Norwood graduates from West Point
Robert “Bobby” Norwood of Siloam Springs realized his dream of graduating from the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, N.Y., on Saturday and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army within the Armor branch.
The graduation ceremony garnered national attention as the more than 1,100 graduates were called back for a 14-day monitoring period before the event and President Donald Trump delivered the graduation address. The students, who had been sent home after Spring break because of the covid-19 pandemic, used the 14-day period to perform out-processing tasks, according to a press release. Social distancing measures were in place during the ceremony and families watched a live stream of the event.
On Sunday, Norwood made an appearance on Fox & Friends to talk about his graduation experience, which he called “Inspiring.”
“It was a reminder that no matter what other threats face our country throughout its history that West Point continues to do its job of graduating lieutenants to serve that first officer role in the U.S. Army,” Norwood said.
When asked about entering a divided world after graduation, Norwood said his job was to serve the Army at the lowest level, leading 30 soldiers.
“My job is to care for every single one of those soldiers, regardless of where they came from, their background, who they are, and to make sure that they can do that job,” he said. “So I am going to have the opportunity to build a cohesive, diverse team on that small level and train those soldiers to support and defend the constitution of the United States.”
Norwood also fielded a question about his reason for serving in the military.
“My personal reason is sacrificing oneself for another is the highest ideal to which we can strive as human beings, whether hopefully that is living for someone else but potentially that could include dying for someone else,” he said.
When asked about his impression of the president’s speech, Norwood said that Trump gave historic examples of West Point graduates who have served the country in various ways.
“That spoke to me, especially since one of the key reasons I chose to go to West Point, and I wanted my service to be as an officer in the Army is because of those graduates,” he said. “In school, growing up, learning about the people who graduated from West Point and how they had served our country and wanting to be like them. So the president choosing to talk about those graduates kind of brought it to a full circle for me.”
My job is to care for every single one of those soldiers, regardless of where they came from, their background, who they are, and to make sure that they can do that job. Robert “Bobby” Norwood Siloam Springs resident, graduate of Westpoint Academy
Norwood is the son of Robert and Sherri Norwood of Siloam Springs. His mother said that after watching graduation activities online all week, it didn’t seem unusual to see him on the screen again.
“It’s a bit surreal to realize he was live on national television,” she said. “I think his comments echoed the sentiments of his fellow graduates. West Point does an amazing job of preparing officers to serve and lead a diverse team of soldiers.”
Norwood dreamed of attending West Point from a young age, he said in a 2016 interview when he was accepted into West Point. He graduated from home-school, the oldest of eight siblings, as a National Merit Scholarship Finalist and was also part of the Siloam Springs High School’s cross country and swim teams. Norwood earned his Eagle Scout, the highest rank attainable in the Boy Scouts of America, in 2012 to help prepare him for his goal.
U.S. Rep. Steve Womack (R-Ark.) nominated Norwood to attend West Point and attended the graduation ceremony on Saturday. Womack is the chairman of the school’s board of visitors.
Three other students from the 3rd Congressional District also graduated Saturday, including David Nichols of Bentonville, Andrew Roberts of Bentonville and Joseph Sultemeier of Rogers, according to a report in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
Norwood is a Stamps Scholar and a recipient of the Harry S. Truman Scholarship. He majored in computer sciences with honors and minored in Latin American regional studies, according to a press release from West Point. Outside of the classroom, he made extensive contributions to the Academy’s efforts in sexual assault prevention and suicide awareness, the release states. He was also the cadet in charge of the Cadet Media Group and competed with the West Point Cyber Policy team.
Norwood has interned at the National Security Agency, U.S. Space and Missile Defense Command, and U.S. Psychological Operations units. He will be commissioned into the Armor branch and plans to use his Truman Scholarship to earn a master’s degree in public policy.
On Saturday, Norwood received the Superintendent’s Award for Achievement and the Distinguished Cadet Award, which is given to the top 15 percent of each class for outstanding performance in all three programs — academic, military and physical, and achieved a 3.67 grade point average or higher.
He also received the Excellence in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science award.
After graduation, Norwood will train at Fort Benning, Ga., before going on to be stationed as an armor officer at Fort Carson, Colo.
“Bobby had dreamed of attending West Point since he was about 10 years old, so graduation was an exciting day,” Sherri Norwood said. “I am proud of how he seeks to make a difference in the lives of others.”