Worn by the Corps of Cadets attending the United States Military Academy at West Point, this Shoulder Sleeve Insignia (SSI), often casually referred to as a “shoulder patch” or “unit patch,” was approved on 13 April 1950.
Quartered into black and gray areas, the pursuit of excellence that is the hallmark of the Academy is symbolized the golden tone of the helmet of Pallas Athena, which itself is a symbol of learning and wisdom. It surmounts a Greek sword, a reference to the military nature of the education the Academy provides, that is taken from the institution’s Coat of Arms.
The origins of the United States Military Academy at West Point, unquestionably our nation’s oldest and most recognizable institution of military education, predate its official establishment in 1802. During the Revolutionary War, both the Americans and British commands recognized the strategic importance of the location where West Point now stands, so much so that General George Washington deemed it the most important strategic position in the fledgling country.
In 1778, Washington commissioned Thaddeus Kosciuszko, a Polish-Lithuanian military engineer whose design and construction of defensive fortifications ensured an American victory at the Battle of Saratoga, to design West Point’s fortifications in 1778, which included the extension of a 150-ton iron chain across the Hudson River that gave the stronghold’s defenders total control over traffic on the river. West Point remained in American hands throughout the war and is now the oldest continuously occupied military outpost in the United States.
Appointed West Point Superintendent in 1817, Colonel Sylvanus Thayer, dubbed “Father of the Military Academy, made Engineering the foundation of the Academy’s curriculum, a decision that proved extremely prescient. Numerous Academy-trained Officers, after gaining combat experience during the Mexican War, went on to acclaim as top-flight tacticians and leaders serving on both sides of the conflict during the War Between the States.
This track record of producing leaders and warfighters of the highest stripe has continued down through the decades, with the introduction of female cadets in 1976 creating an even more diverse and capable Officers Corps in the U.S. Army.