IV
107TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. CON. RES. 332
Recognizing the United States Military Academy on its bicentennial.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
FEBRUARY 14, 2002
Mr. SHIMKUS (for himself, Mr. HINCHEY, Mrs. TAUSCHER, Mr. TAYLOR of
North Carolina, Mr. MCHUGH, and Mrs. KELLY) submitted the following
concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Armed
Services
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Recognizing the United States Military Academy on its
bicentennial.
Whereas many of the Founding Fathers, particularly George
Washington, supported the establishment of a national
military academy to teach the technical arts of war;
Whereas on March 16, 1802, the United States Military
Academy was established at West Point, New York, a lo-
cation that George Washington called the key to the con-
tinent because of its strategic importance during the Rev-
olutionary War, to promote scientific education among,
and attract a diverse array of young men into, the mili-
tary leadership of the United States;
Whereas Sylvanus Thayer served as the superintendent of the
United States Military Academy from 1817 until 1833,
•HCON 332 IH
during which time he established a strong academic pro-
gram, demanded strict adherence to discipline, and em-
phasized moral and ethical conduct;
Whereas the United States Military Academy was the first
school in the United States to teach engineering, and
produced graduates who were responsible for the con-
struction of many of the Nation’s first railroads, harbors,
bridges, roads, and canals;
Whereas graduates of the United States Military Academy
taught many of the first engineering courses offered at
colleges and universities in the United States;
Whereas Douglas MacArthur served as the superintendent of
the United States Military Academy from 1919 until
1922 and sought to modernize the Academy and prepare
it for the challenges of the 20th century;
Whereas graduates of the United States Military Academy
have served with character and distinction in every war
and military action in which the United States has been
engaged since the War of 1812;
Whereas 74 of the recipients of the Medal of Honor were
graduates of the United States Military Academy;
Whereas the supervisor of the Panama Canal project and the
director of the Manhattan Project were graduates of the
United States Military Academy;
Whereas President Ulysses S. Grant and President Dwight
D. Eisenhower were graduates of the United States Mili-
tary Academy;
Whereas graduates of the United States Military Academy
have served in Federal, State, and local government, in-
cluding as members of the Senate and House of Rep-
resentatives of the United States;
•HCON 332 IH
Whereas dozens of graduates of the United States Military
Academy have served as astronauts, including Edward H.
White, II, the first American to walk in space, and
Edwin E. ‘‘Buzz’’ Aldrin, Jr., and David R. Scott, who
both walked on the moon;
Whereas many graduates of the United States Military Acad-
emy have served in industry, providing the managerial
and technical expertise to make the free enterprise sys-
tem of the United States admired worldwide;
Whereas the United States Military Academy has provided an
opportunity for thousands of men and women of all races,
religions, and cultures to receive an education and begin
a life of service to the Army and the United States; and
Whereas the motto of the United States Military Academy,
‘‘Duty, Honor, Country’’, exemplifies the spirit of the Re-
public: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring), That Congress recognizes the United States
Military Academy on its bicentennial for instilling out-
standing leadership skills in its graduates, upholding the
highest virtues of the people of the United States, and pro-
viding 58,000 graduates with the skills necessary to serve
the Army, the United States, and friends of freedom and
liberty worldwide.
Æ