Senate Resolution No. 1749
BY: Senator SKOUFIS
MEMORIALIZING Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim
March 19, 2026, as West Point Day in New York State
WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is justly proud to celebrate the
establishment of the United States Military Academy at West Point and to
call upon Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim March 19, 2026, as West
Point Day in the State of New York; and
WHEREAS, By an act of Congress on March 16, 1802, the United States
Military Academy at West Point was established within the borders of New
York State on the banks of the Hudson River; and
WHEREAS, The historic academy and its graduates are an integral part
of the proud history of this State and Nation; and
WHEREAS, During the American Revolution, both the American patriots
and the British realized the strategic importance of the prominent
plateau on the west bank of the Hudson River; General George Washington
considered West Point to be the most important strategic location in
America; and
WHEREAS, In 1778, General George Washington selected Thaddeus
Kosciuszko, a Polish engineer, to design fortifications for West Point
and later transferred his headquarters to West Point in 1779; and
WHEREAS, American Continental Line soldiers constructed forts, gun
batteries, and redoubts, and in 1778, installed a 65-ton iron chain
across the Hudson River which spanned from West Point to Constitution
Island to block British invasions along the main transportation
waterway; and
WHEREAS, Fortress West Point was never captured by the British,
despite Major General Benedict Arnold's treasonous attempt to turn over
the garrison to the British forces in 1780; and
WHEREAS, In 2026, the 250th anniversary of the signing of the
American Declaration of Independence, it is of utmost importance to
acknowledge the storied history and countless contributions of West
Point, the oldest continuously occupied regular Army post in the United
States, and its vital role in the journey to our nation's freedom from
British rule; and
WHEREAS, The leadership and sacrifices of the members of the Long
Grey Line have helped this country withstand countless threats to our
cherished democratic way of life; and
WHEREAS, The alumni have excelled not only on the battlefield but in
countless fields of endeavor; and
WHEREAS, The Academy continues to provide our country with able and
dedicated future leaders; and
WHEREAS, Its scenic campus is a mecca each year for thousands of
visitors from across our State, continent, and other countries; and
WHEREAS, The United States Military Academy is of the highest
echelon of our State's noble institutions of higher learning, boasting
rigorous academic standards, extreme selectivity, and an incredible,
multi-faceted history; and
WHEREAS, Over seventy years ago, the late James T. McNamara, then a
member of the New York State Assembly, and a member of the Academy's
class of 1939, was the author of the State Legislature's first "West
Point Day" Resolution; and
WHEREAS, For centuries our Nation has enjoyed a legacy of freedom,
and the United States Military Academy at West Point has been a vital
and significant role in the maintenance of peace and such priceless
freedom; and
WHEREAS, The members of this Legislative Body are proud to
commemorate this occasion, marking March 19, 2026, as West Point Day in
New York State; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
celebrate the establishment of the United States Military Academy at
West Point and to memorialize Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim March
19, 2026, as West Point Day in New York State; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to The Honorable Kathy Hochul, Governor of the State of New
York.
