FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE RELEASE NO. 14-08

BRIGADE HONOR CAPTAIN NAMED FOR 2009 – March 14, 2008

WEST POINT, N.Y. – Cadet Sarah E. Johnson Class of 2009, a native of Billings, Mont., was recently named Brigade Honor Captain for the U.S. Corps of Cadets at West Point. Johnson is the first woman nominated to this position, which was created by Brig. Gen. Douglas MacArthur in 1922.

Women were first admitted to the U.S. Military Academy in 1976.

“I had the privilege of recently working with Cadet Johnson on the Superintendent’s Honor Study Group as we put a ‘spot light’ on the state of the Honor Code and System.” said Col. Douglas Boone, Director of West Point’s Simon Center for the Professional Military Ethic.

“Sarah’s demonstrated leadership and in-depth knowledge make her extremely well-suited to lead the Honor Committee. I have no doubt she will make changes that will have a positive and lasting impact on the West Point Honor System for years to come.”

As Brigade Honor Captain, Johnson will serve as the Chair of the Cadet Honor Committee, responsible for interpreting honor matters to include advising the Commandant and the Superintendent. Additionally she will be responsible for the general functioning of the Honor Committee, which consists of 76 cadets representing every company in the Corps.

Besides serving as a Company Honor Representative and participant in the Superintendent’s Honor Study Group, Cadet Johnson has rowed for the Army Crew Team and participated in the Puppies Behind Bars program.

The Cadet Honor Code, which states that “A cadet will not lie, cheat, steal, or tolerate those who do,” was originally derived from the Code of Honor that existed within the officer corps of the Army at the birth of our nation. Under the leadership of Col. Sylvanus Thayer, the West Point Superintendent from 1817 – 1833, the Honor Code quickly became part of cadet vernacular. The first major step toward formalizing the unwritten Honor Code came in 1922 when the Superintendent, Brig. Gen. Douglas MacArthur, formed the Cadet Honor Committee to review all honor allegations.

In 1947, the Superintendent, Maj. Gen. Maxwell Taylor, drafted the first official Honor Code publication marking the beginning of the written “Cadet Honor Code.” However, the Cadet Honor Code did not formally include a “tolerate those who do” clause until 1970.

Today, the Cadet Honor Code continues to establish the standard of integrity expected of all West Point cadets and graduates. It is the means through which they apply the ethical ideal of honorable living to their lives. The Honor Code guides their actions and serves as their public conscience. In summary, it is the single thread that binds the Long Gray Line together as men and women of true character.