Weekly Review
From traveling around the district to visiting with Arkansans and cadets at West Point, it has been a busy week!
It's an honor to be Chairman of the West Point Board of Visitors (BOV), and I am currently at the United States Military Academy for our quarterly meeting. Before I share our weekly recap in photos, I want to highlight the Third District cadets at West Point.
Class of 2023
Class of 2024
- Ashton Bailey (Fort Smith)
- Garrett Chrisman (Cave Springs)
- Kayden Eckman (Eureka Springs)
- Pierce Guthrie (Bentonville)
Class of 2025
- Tysen Barbour (Fayetteville)
- Leyton Elmore (Fort Smith)
- Aidan Looney (Bentonville)
- Gary Phillips (Van Buren)
- Luke Rucker (Rogers)
- Kale Sheets (Fort Smith)
Class of 2026
- Aubrey Bailey (Fort Smith)
- Ellery Doyna (Fayetteville)
- Luke Monk (Fort Smith)
- Madison Phillips (Bentonville)
- Sydney Rhuda (Bentonville)
- Joey Sta Romana (Centerton)
- Luke Welcher (Fayetteville)
Earning admission to a military service academy is an incredibly high honor. We’re blessed to have young men and women from the Third District not only at West Point, but also at the U.S. Naval Academy and U.S. Air Force Academy. Devoted to a mission to serve their country, these Arkansans are committed to wearing the uniform and swear an oath to defend the United States. I would like to remind high school students interested in attending one of these prestigious leadership institutions that the deadline to apply for a nomination through my office is November 1. More information here.
Some highlights from this week:
I had a great visit to Decatur Middle and High Schools with Superintendent Steven Watkins.
I talked to students about government and civics and also toured new renovations throughout buildings. Thank you to our schools and educators for going above and beyond for our kids!
Class President Alert! Madison Phillips of Bentonville was elected President of the Class of 2026. A model of character and leadership, Madison's peers chose her to represent them. So proud of her service and commitment to Duty, Honor, Country. Congrats—Go Army!
I am so proud of our Third District cadets at West Point
As Chairman of the West Point BOV, I led the Superintendent of the U.S. Military Academy (USMA) Lieutenant General Steve Gilland, Army leadership, cadets, and other members of the BOV in its quarterly meeting.
I cherish having the opportunity to meet so many cadets. My commitment to supporting the future of our military is also what makes me very proud to be the Chairman of the West Point BOV. In this role, I am charged with providing independent advice and recommendations on institutional matters, including morale and discipline, curriculum, instruction, physical equipment, fiscal affairs, academic methods, and other issues.
While I am currently the only congressional representative from Arkansas to serve on the board, I am proud to be joined by other House members, like Congressman Mark Green of Tennessee's 7th district.
I enjoyed sitting down for lunch with Third District cadets and hearing more about their studies and current training.
Checking out the robotics lab that is part of the electrical engineering and computer science department classes. Thanks to COL Christopher Korpela, who is an Associate Professor and Director of the Robotics Research Center, for the overview.
This leadership institution prepares our brightest young men and women to lead, fight, and win. Each time I see the rigors of academy life, I get new insight and perspective to how defense appropriations and policy work impact the capabilities of our future defenders. I will continue updating you on all our cadets from the Third District who are attending prestigious service academies throughout the nation as they pursue the noble choice of defending America.
Wishing you a great weekend ahead, I look forward to seeing you around Arkansas next week. You can keep an eye on my website or check out my Twitter and Instagram pages to stay up-to-date with the latest news from my office. |