policy and how the presence or absence of change will affect American values and interests in the coming decades. Learn more.

Families visiting West Point now have a new transportation option, thanks to a generous donation by Timothy (Tim) and Janice Surdyke through the Cadet Thomas Surdyke Memorial Foundation Endowment. The gift of a six-passenger golf cart this fall was in honor of their son, Thomas (Tom) Surdyke, a member of the Class of 2019, who died in June 2016 saving the life of a drowning stranger. Pictured with the Surdykes are Kristin Sorenson, Shelisa Baskerville, Mark Bieger ’91, and Pat Ortland ’82, from the West Point Association of Graduates. Read more.

During the Army vs. UMASS game, Mrs. Bonnie Porter P’27, CPT Carolina Bardales P’26, Mrs. Rachel Kim P’25, and Mrs. Rosetta S. Esterly P’24 represented West Point parents and presented a check for $3.5 million to the Academy, the amount raised by parents this past year. The West Point Parents Fund supports Margin of Excellence programs which allow all cadets to reach their highest potential. Thank you to all our parents and families!

WPAOG hosted a Superintendent’s Circle Parent Happy Hour at the Class of 1963 Lounge in Ike Hall for Margin of Excellence leadership donors to the West Point Parents Fund to kick off Family Weekend. On Saturday, several West Point Parents Clubs hosted tailgates for cadets and their families. Families also enjoyed a post-game tailgate with COL (R) and Mrs. Mark Bieger ’91, President & CEO of WPAOG. Pictured are leaders from the WPPC of Michigan presenting a check for $1,500 to support the Academy. Photos.

On November 28, WPAOG is pleased to be taking part in Giving Tuesday—a global day of celebrating and encouraging philanthropy. Please consider joining us in celebrating this day of giving through a gift to West Point. Donations are essential to support additional developmental programs for cadets that go beyond the core elements to create the Margin of Excellence, including hands-on and out-of-classroom leadership experiences, semester abroad opportunities, club and athletic team endowments, and improvements to West Point.

Become a Long Gray Line sponsor and get VIP passes to the WPAOG tailgate with an all-inclusive suite experience to watch Army-Navy Football live in Foxborough. Learn more.

The answer may be ingrained in the minds of cadets, but the WPAOG Gift Shop has a West Point leather collection that’s classic in style, easy to maintain, and shows your Army spirit! For work and play, these items are durable and made in the USA. Shop 24/7 online at wpaoggiftshop.com or give us a call at 800.426.4725 (M-F/10am-5pm). Also open at Herbert Hall all home Football Saturdays.