웨스트 포인트의 여성생도들

 

 

 

The Women of West Point

 

Few collegians work as hard as the U.S. Military Academy’s 786 female cadets.

 

Photographs by Damon Winter Introduction by Kevin Cahillane

 

Produced by Rumsey Taylor, Josh Williams and Margaret Cheatham Williams

 

 

 

The New York Times Magazine

 

 

 

 

 

In his opening remarks to the graduating class at the U. S. Military Academy at West Point in May, President Obama called out four cadets by name. Three of them were women: Austen Boroff and Erin Mauldin, leaders in one of the academy’s four regiments, and Calla Glavin, a Rhodes Scholar and lacrosse goalie. At the ceremony’s close, Obama was succeeded by the chain of command, which ended with the top cadet — Lindsey Danilack, just the fourth woman to hold this position — giving an order. “Class of 2014, dismissed,” she said.

 

From its founding in 1802, on George Washington’s earlier recommendation, until 1976, West Point admitted no women. Since then, more than 4,100 have followed in the steps of the first 62 female graduates in 1980. Many more are on the way, too, now that the American military will be opening combat positions to qualifying women by 2016. The 263 female cadets who started at West Point this year made up 22 percent of the incoming class, a record number, up from 16 percent last year.

 

They and their fellow first-year cadets, or plebes, reported for Reception Day on July 2, which marked the beginning of six weeks of cadet basic training, a k a Beast Barracks, and the end of their civilian lifestyles. “I knew I was going to need to step it up in the physical realm,” Danilack says, referring to her own early days on campus. “But I never knew it was going to be as hard as it turned out to be.” Upon graduating, she and her classmates received their commissions — and their bars — as second lieutenants in the U.S. Army.

 

 

In the weeks leading up to the occasion, the photographer Damon Winter of The New York Times followed Danilack and several other female cadets — including the Efaws, three sisters in three separate classes in the same school year — to capture a sense of daily life for women at one of the nation’s elite educational institutions.

Alexandra Efaw

Anastasia Efaw

Arianna Efaw

Lindsey Danilack

Oriana Ellis

Sneha Singh

 

Part I: Great Expectations

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1:32

Oriana Ellis, class of 2014, in a human-anatomy class. “[One] thing that surprised me was diversity,” she says. “And not in the sense that I had to get used to diversity. I had to get used to a decrease in diversity, being from South Florida. . . . It was definitely a shock meeting people who’ve never been around someone who’s completely different than them.”

Alexandra Efaw, class of 2014, addressing plebes on the subject of performing Shakespeare. “Being a performer will help being an officer,” she says. “If you’re having a bad attitude, it’s a domino effect and everybody starts to have a bad attitude. So me being able to fake it and kind of act helps.”

Sneha Singh, class of 2017. “I couldn’t even imagine going to a regular college. I wouldn’t know what to do with my time. And going here just makes me feel like I’m doing something important. Especially three years from now, when I graduate, I’ll definitely be somewhere different than where I started. So that was sort of my goal.”

 

Top left: Alexandra Efaw, class of 2014, addressing plebes on the subject of performing Shakespeare. Bottom left: Sneha Singh, class of 2017. Right: Oriana Ellis, class of 2014, in a human-anatomy class. “[One] thing that surprised me was diversity,” she says. “And not in the sense that I had to get used to diversity. I had to get used to a decrease in diversity, being from South Florida. . . . It was definitely a shock meeting people who’ve never been around someone who’s completely different than them.”

Lindsey Danilack, far left, class of 2014, the brigade commander for the entire student body, in construction management, a civil-engineering class. “In high school, one of my teachers actually told me that I would never get into West Point, that it was too hard,” she says. “I honestly cannot believe that I’ve made it this far, and being able to hold the title of first captain is an absolute blessing.”

 

Lindsey Danilack, class of 2014 and brigade commander for the entire student body, far left, in construction management, a civil-engineering class. “I honestly cannot believe that I’ve made it this far,” she says. “Being able to hold the title of first captain is an absolute blessing.”

Alexandra Efaw with Nathan Miller, class of 2015, in his barrack room. “When you go into someone’s room, you have to leave the door open because you’re always being monitored,” she says. “It’s hard to ‘cadate.’ There’s no hand-holding, no affection and no getting away. . . . West Point does discourage dating in the same company.”

 

‘In high school, one of my teachers actually told me that I would never get into West Point, that it was too hard.’ Lindsey Danilack

Oriana Ellis: “I always came in here with the mind-set that anything a guy could do, I could do. . . . I never really got the mental check until combative, when I had to fight a guy that was the same weight as me, and my M.C.L. was sprained within the first couple seconds, because I didn’t realize that guys were actually more dense than girls.”

 

Left: Alexandra Efaw with Nathan Miller, class of 2015, in his barrack room. “When you go into someone’s room, you have to leave the door open because you’re always being monitored,” she says. “It’s hard to ‘cadate.’ There’s no hand-holding, no affection and no getting away. . . . West Point does discourage dating in the same company.” Oriana Ellis (right): “I always came in here with the mind-set that anything a guy could do, I could do. . . . I never really got the mental check until combative, when I had to fight a guy that was the same weight as me, and my M.C.L. was sprained within the first couple seconds, because I didn’t realize that guys were actually more dense than girls.”

Lindsey Danilack, standing at center, in the Cadet Mess Hall during lunch. As first captain, she made it her practice to wait until everyone else had found a seat before taking her own: “It was important to me to ensure everyone was taken care of before myself.”

 

Lindsey Danilack, standing at center, in the Cadet Mess Hall during lunch. As first captain, she made it her practice to wait until everyone else had found a seat before taking her own: “It was important to me to ensure everyone was taken care of before myself.”

Arianna Efaw (second from right), class of 2017, in Introduction to Warfighting. “Whenever I tell people I want to go infantry, they laugh in my face,” she says. “The boys here are like: ‘Oh, cool. That’s not going to happen.’ Which is really messed up but also gives me more of a reason to want to do it.”

 

‘Whenever I tell people I want to go infantry, they laugh in my face.’ Arianna Efaw

Anastasia Efaw (second from right), class of 2016, with other members of the rugby team, in study hall.

 

Left: Arianna Efaw (second from right), class of 2017, in Introduction to Warfighting. She has encountered skepticism about her desire to be an infantry officer. “The boys here are like: ‘Oh, cool. That’s not going to happen.’ Which is really messed up but also gives me more of a reason to want to do it.” Right: Anastasia Efaw (second from right), class of 2016, with other members of the rugby team, in study hall.

Lindsey Danilack looking over cadets in lunch formation outside the mess hall.

 

 

Part II: Making The Grade

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1:21

Sneha Singh practicing the ‘‘one-rope bridge’’ with her teammate Collin Crane, class of 2016, for Sandhurst, an international, two-day competition of military skills and physical fitness. The participating teams, which include one from each of the cadet corps’ 36 companies, consist of eight men and one woman. “Most of the guys in my squad are really tall, so they can run a lot faster than I can,” Singh says. “I’m pretty small, so I’m pretty agile. And I could jump over things and crawl through things pretty easily, which the bigger guys in my squad can’t.”

 

Sneha Singh practicing the “one-rope bridge” with her teammate Collin Crane, class of 2016, for Sandhurst, an international, two-day competition of military skills and physical fitness. The participating teams, which include one from each of the cadet corps’ 36 companies, consist of eight men and one woman. “Most of the guys in my squad are really tall, so they can run a lot faster than I can,” Singh says. “I’m pretty small, so I’m pretty agile. And I could jump over things and crawl through things pretty easily, which the bigger guys in my squad can’t.”

Singh and members of her team putting on harnesses in preparation for the one-rope bridge.

‘It’s discouraging sometimes. But there are times when you get to shine.’ Sneha Singh

Sneha Singh competing in the grenade toss, on the second day of Sandhurst.

 

Left: Sneha Singh competing in the grenade toss, on the second day of Sandhurst. Right: Singh and members of her team putting on harnesses in preparation for the one-rope bridge.

Lindsey Danilack, who was captain of the Army women’s track and field team, at a meet. Danilack competed in the 400-meter hurdles and other events. “If someone tells me I can’t run as fast as the guys running the two-mile, I say, ‘You’re right.’ I cannot run as fast as the two-milers guys do for the P.T. test. But if they say that I can’t be as good a leader as them, oh, I’ll challenge them on that. Because there is absolutely no difference between being a male and being a female in terms of leadership style.”

 

Lindsey Danilack, who was captain of the Army women’s track and field team, at a meet. Danilack competed in the 400-meter hurdles and other events. “If someone tells me I can’t run as fast as the guys running the two-mile, I say, ‘You’re right.’ ... But if they say that I can’t be as good a leader as them, oh, I’ll challenge them on that.”

Lindsey Danilack reviewing the cadet corps during lunchtime formation.

 

‘We’re all trying to accomplish very similar goals, regardless of gender.’ Lindsey Danilack

Danilack in her office in Eisenhower Barracks.

 

 

Left: Lindsey Danilack reviewing the cadet corps during lunchtime formation. Right: Danilack in her office in Eisenhower Barracks.

Anastasia Efaw at a survival-swimming class. “What I like most about West Point is the relationships you make here because of what you go through and how stressful it is,” she says. “A week is like a month in real life. . . . We have this unique experience that we’re all sharing with each other, which is why a lot of the people get engaged and married at West Point. And they might not even be dating for a year.”

 

Anastasia Efaw at a survival-swimming class. “What I like most about West Point is the relationships you make here because of what you go through and how stressful it is,” she says. “A week is like a month in real life. . . . We have this unique experience that we’re all sharing with each other, which is why a lot of the people get engaged and married at West Point. And they might not even be dating for a year.”

Anastasia Efaw at a survival-swimming class.

 

‘You want to be better than the guys to prove that you belong here.’ Arianna Efaw

Anastasia Efaw at a survival-swimming class.

 

Left and right: Anastasia Efaw at a survival-swimming class.

Arianna Efaw (the only woman at the table) at lunch with cadets she doesn’t know. “Each company has an assigned table,” she says. “If your table’s closed you have to wait under the poop deck until a seat opens. People raise their hand or make eye contact and you go over.” Plebes are often quizzed by upperclassmen at meals. “As a plebe you’re expected to know how many days until graduation or the next football game. It’s pretty stressful.”

 

Arianna Efaw (the only woman at the table) at lunch with cadets she doesn’t know. “Each company has an assigned table,” she says. “If your table’s closed you have to wait under the poop deck until a seat opens. People raise their hand or make eye contact and you go over.” Plebes are often quizzed by upperclassmen at meals. “As a plebe you’re expected to know how many days until graduation or the next football game. It’s pretty stressful.”

 

 

Part III: Marching on

Play Audio

1:12

Cadet First Capt. Lindsey Danilack (center) and her fellow cadets from the class of 2014 toss their caps into the air on commencement day.

 

Cadet First Capt. Lindsey Danilack (center) and her fellow cadets from the class of 2014 toss their caps into the air on commencement day.

Oriana Ellis the day before her graduation. “I’m pretty comfortable with my future,” she says. “I’ve gotten into medical school, and I know I can possibly go to Kenya after my first year. I guess right now I’m more filled with excitement than fear. I’m not taking over a platoon. . . . I have a job for the next 20 years of my life. That is so comforting.”

 

‘If being a soldier was only a physical thing, you can get a robot to do it.’ Oriana Ellis

Lindsey Danilack gets ready for the graduation parade, held the day before commencement.

Left: Lindsey Danilack gets ready for the graduation parade, held the day before commencement. Right: Oriana Ellis the day before her graduation. “I’m pretty comfortable with my future,” she says. “I’ve gotten into medical school, and I know I can possibly go to Kenya after my first year. I guess right now I’m more filled with excitement than fear. I’m not taking over a platoon. . . . I have a job for the next 20 years of my life. That is so comforting.”

The Efaw family congratulates Alexandra Efaw, following commencement. Her parents, Col. Andrew and Amy Efaw, both graduated from West Point in 1989. Alexandra’s siblings, from left: Aimee Katarina (Kat), Arianna, Anastasia and Andrew C.S. Efaw II.

 

‘We’re going into the profession of arms. . . . I definitely have fears.’ Lindsey Danilack

Lindsey Danilack receiving her diploma from President Obama. A few weeks later, having “branched aviation,” she reported to Fort Rucker in Alabama to learn to fly helicopters. “I’m scared for all my classmates, especially those who have branched infantry or combat arms in general, knowing that they’re going to be out there in harm’s way,” she says.

 

Left: The Efaw family congratulates Alexandra Efaw, following commencement. Her parents, Col. Andrew and Amy Efaw, both graduated from West Point in 1989. Alexandra’s siblings, from left: Aimee Katarina (Kat), Arianna, Anastasia and Andrew C.S. Efaw II. Right: Lindsey Danilack receiving her diploma from President Obama. A few weeks later, she reported to Fort Rucker in Alabama to learn to fly helicopters.

Alexandra Efaw in her room in Pershing Barracks after graduation, dressing for her commissioning ceremony. She is with her father, Col. Andrew Efaw, a reservist and lawyer. “I swore her in,” he says, “and then ‘pinned her,’ along with her mom.”

 

Alexandra Efaw in her room in Pershing Barracks after graduation, dressing for her commissioning ceremony. She is with her father, Col. Andrew Efaw, a reservist and lawyer. “I swore her in,” he says, “and then ‘pinned her,’ along with her mom.”

Anastasia Efaw giving her sister Alexandra, who reported to Fort Sill, Okla., later in the summer, her first salute as a commissioned officer. “My parents both graduated” from the academy, Anastasia says. “My dad’s brother went to West Point. My mom’s sister. My mom’s sister’s husband. . . . We all thought that when you went to college, you just go to West Point.”

‘Not only do I have to prove myself as a fresh lieutenant out of West Point, but I have to prove myself as a woman too.’ Alexandra Efaw

Col. Andrew Efaw and Amy Efaw pinning the bars on Alexandra during her commissioning ceremony.

 

Left: Col. Andrew Efaw and Amy Efaw pinning the bars on Alexandra during her commissioning ceremony. Right: Anastasia Efaw giving her sister Alexandra, who reported to Fort Sill, Okla., later in the summer, her first salute as a commissioned officer. “My parents both graduated” from the academy, Anastasia says. “My dad’s brother went to West Point. My mom’s sister. My mom’s sister’s husband. . . . We all thought that when you went to college, you just go to West Point.”

Underclass cadets, in their “white over gray” uniforms, in Michie Stadium on graduation day. “You get into West Point because you’re good academically, you’re a good leader, you’re the team captain or whatever,” Arianna Efaw says. “Then you get here and realize that everybody’s exactly like you, only better.”