FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                            RELEASE NO. 91-09

ACADEMY CHANGE OF COMMAND CEREMONY – Nov. 16, 2009

WEST POINT, N.Y. – Brig. Gen. William E. Rapp will assume command of the U.S. Corps of Cadets Nov. 23 as the 72nd Commandant of Cadets at the U.S. Military Academy.

The ceremony will be held at 12:15 p.m., in Eisenhower Hall’s Crest Hall.

He replaces Brig. Gen. Michael S. Linnington who left West Point Sept. 24 for an assignment in Afghanistan.

Rapp, a native of Dumont, Colo., is a 1984 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy

He most recently served as the Commander, Northwestern Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Portland, Ore.

Editor’s Note: Media wishing to cover the event should contact West Point Media Relations at 845-938-2006.

About West Point
Ranked the “Top College in the Country” by Forbes and “Top Public Liberal Arts College” by
US News & World Report, the U.S. Military Academy is a four-year co-educational federal undergraduate liberal arts college located 50 miles north of New York City.  The world's preeminent leader development institution, it was founded in 1802 as America's first college of engineering.  Its mission remains constant—to educate, train, and inspire the Corps of Cadets so that each graduate is a commissioned leader of character committed to the values of Duty, Honor, Country and prepared for a career of professional excellence and service to the Nation as an officer in the United States Army.  For more information, go to www.westpoint.edu.