West Point Exchange Program
Story and photos by Phyllis Smalley

Click on the photos to link to a larger printable image.

A group of parents from the New York Hudson Valley Parents Club host the Exchange Mids up at West Point. We have Tail Gate Parties at every home Army Game. We get a lot of good natured kidding about our Navy Flag - "Hey, you've made a wrong turn - should have turned left instead of right at the bridge!", "Those are fighting colors!" and our favorite was when an Army Dad came up and whispered to a Navy Dad - "Ummm - sorry to be the one to tell you this, but you're at the wrong Academy!" :-)

Our first Party for the 2002 season was on Saturday, September 7th. We had an absolutely beautiful day - the sun was shining, the grass was green and the laughter was contagious! We had most of the Exchange Midshipmen show up (some had prior commitments) and several Air Force Cadets joined the fun. We all had a great time!

Our Mids are getting involved with the active life up at West Point, joining many clubs and teams such as the Swim and Marathon. Two of the Mids sang with the West Point Glee Club down at the World Trade Center on September 11th while President Bush was present. If you look closely, you can see their dress blues. The Mids do miss Annapolis and are keeping in touch with all their friends. They look forward to returning to their "real home" in January.

I have also included a couple of pictures of the beautiful Hudson River looking down from the Bear Mountain Bridge and a scenic lookout. The Bear Mountain Bridge is just a short distance from West Point. It's nice to see that both Academies have beautiful water views!

We look forward to our next Tail Gate Party on September 21st! If you're in the neighborhood, come look for us on Tower Road - the Navy colors will be flying proudly.