Simone Askew seized her place in history in August 2017 when she became the first black woman to lead the 4,400-member Corps of Cadets at West Point. As First Captain/Brigade Commander, the 20-year-old international history major holds the highest position in the cadet chain of command - in fact, the highest student position at the United States Military Academy otherwise known as the The Point.
In her role, Askew is responsible for the overall performance of the Corps of Cadets. Her duties also include implementing a class agenda and acting as a liaison between the cadets and the administration.
Askew is only the fifth woman to lead the Corps of Cadets. Following passage of a federal law in 1975 allowing women to be admitted to military academies, the first co-ed class graduated West Point in 1980. Now, according to statistics on the West Point website, 15% of the Corps of Cadets are women or approximately 645 out of 4,300. Cadets are usually commissioned as second lieutenants in the Army upon graduation.
Gen. Vincent K. Brooks, commander of U.S. Forces Korea, was West Point’s first African American first captain in 1979. The first female in that role, in 1989, was Col. Kristin Baker, now commander of the Joint Intelligence Operations Center Europe, Analytic Center.
Askew’s appointment came soon after a photo of 16 graduating black female cadets raising their fists drew criticism from online commentators who accused them of supporting the Black Lives Matter movement. Supporters said they were making a gesture of solidarity and accomplishment as graduation drew near. West Point administrators determined after an investigation that the women hadn’t violated any Army rules.
West Point has yet to see more than 20 African-American women graduate in a single class out of an average size graduating class of 1,000.
Askew grew up in Bethesda, Maryland, later moving to Fairfax, Virginia, where she attended high school - and where her family still lives. As a high school student, she spent summers volunteering at orphanages in the Dominican Republic, became school student body president and captain of the volleyball team, and started the school’s Black Student Union. As a senior, she missed her crowning as Fairfax High homecoming queen to attend a West Point recruiting event, but was there to crown her successor a year later, the faux diamond tiara hidden under her dress gray Army uniform hat.
Becoming a cadet is a rigorous process. Candidates for admission must both apply directly to the academy and receive a nomination, usually from a member of Congress. Askew earned four nominations as part of her application to West Point and the Naval Academy: three legislators, including Senator Tim Kaine, Democrat of Virginia, and one from the West Point superintendent.
Askew excels in a number of areas. She Is a member of the West Point Crew team and develops new leaders as the cadet in charge of a program called the Elevation Initiative.
She has also received a number of academic honors, including a Black Engineer of the Year Award for military leadership. She is an EXCEL scholar and a member of Phi Alpha Theta Honorary National History Society. She is a graduate of Air Assault School and achieved the highest female score in her class during combat field training.
Serving as First Captain is a solid stepping stone to future success in the Army. In addition to Cadet Vincent K. Brooks mentioned above is now a four-star general commanding American forces in South Korea and Cadet John W. Nicholson Jr. was first captain in 1982 now wearing four stars as the senior American and NATO commander in Afghanistan. The Long Gray Line and its ranks include two Presidents of the United States (as well as the President of the Confederate States of America), presidents of Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and the Philippines, numerous famous generals, and seventy-six Medal of Honor recipients.
