Hamburger Hill

West Point, Class of 1974

1974

Admitted

1967 – 1

1968 – 1

1969 – 12

1970 – 819

Graduated – 833

Time at West Point:

Upon arriving at West Point in the summer of 1970, the question every new cadet tacitly pondered was whether they would serve in Vietnam at some point during their time in service.

The country was deeply divided over the war, and nationwide anti-war demonstrations came to a tragic climax with the killing of four and wounding of nine other unarmed Kent State University students by the Ohio National Guard on May 4, 1970.

Despite division over the war, 1377 new cadets entered the Academy out of over 6,000 applicants. On his way to perform for the troops in Vietnam, Bob Hope and his entourage, stopped at West Point on December 15, 1970, for a special Christmas show. And on May 29, 1971, President Nixon visited the academy with a message of assurance that no graduates from the Class of 1974 would be deployed to Vietnam, although this news was a little late for our future First Captain Jack Pattison, who had fought on Hamburger Hill in that conflict as an enlisted man, before attending the Prep School and subsequently West Point.

French & Dad at Graduation; it had been a LONG way from Summer School for Chemistry

While most of the class members were on summer leave, a few to summer school, army orientation training, or airborne school, a federal appeals court ruled on June 30, 1972, that mandatory chapel was unconstitutional, thus ending a years-long tradition at West Point. On July 1, 1973, President Nixon fulfilled a re-election promise by ending the draft and ushering in the era of an all-volunteer army.

Distinguished scholars among the 833 graduates included Andrew Green and Thomas Downar recognized with the Hertz Foundation Award; Dwight Helton and Willis Marti awarded the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship; Kerry Pierce awarded the Rhodes Scholarship; and Michael Reopel awarded a White House Fellowship. French was not distinguished, attending summer school in 1972 for Chemistry, and graduating number 724 of 833!

Dave Petraeus and fiancée at graduation

Environment upon Graduation:

The Class of 1974 entered a peacetime Army divided between draftees and enlistees who served in Vietnam, and volunteers who had no combat experience. Graduates were immediately challenged to address post-war issues such as low morale, racial tensions, and unit readiness as the Army transitioned from the Vietnam war to more defensive missions in Western Europe and South Korea. The class also provided exemplary leadership regarding the integration and development of women into combat support units. Missions and training broadened to include desert warfare in anticipation of conflicts in the Middle East.

Receiving Diploma from Superintendent, Lieutenant General William Knowlton. The “Supe” was probably more surprised than I was!

Career Highlights:

Members of the Class of 1974 served in assignments around the globe and played a key role in providing frontline combat leadership in the Gulf War (1990-1991), the Iraq War (2003-2011), and the Global War on Terror. No members of the Class were killed in action or died while in captivity. Twenty-five members of the Class became General Officers, including four 4-star generals, three 3-star, eleven 2-star, and seven 1-star. Completing over forty years of active service, GEN Martin “Marty” Dempsey served as the 18th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from October 1, 2011, until September 25, 2015. GEN Keith Alexander, serving in the United States Army for nearly forty years, served as director of the National Security Agency, chief of the Central Security Service, and commander of the United States Cyber Command. GEN David “Dave” Petraeus served as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency after serving 37 years in the United States Army. Highlighting nearly thirty-seven years of service in the United States Army, GEN Walter “Skip” Sharp last served as the Commander, United Nations Command, Commander, ROK-US Combined Forces Command and Commander, U.S. Forces Korea. After retiring as a Colonel, Matthew S. “Matt” Klimow (who was Keith Alexander’s roommate at West Point) went into the U.S. State Department; his career there culminated as the U.S. Ambassador to Turkmenistan. Keith Alexander, Marty Dempsey, and Skip Sharp were each awarded the USMA Distinguished Graduate Award in 2016, 2017, and 2019, respectively.

West Point, Class of 19742023-06-21T15:00:52-05:00

With Marty Dempsey and Jack Pattison in the Palace

With Marty Dempsey and Jack Pattison in the Palace

Marty Dempsey (left), Jack Pattison (center) and French (right), West Point Class of 1974.  After the fighting in 1991, someone organized a West Point Founders’ Day dinner in Kuwait City in the house of a Kuwaiti emir.  The house was more like a palace, with thick carpets, marble hallways and even gold faucets.  Marty served as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff until he retired in 2015, while Jack owns his own business.  Jack had been an enlisted soldier, before attending West Point, and had fought on “Hamburger Hill” in Vietnam, so we always listened to what he had to say.

With Marty Dempsey and Jack Pattison in the Palace2015-09-11T12:03:38-05:00

Jack Pattison

Jack E. Pattison, the 103rd First Captain of the United States Military Academy at West Point, was born in Washington, Pennsylvania on November 13, 1949.  Prior to attending West Point, he served as an enlisted soldier in Vietnam. While assigned to Company A, 2nd Battalion, 501st Airborne Infantry Regiment, Jack served as a radio operator, standing next to his company commander during the Battle of Hamburger Hill and later receiving an Army Commendation Medal for Valor.  U.S. casualties for the battle were 72 killed in action and 372 wounded.  The U.S. Air Force dropped almost 500 tons of bombs and 70 tons of napalm on enemy positions during the fight.

Jack and Anne Pattison

After graduating from West Point with a Bachelor of Science degree and a commission in the Infantry, Lieutenant Pattison served in the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), before commanding Company C, 1st Battalion 58th Infantry in the 197th Infantry Brigade at Fort Benning.  He commanded a second company in the 3rd Infantry Division in Germany and helped introduce the Bradley Fighting Vehicle to the field force.  Major Pattison graduated from Army’s Command and General Staff College in 1988 and then was selected to attended the prestigious School for Advanced Military Studies (The graduates of which were referred to as “Jedi Knights.”)  He then served as the XO for the 3rd Battalion, 41st Infantry in the 2nd Armored Division at Fort Hood and “Operation Desert Storm.”

Lieutenant Colonel Jack Pattison later served as a strategic planner on the Army Staff in Washington, DC and then served with the Headquarters, Forces Command in Atlanta, Georgia.  He retired from the Army in 1998.  After working as a consultant, Jack Pattison founded his own company, Pattison Enterprises LLC.

Jack Pattison2021-06-27T18:37:04-05:00
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