WASHINGTON—The Senate voted Tuesday to approve President Barack Obama 's nomination of Army Gen. Martin Dempsey to be the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Dempsey, who currently is the Army's chief of staff, will succeed Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, who is due to retire Oct. 1.

Obama will be looking to Dempsey and new Defense Secretary Leon Panetta to manage future defense spending cuts without undermining military readiness. The new lineup comes as Obama looks to wind down the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan .

The Senate also confirmed Navy Adm. James Winnefeld as vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Gen. Ray Odierno as Army chief and Adm. Jonathan Greenert as chief of naval operations.

Matthew Olsen, a former prosecutor with extensive experience in intelligence matters for the government, was confirmed as director of the National Counterterrorism Center , an agency born in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.

The nominations were all approved by voice vote as the Senate wrapped up its work before starting a monthlong recess. The Senate Armed Services Committee had approved the military nominees earlier Tuesday.

Dempsey has taken an unusual path to the military's top job. He has joked that he may go down in history as the shortest-serving Army chief. He took that job April 11, and barely a month later Obama picked him to succeed Mullen.

Dempsey, who grew up in New Jersey and New York , received a master's degree in English from Duke University in 1984 and then taught English at West Point . He also earned master's degrees from the Army's Command and General Staff College in 1987 and from the National War College in 1995.

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- It all began with a video showing a scuffle between Patti LaBelle's entourage and a West Point cadet. At first, it was a case of he said, she said. Now two people have been charged with a crime.

Gov. Schwarzenegger Appoints 11 to Los Angeles County Superior Court

'Soldier's Heart': Why we ask West Point cadets to wrestle with poetry

Elizabeth Samet writes of her decade spent teaching literature at West Point.

from the October 30, 2007 edition

"You mean they read?" her mother's friends sometimes ask in surprise. At least, she points out, that's more generous than the bookstore clerk who exclaimed, "Oh, they can read? That's a relief."

Elizabeth Samet has been teaching literature to cadets at West Point since 1996. It's not a career Samet would have envisioned for herself during her student days at Harvard and Yale (and certainly not as a teen at an all-girls school in Boston) but, as she makes clear in Soldier's Heart: Reading Literature through Peace and War at West Point, a thoughtful meditation on her work there, it's become a calling.

Samet was not a complete stranger to the military. Her father served in the Army Air Corps during World War II and she grew up enjoying both his stories and films like "Patton."

But leaving Yale for a regimented world focused on the making of war was certainly an odd experience for her. Even now, it seems, when she can spit out her name as SIERRA ALPHA MIKE ECHO TANGO and sometimes orders her mother to meet her at 1800, Samet remains a bit of an outsider

And that's probably a very good thing. In "Soldier's Heart" Samet carefully examines her role at West Point – particularly in the years since 9/11 when combat has become a grim reality for her cadets.

"What is your function here?" a campus gardener asked Samet when she first arrived, and she seems to have struggled with the question ever since. She quotes a Vietnam-era Army colonel who believed that teaching poetry at West Point produced "perfumed princes" who lost the war. She also echoes World War I soldier and poet Wilfred Owen who noted that, "Happy are those who lose imagination:/ They have enough to carry with ammunition."

But built into the very tone and tenor of "Soldier's Heart" are the reasons why Samet's cadets need the mental prodding that literature offers. "In addition to physical courage under fire," Samet writes, "officers need the moral and intellectual courage that enables them to become, as they are sometimes called, 'judicious managers of force.' "

In her early days at West Point, Samet admits, she lived with the fear that "a careless word or missed opportunity for moral instruction would allow these plebes to become Calleys." As a result, she "stopped teaching and started preaching."

But it didn't last. On the contrary, Samet is candid about the degree to which she has been won over by the ideals of West Point and respect for both her colleagues and her students. At the same time, however, a healthy part of her remains skeptical and detached.

In fact, in some ways she lives with the dichotomy that she says pulls at her idealistic students as they read literature: "the tension between a contemporary urge to demythologize and a persistent desire to be seduced all over again by heroic tales."

Samet never seems to stop asking questions, so it's not surprising that her students often come to her with their doubts. (Even after graduation – she routinely receives e-mails with subject lines like "Greetings from Mosul.")

She tells of Nick who worries that he lacks the zeal of his classmates who seem to him too "bloody minded." "Circumspection," she reassures him, "even skepticism, is not inconsistent with responsible service."

Then there is Brad, a sophomore, troubled when a civilian friend says to him, "I don't understand why you want to kill people." Samet turns him to a passage in "War and Peace," even as she admits her own selfish fear that, "on occasion we might be lost, if the Brads of the world decided to sit [wars] out rather than to serve."

The title of Samet's book comes from World War I terminology. Today, "soldier's heart" is known as post traumatic stress syndrome – which sounds more clinical but is every bit as menacing.

Samet never suggests that teaching literature to soldiers will inoculate them from fear. But she does make a compelling case that the values embodied in the liberal arts can do much to steer them to more thoughtful deliberations.

And for the rest of us, it's reassuring just to think that the hearts and minds of young soldiers are in such hands.

• Marjorie Kehe is the Monitor's book editor. Send comments to kehem@csps.com

Please help get the word out to all who may travel to West Point for the Army v. Rutgers game.

There will be a BLACKOUT at Michie Stadium for the Army v. Rutgers Game on Friday night, November 9, 2007.  Game time is 8 pm.  All fans should wear black to the game in support of the Army Black Knights!  The official “12^th Man” black t-shirt is available at : https://www.nmnathletics.com/sellnew/ViewCategory.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=11100&_MODE_=&ITMCATID=1765

Help Army achieve the BLACKOUT at Michie Stadium for this game!

Go Army!

Maryellen

MEMORANDUM:               The Class of ’67 Alumni Leaders’ Conference

TO:                                         WPSOC Board

FROM:                                   Ian B. Carter

DATE:                                   October 27, 2007

The leader’s conference started on Wednesday, August 15, 2007 and ended Saturday, August 18, 2007.  I attended as the representative of the WPSOC and as the Western Region Society Advisor.  In this memorandum you will find a short paragraph explaining the most memorable sessions.

On Wednesday we started the conference off with the Leaders Classic Golf Tournament at the West Point Golf Course.  It was a four person scramble. The team of Al Nason ’66, Mike Mahan ’60, Pat Scully ’70 and Ian Carter ‘64 won the classic at 10 under par for a total score of 60.  This started the conference off on a favorable note.

Presidents Report – Bob McClure introduced the new WPAOG website and Web Content was discussed and later was the subject of a special presentation.  He indicated that he agreed that the AOG needed to be endowed as soon as possible.  The AOG is preparing for a new capital campaign that will start sometime in 2008.  The Academy now believes we need to market the Military Academy as West Point rather than USMA.  You will start to see AOG information referring to West Point in the future.  You may already have picked up that the AOG is now referred to as the West Point Association of Graduates.  Jean Hoy is about to retire and has worked for the AOG since 1946.  Anyone who knows Jean is encouraged to write a letter to the AOG on her behalf.  After the Acceptance Parade, this is a new parade welcoming the new class into the corps, all grads were invited to come and meet with the incoming class and their parents. 

Chairman’s Report – Ted Stroup brought us up to date on the governance changes in the AOG and explained once again why they were needed.  He felt that grads needed to understand why capital campaigns were necessary.  Through the 70’s everything was funded by the federal government.  Today that is no longer the case and the AOG has become a business operation and if we expect to provide the cadets with a quality education then the AOG has to find ways to support that.  He discussed the role of the Advisory Board and its need although he was unable to define what it should be doing.  He hoped that everyone would do their part by making an annual contribution to the Long Gray Line Endowment.  There is grave concern in the Army regarding officer retention.  Young officers are leaving at the end of their service obligation due to repeated tours of duty in Iraq.  He demonstrated the problem discussing a Lt. Col who is an orthopedic surgeon with 18 years service who resigned after three tours in Iraq.    This is an Army problem that is not getting any better.

Superintendents Report – Buster Hagenbeck discussed the qualifications of the recent classes.  For the class of 2011 West Point admitted 1,305 new cadets.  Based on the Candidate Fitness Assessment (CFA) entering classes are on a downside of physical fitness.  Before their summer training only 52% passed this test upon entering West Point.  After the summer training the pass rate was 94%.  This demonstrates the overall poor physical fitness of our youth in general.  Of all of the potential pool of candidates fully 58% are totally disqualified for entry to West Point.  The disqualifications are: drugs and alcohol – 17%, dependents -8%, legal – 6% and physical and medical – 27%.  The Whole Candidate Concept is based on Academics – 60%, Leadership Potential – 30% and Fitness – 10%.  He expressed concern that 90% of the people west of the Mississippi do not know what West Point is.  In the Competitive Sports of which there are 26 teams we beat Navy 84% of the time.  Of the 25 Corps Squad teams we have had 3 wins and 33 losses to Navy in the last four years.  He is making this a goal to increase the winning percentage against Navy.  He felt that the Football Team had to improve its winning percentage overall.  West Point places a great deal of emphasis on tying the success of the football team to the success of West Point.  From a discussion of several superintendents the consensus is that the spotlight of West Point needs to always be on Honor.  This is the one defining difference between West Point and all other places of higher education.

High School Ethics Workshop – LTC Dave Jones, special assistant to the Commandant, made this presentation and discussed how the Societies could use this program to identify potential candidates at an early age.  This program is designed to help create a character education program for the youth in our community.  These sessions are hosted by West Point and West Point Societies.  There are several benefits to the program to include allowing organizations like the WPSOC to contribute to the community, get people talking about West Point, focus on the character development and values of the young folks in our community, connect with the younger generation, and provides us an opportunity to make a difference.  Cadets are made available to speak at these sessions and are desirable because their age allows them to connect with the participants.  They address current high school junior issues and challenges to include any and all topics.  The students and the faculty work together to discuss realistic solutions to these problems.  Several Societies have conducted these workshops and in every case they have been very successful.  We should consider this for the WPSOC and determine if we want to take on such a project.  It would certainly help the youth in our community that attend and it will also provide the WPSOC greater visibility.    The discussion group topics address the issues from the perspective of Honor, Respect and Leadership.  The goal is to help create viable solutions to everyday student problems and make a difference by doing something about it.

Society Break-Out Sessions – The most active and involved session that I attended was the Society Best Practices session.  I learned a few helpful ideas but for the most part I learned that the WPSOC is way and above the average society.  We have been doing things for years that other societies are just now considering.  The leadership of the WPSOC over the years has been excellent and all board members current and past should give themselves a pat on the back for a job well done.

Cadets of West Point Web Site (http://www.westpointcadets.org) – We are all encouraged to help inform Americans about one of our most unique national resources – today’s West Point cadets.  This website is designed to be used by high school students, serving soldiers, the West Point admissions field force, congressional Staffers, guidance counselors, Army recruiters, the Long Gray Line, West Point societies, West Point societies, veterans, cadet parents and cadets themselves.  A Power Point slide show is available for display at high schools, Founders Day Dinners and Parents Club activities.  To download the show go to www.westpointcadets.org/SlideShow.htm.  Currently this site includes more than 2,300 cadets.  No matter how professional the West Point Admissions Field Force is, nothing can substitute for direct communications with West Point’s best ambassadors – the cadets themselves.  We are all encouraged to review this site and make a point to get others to use it and in so doing expand the West Point story.

From a personal standpoint this was one of the most enjoyable visits that I have taken to West Point.  At a luncheon I represented the WPSOC and received our Distinguished Society Award.  We are one of hand full of Societies that have received this award for more than ten consecutive years.  At dinner on Friday evening in the Ike Hall Ballroom General Dick Cody ’72, Army Vice Chief of Staff spoke.  After the dinner I was able to speak personally with Dick and he gave me his personal medallion.  This seems to be a new trend in the Army, all General’s now have their own medallions.  Dick’s was unique in that it is the shape of a dog tag and inscripted on it are the words “Mission First, Never Accept Defeat, Never Quit, Never Leave a Fallen Comrade”

I have an extra copy of the Leadership and Character Conference for anyone interested and two copies of the WPAOG Fund-Raising Workbook.  If you have any questions regarding the content of this memo please contact me at your convenience.

 Thanks for your attention! Sincerely, Matt Morgan

Dear West Point Society Leader,

This is an exciting time to be at West Point , and I am very honored to serve as your Vice President for Alumni Support.  In recent years our programs for graduates and cadets have steadily grown and matured.  Your contributions have been essential to the enhancements.  In the years ahead I look forward to working with you to develop new ways to support alumni and encourage them to reconnect with West Point .

My seven years at the AOG, along with seven on the faculty in the ‘80s and ‘90s, have impressed upon me a number of themes: the passion alumni have for the Academy; the extraordinary dedication, enthusiasm, and capabilities of the Corps of Cadets; how critical diversity is to optimizing our capabilities as a cohesive community of alumni; and the magic in the words West Point. We have a lot to build on as we reinforce the commitment of our active members and seek to attract new participants to activities connected to West Point .

Our Alumni Support staff is superb.  It is led by Maryellen Picciuto ’86 (Organizational Support), Joel Jebb ’82 (Class Support), Jay Olejniczak ’61 (Publications), and Duston Sanders ’72, who joins the Alumni Support Office as Chief of Alumni Support Operations, following a number of years in Development.  I look forward to continuing to work with John Calabro ’68, now our Association’s Chief Operating Officer.  John and I have been friends and colleagues since my first tour in the Department of English in 1982.  As many of you well know, the program assistants and administrative and technical staff in alumni support do much of the heavy lifting.  Each of them is dedicated, smart, and enthusiastic, always willing to help.

A wonderful Homecoming Weekend recently concluded here.  For many who returned to our alma mater, the weekend was capped off by The Miracle at Michie—Army’s overtime win over Tulane.  It was a game for the ages,  with a season’s worth of excitement in the final minutes.  Images of Kevin Dunn’s Hail Mary TD pass to Mike Wright as time expired and of the Corps as the cadets hoisted Kevin above the sea of white sierra shirts after the game will endure.  They called to mind the scene at the Holleder Center following the final buzzer when the women’s basketball team won the  Patriot League Championship over Holy Cross in 2006—a spontaneous outpouring of enthusiasm and pride among the Corps.

Last Friday, the Superintendent spoke to the large reunion audience in Eisenhower Hall.  LTG Hagenbeck ’71 talked informally with the group for more than an hour and then responded to questions.  I wanted share a few items with you and your society members:

• The Academy will continue to look for new ways to enhance and expand its connection and immediate relevance to the Army.
• USMA has become the center of gravity for the Nation’s fight against terrorism.
• Help is needed in making West Point more widely known and recognized, especially in African-American communities.
• USMA’s physical program (physical education courses and other elements in the program) is the best anywhere.
• The winning attitude—an expectation and determination to win—is absolutely critical to preparing cadets for the Army.
• Coaches are expected to “win more than they lose and beat Navy.”
• West Point ’s emphasis on moral-ethical training and education is very significant to the Army.
• Preventing alcohol and sexually related problems and misconduct continues to be a matter of emphasis and concern: a culture where cadets take care of one another and anticipate and prevent problems is one of the keys to improving in this area.
• The Academy leadership is very pleased with the balance of civilian and military instructors: 22% civilian; 60% rotating military; and 18% senior military.  The Superintendent and Dean of the Academic Board Brigadier General Pat Finnegan ‘71 praised the dedication and values of the civilian instructors.
• The Commandant of Cadets, Brigadier General Robert Caslen ’75, told the audience about the realism and intensity of training for the Yearling class at Forward Operating Base Buckner. He said that future Yearling summers would include more time for socialization, getting to know classmates and reenergizing for the upcoming year.  He briefly described Saturday military training during the academic year, saying that it largely focuses largely on training planning and collective training events.

Before closing I would like you all to know that we are in near-daily conversation with the Academy regarding the Founder’s Day speaker assignments.  As of this morning, the Academy’ senior leaders were reviewing the proposed speaking assignments.  As soon as the list is made final, Vince McDermott, Chief of Alumni Affairs, will inform you.  He is well aware of the urgency of this announcement, knowing that facility booking hinges on the commitment of speakers.

That’s a quick update from the Alumni Center on a beautiful Hudson Valley fall weekend.  In closing, I want to thank you for all you do in cooperation with the staff here at Herbert Hall, for fellow alumni, and, by extension, for West Point and the Corps.  I look forward to meeting with you in the years ahead and in leading our Association’s support of your work on behalf of West Point and the Long Gray Line.

Beat Navy!

Jim Johnston ’73

Lieutenant Colonel , USA (Ret.)

Vice President for Alumni Support

Fellow Graduates,

As you well know, the start of the Army-Tulane football game is now 1900. I understand your frustration. This late start disrupts many of your plans, and affects your ability to bring children to the game.

I am also not delighted with this time, and we told ESPN that we would prefer an afternoon kickoff. However, through 2009, we have contracted to play at least one game per year on Thursday or Friday, and potentially two contests in Saturday primetime. 1900 is primetime.

The Academy does make a little money through this contract, but money was not the primary reason for partnering with ESPN. Our deal was based on the fact that every soldier can watch ARMY football no matter where they are in this world, free of charge. Every home game is now webcasted over AKO thanks to this partnership.

We also use our ESPN telecast to tell the West Point story. This year 10 of our games will be nationally televised. Greater awareness will assure us of a continuing pool of qualified applicants to fill our cadet ranks and, ultimately, our commissioned ranks - and, as you know, our mission is to produce leaders of character.

We will always work for what is in the best interests of the Academy and our fans, and we will take all this into consideration when we renegotiate the contract in two years.

I ask you to understand the value of this exposure as well as the cost. No one wants a 1900 kickoff, but our homecoming game will be nationally televised.

Thanks for all you do for the Corps and for America. We need your continued support.

Go Army! Beat Navy!

LTG Buster Hagenbeck

Superintendent

Reservist in Iraq hears graduation from afar

Colonel listens in live as her son graduates from high school.

ALISO VIEJO – For nearly all of Colin Tatu's senior year at Aliso Niguel High School, his U.S. Army mom has been serving in Iraq.

Tatu missed her when he turned 18 in January. He missed her screams of joy from the bleachers when the co-captain of the school's cross country team ran 1,600 meters in 4:32, his personal best and just three seconds shy of the school's record. And he longed for her companionship many afternoons when he returned from school to an empty home.

"It's just so different. I feel like I am living on my own almost," he said. "When I came home from school, she'd always be here, someone to talk to."

On Thursday, despite being more than 7,500 miles away at Balad Air Base, about 50 miles north of Baghdad, Megan Tatu listened in live to her son's graduation via conference call.

The original plan was to have her see the more than hour-long ceremony via a live satellite video Internet link – a test run had worked fine earlier in the day – but despite several attempts, a connection could not be established.

But Megan Tatu still heard her son's name called. She heard the speeches. She heard the screams of the graduating class when they tossed their caps in the air at Wolverine Stadium. All of it punctuated with commentary from her husband, Mike Tatu, who videotaped the ceremony and will send that to Iraq.

"I could visualize the whole event," said Megan Tatu, a colonel in charge of a logistics support group commanding about 1,500 troops. "I enjoyed the whole event. I felt in many ways that I was there."

The thought of not being able to make his graduation was "probably the biggest letdown for her leaving this year," said Colin Tatu, who will follow in his parents' footsteps and plans to join the Army. He has received a four-year ROTC scholarship to attend the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Megan Tatu, 50, who is in the Army reserves, was activated in the spring of 2006 and went to Iraq in August. She expects to return to Laguna Niguel in August, just days before Colin leaves for Colorado.

She, too, received an ROTC scholarship to finish her last two years at UCLA, and upon graduation, went on active duty from 1978 to 1986. She met her husband, a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, when the couple was stationed together in Germany.

Mike Tatu, 53, is now a program manager for a defense contractor, and Megan Tatu, except for reserve training duty once a week, is a full-time mother, raising three boys.

During Thursday's ceremony, a proud Megan Tatu appeared alert at 3 a.m. Baghdad time.

"I was so excited," she said, after the test run had worked fine earlier in the day. She then got an hour of sleep and was looking forward to seeing her son and visit with her family live.

Freedom Calls Foundation, a New Jersey-based charity, had helped set up satellite connection for the Tatus, with assistance from Cox Communications, the multi-service broadband communications and entertainment company whose crews strung 300 feet of cable to facilitate the link.

Colin Tatu said he was disappointed his mom couldn't watch the ceremony but glad that she could listen in. She congratulated him and then it wasn't long before mom asked: "Did you get a haircut?"

Contact the writer: 949-465-5424 or vjolly@ocregister.com

West Point grad rare in his class

Snohomish man is officer, Muslim

By JOHN IWASAKI
P-I REPORTER

On Saturday afternoon, in the 209th commencement at a historic campus dotted with monuments to famous generals, Faraz Bala will graduate from West Point.

The Snohomish man is a rare Muslim in his class of 900 cadets, whose four years at the U.S. Military Academy overlapped with the war in Iraq.

	Bala

His father, Marysville restaurant owner Shabbir Bala, thinks the government unnecessarily targets American followers of Islam. In the fight against terrorism, the elder Bala said, "the people you really want on your side is a Muslim."

But Faraz Bala -- a 22-year-old distance runner who enjoys snowboarding, bowling, cliff jumping and watching foreign films -- views himself as "just a normal guy like all the rest of my classmates," not the face of Islam in the military.

That sentiment is embodied in one of his sayings: "I'm an American, I'm a soldier, and I just happen to be a Muslim."

Bala knows of four other Muslims in his class at West Point, where Islam is accepted along with other major religions. When the academy in New York opened a new interfaith building last fall, it included a prayer room -- designed to face Mecca -- for Muslim cadets and their volunteer imam.

A West Point spokesman said the academy has about 30 Muslims among its 4,300 cadets, including some from Afghanistan, Iraq and other countries. No official count is available because the academy does not ask cadets their religion.

"All cadets know about Islam since it is essential to understanding the war we are fighting," Bala said this week from West Point.

"There are those who do not know any Muslims, so they see Islam as pretty foreign, whether in a positive or negative light," he said. "Then there are those who do know a Muslim and see that we are regular people who think and act like everyone else."

Bala said some cadets made insensitive comments about Islam in class, not knowing he was a Muslim. "Things like Islam being violent or being suspicious of the religion," he said. "But no one ever said anything derogatory to me personally."

He fit in his five daily prayers and managed to observe Islamic holy days, which initially caused him some difficulty because Muslims use a different calendar.

"But these issues were resolved within the chain of command," said Bala, adding that he experienced "no real problem" in the past two years.

He fasted during daylight hours during the month of Ramadan, which he said amazed his teammates on Army's cross-country team. He also competed in track.

With no halal or kosher meat served in the mess hall, Bala changed his diet to include lots of fish and vegetables.

"He made good friends with a Jewish cadet so they could (go out to) eat kosher meat," said Bala's mother, Ruqqy.

His parents, who each emigrated from Pakistan more than 20 years ago, hold more liberal political views than their California-born son.

"We don't talk about politics," said his father, who is not thrilled that West Point's commencement speaker this year will be Vice President Dick Cheney. President Bush spoke last year.

Faraz Bala, who considers himself a moderate, said West Point has "definitely given me an opportunity to get information straight from the source. I've been taught by people who have worked in the White House and others who have firsthand knowledge of the war, so that gives an inside perspective most people don't get.

"What West Point has taught me is that the answers to political decisions are never simple, and if anyone has a simple solution, they are most likely wrong," said Bala, who won awards for maintaining a high grade-point average. "There are always good reasons on each side of the argument."

Bala's mother expressed happiness about her son's graduation, but "at the same time, I'm scared, too, because now he's coming out of the safety net," she said. "That always worries the mom -- all the possibilities, ending up in a war zone."

After graduating with a bachelor's degree in international studies and a commission as a second lieutenant, Bala will enter the military intelligence branch of the Army and study at Fort Huachuca, Ariz., until February.

He then will be stationed in Vilseck, Germany, with the 2nd Cavalry Regiment, a Stryker Brigade formerly at Fort Lewis.

"I'll serve where my country needs me," Bala said. "This is not a crusade, so we are not fighting Muslims per se. When I go ... my mission will be to provide security and stop the bloodshed in Iraq."