As a 1996 NUMCV grad, and a two-year member of the NU Cavalry Troop, I am writing to correct a few of the mistakes I noticed while reading the online edition of The Norwich Guidon. During my senior year, I acted as the Unit Duty Officer, under the command of then Cadet Tracy Flynn '96, now LT Tracy Torres, USN.

In the 1993-94 Academic Year, a number of cadets ( Michael Torres, Tracy (Flynn) Torres, Lora (Tonne) Owings, Timothy Stewart, Betsy (Hepler) Carrol, Andrea Terry and Jacob Roy to name a few) began forming a Cavalry Troop with the assistance of alumni and faculty (the Abare family, Major Helen Bryan, Professor Gene Sevi and others). The unit was graciously extended the use of the Abare farm for training and stabling of horses, as well as a room in the old "21 Club." The Cav Troop did not "shut down" that year, it was restarted that year. The first unit commander was Cadet Michael Torres, and the Cav Troop began participating fully in parades and ceremonies during the 1994-95 academic year.

During Norwich's history, there have been a few times that Cavalry has been brought back to life from its formal end in the 1940's. I know of two other revival attempts, besides the one I eventually became involved in. One was in the late 70's and early 80's, and I admit I do not have much information on this effort, but I believe it was listed as the Mounted Color Guard in the War Whoop. In the early 90's there was yet another revival, in which Civil War era uniforms were used, but it only lasted for a year or two.

I think the current members of the Cav Troop need to give their forerunners a little more respect and credit. There was no incident of drinking in1994, nor during the rest of my time in the Cav Troop. That the Troop stood down due to drinking in 1994 is a typical "rumor on the Hill", it has no basis in fact. The Cav Troop did stand down in later years, and at the time it happened, a little research revealed that members were not fulfilling their duties with respect to their animals or their equipment.

When I heard that the Cav Troop had been asked to stand down (I believe it was around 1998), I spoke with a number of administrators at NU about the status of the Cav Troop, and each person gave me the same reason for the stand down. The Cav Troop had not taken proper care of their horses and equipment, and were told to cease activity. One person even described a visit to the stables in which they viewed horses shut up in the barn overnight, and the horses had obviously been put in after a long ride with no cool-down or brushing, as they were now covered in a layer of salt from their dried sweat.

Anyone who has worked with horses knows this is unacceptable, and in the Cav Troop it goes animal, weapon, Trooper. That means you take care of your mount first, then your weapon, and then yourself. In light of these issues, I fully understand why the Cav Troop was asked to stand down until it was appropriately reorganized.

I sincerely hope the current leadership of the Cav Troop does its job. Take care of your mounts, treat the equipment donated in previous years with care, and always remember how important the Cav Troop is to Norwich. A lot of alumni are counting on you.

Scott Owings, NUMCV 1996
ambajejus@earthlink.net

I agree with some of Robert Berkey's recent opinions regarding the NU attendance policy. It is not fair that students who are athletes are allowed to miss more classes than others who are not athletes. That is why I supported a revision of the attendance policy (now waiting for Michael McKean's approval) that allows only three absences for all students, regardless of their status.

I do not agree with Mr. Berkey's assertion, however, that positions his education as a business opportunity, where he is the customer and his professors are service providers. One cannot buy and sell an education. If the tasks at hand were that easy, I guess I could have filled out an application to flip burgers the same day I applied to teach at Norwich. I doubt a job behind the grill would be as challenging and enjoyable.

Sincerely,
Patricia J. Ferreira

The fall semester is fast coming to an end, and, like it has been for many Norwich generations before us, some students go home and look forward to the spring semester. Some go home and never come back, and some go home and need not come back because they have graduated. The former might be your reason, but the latter is mine. I am reluctant to leave, because it is only natural that we at times desire continuity against the need for change, but I am enthused to leave because my perception of going home differs, in that it is not literal, but figurative.

One dictionary defines "home" as a place of origin, another defines it as a goal or destination. Hence, using the latter, we could logically reason that all of life, our hard work at Norwich and in the Regiment, all of our restlessness, and adventurousness, is in preparation for "getting home." Unfortunately, not many of us have given thought to the fact that the more difficult Norwich is, the stronger the roads and bridges we build toward "getting home."

I would like to think that Norwich should not be as much a discovery as it should be a confirmation of your ability to "get home." There are times for arrivals, just as there are times for departures, and so the years spent here are times when one decides where one wishes one's life to go, in a manner not dominated by where it has already been. In that regard, Norwich should be a new beginning, and not a completion of past experiences. So when graduation comes around, you will have made adequate preparations in "getting home."

Beside learning the skills that will get you home, I hope you have begun to dream of "getting home." Dreaming is the first step to reality, but there are different kinds of dreams, just as there are different kinds of dreamers. A notable poet once wrote;

"All men dream dreams, but not equally.
Those that dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds awake to find that
It was vanity, but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, that they may act
Their dreams with eyes wide open to make it happen."

Unfortunately, I possess neither eloquence of diction, nor such imagination of poetry to make you understand my point, but I sure hope that you dream with your eyes wide open, that there might come a time when the dreams you are yet to achieve are the dreams you have not yet dreamed. I hope you seize the day. I hope that you continue to be restless and adventurous, and I hope that you do not stop building the roads and bridges that will get you home.

Adewale Akinde
Cadet Captain
Regimental Liaison & Special Duties Officer
greensprings@hotmail.com

We would like to thank the citizens of this community for their outstanding support of the Community Flag Project, which has lined the streets of our beautiful community with one of the proudest symbols of our country, the stars and stripes. We have received many positive comments from members of and visitors to our community about these flags.

We sadly report that since the project began last Nov. 25, flags have either been stolen or damaged at a cost of nearly $1,000. If this continues, the flag project is in jeopardy! We are asking our citizens to guard our flags and report to the police any suspicious activity or vandalism. We know that if as many people who cherish our flag help us protect them, we can overcome these acts of vandalism and keep the flags flying.

Again, thanks to everyone for their support and a special thanks to the town, village and TDS employees who put up the flags during patriotic holidays and special events.

Sincerely,
The Northfield Community Flag Project Committee
Bill Beatty
Dave Maxwell
Bill Passalacqua
Marty Simon
Alan Weiss

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