 The latest weapons, coupled with the fighting skill of the American soldier, stands ready on the alert all over the world to defend this country. You, the American people, against aggression. This is The Big Picture, an official television report to the nation from the United States Army. Now, to show you part of The Big Picture, here is Sergeant Stuart Queen. The story you are about to see will take you up the Hudson River to West Point. An institution of great military and scholastic achievements. The Big Picture will take you behind the scenes, where you will see how leaders of men are made in the true American tradition. Each year, from every state in the Union, a group of young men travels across the continent to enroll at a great educational institution. A school that has given to the nation some of its outstanding leaders. Leaders like Dwight D. Eisenhower, Douglas MacArthur, and John J. Pershing. To get to this school, these young men converge on a place about 50 miles north of New York City. A place known as West Point, the United States Military Academy. Time-honored, world-renowned, filled with great traditions with roots in the very heart of America. This is West Point. Soon become a member of the Corps of Cadets, a young man named John Reed. John lives in a small town not far from West Point and has come down a month early to look over the place where he hopes to spend the next four years of his life. Eisenhower, MacArthur, Pershing. So this is their alma mater. Well, make way for Johnny Reed. I'm going to make it my alma mater, too. Hey, look at that. That's the way I'll look a month from now. A month later, West Point saw John Reed keep that promise. John and about 700 others. 700 strong. Well, they were not weaklings. They could prove that easily. They wouldn't be here if they hadn't passed their physicals. And their mental exams, too. But suppose we let John Reed tell us about his first year as a cadet. Walk from the station was only the beginning. I don't think I ever used my feet so much in one day in all my life. In no time at all they had us in small groups, with upperclassmen teaching us how to march in formation. Brother, were we ever raw recruits? We progressed from marching to saluting. Maybe we weren't precise, but we were willing. By mid-afternoon we were all in plebe uniform and in formation to march to battle monument for the swearing-in ceremony and the common dance welcome. It was hard to believe that we were the same 700 who had reported that morning. We were all sure we looked like real cadets. Repeat the oath of allegiance after me. I, state your name in full, do solemnly swear that I will support the Constitution of the United States and bear true allegiance to the national government that I will maintain and defend the sovereignty of the United States As I stood there swearing the oath of allegiance, I felt proud of myself and all the plebes in my class. Learning the armies of the United States. New cadets, lower your right hand, detail, read, cover. Gentlemen of the new fourth class, it is my pleasure to welcome you to the United States military category. From all over the United States, 700 welcomed this year by the common dance. And I was one of them. That night I heard taps, mark the close of my first day at the point. The beginning of a new day, the beginning of my college education, my career as an officer, as a leader in the United States Army, but there's no time for daydreaming at West Point. Especially not for plebes. There's far too much to do. 6 o'clock a.m. We were all ready. Yes, sir, I was ready. Ready for anything. Things were sort of slow in starting, or at least it seemed that way to all us plebes standing at attention. But when we broke, it was a double time. And for the next eight weeks of tough training, everything was at double time. It for uniform. The idea was you filled it out with spine and muscle until it fit like a glove. September. And the Corps of Cadets was together again in Washington Hall after a summer's training. The whole Corps. And that included Cadet John Reed. Cadet. Not new Cadet anymore. The upper classmen still gave the plebes a hard time, but none of us really minded. The important thing was that now we belonged. We were really part of the Corps. And we started in on our academics. Nine months of it. Take math, for example. Good thing I learned to like it in high school. They sure give you plenty of math here. Of course, it's much further advanced. But it's surprising how much you learn when you really put your mind to it. We got our choice of learning one of five languages. I selected Russian. It's a tough language, but important. Orthographic projection. This is part of the plebe course in graphics. English. Now that came easier. But I wasn't going to brag about anything because they said the harder courses were yet to come. I didn't mind the tough things, though. I really didn't expect it to be easy. But even with a full schedule, there was still time for some fun and extracurricular activities. For one thing, I found a new hobby. Ham radio. And I got to be pretty good with ascending key. Went out for boxing. I could see my picture in the paper back home. West Point, Cadet Reid, Kaos, another opponent. Funny how you think you're so good until you run up against stiff competition. That goes for chess, too. I used to think I was a real mastermind at this game. But I guess I still had an awful lot to learn. Yes, sir. An awful lot. But I was in good company. Every one of us was here to learn and glad of the opportunity. And finally, the year ended. It was June week, and we joined old grads, hundreds of dignitaries, and thousands of friends, relatives, and visitors in graduation week festivities. Once again, I paid my respects to the father of the military academy. But this time, I wasn't alone. This time, I was part of the traditional ceremonies. Quite a sight to see the graduating class march front and center. To that, it was our turn to pass and review. Need I said to myself, you've practically reached that milestone. You're marching in the graduation parade, the last parade of your pre-year. It's an important milestone because it means that soon you'll be recognized by the upperclassmen. Recognition. Recognition by upperclassmen. You belong. You've made the grade. You're John Reed, upperclassmen. John Reed, upperclassmen. The military academy regards you as good officer material. Now you're a yearling. And what will the life of a yearling be like? Well, we're sure second-classman Ed Harris can tell you all about it from his own experience. Well, first there was that hard-earned one-month vacation like you're starting on today. Had a great time back home. Checked on my old pals and gals. Had a few new ones, too. Soon as I got back, we went into summer training. And when I say training, I mean training with a capital T. Buckner's quite a place. It's about seven miles from West Point, and it's the hub of yearling summer training. Everything is set up so you learn things by doing them. We drove tanks. Believe me, that's an experience I never dreamed could be part of college life. We learn how an infantry squad operates by being in one and running one ourselves. We learned about artillery by actually firing the guns. We took turns manning each station. Of course, you get supervision all the time. Or the one doing it. Like making river crossings and assault boats with smoke screens and blank ammunition to give you a sense of the real thing. Soon began to understand the fundamentals of tactics. I guess that's the whole idea behind the Camp Buckner program. In addition to the M1 rifle, we learned to fire other infantry weapons. You never sit on the sidelines. You're always in there doing. That's how you learn. Ways shoulder to the wheel or gun. There was time for rest and fun. Especially at Lake Popalopu. The good summer in every way. And the fact that I was a yearling and well on my way at West Point made everything look rosy. And with it, another school year. One of the things I liked about being a yearling was the fact that I didn't have to march to classes. Like the Plebes. Oh, not that it mattered an awful lot, but... Well, as a yearling, I really began to understand what it means to be a member of the Corps. I tell you, Johnny, that's a good feeling. You're trusted. You know what I mean. When the inspecting cadet asks if all cadets are present or unauthorized absence, and all you have to say is... All right, sir. And it's your word that counts. To me, that's a big thing. The honor system. It fills you with... Oh, pride. And faith in yourself. As for the curriculum, you'll find the academics for yearlings are more interesting than for Plebes. Not only do you continue with advanced phases of your Plebe subjects, but you take up chemistry and physics. Which means more concentration and more study. On the lighter side, sports kept playing a big part. And we had expert coaching by first-classmen. You know, as a junior officer, you may be called on to coach a company or battalion team. Or organize and run an athletic program in your unit. So you take all sports seriously, even if they are fun. Somehow, my term as a yearling seemed to flash by twice as fast as when I was a Plebe. Before I knew it, another June week rolled around. The ones that just ended. I guess you'll always remember that year as the year of decision. You can say that again. Want to know what I've got to look forward to this summer? Sure. Well, this is my third year, which means a visit with a Navy along the Virginia coast at Norfolk. There, I'll join in naval indoctrination exercises. We'll be given tours on many types of Navy ships. We'll actually go to sea for special maneuvers and demonstrations. Give Air Force techniques at Maxwell and Eglin Air Force bases. After that, we'll go to Fort Benning, Georgia, for combined arms training. Of course, complete and rough. Realistic in every way. Jumps from the towers. They have some of the best equipment in the world. Everything geared to give a cadet a fine scientific background. And then, I expect to be attending meetings of the Student Conference on United States Affairs. You know, that's scusa for short. Students from other academic institutions get together with us at these meetings to discuss important current events. So, you see, it's not going to be a dull year, or an easy one, for you or for me. Then, of course, there'll be sports and gym work and extracurricular activities. I have high hopes everything will be okay from now on. Everything did work out smoothly for cadet Ed Harris. It took a lot of studying, but he kept up with his academics right through his last year at West Point. Finally, graduation. The culmination of four years of hard work and study for every member of the graduating class. This was a day that held the key to Ed's future. The day he received his Bachelor of Science degree and a commission as second lieutenant. Among those watching Ed's graduation was John Reed. One more year to go, Johnny, and you'll be up there where it is. Here I started. Only the shoe is on the other foot now. I am working with the tactical officer indoctrinating the plebs, giving them instructions in close order drill the way I was indoctrinated when I was a pleb. This all comes under the heading of learning leadership. Nearly everything a cadet does is designed to make him a leader of men by the time he leaves West Point. It looks like a mighty interesting year in academics too, but they won't be any great problem, not to Johnny Reed. And I'm lucky. I'm a member of the Honor Committee that helps the Corps run itself. Still more experience in leadership. And so the West Point story ends for Cadet John Reed. It's your graduation parade this time. You made it, Johnny. You made it by working hard. You made it in the true tradition of the Corps. In the tradition of Eisenhower, MacArthur, Pershing, Grant and Lee. And now you can take your place as an officer. You've earned that right. The right to become a military leader in the United States Army. To serve the youth of the nation. To serve the nation and the world's free people. This, then, is the underlying theme of the story of West Point. This is Sergeant Stuart Queen. Inviting you to be with us again next week for another look at the Big Picture. The Big Picture is a weekly television report to the nation on the activities of the Army at home and overseas. Produced by the Signal Corps Pictorial Center. Presented by the United States Army in cooperation with this station. You too can be an important part of the Big Picture. You can proudly serve with the best equipped, the best trained, the best fighting team in the world today, the United States Army.