NEW YORK, United States – Two Thai army cadets graduated with exceptional academic and leadership achievements from the United States Military Academy (USMA) at West Point, New York. On May 23, the Thai Army Attaché and Acting Defense Attaché to Washington, D.C. attended the commencement ceremony. U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth presided over the event and delivered the keynote address to the Class of 2026. The Thai Attaché presented tokens of appreciation to congratulate the two distinguished graduates from the Armed Forces Academies Preparatory School (Class 62) and Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy (Class 73):
Cadet Peerawat Chusak graduated with high distinction in military and leadership. He completed the West Point Air Assault Course and earned the Norwegian Foot March badge by completing an 18-mile rucksack march in under 4.5 hours. Recognized for his linguistic proficiency, he was inducted into the Phi Sigma Iota International Foreign Language Honor Society for excellence in Chinese and served as President of the International Cadets of West Point club.
Cadet Nontayos Phacharaphongploen graduated with distinction and was named to the Dean’s List every academic semester. His technical achievements earned him induction into both the Pi Mu Epsilon (Mathematics) and Upsilon Pi Epsilon (Computing and Information Disciplines) national honor societies. He secured the West Point Recondo Badge during grueling summer combat simulations, completed the Norwegian Foot March badge, and served as Co-President of the International Cadets of West Point club. The Royal Thai Army stated that the achievements of both cadets reflect the high standards of Thai military education and the ongoing success of Thai cadets in international military academic programs. (NNT)
