I N S I D E T H I S
I S S U E :
Reflections 2
Super Spirit! 7
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 o y o t e o l u m n
F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 3 V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 2
S E C T I O N S :
2,3 - Grad Gab
4,5 - Current Connections
6 - Coyote Call!
8 - The Funnies
10– Monthly Sports
POSTING! By Cadet Max Peezick ‘ 13
The time left for the Class of 2013 as cadets at West Point is
continuing to count down towards graduation, but more noticea-
bly the milestone events that remain for my class are becoming
fewer and fewer with each passing day. The image on our copy
of the Donut of Despair is almost completely that of an island
paradise. The most recent event for our class was Post Night.
Like every process relating to our post-USMA careers that we ’
ve completed this year, posting and Post Night this year were
done differently than has been done in the past. Since the start
of the semester each branch has gathered for various meetings
and briefings in order to go over the posting process, reveal the
available posting options, and to field whatever questions
Firsties may have about their first duty assignments. Diverging
from the tradition of there being a Post Night selection and
showdown for the cadets of each branch, this year post deci-
sions, PADSO, and BOLC dates were pre-ranked and selected
through an online system several weeks prior to the official Post
Night. Just like when choosing branches, cadets logged onto
the system and had to rank each post assignment and BOLC
date from first to last, and then submit their rankings by a pre-
determined deadline. After that deadline the waiting would
begin, and algorithms would determine the results to be re-
vealed on Post Night. Unlike the branching system, the factors
involved were strictly by order-of-merit ( c lass rank ) and Post-
ADSO.
Also like every other career decision the First Class has had to
make this year, every cadet had their own way of evaluating
posts, and every officer had their own recommendations for
which posts were the best. Factors for ranking posts included
post location and expected lifestyle, deployment opportunities
( a s soon or as far-off as possible ) , unit types and branch
experiences, inclusion in the Married Army Couples Program,
and many others. Some cadets had their assignments pre-
determined, others nearly so, most would be guessing till the
very end, and a select few weren ’ t posting at all.
When Post Night came, each branch gathered together for the
great reveal. With the decisions already made, the spectacle
was quite different from years past, with results being given to
the cadets by PowerPoint and cards rather than the cadets
revealing their on-the-spot choices to cheers and jeers. Those
branches looking to maintain a sense of excitement would
march cadets to the front of their audience by post and reveal
the results, and even prank several cadets with fake results ( or
“ m issing ” results ) . Those branches looking for the quickest
exit to the First Class Club simply threw all their results on
screen and dismissed their group. No matter how it was pre-
sented, by the end of the night results were revealed and the
rest of the time was spent comparing posts with classmates,
and looking ahead to the next milestone to be knocked down.
Above: C-3 CDT Eric Fan (3rd from left) celebrates Post Night with friends
Below: CDT Fan’s Post Night packet!
P A G E 2
Grad Gab:
Grads” of C-3
to the new!
Reflections I was especially gratified to see that seven members of the C-3 class of 13 branched aviation. Back in ancient times (1968) when I graduated, there wasn't an avia- tion branch. While cadets we took an "aptitude test" and a flight physical. If we passed both, we were flagged as possible aviation candidates, but had to go to a line unit for a year before flight school. It worked out OK for me, as I branched Infantry and got an as- signment to Mainz, Germany (509th Infantry Brigade), the only air- borne/mechanized brigade in the
Army. Talk about a broad spectrum of operations! In early 1970 I started primary flight training at Fort Walters in Min- eral Wells, Texas. I think they sent us out there because if we crashed about the only thing we could hit was a cow! Second half of flight training was at Fort Rucker, Alabama. I stayed on for Chinook transition, then to Vietnam, towards the end of the conflict.
Even though things were winding down, I had an interesting time supporting U.S., Vietnamese, and Korean forces, as well as the indigenous civilian population, while based out of Pleiku (Camp Holloway) in the Central High- lands. There weren't many Chi- nook units left in country, so we had a large area of opera- tions, with regular sorties up and down the coast and high- lands, as well as into some sur-
rounding areas where we weren't
supposed to be. It was one of the most fulfilling times of my life. My career since then has led me away from aviation, but I cherish my time in the cockpit. I have traveled to Vietnam three times since, twice leading groups of college students on terms abroad. I have been extremely im- pressed with the progress the country has made since reunifica- tion, and the warm regard they have for Americans. They have a thriving niche tourist industry for returning vets, and I would encourage every Vietnam veteran to go back. I have attached some pictures if you need some filler. By the way, as an inaugural member of C-3 it will always be the "Fightin' Cocks" to me, although I realize it is politically and so- cially incorrect in "modern" times.
By Thomas Jewell ‘70
P A G E 3 V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 2
The Corps ...A Generational Thing
To the Left is a picture of me and my Beast Barracks Room Mates taken at our 10th class reunion in 1977. In 1995, I came up with the idea to have mascot sweat- shirts printed for pep ralllies. The orginal "Fighting Cock" was printed on a black sweatshirt and sold to members of C-3. - Gary LaBelle ‘67
I spent four years in Company C-3 (1968- 1972) and enjoyed the time at West Point. Probably sounds strange, but true never- theless. OBTW, the Army sent me to gradu- ate school (1978-1980) at the University of Virginia, and I returned to West Point in 1980 to teach philosophy (someimtes known as "Drugs"), English composition and logic for three years. While there, our younger son Steve Hig- gins was born at Keller Army Hospital. Captain Steve Higgins (Class of 2006), after leading an Infantry rifle platoon in Iraq (2007-2008), is studying law at Texas Tech University under the Army's Funded Legal Education Program (FLEP). Steve and his wife Miranda have a 21- month old girl and are expecting twins in July. Steve's older brother, Major Jeff Higgins (Class of 2002) is the XO to the Comman- dant of Cadets. Jeff attended Columbia University 2009-2010 and then served as the TAC of Company D-4 (the Dukes)---the company he was in for four years at West Point. Jeff and his wife Holly have a set of twins---5-year old Collin and Annalyn-
--and just added McKinlee Caroline Hig- gins (7 lbs, 13 ozs) to their family on 16 December. McKinlee Caroline was born at Keller Army Hospital---that's two in the Higgins clan born there. -George A. Higgins Major General, USA (Ret) ‘72
P A G E 4
Current
Connections!
The light at the end of the tunnel is starting
to appear. The weekend of the 27th of Janu-
ary marked 500 days until graduation for the
class of 2014. What a night it was! The at-
mosphere was festive and joyful as every-
one enjoyed an hour of socializing before
arriving at the tables. The toasts were said,
the academy, the army and fallen warriors
honored. The fare was standard mess hall
for banquets and VIPs, which is to say slightly
better than usual.
caught the attention of the class and never
let it go. He started off with a bit of humor
calling out our beloved classmates who
found themselves stranded on Storm King
mountain a little more than two years ago.
He then proceeded to talk about orcs. Orcs
he said, do exist. They exist in the hearts and
minds of those who would wish us harm, and
is our job to ensure those orcs do not over-
whelm the free world and plunge us into
darkness. For his first time at West Point, I do
believe LTG Mulholland did make a favor-
able impression, as I believe the class of
2014 did upon him.
From there the cows migrated to Cullum hall
for a hop in the newly restored ballroom
and perhaps a drink or to celebrate the
night. The light is at the end of the tunnel is
growing brighter and our time at this institu-
tion is fast drawing to a close. This week, the
4th of February, the cows are ordering their
rings and coming to a realization that per-
haps all our hard work, tears and patience is
worth it.
YWW! by CDT Micah Uchida „15
On the February 2nd, the Class of 2015 gath-
ered in Washington Hall for its long-awaited
Yearling Winter Weekend, celebrating our
successful completion of our first semester of
leadership within the Corps of Cadets, and
looking forward to the challenges and ac-
complishments we would face through the
remainder of our yearling year and through
our cadet careers. All week the yearling
class had nonstop chatter of our chance to
cut loose, and Friday afternoon saw the
mass exodus of cadets, rushing to meet their
guests at airports.
went on as the yearlings and their guests
socialized with one another in a pre-
banquet reception in the mess hall, prior to
taking seats promptly at 1845 to begin the
official program.
to West Point an honored guest: United
States Supreme Court Justice Antonin
Scalia. Justice Scalia shared his Constitu-
tional wisdom with the class following dinner
and challenged us to take our oath, “to
support and defend the Constitution,” to
heart, by understanding the historical and
cultural importance of the US Constitution
and the intentions of its framers, who worked
tirelessly during the Constitutional Conven-
tion to create the free nation that we have
all dedicated ourselves to defend. Justice
Scalias speech was following by to presen-
tation of a Cadet Saber to him by the class
president on behalf of the Yearling class.
Following the meal and words from Justice
Scalia, the cadets and guests proceeded to
Cullum Hall in the light snow that had begun
to fall during dinner, and within a few hours
the Yearling class had left again to enjoy
the remainder of their weekend off post.
All in all, Yearling Winter Weekend was a
fitting break from the grind, following weeks
of temperatures often in the single-digits
and the beginning of the Class of 2015s
fourth semester at the Academy.
For Those We Lead.
P A G E 5 V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 2
Cadating... Yay, Nay?
This is one of those things that has lots of
opinions that follow it. First there is the
stigma of cadet dating, second there is
the ratio of guys to girls, and lastly the
dating in or out of class choice. For many
people the idea of cadet dating has a
negative connotation, why, personally I
could not tell you as that is how I met my
wife to be.
It can be a good thing in that there is no
distance problem, and that if you date
within your class, you can possibly help
each other with homework. Moreover,
there is the fact that you have the same
holiday schedules and events to attend.
One thing to also think about is with the
economy the way it is if you stay with a
person you met at West Point after
graduation you know they will have a job
for at least 5 years and a West Point de-
gree which is also very valuable. Having
a West Point relationship also cuts down
on explaining the military side or cadet
side of things as your partner understands
and knows most of what you are talking
about and doing.
det dating. For those who choose to
date other cadets or not, one thing to
know is that around West Point there are
always many places and events to go to,
with that special person .. and at West
Point, whether your date is a cadet or
not, that will always be memorable.
by CDT Nick Kagen „13
P A G E 6
Coyote Call!
For the past two semesters, C-3 has
stood out as not only the top company
in Third Regiment, but also the entire
Corps. It has been through the hard
work and dedication of every member
of the Company that C-3 has been
able to make this grand achievement.
Each semester C-3 has been able to
stand out in certain aspects to place its
self ahead of other companies. This
semester though, as C-3 strives to attain
its third consecutive semester as the
best Company in the Regiment, a
motto now exists to remind everyone of
what C-3s goal is for this semester and
hopefully to remain for future years. As
introduced by the Company leader-
ship and TAC team for the semester, C-
3 has established a dynasty as a lead-
ing Company in the Corps, now we are
to “Maintain the Dynasty”.
teams actively seeking Brigade titles,
with a lot of effort going towards our
orienteering and grappling teams. Last
year, C-3 claimed the Brigade title in
grappling. With this in mind near the
end of the fall semester plans were al-
ready in the works towards establishing
another Brigade level team for grap-
pling.
Commander, Lieutenant Potter, the
They have been preparing for quite
some time and have filled their roster
with plenty of sturdy folks ready to pack
the punches needed to earn the cov-
eted “slug patch” that comes with be-
ing Brigade champions. When asked
who was going to be the best asset to
the team, several cadets in the Com-
pany without a bit of hesitation imme-
diately responded, “Sergeant
Tougher”. Which, it is common knowl-
edge that Sergeant Tougher was quite
helpful in C-3s previous season.
The C-3 Sandhurst team giving it everything they’ve got to flip a huge tire in one of the
final events of the 2012 Sandhurst Competition.
P A G E 7 V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 2
Super Spirit! by CDT Alexandra Deets „16
Spiritivities is in full swing this semester.
Boards are decorated, murals are de-
signed, and company dinners have been a
success. More importantly, overall com-
pany spirit and moral has been increasing.
The post-SAMI breakfast was full of ca-
maraderie, teamwork, and happiness.
staff, has many plans for the rest of the
semester to continue increasing company
spirit and moral. Some ideas include
paintball, ice skating, laser tag, bowling,
etc. The spirit staff has and will continue
to contribute to the development of the
Coyote spirit this semester.
CDT Fan, creator and master-mind behind the West Point Gangnam Style
spirit video is this semester’s Spiritivities officer ..expect great things!
Next to the intramurals, C-3 has built a Sand-
hurst team that could quite possibly take
competition by surprise in this years Sand-
hurst competition. This year C-3 has brought
together a diverse group to form the Com-
pany Sandhurst team. The team has been
practicing multiple times a day, ignoring the
rough weather that has been going on in
the West Point area lately. Each member of
the team has sacrificed countless hours of
their free time towards honing their abilities
for the competition. The team will surely ad-
vance C-3s noteworthiness within the Sand-
hurst sphere.
Company leadership during the METL brief
at the beginning of the semester, C-3 can-
not forget the basics. While C-3 did receive
the top rating in the Regiment last semester,
it was a close call up until the end. What
nearly cost the Company its rightful position
were quite minor things such as signing drill
rolls, accurate accountability, and punctu-
ality. Of course, there were also minor issues
on the part of the Company leadership, but
the bottom line is, every single persons ef-
fort counts towards “Maintaining the Dy-
nasty”. These items constitute a major por-
tion of Company grading so with that in
mind, when a task or duty comes up, do not
put it off, “Why do later what you can do
now?”
The Funnies Page Related to Cadet Life… Kind of…
The Funnies:
Finding the
comedy in
every situation...
and see what is
going on at our
What’s Up West Point? A look at what’s happening in November...
P A G E 9 V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 2
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
MARCH
03 APRIL!
A
N
ries, updates, and advice.
cadets who took time out of
their busy schedule’s to submit
articles and add to our column.
The paper would not be the
same without your, photos,
ments, recommendations, or if
article/picture, please feel free
to contact me through the in- formation listed above. Re-
member, keep a look out for
the next edition of the Coyote
Column in March!
sue of the Coyote Column!
As you can see and read this
issue focused a lot on recent
events and future expectations.
Our writers accurately cap-
lent speakers at each event, I
think the staff did a great job
describing the memorable
Grads who shared their pic-
tures, news, and memories.
We wish you all a Happy Val-
entine’s Day and great month
ahead!
Respectfully,
(845) 476-1424
byron. flakes@usma.edu
As we start out a new volume, The Coyote Column solicits you to
share more of you Coyote Column 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 March’s issue we ask graduates to send in articles about
the Gray Period. Funny academy stories about how to com-
bat the GRAY or simple advice would be great! 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 Coyote Column!
Letter From the Editor by CDT Alexis Salmon ‘14
Coyote Column
CDT Salmon and fellow C-3 cadets
celebrating 500th night in NYC.