West Point Dean of the Academic Board Brig. Gen. Shane Reeves visited Bavaria, Germany from March 15-20 in conjunction with serving as the guest speaker for the Founders Day celebration held at Edelweiss Lodge and Resorts in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.
The trip began at the University of the Bundeswehr (UniBw) in Munich as Reeves was hosted for the March 15 event. After lunch in the Officers Casino with the Garrison Commander, Col. Matthias Henkelmann, and the international staff who support the U.S. Military Academy cadets on semester exchange, the Dean had an office call with the University President, Professor Eva-Maria Kern.
They enjoyed getting to know each other and sharing their experiences leading the academics of their respective universities. To thank Kern for the cooperation between USMA and the UniBw, the Dean presented her with a copy of “West Point, An Inside Look at the Long Gray Line.”
Reeves then experienced a “Serious Games” demonstration, a research project currently underway at the UniBw, during which he went on an urban patrol using virtual reality gaming equipment. The remainder of the afternoon included briefings on the German career path to become officers in their Armed Forces, and facts about the figures of the UniBW, as well as a sit-down with the four USMA cadets currently studying in Munich (John Perry, Tobias Hild, Porter Brooks and Adam Eckstein) and the three German lieutenants enrolled at the UniBw (one of whom studied at USMA in AY22 and another who previously competed in the Sandhurst competition).
This was a great opportunity for USMA cadets and the German lieutenants to compare the academic environments of the two institutions and the German and U.S. paths to commissioning as officers in their respective armies. The afternoon at the UniBw concluded with a window tour of the campus and a visit to the University church built by American Forces after World War II.
The next highlight included dinner on March 17, with eight of the nine cadets studying at the UniBw and one cadet at Helmut Schmidt University in Hamburg. The dinner also included a 2021 USMA graduate currently completing his masters at a civilian university. At the Gasthof Fraundorfer, Reeves and his family shared a wonderful Bavarian dinner with the cadets as they shared experiences both in Germany and at USMA. They were also able to see traditional Bavarian Schuplattler dancing.
The following evening, all nine USMA cadets attended the Founders Day celebration at the beautiful Edelweiss resort as Reeves addressed the audience and reported on the state of the academy. The cadets were scattered among the guests, with no more than two per table, which allowed for an exceptional opportunity for them to interact with graduates from the USMA Classes of 1970 through the present. Additionally, the Master of Ceremonies of the event, David Fulton, Senior Executive Service in U.S. Army Europe, recognized the cadets and thanked them for attending.
The final formal event of the Dean’s itinerary included a visit to Dachau Concentration Camp, where he and his family received an incredibly insightful and impactful tour. The tour guide provided information on the camp’s administration, facilities, treatment of the prisoners and liberation. In so doing, the Dean received an inside look of not only the evil that occurred, but also the humanity of the prisoners.