WEST POINT WILL ALWAYS BE HOME

For some children, home is a house or a neighborhood. For others, it is a place defined by rhythm, ritual, and duty. For decades, West Point was home. West Point Will Always Be Home is a deeply personal collection of memories from growing up inside the gates of the United States Military Academy during the 1950s through the 1980s—a world shaped by reveille at dawn, parades on the Plain, and the quiet weight of service that touched every family who lived there. This book captures childhood and adolescence in a place unlike any other. It is about learning to ride bikes along historic paths, watching generations of cadets march toward futures shaped by discipline and sacrifice, and understanding—long before adulthood—that service was not an abstraction, but a way of life. Through everyday moments and lasting traditions, the Academy becomes more than an institution; it becomes a community bound by shared purpose. As the decades unfold, the story reflects a changing America seen through the steady presence of West Point—Cold War tensions, Vietnam, cultural shifts, and evolving ideas of leadership. Yet amid change, some things remained constant: pride, resilience, and the quiet understanding that belonging to West Point meant carrying its values long after leaving its grounds. This is not a military history written in commands and dates. It is a story of growing up surrounded by honor, routine, and responsibility. Of friendships formed in transitory years, and of a place that leaves its mark forever. Evocative and heartfelt, WEST POINT WILL ALWAYS BE HOME: Memories of Growing Up at the United States Military Academy, 1950s–1980s offers readers a rare glimpse into life behind the gates—and the enduring sense of home that never truly fades.