Reasons to serve
History, West Point, and 9/11 memorial inspire ND ROTC students in New York
About two dozen seniors in the Notre Dame Army ROTC program were impressed with the mealtime rituals at the United States Military Academy at West Point: the corps formations with drums and bugle, the historic Washington Hall that reminds visitors of Harry Potter’s Hogwarts, and the efficiency and precision of feeding 4,000 cadets in a matter of minutes.
But when the Notre Dame students in school gear waded into the cavernous mess hall with the gray-clad Army cadets, a chorus of boos erupted.
James Lindell, a senior from Hawaii who wore a Notre Dame Glee Club jacket, said he didn’t mind. He expected it on the Thursday before Army faced Notre Dame in a football game at Yankee Stadium in late November.
“I understood it was all in the spirit of competition,” Lindell said. “Once we all sat down at lunch, I got to meet the cadets I was sitting with. The football rivalry was quickly an afterthought to learning about each other’s college experiences.”
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