Servant to the Community: An Aviator as the West Point Garrison Commander

COL Landy Dunham grew up in a family strongly influenced by his maternal grandmother. His high school had a strong JROTC program, and he became the Battalion Commander. He applied to the United States Military Academy, but was not initially accepted, and he spent a year at the Prep School which helped prepare him for academics at West Point. At the Academy, he played on the 150 pound (Sprint) football team and met his future wife. Upon graduation, COL Dunham went to Flight School where, as one of the few minority pilots, he experienced some racism from one of his instructors. He switched instructors, and his grades immediately rose to match his performance. After flight school, his first assignment was Fort Campbell, where his wife finally joined him after her graduation from West Point in 1994. Over the course of his career, COL Dunham has served at Fort Campbell and Fort Bragg, and in Korea, Bosnia, Iraq, and Afghanistan. He was the Professor of Military Science at Howard University, a Historically Black College / University, and served two tours in Personnel Command / Human Resources Command. One of his most challenging jobs is his current one, Garrison Command at West Point. In this interview, COL Dunham addresses the challenges of being a minority officer in Aviation, as well as the opportunities his personality has provided. He talks about his passion for flying, and the critical importance of taking care of people.