Tag: West Point

ChalleNGe Academy Grad Receives Nominations To West Point

A graduate of the West Virginia National Guard’s Mountaineer ChalleNGe Academy-South has received two nominations to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

William Farkas, 16, of Tunnelton, received a nomination from Sen. Joe Manchin on Monday. He already had a nomination as the child of a military veteran.

“West Virginians have a long legacy of bravely serving our country,” Manchin said. “It is my highest honor to recommend William Farkas to an appointment at West Point.”

Acceptance into any of the five service academies is highly competitive. Applicants must meet strict eligibility requirements, including academic and physical criteria, and have a proven history of leadership qualities.

Out of 12,294 applicants seeking a spot in the West Point Class of 2022, only 4,005 ended up receiving nominations, and only 1,210 were eventually accepted.

“It is an honor to have received this military academy nomination from Sen. Manchin,” Farkas said. “My experiences with my family, the different organizations I have been involved with, and at Mountaineer ChalleNGe Academy have instilled in me a strong foundation of service and dedication to our nation, which I hope to build upon at West Point. I can’t wait to represent West Virginia at the United States Military Academy.”

If selected as a member of the Class of 2026, Farkas will become a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army after graduation.

Farkas earned several awards in his 22 weeks at Mountaineer ChalleNGe Academy-South including the Robert C. Byrd Distinguished Cadet Award and Adjutant General’s Award for Academic Excellence. Farkas said the structure of the MCA program helped him define his goals and gave him the confidence to obtain them.

“MCA-South boosted my confidence and focus in ways that I hadn’t really experienced before,” he said. “The structured environment, the staff, the way they keep us on the straight and narrow path, really helped me find what I was meant to do with my life.”

Maj. Gen. William “Bill” Crane, adjutant general of the WVNG, noted that Farkas’ nomination opens the door to other Mountaineer ChalleNGe Academy cadets.

“I could not be more proud of the accomplishments and drive of Cadet Farkas as he journeys down this path toward achieving his goal of attending West Point,” he said.

Farkas earned his high school diploma through the Mountaineer ChalleNGe Academy and will enlist in the WVNG after he turns 17 this month. He hopes to receive a third nomination to West Point, further increasing his odds to be accepted into the prestigious institution.

September 14, 1862: Union General Jesse Reno Killed at South Mountain

On September 14, 1862, General Jesse Lee Reno was killed during the Battle of South Mountain in Maryland. The Wheeling native was the highest-ranking Union general from present-day West Virginia to be killed during the Civil War.

Reno graduated in the same West Point class that included George McClellan and another cadet from Western Virginia: Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson. During the Mexican War, Reno served in a howitzer battery and was wounded at the Battle of Chapultapec.

Three months before the start of the Civil War, he was commanding a federal arsenal in Alabama, when it was seized by pro-Confederate state forces. In late 1861, he was called east to command a brigade, which he led during Ambrose Burnside’s expedition through coastal North Carolina. Promoted to brevet major general, Reno’s division took part in the Union debacle at Second Manassas and temporarily commanded Burnside’s 9th Corps.

Jesse Lee Reno was mortally wounded during the struggle for South Mountain—trying to repel Robert E. Lee’s invasion of Maryland. Three days later, members of the 9th Corps charged into battle at Antietam with the cry of “Remember Reno.”

June 22, 1865: Gen. Joseph Lightburn Resigns

On June 22, 1865, two months after Civil War hostilities ended, General Joseph A. J. Lightburn resigned from the U.S. Army, ending his military service.

The Pennsylvania native had moved with his family to Lewis County in 1840. As a young man, he was friends with Thomas Jackson—later to be known as “Stonewall.” Lightburn wanted to attend West Point, but Jackson received the appointment from his region instead.

At the start of the Civil War, Lightburn pledged his loyalty to the Union, went to Wheeling, and later became colonel of the 4th West Virginia Infantry. In 1862, he was placed in command of Union forces in the Kanawha Valley, with his headquarters at Gauley Bridge. In September of that year, Confederate troops temporarily won control of the valley, forcing Lightburn’s army out. Later, he was ordered to Mississippi, where he was promoted to brigadier general and participated in the Battle of Vicksburg. In 1864, he was wounded during Sherman’s advance on Atlanta.

After the war, Joseph A. J. Lightburn became a Baptist preacher. He died in Lewis County in 1901 at age 76.

Manchin to Nominate 40 Students for U.S. Service Academies

U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin says he’ll nominate 40? West Virginia students from 17 counties to the U.S. service academies after reviewing recommendations by a selection board that met last month.

They include 10 nominees for the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and 10 to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York.

Ten other students will be tapped for the Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland, and 10 for the Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point on New York’s Long Island.

The selection board consists of West Virginians who served in the military or are educators.

The board interview process ensures that candidates have met the needed qualifications and criteria.

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