Graduation Week at West Point. May 29 - June 1, 2008.

Spent the last three (four) days at the United States Military Academy at West Point, NY covering all the pomp & pageantry of the post commander's "pass & review" and graduation parades, a brief behind the scenes look at the cadets, and installed two remote cameras for yesterday's graduation. There was also quite a bit of solemn time, as the reporter and myself spent most of Friday with a family from Michigan in town for their youngest son, Joshua's graduation from the Academy. The Edds family had already graduated two sons, Joel and Jonathan. Their oldest, Joel Edds is now a Captain, commanding an infantry company at Fort Benning, GA, and middle brother Jonathan, a tank commander was killed in Iraq last summer. He's buried in the cemetery on post. The family has been coming to West Point for the last eight years, and as the mother mentioned her story to another proud mother during Friday's graduation parade of cadets, "I have three sons here at West Point today..." The other mom began to cry. (heavy stuff, indeed...)


Some of my favorite images from two days of parades & of course the graduation on Saturday:

Sunday, June 1, 2008. Wedding day for many of the newly commissioned 2nd. Lieutenants.
2nd. Lt. John Griffin IV and his bride Hayley Gabelein after their wedding ceremony at the United States Military Academy at West Point, NY on Sunday, June 1, 2008. 2nd. Lt. Griffin is a prior service Army enlisted man, having served in Afghanistan as a Army Ranger. The newlyweds from Seattle, WA had to wait 5 years to get married, as the USMA doesn't admit married cadets. Times Herald-Record/CHET GORDON