Support Staff Integral to ‘Long Gray Line’
Published Apr 15, 2006
Watson Services feeds West Point’s 4,000 cadets family-style in Washington Hall.
Tyrone Power tapped the code of honor binding all U.S. Military Academy personnel in the 1955 John Ford film classic, The Long Gray Line, when he prevailed upon his old friend who’d risen to the Oval Office – Dwight D. Eisenhower.
The ties among cadets also extend into the Orange County community surrounding West Point, where the U.S. Military Academy is one of the area’s largest employers.
Some 4,690 employees– 2,800 of them civilians – keep the academy in sterling shape for educating and training the 4,200 cadets attending West Point.
In an annual budget exceeding $250 million, the academy supports such local businesses as Watson Services Inc. in nearby Newburgh. Ron Ward is vice president of the company that provides food services at bases as far away as Alaska. With tradition highly esteemed at West Point, Watson Services’ wait staff must serve hot meals to all 4,000 cadets at once in venerable Washington Hall. They have 30 minutes to wrap up their assignment.
“We have specific uniforms that are part of our service,” Ward says. “The employees are definitely a part of the dining tradition there at West Point. Everything is served family-style, so at the end of the meal, the cadets basically exit and our folks handle the cleanup.”
West Point ties extend along social as well as economic lines. Cadets help mentor area children for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County.
“It’s a wonderful relationship they’ve had over the years to help the cadets get grounded in community service opportunities,” says Debbie Bogdanski, Orange County Chamber of Commerce vice president. “And also for the young folks, it gives them a wonderful way to meet people.”
Story by Gary Perilloux
Photo by Stephen Cherry
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