Today's Date:

French Military Academy's Bicentennial class to attend West Point Graduation Parade on May 31 and June 1

The year 2002 is a very special year for both the United States and France’s Military Academies as it is the year of the common Bicentennial of these two academic establishments, West Point and Saint-Cyr.

Within this context, official ceremonies will mark this event on both sides of the Atlantic, each school sending large detachments to take part in the graduation ceremonies. Therefore approximately 200 Cadets from West Point will participate in the ceremonies of the “Triomphe” in Coëtquidan on July 20 after having taken part in the traditional military Parade on the “Champs Elysées” in Paris on July 14, the French Bastille Day, to which they have just been officially invited.

As far as the graduating class of Saint Cyr, also called the Bicentennial class, is concerned, they will attend the Graduation Parade at West Point on May 31 and June 1. Prior to that, the French Cadets will stay in Washington, DC for 5 days during which, on May 27 (Memorial Day), they will go, in full dress, to the Korean Memorial to pay respect to the fallen soldiers at 3.00 pm and to Arlington Cemetery at the grave of General Pershing at 3.45 pm and at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at 4.30 pm. Read the communiqué.

These activities and ceremonies are particularly welcomed today at a moment when our armies are engaged side by side on several theaters of operations in their common fight against international terrorism. They come at an appropriate moment to remind us that, since the American Revolutionary War, the Armed Forces of our two great countries have always fought together when we had to defend our common values which are democracy, justice and freedom./.

Contact: Colonel Desportes
French Military Mission
(202) 944-6021/25