What happens during the summer months at West Point, when the cadets are off doing summer training? A lot more than you might think.
My West Point leadership detail involved three weeks as a staff officer assigned to Summer Garrison Regiment (SGR). The detail began the week prior to graduation for the class of 2009, and technically ends this Thursday. Because of my team's orientation for Operation Crossroads Africa, I'll be able to slip away Tuesday to head to New York City.
SGR was a good learning experience. I worked alongside a few very impressive, driven friends of mine, as we "held down the fort" at West Point while the rest of the Corps participated in various summer training events.
My specific job involved long days and nights at Central Guard Room - the academy's help center/key-control room/de facto police precinct. As the cadet in charge of the room, I helped to provide command and control coordination for our cadet commander, Ali Ihusaan, his XO, Liz Betterbed, and my direct superior, Bruno Lucivero. All three were great to work with.
The picture above is of Bruno, Liz and I, showing off the Summer Term Academic Program t-shirt (STAP: "graduation comes one class at a time") and flowers we gave to Deb Hanrahan, the lady who deserves the credit for the great summer training that cadets receive.
Overall, the detail provided a plethora of opportunities for me to grow as a leader, but what I'll remember most are the relationships I made with the other cadets who participated. It was a surprisingly pleasant experience.
