West Point / An Intimate Picture of the National Military Academy and of the Life of the Cadet

by Robert C. Richardson

APPOINTMENTS

How Made.—The appointments from a Congressional district are made upon the recommendation of the Representative in Congress from that district, and those from a State at large upon the recommendations of the Senators of the State. Similarly, the appointments from a Territory are made upon the recommendation of the Delegate in Congress. The appointments from the District of Columbia are made upon the recommendation of the Commissioners of the District. Each person appointed must be an actual resident of the State, District, or Territory from which the appointment is made.

The appointments from the United States at large are made by the President of the United States upon his own selection. The cadets from Porto Rico, who must be natives of that island, are appointed by the President on the recommendation of the Resident Commissioner.

The appointments from among the honor graduates of educational institutions designated as “honor schools” will be made upon the recommendation of the heads of the respective schools.

The appointments from among the enlisted men of the National Guard will be made upon the recommendation of the Governors of the respective States and Territories.

The appointments from among the enlisted men of the regular army will be made upon the recommendation of the Commanding Generals of the Territorial Departments.

The Secretary of War is authorized to permit not exceeding four Filipinos, to be designated, one for each class, by the Governor General of the Philippine Islands, to receive instruction at the United States Military Academy at West Point: Provided, That the Filipinos undergoing instruction, shall receive the same pay, allowances, and emoluments as are authorized by law for cadets at the Military Academy appointed from the United States, to be paid out of the same appropriations: And provided further, That said Filipinos undergoing instruction on graduation shall be eligible only to commissions in the Philippine Scouts. And the provisions of section 1321, Revised Statutes, are modified in the case of Filipinos undergoing instruction, so as to require them to engage to serve for eight years, unless sooner discharged, in the Philippine Scouts.

Date of Appointments.—Appointments are required by law to be made one year in advance of the date of admission, except in cases where, by reason of death or other cause, a vacancy occurs which cannot be provided for by such appointment in advance. These vacancies are filled in time for the next examination.

Candidates.—For each vacancy from a State at large, or Congressional or Territorial district, three candidates should be nominated, one of the candidates to be named as principal, one as first alternate, and one as second alternate. The first alternate, if qualified, will be admitted in the event of failure of the principal; the second alternate, if qualified, will be admitted in the event of the failure of the principal and the first alternate.

For vacancies in the cadetships allotted to the honor graduates of the “honor schools,” one candidate may be nominated each year before September 1st from each school. In case the total number of candidates so nominated is not equal to three times the number of vacancies, the War Department will assign additional appointments among the schools to complete this total.

For vacancies in the cadetships allotted to the enlisted men of the National Guard, the candidates will be apportioned as near as practicable among the States, Districts, and Territories according to their enlisted strength. With the exception of the candidates from the District of Columbia, they will be selected by the Governors from successful competitors in a preliminary examination held between January 1st and January 15th of each year, such examination to be of a scope and nature similar to the regular examination for entrance to the United States Military Academy. The candidates from the National Guard of the District of Columbia will be similarly selected by the Commanding General of that organization.

The candidates nominated for the cadetships allotted to the enlisted men of the regular army shall not exceed three times the number of existing vacancies and shall be equitably distributed among the Territorial Departments by the War Department. If the number of applications in any Department exceed the share allotted to it by the War Department, the candidates in such Department will be chosen from the successful competitors in a preliminary examination held between January 1st and January 15th, such examination to be of a scope and nature similar to the regular examination for entrance to the United States Military Academy.[6]

Each candidate designated to take the regular examination for admission to the United States Military Academy will receive from the War Department a letter of appointment, and he must appear for examination at the time and place designated therein.[7]

Fitness for admission will be determined as prescribed in the Regulations, United States Military Academy.