Every summer, about a thousand of America's best and brightest young men and women show up at the granite gates of the United States Military Academy at West Point, NY. After a hug, a kiss and shared tears with parents, they are marched into a completely foreign world that reaches back more than two centuries. As they undergo a formidable 47-month challenge, they are connected to those who have gone before them – the legendary Long Gray Line – by traditions and experiences, many as old as the academy itself. An Illustrated Look at Traditions of the United States Military Academy A to Z includes just some of the many traditions familiar to West Pointers, both as Cadets and as "Old Grads." To outsiders, many of these will seem strange and archaic. But, as the reader can see from the included comments of more than 200 West Pointers (from classes as far back as 1843 and as recent as 2026), these traditions are enduring. They help mold the culture of America's warrior leader class.

An Illustrated Look at Traditions of the United States Military Academy A to Z explains and illustrates some of the many traditions that tether today’s West Point Cadets to those graduates from more than a hundred years ago, the Long Gray Line. To bring some perspective, each tradition includes memories contributed from more than 200 West Pointers from as far back as the Class of 1843 and as recent as Class of 2026.

The book is formatted somewhat like a dictionary, with “A is for Army”, “B is for Beast” and so on. Each section features text describing the tradition, an illustration, and then quotes from several West Pointers. These include two U.S. presidents (Grant – USMA 1843, and Eisenhower – USMA 1915), many general officers (including three former USMA Superintendents), congressmen, a past secretary of the Army, and many other distinguished graduates - more than 200 altogether.

Each section also features a small, related graphic taken from the Cadet yearbook Howitzer, going as far back as 1897. Most graduates will still relate to most of them.

Before graduating from West Point in 1978, Peter Eschbach enlisted in the Army in 1971.Trained as a reconnaissance scout, he was assigned to the Berlin Brigade, 110 miles behind the Iron Curtain in what was then communist East Germany. Accepted at the United States Military Academy Preparatory School, then in Ft. Belvoir, Va., he received a nomination to West Point from the Secretary of the Army.

Plebe year, he designed the Class of '78's crest. Throughout his Cadet career, he drew, painted and wrote for the Cadet publication Pointer magazine.

He served as an Infantry officer in the Ninth Infantry Division, located in Ft. Lewis, Wash. That was followed by additional schooling and then serving at Ft. Bragg, NC as a public affairs officer for the XVIII Airborne Corps and the newly established Joint Special Operations Command. 

Leaving active duty, he joined the corporate world and led marketing and communications efforts in a variety of global companies. He retired as a director from a federal/interstate government agency, and lives in Mays Landing, NJ,, teaching marketing and communications classes at a local university.