Newly commissioned 2nd. Lieutenants react after the traditional “hat toss” during the 2013 Army Graduation and Commissioning Ceremony in Michie Stadium at the United States Military Academy in West Point, NY on Saturday, May 25, 2013. The Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel delivered the graduation address as 1,007 cadets were commissioned as 2nd. Lieutenants in the U.S. Army. © CHET GORDON/Times Herald-Record
I’ve made a lot of wonderful images on this turf field since joining this newspaper in 2007. Everything from Division I College Football & Lacrosse to previous graduation ceremonies, including a sitting President and Vice-President right here onstage somewhere near the 50 yard-line. Today wasn’t going to be any different, but faced with heavy rain and temperatures in the 40’s before sunrise this morning – it was no joke. Working my seventh Army graduation ceremony earlier today, I knew it was all going to boil down to being prepared. Everything needed to make good images would come into play on a day with extreme weather conditions like these. A rain suit. Good waterproof shoes or boots, which are commonly called “duck-boots”, hand towels, plastic bags to cover remote(s) cameras, warm clothing, even gloves. And in checking the calendar, it was hard to believe at times that it was the beginning of the Memorial Day weekend here in the North East… ~cg.
Army 2nd. Lieutenant Cory Trainor (left) of Cornwall, NY hugs her father, Brigadier General Tim Trainor (right) during the 2013 Graduation and Commissioning Ceremony in Michie Stadium at the United States Military Academy in West Point, NY on Saturday, May 25, 2013. Brigadier General Trainor is the Academic Dean of West Point. The Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel delivered the graduation address as 1,007 cadets were commissioned as 2nd. Lieutenants in the U.S. Army. © CHET GORDON/Times Herald-Record
Chet Gordon resides in the lower Hudson Valley region of New York. A photojournalist for more than 25 years, he recently worked as Westchester Magazine's first photo editor, and previously was a staff photographer at four NYC metro area newspapers. He was also a photo editor at the NY Daily News for 5 years. His work has appeared in The New York Times, International Herald-Tribune, USA Today, MailOnline (UK), Army Times, Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek, and Popular Photography magazines, among others. He is a career member of the National Press Photographer’s Association (NPPA), and a former board member of the NY Press Photographer’s Association (NYPPA). He served honorably as a U.S. Marine in the mid-1980's, including 2+ years stationed on Okinawa, Japan, and throughout Southeast Asia. A longtime volunteer and travel enthusiast, he accompanies several humanitarian aid clients on their international disaster relief and medical missions. Since 1997, he's worked in several African countries, the Middle East, Central and South America, Eastern Europe, as well as Afghanistan, Haiti, the Russian Federation, and Thailand. He routinely mentors young photographers looking to break into the industry and vacations in Bermuda and Kenya.
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