Through the Gray

Fred & Joe Harrison
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The West Point Class of 2001 was the last class to graduate before 9/11. They served as Junior Officers during the initial phases of the War on Terror and the next twenty years of global turbulence in both military and civilian roles. This podcast attempts to capture their stories.

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    Podcast Wrap - Joe & Carlys

    Podcast Wrap. Joe & Carlys talk about the idea behind the podcast, the execution of that idea, and the impact that the podcast has had. Thank you for being a part of this journey and for sharing these stories.

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    Joseph Harrison: Past and Presence

    Joe's interest in the military was tied to his experiences with his Dad in the outdoors and participating in Boy Scouting. It was further fueled by popular movies and documentaries he saw in his childhood. Joe had an indirect route to the Military Academy. Enlisting in 1996 and serving as a soldier in support of West Point prior to being accepted as a New Cadet in 1997. Joe initially suffered from overconfidence in the skills and abilities that got him to West Point and an underappreciation for the amount of work he'd have to invest in himself to build the skills necessary to succeed. Joe would also struggle to learn how to and prepare himself in a way that allowed him to be smooth in the moment of execution. Joe would graduate West Point in 2001 and commission as an Armor Officer. He would serve at Ft. Riley, Kansas and deploy to Iraq in 2003 and 2005. Command a Tank Company in South Korea. Serve as an instructor at the Maneuver Center of Excellence. Deploying to Afghanistan in 2012 to serve as a Brigade S3 for the NATO Training Mission Afghanistan. Served at Fort Carson, Colorado and Joint Base Lewis McChord, Washington as a Field Grade Officer before deploying to Saudi Arabia in 2019 to serve as an Advisor for the Saudi Arabian National Guard. Joe would serve as the Deputy Director for Exercises for I Corps at JBLM, Washington for three years before retiring in 2023. Joe talks about his experiences learning from the past, preparing for the future, and trying to live in the present. This is his story.

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    Joshua Kuehl: Even Keel

    Josh became infatuated with the military and flying after watching “Top Gun”. Josh did everything he could to learn about aircraft and to prepare to become a pilot, including participating in the Civil Air Patrol. Josh needed glasses to correct his vision so becoming a pilot wasn’t feasible, but it didn’t stop his desire to serve. Josh enlisted in the Infantry with the goal to apply to West Point and to enter the Academy. When he reported to his first duty station at Joint Base Lewis McChord he told his chain of commmand his intentions and his company commander supported his ambitions. Nine months after reporting to Joint Base Lewis McChord Josh would be reporting to the United States Military Academy Prep School and West Point the year after. Josh would graduate West Point and commission as an Armor Officer; serving in South Korea, deploying from Fort Carson with the 3rd ACR to Iraq, and later to Kuwait as a staff officer in the Coalition Forces Land Component Command (CFLCC). Josh would leave the military upon the completion of his initial military service obligation and began a journey of discovering his passions for elevators, photography, serving others, and Artificial Intelligence. This is his story.

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    Joseph Marcee: Who's to Judge?

    Joe chose to apply for West Point based off of financial circumstances and first hand experiences. Joe saw what the structure and discipline of Army did for his older brother and was impressed by a West Point Cadet who spoke locally and absolutely commanded the room of high school students. When Joe entered West Point he was exposed to a shock of a different culture and different mindset, but also learned he had an intermittent case of sleep walking. Joe took advantage of every opportunity he could at West Point. Building friendships and participating in one of a time experiences. Joe served as an intern at the Supreme Court, participated in the German Club, and did whitewater kayaking. Joe branched Armor with the expectation to transition to the Judge Advocate General Corps at a later date. Joe would serve as an Armor Officer at Fort Hood, Texas and deploy to Iraq with the 4th Infantry Division. Joe would return from that tour in Iraq and immediately begin his Funded Legal Education Plan to become a Judge Advocate General. Over the next 15 years Joe would serve as a Prosecutor, as Defense, and ultimately as a Judge in the Military judicial system as both an Active Duty and Reserve Officer. Joe would serve on the Defense Team for MAJ HASAN, the Ft. Hood shooter, and has many experiences in both military and civilian trials. This is his story.

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    Joshua Knobel: Religious Calling

    Joshua Knobel: Religious Calling Josh didn’t see West Point as dramatically different from his other college options, but an overnight stay in 1997 caused him to reassess. Joshs’ host (Class of 2000) stayed up late studying the night before and wasn’t prepared for the upcoming day. His classmates in that moment bent over backwards to makes sure he was. Josh couldn’t imagine that happening at any other college, and it sold him. Josh didn’t participate much in sports before West Point, but he played football his senior year to prepare himself for the physical rigors of the Academy. Josh continued to push himself at West Point, but also sought refuge in his friends and in his faith. Joining the fencing team, participating in intramurals, and participating in events at the Jewish Chapel. Josh would graduate from West Point and join the Signal Corps, serving at Ft. Huachuca, Arizona and deploying to Iraq and Ft. Bragg, North Carolina and deploying to Afghanistan. Josh would push himself to accomplish the mission in both organizations, but more importantly he grew in his faith and his desire to be a part of something bigger than himself. In the Spring of 2008 Josh would redeploy from Afghanistan, hand off his Company Command, leave the military, and begin his journey to becoming a Rabbi. This is his story.

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    Jessica Ruthka Smith: Hard Truths and A Serendipitous Journey

    Hard Truths and A Serendipitous Journey The firstborn child of a Ukrainian immigrant to the US, and following in her career father’s Military footsteps, Jessica gladly accepted and thoroughly enjoyed the challenges of Cadet life at West Point. While at the academy, she ran collegiate cross country, competed in three years of the Sandhurst competition, Officers of Christian fellowship (OCF), ski team and debate team. She also was an exchange cadet to the Coast Guard academy cow/junior year. Jessica didn’t graduate West Point; instead she served back her service obligation as a 91W/ combat medic in Alaska at Ft Richardson. After the sudden death of her mother and struck by the difficulties of working through assignments with her army orders and her husbands Coast Guard assignments, Jessica left the service and had some very cool and unique Alaskan jobs in security and project management following her service obligation. Jessica’s trajectory changed completely when the family moved back to the East coast/NC in 2012. A very different set of challenges remained for her there, as she faced divorce and a lack of employment options that correlated with the oil and gas industry. This is Jessica’s story on how she survived deep personal loss, being a new single parent, and becoming self aware enough to find her life’s professional calling as a top producing mortgage loan originator/mortgage broker. She credits the environment of West Point for her toughness, but also relied much on counseling, faith and familial bonds, for their role in her journey from “failure” to “success” Jessica knows that more is often learned and more personal growth is actually experienced and obtained from failure than success…and she hopes others can learn and benefit from her story. This is her story.

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    David Hughes: You Only Live Once

    David was exposed to West Point early and often in his childhood. His Father was a Class of 1974 Graduate and David remembers posing for pictures on cannons on campus in a yellow West Point t-shirt. David’s father and grandfather didn’t push West Point on him, but their pride in service and their family history heavily influenced his views. David was a competitor and a perfectionist. Sports, academics, and extracurricular activities were areas he constantly pushed and sought to measure himself against. David maximized the opportunities provided in a small school with a graduating class of 32, but the transition to West Point was big. Beast and the beginning of Freshman year tested David, but his work ethic and competitive nature combined with close friendships helped him grow through the challenges. David would build strong relationships and strong memories at West Point, first as a Cadet in Intramurals and as “A-Man” during sport events and later as an assistant professor in systems engineering. David would commission as an Aviation officer and serve overseas in Afghanistan with his civilian wife, before transitioning to becoming an Operational Research and System Analyst Officer. David explains the motivation behind his transition and his experience at West Point as an assistant professor and as an ORSA before his recent retirement and his current position doing sports analytics in support of the NFL. This is his story.

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    Eric Hillerson: Family Tradition

    Eric Hillerson: Family tradition Eric and his family have a strong connection with military service. Eric’s grandfathers served in WWII and several of his uncles served in Vietnam. Eric became interested in West Point and becoming an officer personally during the sixth grade when Desert Shield / Desert Storm kicked off. Watching the news coverage of what US forces accomplished, combined with watching the Ken Burns series on the Civil War drew his attention. Eric participated in sports throughout highschool, pushed himself academically, participated in student council, and attended academic camps at West Point his junior and senior years. Eric knew the broad scope of what he was getting into, but couldn’t anticipate the details. Ruck marches, the Thayer Method, Plebe English challenged him in new and unexpected ways. Eric leaned into those challenges and found his niche’s in Sandhurst, Infantry Tactics Club, and Engineering Management. Eric graduated from West Point and commissioned as an Infantry Officer. Serving in South Korea, Kansas, Iraq, and Georgia before leaving the military at the end of his initial military service obligation. Eric left the military to focus on his growing family and has spent 15+ years in the civilian sector in logistics, supply chain operations, and operations management. Eric talks about military service, transition to the civilian world, and his own son’s path towards application and acceptance into West Point. This is his story.

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The West Point Class of 2001 was the last class to graduate before 9/11. They served as Junior Officers during the initial phases of the War on Terror and the next twenty years of global turbulence in both military and civilian roles. This podcast attempts to capture their stories.

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  • صناع العمل
    Fred & Joe Harrison
  • سنوات النشاط
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  • حقوق النشر
    © Fred & Joe Harrison
  • موقع البرنامج على الويب
    Through the Gray