“Choosing My Own Path”: A Cadet from the Republic of Korea At West Point

In this follow-up interview to one recorded during her Plebe year (A Citizen Of The World: A South Korean International Cadet At West Point), Eun Soo Moon reflects on her experiences at the United States Military Academy as the first South Korean Woman Cadet. She discusses majoring in International Relations (she appreciates the unbiased theoretical foundation of that discipline) and being inducted into their honor society. She did well militarily and was assigned as a Battalion Military Development Officer. She helped to plan CQB Training (Close Quarters Battle) for her battalion and is proud of how that training turned out. As the Brigade Regs and Discipline NCO during her Cow year, she ensured that duty officers held the Cadets on the Area to high standards, improving the culture in that regard. The physical pillar was a challenge, especially after suffering an injury during Plebe year that required ankle surgery. She served as a CFT (Cadet Field Training) Squad Leader and completed CTLT (Cadet Troop Leader Training) at Ft. Bragg with Quartermaster and Military Intelligence units, noting that “leadership is hard.” She has seen increasing teamwork in her company A-3 since Plebe year. She is involved in the International Affairs Forum and plays the Violin in the Strings Club. She appreciates the level of respect she finds at West Point and is pleased that “people listen to others’ ideas.” She discusses her expectations for West Point and America, including concerns that she was “too small” to perform adequately, but notes that she survived and others “wouldn’t let me fail.” Currently there are two other ROK Cadets at West Point, one in USMA ‘26 and the other in USMA ’28, and she looks to them to help “me remember why I am here.” When she returns to the Republic of Korea, she will branch Military Intelligence, the first to pick that branch out of about 40 ROK Cadets to attend West Point since the 1980s. Offering advice to future Cadets, Eun Soo says, “you’ll change a lot,” “remember who you are,” and “I became more Korean coming here” because of constant self-reflection, concluding “I am more aware of why I am serving.” She is going to miss traveling around the United States because she likes exploring, but she is looking forward to returning home to see her parents, her dog, and enjoying good Korean food. She credits West Point with building her values as an Officer and she reflects that over the past four years she has become more humble and confident.