WEST POINT, N.Y. — Cadet Sarah Fazio, a petite 17-year-old from Whitehall, was inspired by 9/11 to defend her country. “Just because you’re going to get killed isn’t a reason to back down,” said Fazio, one of 11 Western Pennsylvanians who entered the U.S. Military Academy at West Point this summer in upstate New York. While the war in Iraq has driven down recruiting in the Army and the Army National Guard, applications to West Point spiked. Applications increased by about 1,000 in 2001 and another 1,400 in 2002. They’ve declined since, but the 10,774 applications in 2004 were still 879 more than the academy received in 2000. The Class of 2009 includes 1,253 plebes hoping to become part of the “Long Gray Line” of graduates who have shaped much of the country’s history. Four cadets from Western Pennsylvania said their decision to enter West Point was a no-brainer despite estimates that 80 percent of their classmates will see combat within two years of graduation. A fifth cadet is less certain but finds himself drawn to military life. The school’s fortress-like buildings and gray-clad student body easily distinguish it from other colleges and universities. Classes are small — about 15 students each. In the second week, Navy Lt. Cmdr. Scott Granger grills Fazio and her classmates about how well they understand his previous lecture and assigned reading on the features and origins of the Vedic, Jain and Buddhist traditions. While most of the professors are Army officers, some are civilians or come from other military branches. With a single ring of desks, there is nowhere to hide from Granger, who easily makes eye contact with each. He pushes the cadets to think. For Fazio, West Point’s academic, mental and physical demands are a large part of the 203-year-old institution’s allure. “West Point offers something that no other college does. You don’t have the type of environment that’s built here based on discipline and honor and just things I try to internalize in my everyday life,” she said. “Coming here is more of an extension of what I tried to do in high school and before that, so it just sort of fit my personality, I guess.” Slackers need not apply. While tuition is free and the academy pays students a stipend to cover books, food, uniforms and other costs, West Point pushes many beyond their limits. Of the 1,253 cadets who entered this year, 62 dropped out during the six-week boot camp that cadets call the “Beast.” Academy spokesman Frank DeMaro said each class typically loses about 20 percent of its members during the four years between entry and graduation. Nationwide, only about half of college students graduate within five years, but the rate is far higher at elite schools: Nearly 90 percent of students at both Harvard and Yale universities graduate within four years. At West Point, the discipline needed to finish is about far more than academics. Cadets typically start their day sometime between 5:30 and 6:30 a.m., depending on their assigned duties and the need to complete homework left over from the night before. For plebes — or freshmen — the duties include standing under a clock and shouting out how much time is left before their companies are required to muster for morning formation. Bedtime is 11 p.m., but that is often stretched to midnight, when “lights out” is mandatory. In the intervening 18 or so hours, cadets have classes, 20-minute meals, athletic practice — every cadet participates in a sport — and homework. Under the method named for Col. Sylvanus Thayer, the “father” of the military academy and its superintendent from 1817-1833, cadets are expected to do their homework in advance of class so they show up ready to discuss lessons instead of having them spoon-fed. The academy recommends two hours of homework for every course. “You wish the day was longer because you don’t get enough sleep if you try to finish everything you have to do,” Fazio said. Fazio still finds herself trying to figure out where she went wrong in planning her day. Mark Faldowski, 18, of Washington, Pa., said managing his time is the hardest part of life at the Point. His friends from high school regale him with tales of sleeping until noon and partying until 3 a.m. “They’re having a good time in college but, in the long run, this will pay off,” even if that means heading off to battle, Faldowski said. “I know I’ll go to war, but I think that’s an honor,” he said. Tony Capozzi, 18, of Mt. Pleasant, Westmoreland County, said he frequently thought about the possibility of combat before entering the academy. “I felt that I’ve had a good life up to now, and I have something I need to give back to my country,” he said. West Point emphasizes the cadets’ moral obligation to service during boot camp and in class, but Capozzi said it just gave him the words to describe his motivation. Jeremy Schnorrenberg, 18, of Claysville, Washington County, said he’s spent more time thinking about West Point’s history than he has about combat. “I just like the fact that this is probably one of the best monuments in our country, and I get to spend every day here,” he said. Schnorrenberg said he’d like to be assigned to the academy after graduation, but he is prepared for war. “I’m not too worried about it. If I end up there, then I’ll do my job,” he said. Josh Kassel, 19, who was recruited by West Point to play hockey, was the most ambivalent about the prospect of going off to war. While his family lives in Greensburg, Westmoreland County, Kassel spent the previous three years in Michigan and Montana finishing high school while playing Junior A hockey in the hopes of picking up a college scholarship. While those plans fell through, “I was still talking to West Point, and every day it got better and better,” he said. Now he sometimes wonders what he’s doing at a military academy, particularly when other cadets start talking about how they can’t wait to get into battle. During boot camp, he lost about 25 pounds. “I would have much rather been golfing,” Kassel said. Still, he was captivated by the missions the cadets performed in boot camp. “During Beast, some of the military stuff we were doing was pretty cool,” Kassel said. Cool enough to stay in and become an officer? “Three more years of brainwashing should do it,” Kassel said, laughing. First-year cadets First-year cadets from Western Pennsylvania at military academies: Air Force Allegheny County Durstein, Alexander Kurtz, GarrettScioscia, Joseph III Armstrong County Dobbs, Michael Beaver County Johnston, Kevin D. Peck, Ashleigh Butler County Rogers, Abigail Army Allegheny County Fazio, Sarah ElizabethHoughton, Richard DouglasWolfley, Kyle Jacob Butler County Black, David MichaelKalin, Matthew MichaelMarshall, Joseph AnthonyStitt, John Edward Washington County Faldowski, Mark Robert Schnorrenberg, Jeremy Andrew Westmoreland County Capozzi, Anthony DavidKassel, Joshua Benjamin Navy Allegheny County Boivin, CeceliaDeluzio, MarkGaidosh, HaleyIvashchenko, AndreyMueller, AndrewNogacek, KellyRueda, MichaelSpencer, Georgette Armstrong County Scott, Jacob Butler County Backstrom, Nathaniel Degrothy, MichelleMccaskey, Elise Indiana County Bowen, Eric Rapach, Benjamin Washington County Haught, Tyler Scarborough, Alex Westmoreland County Barca, Julie Coyne, JasonFolts, TimothyGiunipero, AnthonyKirchner, CharlesMeidus, Alfonso Additional Information:

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About West Point

Founded March 16, 1802, by President Jefferson Classes started Aug. 15 and will end in mid-May Has about 4,000 cadets in all four classes About 16 percent of the cadets are female; West Point, along with the Naval and Air Force academies, enrolled women for the first time in 1976 Twenty-six graduates have been killed in action since Sept. 11, 2001 Campus covers about 16,000 acres — roughly the size of Manhattan

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