Harry, third in line to the British throne, arrived by helicopter at the storied military grounds just after 1:30 p.m. local time. The camouflage-uniformed prince hopped on the back of a Humvee, swapped his light blue beret for a helmet and headed out for live-fire exercises on the artillery range and field exercises in nearby woods.
He was met by West Point Superintendent Lt. Gen. Franklin L. "Buster" Hagenbeck and others.
The drills were held some 40 miles (65 kilometers) north of New York City, but they may seem familiar to the 25-year-old prince. Harry attended the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst and is a lieutenant in the British Army.
Harry served in Afghanistan in 2008 as a battlefield air controller until his time was cut short by a media leak. He has made no secret of his desire to return to the front lines, and the decision last month by British Army commanders to train him as an Apache attack helicopter pilot could make that more likely.
After West Point, Harry heads to another military-themed event on the flight deck of Manhattan's Intrepid Sea, Air and amp; Space Museum, a retired aircraft carrier, where he will promote cooperation between US and British veteran organizations.
Harry will throw out a first pitch at a Mets baseball game against the Minnesota Twins on Saturday and take part in a UNICEF event.
On Sunday, he will walk with wounded veterans participating in a road race through Central Park. He also plans to participate in the third annual Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic that day on Governors Island in New York Harbor.
The polo event will benefit American Friends of Sentebale, the US arm of the global charity co-founded by Harry that supports impoverished children of Lesotho in southern Africa. He's holding a reception for the event Saturday evening in Greenwich, Connecticut.
Harry is the younger son of Charles, Prince of Wales, and the late Diana, Princess of Wales.
Prince Harry joins US Army training at West Point
Publication Date:
Sat, 2010-06-26 02:22
old inpro:
Taxonomy upgrade extras:
© 2024 SAUDI RESEARCH & PUBLISHING COMPANY, All Rights Reserved And subject to Terms of Use Agreement.