JANUARY 22, 2026 – As one of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point’s most personal traditions, the ring melt allows current cadets to “grip hands” with previous generations of graduates during a solemn, emotionally charged occasion that affirms the ideals of duty, honor and country through the symbolism of the class ring.
The West Point Association of Graduates hosted the 26th annual Class Ring Memorial Program Jan. 9 at the Eisenhower Hall Theater on campus in West Point, New York, honoring donors as their names were called and their rings placed into a crucible by classmates, family members or honored guests. The rings were then melded together to form a small gold brick that will be used to forge new rings.
This year, 67 rings were donated that will link the past to the U.S. Military Academy class of 2027 and future classes. Of this year’s rings, the oldest donated ring was from the class of 1912, and the youngest ring donor was from the class of 1997. The 1997 ring belonged to Army Capt. Ian P. Weikel, who was killed in action in Baghdad in 2006. It was donated by his family, largely because his son, Cadet Jonathan Weikel, is a member of the class receiving this year’s rings.
Since the inaugural ring melt in 2001, 1,035 rings have been donated to this program, forging an unbreakable bond along the “Long Gray Line,” the continuum of graduates from the academy. Among the “legacy gold,” which is gold shavings from previous ring melts, are graduate rings from as far back as 1896 to as recent as 2006.
This year’s legacy gold, fused with this year’s rings during the melt, embarked on a journey to the International Space Station in March 2025 aboard NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission, commanded by Army Col. Anne McClain, USMA class of 2002, whose class was the first to benefit from the ring melt.
The Class Ring Memorial Program is only one step in the legacy woven into every ring. When the class of 2027 dons their rings in August, more than 1,000 cadets will wear not only every achievement from previous classes but also continue the path of an unbroken chain of honor that inspires their own service to our nation.
This year’s ceremony was particularly significant, as it marked the first time the entire class receiving the rings could attend in person.
Class of 2027 Cadet Joshua Sparkes, the class ring and crest chair, worked with a team of cadet representatives to coordinate the ceremony and ring weekend.
Regarding his role, Sparkes said, “I wanted to leave an impact. I ran for class president plebe year but didn’t get it, so I went into recalibration mode. Then, I decided to run for the ring and crest chair. Leaving a legacy was part of my motivation through all these long nights leading up to this event, and to see it come to fruition today – I’m so happy.”
Sparkes described the ceremony as deeply emotional, particularly while meeting family members who donated rings and later transporting the crucible containing the rings for the melt.
“There’s no words to really describe it, so I will settle with amazing,” he said. “After carrying the crucible, it felt heavier. Not because of the rings, but because of all the emotions that people were pouring out onto the stage. I watched one family member shaking while putting in a ring.”
Through conversations with donor families, Sparkes reflected on how the graduates who donated their rings embodied the values of duty, honor, country, and how their families honored that legacy by giving back.
When it comes time to place the ring on his finger, Sparkes said he wants to remember the moments from the event.
“The crucible was heavy, but the ring is going to be heavier once I place it on my finger,” Sparkes said. “I can’t wait to wear it with pride. The families I spoke with today, they said their loved ones wore it with pride until the day they died. I’m going to do the same. No matter how many rings I get, this ring will be the one that carries me forward.”
Sparkes’ sentiment was echoed by Cadet Jack Capriola, class president of the class of 2027. As a representative of 1,065 classmates, Capriola emphasized that the ring melt offers an experience that brings together his class and its West Point lineage.
The international history major from Long Island, New York, noted that the demands of cadet life can focus narrowly on the immediate tasks at hand, whether it is the next quiz, physical test or semester, but the ring melt is a reminder of West Point’s mission.
“The ring melt is one of the great ways to take a step back and say, ‘Wow,'” Capriola said. “These families are here for their former cadets whose lives, careers and families they have shaped, and they returned to give a piece of themselves to their Rockbound Highland Home.
“It makes me remember why I came here in the first place,” Capriola added.
Having witnessed last year’s ring melt, Capriola felt honored to meet another group of families this year.
“The idea of all this is that previous sacrifice, strength and courage being literally melted down and then put onto your body, it’s extremely powerful,” Capriola explained. “It’s something you can’t find anywhere else in the nation and the world. These warriors who fought in World War I, World War II, Vietnam, Korea — just name a conflict the United States has been involved in — and West Pointers have been there on the front lines.
“All that elevated the United States to victory in those conflicts, through those people, through those young officers, is now being put onto me and my class, the class of 2027,” he said. “It feels like it’s for the class of 2027, but it is also special for the donor and family member who is experiencing it.
“It is them putting their memory forward for another generation, for another lifetime. It is an immense honor to uphold,” he added.
Looking toward his future, Capriola reflected on the significance of one day offering his ring to the program.
“I think it’s a no-brainer. Each day you live having and holding that ring, it builds your own legacy, the legacy of West Point and the Long Gray Line,” Capriola said. “It would feel like I’ve completed my life’s work and a way to give back to the institution and people who taught me how to have that career, and how to lead a life of character and leadership.”
By Eric Bartelt
U.S. Military Academy at West Point