A 3-day business conference in Boston, extended into a 10 day whirlwind tour of New England in May of 2007, provided that opportunity. It also gave my wife, Louise, her first glimpse of the Northeast.

A stay at The Dan'l Webster Inn, Sandwich, MA preceded the conference. Subsequent stays at The Red Lion Inn, Stockbridge, MA; The Trapp Family Lodge, Stowe, VT; The Mt. Washington Resort, Bretton Woods, NH; and The Portland Harbor Hotel, Portland, ME, rounded out the itinerary.

The visit to NU was brief and hectic as it coincided with the end of the school year. Cadets and parents were hurriedly making their escape from The Hill. Just the same, the experience provided a mix of emotions (mostly pleasant).

Take a moment to sit back and reminisce about your last campus visit. Even if you don't choose to share it with us by writing to me at wmwmwmwm@bellsouth.net, give yourself the opportunity to reflect back upon your Norwich experiences, recent and past.

Hello everyone! If you're inclined to revisit this page, you'll be seeing a fair amount of my writing. Hopefully, it will be a positive experience. I've volunteered to manage this page for the foreseeable future. Since a manual on what-to-say wasn't included with the 30-page manual on how-to-say-it, I'm going to simply put it up and let the editor(s) take it down. Don't let me bore you.

Mad River Glen is celebrating its 60^th. Killington is celebrating its 50^th. Our class is celebrating its 40^th anniversary. That raises a question: Should we really be celebrating our accomplishment; the successful completion of a 4-year academic program set in a military environment, or should we look further?

Perhaps we should be celebrating something that occurred 44 years ago: the decision to attend Norwich. There were more than 400 who made that decision, and it was a tough one. War and unrest surrounded us. Patriotism was a dirty word. Newspapers were rife with bogus body counts. Kids we grew up with were trying to qualify as “4F,” or “1Y.” Others were planning a prolonged vacation in Canada. My Selective Service number is still permanently etched in my brain (28 34 47 1135).

A sample of the 1965 events that served as a backdrop for your decision to attend Norwich:

01/20 – Lyndon B. Johnson is sworn in for his elected term as US President.

02/21 – Malcolm X is assassinated in Manhattan.

03/07 – 200+ Alabama State Troopers clash with 525 civil rights demonstrators in Selma.

03/08 – 3,500+ US Marines become the first American combat troops in Vietnam.

03/24-25 – The first SDS teach-in draws 2,500 participants to the University of Michigan.

03/25 – Martin Luther King, Jr. leads 25,000 civil rights activists into Montgomery, AL

04/05 – “Chim Chim Cher-ee” receives an Oscar for Best Song.

04/17 – SDS draws 25,000 protestors to a march in Washington, DC.

04/28 – Australian PM Menzies announces South Vietnam troop increase.

05/05 – The first draft card burnings occur at University of California, Berkeley.

05/21 – Lyndon Johnson burned in effigy at Berkeley, CA.

07/28 – President Johnson announces US troop increase in South Vietnam from 75,000 to 125,000. The monthly draft is increased from 17,000 to 35,000.

08/15 – The Beatles perform the first stadium concert in history at Shea Stadium.

With civil unrest engulfing us, a world seemingly gone mad, we decided to attend a 4-year private military college where a second lieutenant’s commission and at least a 2-year military obligation was the promise. We passed on love beads, peace symbols, wacky weed, sit-ins, and draft card burning. Now, we celebrate the successful fulfillment of that commitment. We were unique back then and are now even more unique for the experience.

When was the last time you spoke with a Norwich grad? Did you hear it in his voice? Did you happen to see it in his eyes, or the way he carried himself? It’s a sense of humility. Call it unpretentious or modest, but we’ve known a lot of good people who fell by the wayside. We can honestly say, “There, but for the Grace of God, go I.”

One more time, we have the chance to reinforce those bonds that were formed so long ago. One more time, we can touch those feelings, those beliefs that enabled our decision, our commitment. One more time, we can stand in the presence of those who know what sets us apart from the multitudes.

There are less than 200 of us now, and that number will never grow.

Let’s use this reunion as an opportunity to revisit beliefs, values, and decisions that molded our lives and shaped our character. Let’s also share a couple of cold frosties and swap some tall tales. Make your plans now…