The Class Of 2027 Receive Praise, Get Accepted To The Corps Of Cadets

Family, friends and old grads roared with cheer and praise as the Class of 2027 Cadets marched victoriously on The Plain, marking their acceptance into the Corp of Cadets during Acceptance Day (A-Day) on Aug 12 at the U.S. Military Academy.

The excited crowd was welcomed by approximately 4,400 cadets, with members of the Class of 2027 officially becoming plebes (freshmen) during the parade.

Before A-Day, the plebes spent Reorganization Week acquiring textbooks and laptops for the upcoming semester. They also had to rehearse parade formation and marching in cadence on The Plain.

With their acceptance into the Corps, the new cadets will face many challenges in the next 47 months that will test their ability to lead and live honorably with character upon commissioning as second lieutenants.

"I think that as we see the Class of 2027 get accepted into the Corps of Cadets, they will have many opportunities ahead of them as they learn to lead," Superintendent Lt. Gen. Steven Gilland said. "It's also the opportunity for all of the upper class to set the example as role models and exemplars of what this institution represents, which is our Army values and Duty, Honor, Country."

Class of 2023 Cadet First Captain Martayn Van de Wall echoed Gilland's statements and added that the Plebes will face new hardships during the academic year (AY). However, he and the rest of the upperclassmen are ready to pave the way for their success.

"The new cadets worked hard and long this summer to get here today, and to finally welcome them into the corps is a great honor. I know they're incredibly excited. Their families are excited and their companies are excited to welcome them in," Van De Wall said. " But at the same time, this is really just beginning. Plebe year is certainly a tough year. What lies ahead is several months of hard work. But the good news is they have upperclassmen who have been there before to mentor them through that process. And like those that came before them, I'm positive that they'll succeed."

After the parade, the Class of 2027 rushed to meet with their family and friends to revel in the exciting triumph.

"I'd say, mostly, I'm proud of everyone around me. I know we all started in different places and come from backgrounds, but it's perfect to see everybody run through that finish line," Class of 2027 Cadet James Ross said. "But mostly, I'm just proud of all my teammates. Go H-3 Company!"

Ross's father, Ty Ross, was overwhelmed with joy at the sight of his son donning his white over-grays along with the rest of the corps and imparted a few words of wisdom to his son, motivating him to, "just keep moving forward."

"Seeing James as a man made me cry like a baby," Ty Ross said. "The Supe's instructions about having a positive attitude and being a good teammate are words to live by and James took it to heart during the Reception Day introduction. And so, we're excited to be here and I'm just blown away by the process."

Joy and Patrick Smith came out with the rest of the family to represent their daughter, Class of 2027 Cadet Ruby Smith.

"I am filled with immense pride and she's one determined little girl and she just pushed and pushed through that Beast boot camp and she's bonded deeply with her battle buddies," Joy said. "She loves her battle buddies and she loves West Point, and we're extremely proud of her and we love this country and we love the Army."

Patrick added that he was also proud of the rest of the Corps and was happy to watch the entire procession as the public embraced the future leaders of the Army.

"Oh, I'm so proud of her. I'm so proud of all the young people on the field out there today that were welcomed into the to U.S. Military Academy," Patrick said. "It's just an impressive sight and it certainly gives you a grand feeling about the future of America and leadership and I'm just so, so proud."

Cadet Ruby Smith said she was excited to reach this significant milestone and is looking forward to taking everything she learned during Beast and applying it to the AY.

"Right now, I'm just very happy to see my family and to see all my friends meeting with their families. It's a really great feeling after the seven weeks of not being able to talk to them as much as I would have liked," said Class of 2027 Cadet Ruby Smith. "I think the biggest thing I've taken away from Beast (Cadet Basic Training) and Reorganization Week is the types of leadership I've witnessed and how they affect people.

"For the most part, I've seen really good leadership and I feel really grateful for the leaders I've had," she added. "I think that example that they've set on how to treat their subordinates is really important, and that's definitely something that I'll be taking with me in my career at West Point and beyond."