WEST POINT, N.Y. — Caroline Miller, a saber in her white-gloved hand, leads cadets of Company D with crisp commands.
“Ready . . . eyes right!” As hundreds of West Point cadets march across the sprawling green grass for review, she is in lockstep.
Today, the 22-year-old will be among the more than 950 cadets commissioned second lieutenants in the U.S. Army.
Miller’s ancestors have fought in the Civil War, World War I, World War II and Vietnam. They have served since Andrew Jackson was president 173 years ago. Her father graduated here. Her sister too. Now it’s her turn.
Such “dynasties” are not unusual at West Point. What sets the Millers apart is a direct line stretching across seven generations to Israel Carle Woodruff. An 1836 graduate, he helped defend Washington, D.C., against Confederate forces during the Civil War.
After receiving her Army commission, Miller will take a break to get married. (He’s a West Point graduate, naturally.) She then will train stateside before receiving an assignment.
