Prince Harry joins US Army training at West Point
WEST POINT, N.Y. – Britain's Prince Harry, no stranger to military
exercises, joined cadets training at the U.S. Military Academy on Friday
at the start to his three-day visit to New York.
Harry, third in line to the British throne, arrived by helicopter at
the storied military grounds just after 1:30 p.m. 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 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 & Space Museum, a retired aircraft carrier,
where he will promote cooperation between U.S. 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 U.S. 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, Conn.
Harry is the younger son of Charles, Prince of Wales,
and the late Diana, Princess of Wales.