U.S. cadets part of Bastille Day parade
July 14, 2002 - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Paris - West Point cadet and Milwaukee native Tracey Coleman was among members of the U.S. military who made history Sunday when they marched in France’s Bastille Day parade, the first time Americans participated in the annual parade since 1945.
As part of their joint bicentennial with the French military academy Saint Cyr, cadets from the United States Military Academy at West Point led more than 4,000 French troops down the Champs-Elysees for the annual parade.
With this year’s bicentennials, West Point was a natural choice as the parade’s guest of honor. Many of the 168 West Point cadets on the trip made special efforts to clear this part of their summer schedules so they could take part in the events.
Coleman, a senior cadet or “firstie,” is a French and Spanish major and a French military history buff.
“This is all I could dream of - this is history - I made sure I had room on my summer schedule so I could come,” she said.
The historical significance of marching in the Bastille Day parade was not lost on the cadets.
“I couldn’t stop thinking about the awe of being here,” Coleman said.
Referring to the straight-forward look cadets must hold while marching, she joked, “I hated not being able to look around when we were marching.”
Dave Ausman, another “firstie,” was an exchange student at Saint Cyr between August and December 2001. He was proud to return to France for the bicentennial events.
“The West Point cadets studying at Saint Cyr are completely integrated into their program, and it gave me a strong knowledge of the French army,” Ausman said.
Cadets cited in address
In President Jacques Chirac’s annual Bastille Day interview, he offered “friendship to the West Point cadets who are celebrating their bicentennial with the cadets of Saint Cyr.”
It was not immediately known if the cadets were near Chirac when a man described as an emotionally disturbed neo-Nazi allegedly tried to assassinate him, pulling a rifle from a guitar case and firing off a shot before being wrestled to the ground. There were no reported injuries.
As part of the joint celebration, Saint Cyr cadets spent 10 days in the United States, including five at West Point and five in Washington, D.C. The French cadets were the first foreigners to participate in West Point’s graduation ceremony. For this trip, the West Point cadets will likewise participate in Saint Cyr’s graduation ceremony, La Triomphe.
Joint ceremony anticipated
Graduating Saint Cyr cadet Francois Schill has looked forward to the celebrations since he was a freshman.
“We’ve had the double anniversary in our heads since we came into school. This is the first time foreign troops will be part of La Triomphe, and it makes me very proud to be here and be a part of it,” he said.
The history between the two schools is closely intertwined. Two hundred years ago, Thomas Jefferson signed into law the measures necessary to create the first U.S. military school at West Point, N.Y. Jonathan Williams, West Point’s first superintendent and grandnephew of Benjamin Franklin, heavily promoted the study of French. The majority of military understanding and theory at that time came from Europe, particularly France.
Later, 1808 graduate Sylvanus Thayer was directed by the U.S. secretary of war to visit European schools and military institutions. He returned with great numbers of French textbooks, which became the core of West Point’s library. As a result, many courses were taught in French, and Thayer found the inspiration for the school’s famous Thayer System, where students learn new material the night before a class, then present and discuss what they’ve learned the next day.
Today, the link between the two schools remains close as 10 Saint Cyr students a year are sent for two months of study at West Point, and two West Point cadets spend a semester in Coetquidan, home of Saint Cyr.
“The structure between the two schools is completely different, like the way their positions are filled,” Ausman said, “but in the end, the two systems achieve the same result.”
As Saint Cyr cadet Schill said, “With the constant exchange between the two schools, we get to know each other very well.”
Discussing the lighter side of the link between the schools, some cadets joked about a day spent with the Saint Cyr cadets on their recent visit to West Point that included a barbecue and lessons in football, American style. The French cadets want to reciprocate later this week with their own version of what they call “sport and sausage day.”
“They weren’t that bad at football,” said a surprised West Point junior, Sean Donahue.
Joe Ray is a freelance journalist in Paris. He can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
