24 The year was 1943. Adolf Hitler had declared war against America and precautionary measures were implemented to stop the pervasive rise of fascism stemming from Germany.
West Point became a war-time academy where cadets were educated for three years instead of four and stringent military orders were placed on the U.S. Military Academy’s Corps of Cadets to remain at West Point. It was explained to the cadets at the time that midshipmen couldn’t come to support the Navy team at the Army-Navy Game during the war, and they needed someone to cheer their team along. In the spirit of sportsmanship, the Corps was separated one to support the Navy and the other to support the Army, retired Col. Doniphan Carter, USMA Class of 1944, explained.