Return to the "POINTER VIEW"
                         August 22, 2003

Past, present and future

Three generations participate in annual West Point marchback

Story and photos by Spc. Eric S. Bartelt
Leisure Editor                       

The history of the ‘Long Gray Line’ stretches along many generations at West Point, and often it courses the veins of a family’s lineage.

During the Class of 2007 marchback Aug. 12, the Woods family welcomed another member of its own to start his trek toward ‘Line’ status.

Cadet 4th Class Joseph Woods spent his 15-mile trek from Lake Frederick traveling with two of his closest confidants, his father, Col. George Woods III, and his grandfather, retired Col. George Woods, Jr.

For his father and grandfather, this is familiar territory as they made this march before as new cadets, George III with the Class of 1980 and George Jr. with the Class of 1956.

Understandably the day is meant to celebrate the 1,227 cadets who made it through Washington Gate and onward to a potential promising military career, but for the Woods’ it was a reflection of something just as important -- family bonds.

"It’s an indescribable feeling to have my father and grandfather with me," Joseph said. "It’s something that words can’t come anywhere near to describe to have them alongside me through the whole thing."

For the two senior Woods’ their feelings of his achievement were of hopes that he will continue something that has touched

 him since day one of his life.

"I’m proud of him, he’s doing something he wanted to do all of his life and I think in large part it’s because we lived here and he was exposed to it early in his life," George III said. "It made a big impression on him."

Joseph’s father remembers the days when he was a faculty member here, and a young Joseph would dress up as a cadet to welcome back the marching classes.

George III expressed the circumstance that his son was fortunate to have with his dad marching with them, bringing the three generations together to share the experience.

The oldest of the clan, George Jr., started his thoughts about this year’s marchback last year, when he took part in the Class of 2006 marchback to celebrate the 50th anniversary of his classes’ return from the field.

"When I completed marchback last year and came home, Joseph, who still thinking about coming to the academy said, ‘Well now, grandpop, you’ll have to do it with me if I get into West Point.’

"I told him ‘you do your job and I’ll do my job.’ He did his job, so I wanted to be here and share the moment."

History tells us that something important is on the way as the Woods’ family has been part of classes that helped influence the military.

The Class of 1956 graduated a young man who would lead the Allied forces into battle in the first Operation Desert Storm, retired Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf. The Class of 1980 was a class that influenced the military in a cross-gender way as the first females graduated from West Point.

To what extent the Class of 2007 will have on history is yet to be written, but George III said with most certainty that if the class sticks together they will be successful.

"I think they have an awful lot of talent here, so I think they need to combine that to help each other because nobody is going to be strong in all areas," George III said. "I think classmates should help one another get through this experience and offer their strengths to help others get through their weak areas – if they all come together as a team, they’ll all graduate together."

As Joseph officially got accepted to the Corps of Cadets Saturday during Acceptance Day, reflection of what Beast brought to him is something that he hopes will catapult him through the next four years.

"I’ve become a part of something bigger than anything that I’ve been a part of before," Joseph said. "(Beast) allowed me to improve myself in many ways, physically and mentally, leadership characteristics, and things like that. I would say it’s a right of passage to go through Beast to become a cadet."

Joseph continued, "Hopefully the next four years I will continue to allow myself to grow in various areas as a leader and as a potential officer in the United States Army."

With a father with 23 years in the infantry branch and a grandfather who served for 27 years in the infantry and aviation branches, there’s a good chance Joseph will serve the Army well into the middle of this century.

The influence that West Point has had on their lives is as deeply rooted as the trees that reside here.

"Duty, Honor, Country is something that stands out strongly to me, and a strong concept of these three values has carried me through much hardship and sacrifices I’ve made for me and my family," George III said.

George Jr. added, "The values I learned here because of my cadet years and the development of that was using West Point as a springboard as a career officer. With the standards, the honor system, the integrity and so forth at the military academy, it was a guidepost for me and my entire life."

For the youngest Woods, West Point should provide a springboard for years to come as it did for his dad and grandfather.