Fri, May 09, 2003
Senator Byron Dorgan (right, D-ND) says that an
agreement he helped arrange between the University of North Dakota
(UND) and the US Military Academy at West Point to train cadets to
fly Army helicopters has been finalized. The program will begin
this summer, with UND training 32 West Point cadets. The first
group of cadets will arrive in Grand Forks on June 2. The second
group will arrive on July 7. Each training day will consist of
academic studies and hands-on flight instruction.
“We’ve been working for a long while to encourage
West Point to take advantage of UND’s first-class helicopter
flight training program,” Dorgan said. “Cadets will
gain world class training, and UND will be make a very significant
contribution to our country’s military strength. This is
great news for all concerned.”
“We’re very pleased to be working with
West Point on this partnership,” said UND President Charles
Kupchella. “That the U.S. Army chose UND to train cadets to
fly helicopters says volumes about the national reputation our
Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences has for providing the highest
quality of the hands-on education and training. We appreciate Sen.
Dorgan’s help in securing the funding for the
program.”
"We always look for relevant training experiences for our cadets
that provide them the knowledge and skills they will need as
leaders in the Army. This program should do just that," said
Colonel Drew Stanley, Director, Department of Military Instruction,
U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
The new initiative is funded through $1.4 million
Dorgan secured for UND’s Air Battle Captain helicopter
training program in the 2003 Defense Appropriations bill. The
partnership will begin as a one-year pilot project exclusively
between UND and West Point and will be opened up to a competitive
bid process following the pilot period. “I’m confident
this summer’s training will go well and the program will
develop into a long-term partnership between two fine
schools,” Dorgan said.
Last month, President Bush signed legislation Dorgan wrote that
laid the ground work for the UND-West Point partnership.
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