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Latino West Point graduate speaks about overcoming challenges during National Hispanic Heritage Month Observance

By Eric Bartelt Pointer View Managing EditorOctober 26, 2023

Guest speaker Jesus Terrones, U.S. Military Academy 1999 graduate and currently the vice president of fulfillment transformation at Weatherford, a global energy services company in Houston, addressed a captive audience about his experiences of...
1 / 15 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Guest speaker Jesus Terrones, U.S. Military Academy 1999 graduate and currently the vice president of fulfillment transformation at Weatherford, a global energy services company in Houston, addressed a captive audience about his experiences of growing up in a migrant worker’s family, his appointment to West Point and his current role working in the corporate world during the 2023 USMA National Hispanic Heritage Month Observance Oct. 18 at the West Point Club. (Photo Credit: Eric S. Bartelt/PV) VIEW ORIGINAL
Guest speaker Jesus Terrones, U.S. Military Academy 1999 graduate and currently the vice president of fulfillment transformation at Weatherford, a global energy services company in Houston, addressed a captive audience about his experiences of...
2 / 15 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Guest speaker Jesus Terrones, U.S. Military Academy 1999 graduate and currently the vice president of fulfillment transformation at Weatherford, a global energy services company in Houston, addressed a captive audience about his experiences of growing up in a migrant worker’s family, his appointment to West Point and his current role working in the corporate world during the 2023 USMA National Hispanic Heritage Month Observance Oct. 18 at the West Point Club. (Photo Credit: Eric S. Bartelt/V) VIEW ORIGINAL
Guest speaker Jesus Terrones, U.S. Military Academy 1999 graduate and currently the vice president of fulfillment transformation at Weatherford, a global energy services company in Houston, addressed a captive audience about his experiences of...
3 / 15 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Guest speaker Jesus Terrones, U.S. Military Academy 1999 graduate and currently the vice president of fulfillment transformation at Weatherford, a global energy services company in Houston, addressed a captive audience about his experiences of growing up in a migrant worker’s family, his appointment to West Point and his current role working in the corporate world during the 2023 USMA National Hispanic Heritage Month Observance Oct. 18 at the West Point Club. (Photo Credit: Eric S. Bartelt/PV) VIEW ORIGINAL
Guest speaker Jesus Terrones, U.S. Military Academy 1999 graduate and currently the vice president of fulfillment transformation at Weatherford, a global energy services company in Houston, addressed a captive audience about his experiences of...
4 / 15 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Guest speaker Jesus Terrones, U.S. Military Academy 1999 graduate and currently the vice president of fulfillment transformation at Weatherford, a global energy services company in Houston, addressed a captive audience about his experiences of growing up in a migrant worker’s family, his appointment to West Point and his current role working in the corporate world during the 2023 USMA National Hispanic Heritage Month Observance Oct. 18 at the West Point Club. (Photo Credit: Eric S. Bartelt/PV) VIEW ORIGINAL
Guest speaker Jesus Terrones, U.S. Military Academy 1999 graduate and currently the vice president of fulfillment transformation at Weatherford, a global energy services company in Houston, addressed a captive audience about his experiences of...
5 / 15 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Guest speaker Jesus Terrones, U.S. Military Academy 1999 graduate and currently the vice president of fulfillment transformation at Weatherford, a global energy services company in Houston, addressed a captive audience about his experiences of growing up in a migrant worker’s family, his appointment to West Point and his current role working in the corporate world during the 2023 USMA National Hispanic Heritage Month Observance Oct. 18 at the West Point Club. (Photo Credit: Eric S. Bartelt/PV) VIEW ORIGINAL
Guest speaker Jesus Terrones, U.S. Military Academy 1999 graduate and currently the vice president of fulfillment transformation at Weatherford, a global energy services company in Houston, addressed a captive audience about his experiences of...
6 / 15 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Guest speaker Jesus Terrones, U.S. Military Academy 1999 graduate and currently the vice president of fulfillment transformation at Weatherford, a global energy services company in Houston, addressed a captive audience about his experiences of growing up in a migrant worker’s family, his appointment to West Point and his current role working in the corporate world during the 2023 USMA National Hispanic Heritage Month Observance Oct. 18 at the West Point Club. (Photo Credit: Eric S. Bartelt/PV) VIEW ORIGINAL
Guest speaker Jesus Terrones, U.S. Military Academy 1999 graduate and currently the vice president of fulfillment transformation at Weatherford, a global energy services company in Houston, addressed a captive audience about his experiences of...
7 / 15 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Guest speaker Jesus Terrones, U.S. Military Academy 1999 graduate and currently the vice president of fulfillment transformation at Weatherford, a global energy services company in Houston, addressed a captive audience about his experiences of growing up in a migrant worker’s family, his appointment to West Point and his current role working in the corporate world during the 2023 USMA National Hispanic Heritage Month Observance Oct. 18 at the West Point Club. (Photo Credit: Eric S. Bartelt/PV) VIEW ORIGINAL
Guest speaker Jesus Terrones, U.S. Military Academy 1999 graduate and currently the vice president of fulfillment transformation at Weatherford, a global energy services company in Houston, addressed a captive audience about his experiences of...
8 / 15 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Guest speaker Jesus Terrones, U.S. Military Academy 1999 graduate and currently the vice president of fulfillment transformation at Weatherford, a global energy services company in Houston, addressed a captive audience about his experiences of growing up in a migrant worker’s family, his appointment to West Point and his current role working in the corporate world during the 2023 USMA National Hispanic Heritage Month Observance Oct. 18 at the West Point Club. (Photo Credit: Eric S. Bartelt/PV) VIEW ORIGINAL
Guest speaker Jesus Terrones, U.S. Military Academy 1999 graduate and currently the vice president of fulfillment transformation at Weatherford, a global energy services company in Houston, addressed a captive audience about his experiences of...
9 / 15 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Guest speaker Jesus Terrones, U.S. Military Academy 1999 graduate and currently the vice president of fulfillment transformation at Weatherford, a global energy services company in Houston, addressed a captive audience about his experiences of growing up in a migrant worker’s family, his appointment to West Point and his current role working in the corporate world during the 2023 USMA National Hispanic Heritage Month Observance Oct. 18 at the West Point Club. (Photo Credit: Eric S. Bartelt/PV) VIEW ORIGINAL
Guest speaker Jesus Terrones, U.S. Military Academy 1999 graduate and currently the vice president of fulfillment transformation at Weatherford, a global energy services company in Houston, addressed a captive audience about his experiences of...
10 / 15 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Guest speaker Jesus Terrones, U.S. Military Academy 1999 graduate and currently the vice president of fulfillment transformation at Weatherford, a global energy services company in Houston, addressed a captive audience about his experiences of growing up in a migrant worker’s family, his appointment to West Point and his current role working in the corporate world during the 2023 USMA National Hispanic Heritage Month Observance Oct. 18 at the West Point Club. (Photo Credit: Eric S. Bartelt/PV) VIEW ORIGINAL
Guest speaker Jesus Terrones, U.S. Military Academy 1999 graduate and currently the vice president of fulfillment transformation at Weatherford, a global energy services company in Houston, addressed a captive audience about his experiences of...
11 / 15 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Guest speaker Jesus Terrones, U.S. Military Academy 1999 graduate and currently the vice president of fulfillment transformation at Weatherford, a global energy services company in Houston, addressed a captive audience about his experiences of growing up in a migrant worker’s family, his appointment to West Point and his current role working in the corporate world during the 2023 USMA National Hispanic Heritage Month Observance Oct. 18 at the West Point Club. (Photo Credit: Eric S. Bartelt/PV) VIEW ORIGINAL
Guest speaker Jesus Terrones, U.S. Military Academy 1999 graduate and currently the vice president of fulfillment transformation at Weatherford, a global energy services company in Houston, addressed a captive audience about his experiences of...
12 / 15 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Guest speaker Jesus Terrones, U.S. Military Academy 1999 graduate and currently the vice president of fulfillment transformation at Weatherford, a global energy services company in Houston, addressed a captive audience about his experiences of growing up in a migrant worker’s family, his appointment to West Point and his current role working in the corporate world during the 2023 USMA National Hispanic Heritage Month Observance Oct. 18 at the West Point Club. (Photo Credit: Eric S. Bartelt/PV) VIEW ORIGINAL
Guest speaker Jesus Terrones, U.S. Military Academy 1999 graduate and currently the vice president of fulfillment transformation at Weatherford, a global energy services company in Houston, addressed a captive audience about his experiences of...
13 / 15 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Guest speaker Jesus Terrones, U.S. Military Academy 1999 graduate and currently the vice president of fulfillment transformation at Weatherford, a global energy services company in Houston, addressed a captive audience about his experiences of growing up in a migrant worker’s family, his appointment to West Point and his current role working in the corporate world during the 2023 USMA National Hispanic Heritage Month Observance Oct. 18 at the West Point Club. (Photo Credit: Eric S. Bartelt/PV) VIEW ORIGINAL
Guest speaker Jesus Terrones, U.S. Military Academy 1999 graduate and currently the vice president of fulfillment transformation at Weatherford, a global energy services company in Houston, addressed a captive audience about his experiences of...
14 / 15 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Guest speaker Jesus Terrones, U.S. Military Academy 1999 graduate and currently the vice president of fulfillment transformation at Weatherford, a global energy services company in Houston, addressed a captive audience about his experiences of growing up in a migrant worker’s family, his appointment to West Point and his current role working in the corporate world during the 2023 USMA National Hispanic Heritage Month Observance Oct. 18 at the West Point Club. (Photo Credit: Eric S. Bartelt/PV) VIEW ORIGINAL
Guest speaker Jesus Terrones, U.S. Military Academy 1999 graduate and currently the vice president of fulfillment transformation at Weatherford, a global energy services company in Houston, addressed a captive audience about his experiences of...
15 / 15 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Guest speaker Jesus Terrones, U.S. Military Academy 1999 graduate and currently the vice president of fulfillment transformation at Weatherford, a global energy services company in Houston, addressed a captive audience about his experiences of growing up in a migrant worker’s family, his appointment to West Point and his current role working in the corporate world during the 2023 USMA National Hispanic Heritage Month Observance Oct. 18 at the West Point Club. (Photo Credit: Eric S. Bartelt/PV) VIEW ORIGINAL

It is a tale as old as time, one of struggle but also of great perseverance in overcoming the conditions set in one’s youth, but due to the diligence and the belief in yourself and your dreams, it opens the aperture to a new world and a promising future.

Guest speaker Jesus Terrones, U.S. Military Academy 1999 graduate and currently the vice president of fulfillment transformation at Weatherford, a global energy services company in Houston, addressed a captive audience about his experiences of growing up in a migrant worker’s family, his appointment to West Point and his current role working in the corporate world during the 2023 USMA National Hispanic Heritage Month Observance Oct. 18 at the West Point Club.

The observance, which honors Hispanic Heritage Month from Sept. 15-Oct. 15, included a display presented by Lisa Gomez, USMA Library exhibition librarian, from the library’s archives and special collections that consisted of letters, diaries, memoirs and photographs of West Point graduates on their unique perspective as Hispanic Americans and several books and posters to complement the National Hispanic Heritage Month Observance display.

Lt. Col. Tod Addison, USMA Equal Opportunity Program manager, welcomed the guest speaker to the podium and Terrones began his speech on the theme of the event, “Todos somos, somos uno: We are all. We are one,” and how it was the best theme for a Hispanic Heritage celebration that he has ever seen or heard before sharing his background and testimony.

Terrones highlighted three simple concepts that he said were consistent with his heritage and experiences – faith, persistence and gratitude.

A first-generation Mexican American who was born in the border town of McAllen, Texas, also known as the Rio Grande Valley or “El Valle,” to migrant farmworkers, Terrones moved with his dad to Houston at 8 years old after his parents divorced and lived along with his younger brother, Jose, in a barrio (neighborhood) close to downtown where Spanish was the primary language.

He grew up in a poverty-stricken area replete with crime, drugs and alcoholism as he, his dad and brother worked on a migrant farm. During the summer, they worked in labor camps in several states, including Florida, South Carolina, Virginia, Idaho and Texas.

“We did jobs like picking tomatoes, oranges, grapefruit, cucumbers, squash and others, and sometimes detasseled corn and hoed weeds the entire season,” Terrones said. “My brother, dad and I would migrate a month before the school year ended, and then we would return to Houston about a month after the school year started. We were racing back to the labor camps to make sure we got housing for the season.”

The 1999 cadet recipient of the Henry O. Flipper Award, which is given to a firstie cadet who exudes leadership and perseverance in the face of unusual circumstances and critical hardships, remarked how the ditches that irrigated the fields were sometimes their outdoor plumbing, or there were times they couldn’t find housing and had to live in their vehicle.

They would return to Houston, where his classmates wondered why he would disappear every year.

“It was not until the second semester of my senior year that my counselor found out that I was a migrant farm worker,” Terrones said. “While in Houston (during the school year), for years we worked for a family in a Houston suburb mowing their yard, maintaining their swimming pool, and doing anything else my dad and I could do for them such as washing their cars, painting their house or doing plumbing. During the evenings, we’d go to the business they owned where we would clean their offices. That’s just how it was for me, and that’s how I grew up.”

During his high school freshman year, while participating in JROTC class, a poster on the wall stood out to him and became his beacon of hope toward a promising future.

“I saw a poster on the wall with a bunch of people in formation wearing long gray coats,” Terrones said. “They looked sharp and that got my attention. At the top of the poster, it read ‘United States Military Academy at West Point.’”

From that point forward, Terrones learned more about the academy and asked questions about it in his U.S. History class, which was taught by his soccer coach. He could not stop thinking about West Point. The only question for him was if it were even a realistic possibility.

“From that day (seeing the West Point poster), I could not hear the words West Point without butterflies taking over my stomach,” Terrones said. “I truly believed it was God guiding me toward my path.”

Then one day, his dad’s boss, who was also a Vietnam veteran, asked Terrones what he wanted to do after high school, he replied with “West Point,” and the veteran’s response was, “It’s very difficult to get in, but if you do … it will change your life.”

“Those words resonated with me,” Terrones said. “While it was a noble way of making a living, and quite frankly, it was our version of the American dream … I did not want to do migrant farm work for the rest of my life like my grandfather and my father did.”

His dad, while not understanding West Point, pushed his son to work hard and take advantage of the opportunities this country offers, which his dad never had.

Over the next three years, Terrones committed to learning the West Point admissions process, practiced his pull-ups, signed up for as many clubs and sports to make it easy for West Point to notice his portfolio.

His senior year, he applied. He was hungry as he captained the varsity soccer team and received good grades in his honors courses, clawing his way up to the top 10 of his class.

“Then one day, I finally got that notification from West Point admissions and guess what it said? I did not get in,” Terrones said. “West Point closed my file. I was devastated … it almost broke me.”

His story was not supposed to end that way. His parents and grandparents instilled a strong faith in him, which he calls his greatest inheritance, and while growing up poor, his dad said that God loves the poor and humble, which made him believe, “the first will be last, and the last will one day be first.”

Terrones called West Point several times to “help them fix their mistake,” as the audience laughed at the subtle wit he made with that statement.

“I was hoping for a different answer, but they finally told me to stop calling,” Terrones said. “They said their response would not change, but I should contact a local admissions volunteer, Col. Randy Pais … when I called him, I learned he was a member of the Class of 1967.”

When the two started talking, Pais was surprised at Terrones’ background story and the tough times he endured to make a better life for himself. He asked Terrones a bunch of questions and then came the most important one, “What does West Point mean to you?”

Terrones said he lost it. He had tears in his eyes while struggling to pronounce his words and then he said that West Point means “everything to me.”

“It was my way out of migrant farm work,” Terrones said. “West Point was my way of proudly driving my family flag in the ground in this amazing country. I wanted my future kids to feel proud, and to feel they deserved to be a part of this amazing land of opportunity.”

After their conversation, a few days later he called Pais back and he told him to call West Point in a few days. He did what was requested, then later received a letter informing him he was not qualified for West Point, but he had been accepted to the U.S. Military Academy Preparatory School.

“I had to prove myself at USMAPS, and if I did, I could go to West Point the following year,” Terrones said. “I remember thinking that I would commit my all to proving myself. Interestingly, USMAPS was the first time I had my own bed, three guaranteed meals a day and no distractions.

“It was my faith that kept me going for many years, and it was this place and this community we call West Point that changed my life and my trajectory,” Terrones said. “I like to believe I am a humble guy, but inside, I feel immense pride to be a part of this community. When I visit this place, you all make me feel like I am back home. I remind myself … I am in a place where influential leaders were made and that even today, I walk among you – I walk among giants. I am eternally grateful.”

The day he left for USMAPS, he almost didn’t get on the plane at the Houston airport. He felt guilty he was betraying his family as he pursued his dream while his siblings, including two sisters, and parents were struggling. It weighed on him and he was emotional in the hotel the night before he reported to USMAPS.

He committed further to make the sacrifice worthwhile. However, it did not come easy. He held decent grades militarily and did well in physical fitness, but his academics tested his limits.

He spoke about how he always seemed to take the longer stressful route to cross the finish line. He failed an English class, the West Point Professional Writing Exam (WPPWE), and had to retake it his firstie year. He was doing remarkable things as he earned his Air Assault Badge and Airborne wings while achieving an Army Achievement Medal during his Cadet Troop Leader Training in South Korea throughout that summer. But it would all be in vain if he did not pass the WPPWE, but he eventually passed it.

As an aviator, he was assigned an Apache as his aircraft, and there is a phase called, “The Bag.” That’s when they cover the cockpit and it’s extremely dark, and the pilot has to fly using only the helmet display, which is a small screen over his or her right eye. It messed with Terrones vision and mind, making it difficult for him to fly. He got recycled, but eventually, he did it.

When he was in Harvard Business School, earning his degree was conditional of him successfully completing his accounting and finance classes, and he had to pass with a B and do it within a month. He did it.

He joked that even when he asked his longtime girlfriend since the eighth grade to marry him, she said yes … after the second request.

He talked about the many friends he made at West Point that helped him along the way, some of whom attended the Hispanic Heritage event, including 1999 classmates Col. Khanh Diep, USMA Chief of Staff; Col. Brian Jacobs, West Point garrison commander; and Lt. Col. Shoshannah Lane, German instructor in the Department of Foreign Languages.

Lane attended his wedding, as did his best man and great friend, classmate Capt. Ben Smith, who was his roommate during their firstie year and in flight school.

“Unfortunately, he is no longer with us as he was killed while serving in Iraq,” Terrones said. “Today, you’ll find his class ring on display at the library … I say a prayer every time I see it. Every anniversary, I remember Smitty, and my wife and I celebrate his life as well as our anniversary.”

Terrones spoke about how his faith and perseverance were tested many times, but he committed to his work and his faith because he still felt like he was one of God’s favorites.

“That’s how I have been able to muster the courage to commit to challenges I have faced or to unrealistic goals I’ve wanted to achieve,” Terrones said.

He talked about an interview he had seen on Deion Sanders, who said, “My top plays happened in practice when no one was looking … I practiced like I played,” when referring to character and accomplishing the mission.

“This reminds me of what we learn here about one’s character, which is represented by the actions you take when no one is watching,” Terrones said. “You have to be honest and fair with yourself. You have to remain committed to what you set out to accomplish. You can always come up with many justifications or excuses to quit, but I know people today who struggle with the regret of not following through.”

With that statement, he focused on speaking to the cadets in the audience about the importance of “leading from the front.” From advice he received while at USMAPS, officers in the U.S. Army should always run fast in their unit run, max out their PT test – basically demonstrating leadership in PT to build your leadership credibility.

After getting to his unit with attack platoon – A Company, 1-229th Aviation Regiment (Airborne) at Fort Bragg (Liberty) – he had his struggles to be tactically and technically proficient while demonstrating “High levels of confidence,” with the warrant officers in his unit.

“They respected my efforts,” Terrones said. “I would always shoot for the highest scores in the battalion written test that the instructor pilots would give us.”

During a long-range night exercise, while at the National Training Center in Fort Irwin, California, Terrones made some decisions that saved the battlefield that day and received a “Hero of the Battle” coin in front of the battalion.

“That was a pivotal moment in my career … as a reward, I got to be the lead aircraft in a flight of 18 Army helicopters flying from California back to Fort Bragg (Liberty), North Carolina,” Terrones said. “It was the summer after 9/11, and we soon deployed to Afghanistan. As a result, my battalion commander extended my platoon leader time creating a role that did not exist in our company at the time, which was a company XO, and I flew every combat mission with my platoon.”

Following his time at Fort Liberty, he came to West Point, his last duty station, to serve as an Admissions Outreach officer, a Public Affairs special assistant and filled in as an Admissions Northeast Regional commander.

“Working in admissions here was perhaps the most rewarding job I ever had,” Terrones said. “I was able to help young men and women achieve an important milestone in their lives, and it reminded me of mine. I still keep in touch with many of them. They keep me young. I am 47 years old now, and I count my blessings every single day.”

After leaving the Army, he attended business school for two years and then returned to Houston. Through his job, he has visited over 30 countries while living more than two years in Muscat, Oman, and then another two years in Singapore before returning home.

It was a great experience for his three children: Talia, 10; Alejandro, 16; and his oldest, David, to live aboard. His oldest son is currently a USMA Class of 2027 plebe in Company D-3, and Terrones said he “could not be prouder of him.”

David has musical talents, and he was on the path to attending the Berklee College of Music in Boston to live out his musical talents before he made a stark decision.

“While I hoped he’d come here, I wanted him to pursue his own path,” Terrones said. “It’s difficult to get into Berklee. You have to write your own songs and you have to perform them … and he made it. I encouraged him to go there because that’s where I saw his talents.

“However, he firmly told me he wanted to do something special with his life and wanted to be around special people,” he added. “That is why West Point topped his list. That was the last time we ever discussed college options.”

As Terrones finished his speech, he summarized in those three words he mentioned earlier – faith, persistence and gratitude.

“As I see it, we have to believe in something greater than ourselves … this still gives me purpose and the courage to set on a new journey every day,” Terrones said. “Faith reminds you that you are not alone. It is important to recognize that there are few things in life that you can achieve on your own. Even today, I still lean on my mentors.”

He talked about one of his mentors, Rey Reza, USMA Class of 1984, who reached out to him while he was a plebe at the academy and then Terrones followed his path to aviation and Harvard Business School.

“Without a purpose or goal, you may wander aimlessly without a need to draw on your full potential,” Terrones said. “I highly encourage you to accept the fact that you will have setbacks, whether it’s in your personal life, academic journey or professional career – you will not always get what you want, how you want it, or when you want it.

“You have to rehearse how you will respond in those moments and that is when you have to create one of your best plays,” he added. “Your persistence can mold you into something special. To the cadets, you cannot do this alone. Something I learned is you cannot graduate from this place on your own. Seek help and be the best teammate you can be. You really have to sharpen your self-awareness and lead yourself to greatness.”

Then as a proud Mexican American with strong Hispanic roots, he humbly said this is the best land of opportunity in the world. His brother served with the 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment and made a combat jump into Afghanistan shortly after 9/11.

“Not only did both of my father’s sons serve, but today, my father has four out of his six grandkids (who are of age) who are either a cadet at West Point or specialists in the Army – it’s only fitting as this country has given our family so much,” Terrones said. “All of my blessings stemmed from my parents’ decision to come to this country, and I always try to show my gratitude by making the best out of the opportunities this nation afforded me and to bring more meaning to my parents’ sacrifice.”

Advice to cadets to being back at West Point

After his speech, Terrones took some questions from the predominantly cadet audience and offered some advice from a question tailored to provide cadets encouragement in a challenging world.

“(The cadets) worked so hard to get here. You have to go through so many rigors, so much demand, so much physical fitness, medicals, applications as this is one of the hardest institutions to get into, yet you are here,” Terrones said. “You have to remember why you did that. Why were you willing to go through that? Why did you decide on this institution over any other … because if you made it here, you could have gone to many other places – but you’re here.

“You came here because it was a steppingstone to something greater, and I ask that you remember that,” he added. “You know that there was going to be sacrifice and you know there was a sense of service. Don’t forget that because you have a higher purpose in life – and if you’re coming here that is what it’s all about.”

Terrones also told the cadets it is important to ask for help when times are tough with academics, physical fitness or any array of things that may prove problematic at the academy.

“You can’t graduate alone, so you have to get help. You have your classmates and that’s perhaps the best resource,” Terrones said. “They can tutor you. They can help you workout and they can get you through the tough times, and that’s how the best friendships of your life will be developed here.”

He was then asked about the benefits of being Hispanic and being bilingual and how it helped as a leader in the Army.

“As a leader, one of the best traits you can have is communication. Having a plan is one thing, but clearly communicating to your subordinates and making sure they understand the expectations is the most important thing,” Terrones said. “Even if you don’t speak Spanish well, just the attempt is very highly respected by your Spanish-speaking Soldiers, and that is true even in corporate America today. If you can, take Spanish, which is a gift and that is a neat thing to put into your leadership toolbox.”

The last question he received was from a female cadet who grew up in the New York inner city and if he had advice to cadets who grew up in impoverished conditions, much like Terrones, and how to overcome those circumstances even with continuing family struggles to achieve at West Point and beyond in the years ahead to also help others.

“My advice to you would be to focus on yourself,” he said. “There is very little you can do right now, but when you graduate from this place you are at a different level, and it opens doors. You will walk through those doors, and you will create opportunities not just for yourself but for others as well.

“Graduating from here and setting a great example of being the best you can be, people will notice and that alone inspires them to do something,” Terrones added. “Whatever it is they want to do, you give them that courage. And, of course, mentoring and pull them up as you climb.”

After the ceremony, Terrones had some time to reflect on being back at West Point among old friends and colleagues, and while he has done many speeches, he was a bit anxious with this audience.

“I was nervous because of the meaning of this speech … but, at the same time, I knew that some of the cadets needed to hear it. I knew my son needed to hear it and I know they all have their own little struggles here because it is hard,” Terrones said. “This place is hard with time management and stuff … they come to a place like this that is so demanding and have to be on their own and prove themselves every day – it’s hard for them. I knew a lot of them needed to hear it and I feel good about it, and I feel privileged to be able to do it.”

He also said the best words of advice he could give them is the daunting process here is over two centuries old, so it is a proven process. He has been around the world and said other nations envy the process from Asia to the Middle East as “there is this prestige about West Point.”

“If it were easy, I don’t think we would have the reputation as West Pointers. To me, be part of the process and as they say, ‘it’s about the journey not the destination,’ and this is one of the most important parts of your journey and you need to recognize that,” Terrones said. “Make the best out of it even through your struggles. As someone once said, ‘embrace the suck,’ as I saw a poster with that saying when I did the 14-mile foot march with my son (during March Back) and that summed it up. Again, it’s a two-century old process that has proven to provide some great leadership development to many people who impacted the world.”

He then got to unwind and speak a little about his experience of being the proud father of a plebe at the academy.

“I try to think of things that can top that, and it is hard to find something to top how proud I am that he is here,” Terrones said. “One of my mentors told me and confirms that now it is a legacy. We have our family name here and he solidifies it. What a privilege with my love for this country to have my son being groomed to be a leader in this country and to serve in the U.S. Army – there are very few things in life that can top that.

“I went to Harvard Business School, and I mention that only because it has a very strong network … but, to me, I’m always gravitated back to this place and to these people because there is a brotherhood and a sisterhood that you cannot match or find anywhere else,” Terrones said. “I don’t care how powerful a network they say (Harvard has), this is the only place where people are willing to die for each other and make the ultimate sacrifice to preserve something bigger than themselves.”

With the day being a celebration of Hispanic Heritage, Terrones said it was not always easy when he was doing migrant farm work or living in labor camps all over the United States. He remembers vividly the times when the migrant farm workers would load onto a bus and drive to Walmart, and everyone would see them – it was a struggle in his mind.

“As I got older, I felt like that’s what represented my family name,” Terrones said. “But, at the time, it was our version of the American dream because we were in this country and that was a blessing, and we were making U.S. dollars. My dad was making more doing that than as a CPA in Mexico, where he really struggled to put himself through school. However, to me, now elevating our name and to have been entrusted to lead Soldiers and millions of dollars of equipment in a combat environment – it’s a big deal.”

Overall, serving in the Army for five years as an aviator were “the proudest five years of my life.” He was doing something meaningful from his deployment to working in admissions. In his personal life, he got married and made amazing friendships, but it was always about throwing on that BDU top.

“You throw that BDU top on and it’s got your family name, it’s got the U.S. Army and the U.S. Flag on it, and that is probably the closest I will ever feel in my life to being a superhero – I miss that,” Terrones said. “I throw on a suit now, it’s worth a little bit more than a BDU top but the value of that BDU top is priceless and I hope these cadets don’t take that for granted or our Soldiers.”

While being back at West Point brought out emotions of his friend Smitty or having close friends around like the garrison commander and the chief of staff, but all of it reminds him where he came from when he would hoe weeds and detassel corn from sunrise to sunset to the joy he now gets to see his West Point classmates because to him “it’s a family, a family for life.”

“It’s great to see them, it’s so great to be back and, of course, there is my son – there is no better place than this,” Terrones said. “I love my home in Houston, but outside of my home there is no better place in the world. A piece of my heart is here, and when I come back, I find it over again. I left a lot of me here, a lot of tears during moments I was facing here or sometimes just tears of joy because I couldn’t believe I was here. It’s just a spiritual experience, it’s a homecoming.”