Figs From Thistles: What a crass mass of brass and glass

Yesterday, the nearly one-thousand strong class of 2008 received their coveted West Point class rings at Trophy Point. We sponsor three "firsties", seniors to non-West Pointers, who were thrilled to don a physical representation of their achievement.

The tradition of class rings is believed to have originated at West Point in 1835 and has been a milestone rite of passage for firsties since. I found it interesting that, each year, class rings of former graduates are donated to the Academy and melted down to be used in the fabrication of the current class' rings; this is the physical and literal tie to the "long grey line."

Each student chooses the center stone and type of precious metal used for his/her ring. On one side of the stone is the Academy motto: "Duty, Honor, Country." On the other side of the stone is the class-chosen motto of the graduating class; the class of 2008's motto is "No Mission Too Great." While a firstie, the rings are worn with the class crest pointing toward the heart. After graduation, the ring is turned and worn so that the Academy crest points toward the heart: a symbolic gesture mirroring other universities' flipping of the tassel. The turning of the ring also signifies loyalty to the Academy as a whole rather than loyalty to one's class.

It used to be that the ring ceremony was an intimate one witnessed only by cadre and members of the graduating class. Now, it is an open ceremony, and many families and friends dotted the sloping hill behind Trophy point and witnessed a 172 year old Academy tradition. Our family was fortunate enough to witness this monumental event in the Academy lives of our sponsored cadets.

After the ceremony, firsties return to the campus, and, as they do, they are heckled by plebes, first year cadets, who mock the rings by chanting phrases like, "what a cool jewel you got from school" and "what a bold mold of rolled gold." This is in good fun and one assumes that the plebes are anxious for the day when they, too will don an Academy class ring and carry on the long-standing tradition of those who passed before them.

Overlooking the ceremony and the Hudson