Tony applied to West Point out of high school, but was not selected. Tony enlisted as a medic in the Army and reapplied during his initial entry training.

Tony was accepted into the United States Military Academy Preparatory School and stayed at West Point until the beginning of Sophomore Academic year.

Perceptions of Tony’s physical fitness created a cloud over his performance as a cadet and as a future officer. A cloud Tony couldn’t shake.

Tony left West Point.

Tony would go on to served as a Medic in Combat Surgical Hospitals in Afghanistan and Iraq before innovating patient care and data analytics for the military and earning his PhD in Data Analytics

This is his story.

April grew up in a military family and knew that she wanted to attend West Point at an early age.

April was challenged by the physical and mental aspects of West Point, she found support from multiple sources and success on the West Point Pistol team.

April branched Adjutant General because she wanted to serve soldiers in a direct and tangible way that impacted their daily lives.

April did that throughout her career. Serving her initial Active Duty service obligation in Europe before transitioning to the Reserves to serve in the United States.

April served as a Director at the Soldier and Family Assistance Center, as Chief of Transition Branch for Casualty and Mortuary Affairs, and multiple positions at Command and General Staff College.

April has had a direct impact on the lives of soldiers and their families deploying to and returning from war.

This is her story.

Blayne attended West Point because he wanted the challenge that a traditional university wouldn’t give him.

At West Point Blayne leaned into his talents and interests. The structure of program and the talent of his peers and instructors pushed him to grow.

In the military Blayne was eager to push himself and pull his weight. As a Tank Platoon Leader, Brigade Reconnaissance Platoon Leader, and as an SF Team Leader he embraced the challenge of leadership in garrison and in combat.

When Blayne left the military, he learned that he needed to find purpose through camaraderie and complex challenges again.

Blayne would do that at; Team Red, White, and Blue, GoRuck, and Applied Leadership.

This is his story.

Katie joined West Point inspired by the service of her father and her grandfathers.

Katie had a strong work ethic and a structured and disciplined childhood. She participated in athletics and was academically challenged in highschool.

Katie was prepared for the tangible rigors of West Point, but initially struggled to build a community to sustain her at the Academy.

Katie learned to build and invest in the people around her while at West Point and it has paid great dividends ever since.

Katie continues to build teams and to serve her community. From serving as a Quartermaster in Germany supporting the Warfighter in Afghanistan and Iraq, to serving in the Maryland National Guard in support of soldiers deploying abroad, to serving as an Oncology Nurse at John Hopkins.

This is her story.

David Chiappinelli: Bella’s Bakery - the Secret Recipe

Dave’s older Brother and Lacrosse Coaches were instrumental in inspiring him to apply to West Point.

The physical and academic rigors of West Point put a lot of stress on Dave, but his family and the lacrosse community helped keep him motivated and focused.

Dave graduated from West Point as an Armor Officer and served in South Korea and at Joint Base Lewis McChord in Washington state.

Dave was medically separated from the military in 2004 and returned to New York to work in the finance industry.

Dave was successful in finance for 17 years before striking out to start a family owned and operated business.

In 2021 Dave and his family started Bella’s Bake Shop. Growing and learning about baked goods and small business operations together.

This is his story.

Jeff assumes Company Command in Hawaii and returns to Iraq for a third and fourth tour.

Jeff is accepted for an Olmsted Scholarship and is sent to Western China, where he learns his family history in the region and builds his own.

Jeff returns to the United States for jobs and opportunities in Kansas with Army and in California with Marines before taking Battalion Command in Georgia.

Jeff returns overseas as the role of fires in Eastern Europe increases.

This is the second half of his story.

Jeff grew up in a small town in Ohio with big dreams to see and experience the world.

Jeff was exposed to West Point early in life, and even visited the barracks when his uncle was a cadet. His early preparation and focus earned him a nomination and acceptance to the academy, but it did not prepare him for the breadth of the journey he was about to embark on.

Jeff branched Field Artillery and posted to Germany with the expectation of being deployed to Kosovo for Peace Keeping operations, but stayed in Germany as a part of an Armored Task Force prepared to deploy to Iraq in support of the 173rd Airborne Brigade.

Jeff would deploy to Northern Iraq early in 2003 with the 173rd Airborne and again in 2004 with the 1st Infantry Division.

Jeff would serve in multiple countries across the globe and serve in various positions with the Field Artillery branch in support of the US Army, the Joint Force, and Multinational Forces.

This is the first half of his story.

Roscoe joined the Army as a means to go to college.

Roscoe enlisted as an Explosive Ordnance Disposal soldier. A military occupational specialty with a challenging curriculum and a high training attrition rate.

Roscoe succeeded in that path, and made Non-Commissioned Officer in a short period of time just before the opportunity to attend West Point presented itself.

Roscoe attended the United State Military Academy Preparatory School and West Point graduating with a engineering degree and branching as a Military Police Officer.

Roscoe would deploy to Guantanamo and Iraq leveraging his training as an MP Officer and his experience as an EOD soldier.

The transition to the civilian world and journey to continue Federal service didn’t work out as planned, but Roscoe found his niche and a new way to serve in modeling and simulations.

This is his story.

Nate returned to his home of upstate New York and started a new phase of life. Getting married, getting a civilian job, and joining the National Guard.

Nate left the active force, but couldn’t leave his frenetic work ethic.

As life intensifies Nate leans heavily on the experience and capabilities of his senior NCOs in the Guard. Nate finds that many of the lessons he learns in the Guard can be applied to his civilian career.

This is the second half of his story.

Nate was inspired to apply to West Point based off of its history, but he earned his entrance based off of his frenetic work ethic.

Nate grew up in a small town in upstate New York, participating in every school event possible, working construction with his uncle, and working on farms for cash.

Nate was not recruited to play football at West Point, but when he failed to walk on to the team he was quickly recruited into Rugby.

Nate kept up his high tempo at West Point and as a Junior Officer. Deploying to Kosovo, Honduras, and two times to Afghanistan as an Engineer.

Along the way Nate learned to prioritize his time and enjoy the moments with his friends and his soldiers.

This is the first half of his story.