Prepared by Warren Palmer M-2

Class of ’54 Project Manager

Cadet MA Study 

Acknowledgements: LTC Kelly Ward, Professor, Department of Systems Engineering, USMA, is that Department’s manager for the Cadet MA Study. His support has provided a major part of the information presented in this status report. 

The Class of 1954 has an excellent organization for the preparation of Taps articles on our fallen comrades. The class program, of course, is far broader than just Taps articles and includes eulogies on the class web site and the collection of advance information on living class members.

Based on our own experience, it was recognized that perhaps our group could also help future West Point classes and to some extent current ones by having cadets study the problem. To explore this possibility, preliminary contact was made with the Systems Engineering Department at the Academy. They responded in an enthusiastic manner. What was being proposed was a study that would be ideal for cadets. It involved work on a complicated problem vital to honoring our fallen comrades, and whose primary interface would be with the Association of Graduates who are resident on the Academy grounds. Alumni of all classes would play a role in providing a sounding board for the cadet teams on the problems faced by graduates in preparing and submitting Taps articles. 

With informal support from Systems Engineering on a cadet memorial study program, a proposal was submitted to Jack Miller, Class President, and the Class Executive Board. It was suggested that the Class of ’54 take the lead in formally proposing this idea to Systems Engineering and to the Association of Graduates. On 9-10 October 2007, our team visited West Point for initial discussions on class sponsorship from the alumni viewpoint of cadet memorial articles studies. The class team was composed of Jack Miller – President; Bill Epling – Webmaster; Jack Porter – Project Coordinator for the Memorial Committee; and Warren Palmer – Project Manager for the Cadet Memorial Articles Study. LTC Kelly Ward, Professor, Department of Systems Engineering, is that department’s manager for the studies. Jim Johnston, AOG VP for Alumni Support, is the AOG manager and senior point of contact for the AOG. The meetings with both Systems Engineering and AOG went exceptionally well, and the program was endorsed by all involved. 

The program has now been defined in more detail since the October meetings. It consists of a Beta study from January-May 2008 followed by a major study for one academic year starting in the fall of 2008. The Beta study consists of two teams of four cadets each working on elements of a detailed problem statement developed by AOG. The major part of the Cadet Memorial Articles Study will follow in the fall of 2008 for one academic year. It will probably follow the same format for cadet teams as the Beta Study. The purpose of this effort needs to be formulated in detail.  Conceptually it will address the alumni/AOG interface, the current processes by which alumni prepare Taps articles, collection of advance information, optimum class memorial organization, and a means to maintain the current location of all graduates and widows. 

Cadet Beta Study Teams

Below is information provided to Warren Palmer on 10 February on the status of the Beta program by LTC Ward of the Systems Engineering Department - 

“Two cadet project teams, both consisting of four Firsties who are Systems Management majors, were given the initial problem statement and background information for AOG’s Memorial Articles process on 15 January. Each project team then met separately with the project’s client, LTC (R) Jim Johnston (VP for Alumni Support) on 17 January, and then subsequently with LTC (R) Julian Olejniczak (Editor in Chief, Assembly Magazine) on 24 January. The cadet teams have presented interim results for their Stakeholder and Functional analysis to the course instructor (me), and have to present 2 In-Progress-Reviews this week (11 and 15 Feb) in preparation for their first IPR briefing to LTC Johnston on 22 Feb. 

Each cadet team was given the Class of 1954 website as a reference, and each team has also done their own analysis of “other” class websites (some good and bad) to determine how the memorial Articles process is conducted at the user level.  They have been advised to focus their analysis on AOG’s internal processes, but have been encouraged to seek outside sources as needed to accomplish their analysis.”  

Recent information (22 February 2008) from Systems Engineering on the Beta program indicates: ”This analysis of AOG’s internal MA operation is quite involved, and in fact …… an IPR with Jim Johnston (AOG) this morning ….. narrowed the scope of each project team’s analysis to allow them to actually accomplish the work by the appropriate 15 May deadline.  The best result of the IPRs this morning is that each of the cadet teams is now focusing on a more specific, but different portion of the MA process, so the analysis will actually cover more ground.”

The cadets in the Beta Study have taken the initiative on their own to contact old graduates who can provide additional information. The West Point Society of New Jersey (WPSNJ) has also offered on very short notice to assist with alumni support on the Beta program. The supportive response of WPSNJ is most appreciated. It is hoped that they can also be brought into the program to provide an additional dimension from the alumni viewpoint. 

It was planned early on to explore programs by other universities who are leaders in honoring fallen alumni. Plans to do this on an overall basis have not been developed. However, an opportunity occurred recently to establish contact with the Naval Academy on memorial matters. This proposal was cleared with Jim Johnston, AOG VP for Alumni Support. It is now planned to also include the Air Force Academy. Since the real interface with other schools will be accomplished by the cadet teams in the fall, the initial effort to contact other academies is directed toward establishing points of contact for communication for those cadet teams. 

The present overall plan is to standby until the Beta Study is completed. The experience and lessons learned from this effort will then be utilized to formulate the major study in the fall as well as other aspects of the program.