ball all the way from West Point

to Philadelphia. One of C-3’s

own, David Richardson 2015, will

be running this year. Of course the

corps’ favorite is march on. That

time honored tradition, showing

the impressive discipline of the

corps and Army’s clearly superior

skill at drilling. The game it’s self

is festive atmosphere bringing

with it many exciting happenings

from the flyover of jets and

Apaches to sup and president

rockets to colonel Ragsdale end-

less exuberance cheering on the

corps. Head up high Army! This

year we march to victory!

Optimism! With Army crushing

Air Force and Navy failing to put

in a similar performance against

them, December looks ripe for an

Army victory in Philadelphia year.

Everyone knows how difficult this

last decade has been. Army’s

overall performance being the butt

of many midshipman jokes and

comments; however, there is

hope! The past two years have

seen a significant increase in

Army’s comparativeness on the

field, and this year looks to be the

year we finally break the painful

streak.

The history of the rivalry is an

epic tale that stretches back more

than a century, and has given rise

to many traditions that add excite-

ment and fun to the weeks leading

up to the big game. One of the

most enjoyable events is the boat

burning. Every year on Daily field

we burn a boat in a large bonfire

in conjunction with a large rally. It

is always nice to a boat go up in

flames, and heat isn’t too bad

either, warming us against the

arctic chill that starts to set in

around Army-Navy week. After

the boat burning is the send off of

the marathon team to run the game

I N S I D E T H I S

I S S U E :

What do we do... 2

...Be Thankful 4

Venerating Veterans 5

Prior Plebes 6

Tunnel to Towers 7

Voters’ Voice 8

The Funnies 9

What’s Up W.P? 10

C H A R L I E C O M P A N Y ,

3 R D R E G I M E N T ,

U S C C

amecock

azette D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 2 V O L U M E 3 , I S S U E 4

S E C T I O N S :

2,3 - Grad Gab

4,5 - Current Connections

6 - Game On!

8 - The Funnies

9– What’s Up West Point?

10– Army Sports

11– Letter from the Editor

2¢

By CDT Seth Harbol ‘14

P A G E 2

Grad Gab:

Stories,

memories,

current news,

and

inspiration,

connecting

the “Old

Grads” of C-3

to the new!

Christmas: A time of family (Gamecock Family) and catching up ...

I had a neat, and unlikely, C-3 experience recently. I was assisting the Washington State Field Force with the annual Academy Information Meeting for interested USMA candidates. I was wearing a name tag (attached) left over from a class reunion. One of the young grads at the event, Aaron Saari, '07, read my name tag and asked whether I had really been in C-3. Turns out he is also a C-3 product. Thirty-eight years apart - What are the odds? Go (Game)Cocks!

Grad Extends Publishing Company with New Author

Mike Lamke '94 created Knightime Publishing in 2010 to publish his first

novel, The Unsanctioned. Last month, the company launched Brainwend Kill,

by Harley Stein. Knightime Publishing is dedicated to authors who love to

write and desire an opportunity to share their stories with the world, while

maintaining complete control of their published works. Several more books

by Lamke and other authors are currently in the works. He is always looking

for new authors so if any grads or current cadets have a story to tell, con-

tact him at mlamke@comcast.net

or http://knightimepublishing.com/

About Brainwend Kill: Rydal Keene could distinguish cars simply by the roar

of their engines. On an early spring day, Rydal heard classmates playing

Marco Polo at the ravine just off the school campus. Less than an hour

later, Dr. Nell Walker found a 13-year-old Grainger student floating face

down in the ravine. But a blind boy is not the best witness, especially when

the evidence points to his best friend. Dr. Walker returned to Grainger as

the school psychologist. Anxiety, stress, loss, suffering — these are famil-

iar to her. The horror of the murder sends Nell spiraling into her own past,

reliving the nightmare killings by the man she’d loved. Was she blacking out

again? Where had she been when the boy was killed? The surprise ending

reveals how heavily the dead burdens of the past weigh on the living.

Mike Lamke ‘94

"A riveting read. This is a great criminal mystery with twists and turns that keep the reader in suspense up to the very

end. The author carefully winds us through the twists and turns of a crime involving Delaware's elite and keeps you

guessing as to the real identity of the true killer." - Annette Sandberg, former Chief, Washington State Patrol

P A G E 3 V O L U M E 3 , I S S U E 4

I'm currently in Afghanistan on a one year deployment. I'm commanding the Regional Support Command - East (RSC-E) with the NATO Training Mission - Afghanistan (NTM-A/CSTC-A). Thank you for continuing to push the C3 news out to all of us old "fighting cocks." I'm missing my 87 reunion this fall since I'm over here. Thanks for keeping in touch. Colonel Denton Knapp former C3 company commander, 1987

Shout OUT: The C3 ‘73 grads met in California this September for golf, wine tast-ing and dinners. Dennis and Kathy Finnigan hosted us in Hollister and we held sev-eral events in the Monterey area. As is our tradition we had an awards dinner hosted by Finn and Kathy. The highest and most coveted is the stuffed and somewhat deterio-rating Fighting Cock awarded to those going above and beyond. This year Finn won and is required to place it in an honored position until we meet again next year at West Point.

P A G E 4

Game On!

This section is

all about C-3.

From ancient

relics to cur-

rent events,

this page is

all about us,

the Game

Cocks!

TEE week will be the best week yet

this semester! Don‟t agree? Try using

these stress relievers and see what a

stress-free week you can have:

Avoid stressful people. That may

sound hard considering many

cadets will be stressed that

week but give it a try. Resist

having a study session with

your friend who can‟t stop

fretting over all the work and

studying they have to do be-

cause it will rub off on you.

Say NO! to the people who want

to take up your time by hang-

ing out and venting about

their lives. That will waste hours

of your time and can tempt

you into not studying. Resist

this! There will be plenty of so-

cializing and fun over the

break.

Exercise and eat healthy. Don‟t

forget to eat. It sounds like a

given but there are plenty of

people who will not feel

like going to the Mess

Hall in their uni-

form (or cadet

casual) or walk

all the way to

Grant to get

their nutri-

ents.

Take the

time to get

healthy

food to keep

your blood

sugar stable and keep you

alert while studying. Go exer-

cise too. Not only will it relieve

some stress from the exertion

but it can give you a much

needed break from studying.

Force yourself to take breaks.

Work for an hour and take a

10-15 minute break to do what

you want then repeat. Laugh-

ing is always a good option;

find something funny with

friends or online and let your-

self laugh.

Visualize exams going right. Imag-

ine yourself in the room taking

your test. You are confident in

all your answers and the ex-

perience is calm and relaxing.

You get the exam back and it

is an A. Visualizing the out-

come you want helps you

take steps to achieve that out-

come, oftentimes not even

realizing it.

Start early. Everyone says they are

going to do start but exam

week always sneaks up, even

to the best of us. Start setting a

little time aside each day to

study for your exams. When

should you start this? Now.

More studying is better. Start

slow by rereading notes or

one practice problem a day.

By the time the TEE comes

around you‟ll have gone

through all your notes with no

stress!

How To: TEE SURVIVAL GUIDE by CDT Alexandra Deets ‘16

P A G E 5 V O L U M E 3 , I S S U E 2

“I’m gonna be what?” by CDT Max Peezick „13

By the time this article is published, Branch Night for the class of

2013 will have come and gone, deciding for over 1000 of us

just what our jobs will be for the next 5 to 8 years. This tradition

and milestone for the Firstie class, only surpassed by Gradua-

tion itself, can bring both joy and sorrow for those who take

part, and is seen as the culmination of over 3 years of figurative

and literal sweat, blood, and tears. With the implementation

of a new and longer branching process this year many are

wondering if the end results will look any different than in years

past, and if they will like what they see.

To make a long story short, the new branching system focuses

on the tracking of cadet branching preferences, and their

education in the roles of each branch, as early as Plebe year.

With each new academic year, cadets will be asked to pro-

vide their preferences, and be encouraged to learn more

about what each branch wants in a young officer, what they

as a cadet can bring to each branch, and to take part in ac-

tivities and summer training opportunities that can further edu-

cate and train them towards that goal. In the end the First

Class goes online to input their final choices of branch to in-

clude Bradso, Gradso, and Branch Detail options. Where the

system really changes is what may or may not happen after

final branch choices have been made, and this is what has

most cadets either worried or optimistic.

A committee will be formed to produce the final branching

results. This will include the traditional results based entirely on

class rank (Order of Merit List) and required demographics,

and a new set of results based partially on the OML and par-

tially on specific cadet skills, traits, and attributes that may

make them more qualified for a branch than a competing

classmate. These “adjusted” results are made by the commit-

tee when they look at traits and skills desired of each branch

and how they match up to the personal profiles provided by

each cadet during the branching process. The goal is to bet-

ter match the cadet to the branch. For those cadets who feel

that their class rank isn‟t sufficiently high enough to get them

their first choice branch the old-fashioned-way, the adjusted

results provides them with newfound hope and optimism. But

for those cadets who feel themselves to be on the edge be-

tween the old and new systems they fear being passed over

for a cadet who is lower on the OML. Arguments can be

made for both sides, however. A strict OML system rewards

cadets on their total performance, while an adjusted system

makes exceptions for those diamonds-in-the-rough who are

exceptional in their field of choice but may have been lacking

in other aspects of the three cadet grading pillars.

The final decision on the results to be used for this year‟s Branch

Night will be made by the Commandant. The Class of 2013 will

gather together on the night of November 29th to learn of their

fate. Whether the results are traditional or adjusted, here‟s to

hoping that my classmates and I all walk away smiling and

looking forward to whatever comes next.

C3 Firsties pose for their “Old Corps” photo ….looks like they‟re starring off into the dis-

tance, wondering what branch they will soon enter into.

P A G E 6

Game On!

This section is

all about C-

3. From an-

cient relics to

current

events, this

page is all

about us, the

Game

Cocks!

Recap By CDT Nick Kagen ‘13

This semester the C3 Gamecocks have

out done themselves as being one of

the most spirited in the Corps of Ca-

dets, even if Reg. hasn‟t seen it. This is

all thanks to our awesome activities

staff made up of LT. Drake, SGT Welch,

SGT Salmon, and SGT Oswald who

have gone way above and beyond for

the company. They have had break-

fast for dinner many BBQs and put on

movie nights for the upper and lower

classes. The company raised money

through a company auction, where we

made enough money to put on many

other great events, and at which eve-

ryone seemed to enjoy themselves and

get lots of neat things and build lots of

camaraderie in the company. Some

of the more notable events though

were of course the company auction,

the many different dinner themes

(Indian {Zarin}, Mexican {Taco Bell},

America {Wraps}, Italian {pizza and

pasta Prima‟s}, and Fast Foods

{McDonalds and KFC}), they also held

a wine tasting for the upper classes

(that went well without anyone getting

in trouble and everyone looking quite

nice, thanks to LT Drake), an apple

picking adventure, and finally the

haunted house trip. With all of these

wonderful events this semester we

have had much to be happy and joy-

ous about here in C3 land.

Top Left: C-3 cadets Tougher „14 and Magdiel „14 cheer on the company during the Army v. Airforce Game Top Right:

C-3 cadets Fan „13 and Dexter „13 wait for grilled Anaconda (i.e. hotdogs named after A-1) cooked up by C-3 activi-

ties staffer cadet Oswald „14

Bottom: C-3 cadets eat and enjoy a movie in the C-3 dayroom during a company breakfast, after Saturday parade

P A G E 7 V O L U M E 3 , I S S U E 4

Plebe Point of View by CDT Wolfe „16

As the first semester at USMA for the Class of 2016

draws to a close, the time has arrived for some of the

Plebes to opine. For several Plebes, this has been their

first time living in such a regimented lifestyle such as

the Corps. However, most Plebes when asked what they

thought of C-3 believed that the company has been very

welcoming and made the transition into regular Corps

life much easier than in comparison to some companies

in the Corps.

When asked what they thought were the best aspects of

the company Cadets Chabries and Drum agreed that the

company has been very good at providing activities to

allow everyone in the company to get together and get to

know one another such as the numerous company din-

ners, movies, and barbeques. From my personal opinion,

it has been nice to have breakfast and a movie after Sat-

urday morning “mandatory fun”.

On a more serious note several Plebes have agreed that

the chain of command (COC) has been quite reasonable

when trying to provide guidance and direction in how to

accomplish tasks. However, there have been a couple

issues with communication between higher echelons in

the COC reaching the Plebes ears directly instead of

coming from Plebes in other companies. This is under-

standable though considering the rapid rate at which

information is published and times can change during

the school day, particularly when you go for more than

an hour without being

able to check your e-

mail.

When comparing the

manner in which Plebe

duties were viewed at

the beginning of the

semester and how they

are taken now by the

Plebes, most Plebe

Cadets In Command

(CICs) believe that

duties have improved

for the better. CICs are

now not only able to

execute their duties in

a much more efficient

manner, but also that

duties have become much less stressful now that they

are allowed a little bit of free-reign when receiving their

duty and the manner in which they execute their as-

signed duties.

With the positive attitudes of not only the upperclass-

men, but also of most Plebes prospects are looking quite

well for the “Gray Period” to go by quite smoothly with

all of the great energy within the company in compari-

son to most other companies. From a personal point of

view, I also believe that with the diverse styles of lead-

ership that we Plebes are exposed to in C-3 we are quite

lucky to be able to really develop a nice base level of

experience that we can carry over with us into our sum-

mer training next summer at Camp Buckner.

Cadet PVT Wolfe enjoying the perks of

cadet rank during a football game

Drop Zones for

Plebes during Air

Force Week

A C-3 Cadet PVT enjoying the “Plebe Pt. of View”

during a football game

P A G E 8

The Funnies Page Related to Cadet Life… Kind of…

The Funnies:

Finding the

comedy in

every situation...

even cadet life.

What‟s Up West

Point?:

Find out what‟s

going on at

West Point.

From Ike Hall

productions, to

cadet activities,

if you‟re visiting

West Point or a

permanent resi-

dent, this is the

place to look

and see what is

going on at our

“Stony Castle”

on the hill.

school

Thanksgiving family time...

Thanksgiving: in-laws.. hyper

kids...Chicken?...

Typical

Cadet!

27 DEC

What’s Up West Point? A look at what’s happening in November...

P A G E 9 V O L U M E 3 , I S S U E 4

To get further information about what is happening at West Point visit: Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/WestPointUSMA and Twitter: http://twitter.com/WestPoint_USMA

OPEN SKATING!

Tate Rink Every Sunday

NOV 7-FEB 27

Information: 845.938.2991

This MonTh in ….ARMY SPORTS! DECEMBER 2012

A N

P A G E 1 0

mit articles and add to our

gazette. The paper would

not be the same without

your, photos, thoughts, and

stories.

Again, I hope you enjoyed

the latest issue of the Game-

cock Gazette. If you have

any comments, recommen-

dations, or if you would like

to submit an article/picture,

please feel free to contact

me through the information

listed above. Remember,

keep a look out for the first

edition of the Coyote Col-

umn in January!

I hope you all enjoyed this

issue of the Gamecock Ga-

zette. This edition focused

on stories pertaining to the

Corps in December, Tees,

and the closing of the se-

mester.

Thank you to all the Old

Grads who shared their pic-

tures, news, and memories.

We appreciate all of your

stories. Your words give us

an understanding of the

tasks and life style before us

when we graduate.

Thank you as well to all the

cadets who took time out of

their busy schedule’s to sub-

We wish you all a very

merry Christmas and a

Happy New Year!

Respectfully,

CDT Alexis Salmon

Company C-3, USCC

Class of 2014, USMA

Company C-3 TAC Officer:

MAJ Arthur Rutnarak

(845) 938-2101

arthur.rutnarak@usma.edu

Company C-3 TAC NCO:

SFC Byron Flakes

(845) 476-1424

byron. flakes@usma.edu

As we start out a new volume, The Gamecock Gazette solicits you

to share more of your stories about your cadet, military, and civil-

ian experiences. The Gamecock Gazette connects current C-3

Cadets with the Old Graduates of C-3, keeping people informed

with a few good laughs. This newsletter will also document C-3’s

history in the making.

For January’s issue we ask graduates to send in articles about

how they coped with the upcoming “Gray Period,” and for

articles about January’s 500th night dinner and any memo-

ries they have of it! All stories are welcome!

If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions for the news-

letter, please get in touch with C-3 through any of the contacts to

the left.

Thank you for all of your contributions and stories. This newsletter

couldn’t have worked without your help and support. We hope

you’ve enjoyed another issue of the Gamecock Gazette!

GAMECOCK GAZETTE

Charlie Company, 3rd Regiment, USCC

Letter From the Editor by CDT Alexis Salmon ‘14

Gamecock Gazette

Editor:

CDT Alexis Salmon

P.O. Box 3586

West Point, NY 10997

(845) 515-5485 alexis.salmon@usma.edu