West Point Combines History, Tradition, Scenery

It’s hard to imagine a mess call bringing tears to your eyes, but I wasn’t the only one in the crowd getting a bit verklempt as we watched hundreds of West Point cadets marching into Washington Hall for a bite to eat.

The meal formation began innocently enough, when a lone drummer slowly began beating out a marching rhythm. A snare drummer added some pizzazz to the beat, and then two buglers lifted golden horns to their lips and began to play.

Once the buglers chimed in, and the smartly dressed cadets began marching into the mess hall, those of us watching choked up. Maybe they weren’t marching onto a battlefield, but there was still a moving, patriotic reverence to the event, which only faded as the buglers’ last, plaintive notes were carried away by the wind.

You don’t have to be a military nut to appreciate West Point, the Army’s oldest post. Strategically built in 1778 on a promontory overlooking a serpentine twist in New York’s Hudson River, West Point was initially charged with keeping the river safely in American hands.

In 1802, it also became home to the United States Military Academy, which trains Americans in national defense. Today its scenic location, stunning “military Gothic” stone buildings and historical significance make it one of New York’s leading tourist attractions.

Among its many treasures:

Protestant Cadet Chapel. This impressive, 1500-seat structure contains the world’s largest organ, featuring four keyboards and 20,142 pipes ranging in size from a No. 2 pencil to a 32-foot-long tube a person can lay inside. Look for the black Bibles and red hymnals, perfectly lined up in the pews to resemble cadets in formation.

Trophy Point. More than 200 cannons are scattered around this outdoor museum, all captured from various battles. Peek at the Hudson River from this spot, dubbed “the million-dollar view.”

‘Beat Navy’ Tunnel. The Army-Navy football rivalry dates to 1890. The walls of the ‘Beat Navy’ tunnel, a street underpass, contain little brown footballs denoting every year Army was victorious. (Army is behind in the rivalry.) When you emerge on the other end, look for the infamous bleachers etched with the words “ARMY BEAT NAVY.”

Don’t miss the 155-year-old West Point Museum, which sits just outside the post. The museum houses the oldest and largest public collection of military arms, flags, uniforms, accoutrements and paintings in the Western Hemisphere: Chinese battle axes, Confederate Bowie knives–even the silver-bound guestbook of prominent Nazi Herman Goering, which contains the signatures of Hitler, Mussolini and Aga Khan.

Civilians are allowed on post for guided tours and various public events such as concerts, sporting events and cadet reviews. Everyone 16 and older needs a valid photo ID to be admitted on post, and children must be accompanied by adults.

–Melanie Radzicki McManus, Red Editorial Staff
–Photo by Melanie Radzicki McManus