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<p>Sisterly Duty</p>
<p>North Fork sisters Suzie and Jessica Burks chose to attend West Point … and are glad for the bond they share.
By Denny Boyles / The Fresno Bee01/25/07 04:53:10Related Content</p>
<p>Suzie and Jessica Burks are sisters. And that makes the two young women from North Fork doubly unusual at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
The elite college, which has trained U.S. Army officers since 1802, has only 600 female cadets in a student body of 4,000. Siblings are even more rare: only 82 sets of them are enrolled.</p>
<p>The sisters face a series of daily challenges, from waking up before dawn to coping with a full slate of classes that includes all the basics plus military history and strategy. There’s also physical training and rigid discipline.</p>
<p>It’s so demanding that Cadet Pvt. Suzie Burks, a 19-year-old first-year student, looks forward to being able to sleep in like her older sister. </p>
<p>The earlier wake-up is part of a rigorous year of adjustment for freshmen, or “plebes,” as ordinary teenagers are transformed into military leaders.</p>
<p>Plebes wake up as early as 5 a.m. Upperclassmen, including Cadet Lt. Jessica Burks, a 22-year-old senior, get to sleep in until 6.</p>
<p>Before Suzie Burks sits down for breakfast, she must clean her assigned areas, deliver newspapers and pick up dirty laundry.</p>
<p>Burks — and every other freshman at West Point — also has to memorize lunch and dinner menus, be able to report on world events and even tell older students how many days are left until Christmas or graduation. </p>
<p>It’s an unusual college experience, but one that both young women relish.</p>
<p>“It’s not something anyone could explain and expect someone else to understand,” Suzie Burks said. “I chose to have this experience, and I’m grateful for the opportunity. My experience compared to my friends’ college experience — it’s almost like two completely different worlds.”</p>
<p>For several weeks the Burks sisters have shared an e-mail dialogue with The Bee, talking about life in the military and their time at West Point. They also wrote about knowing the risks of their chosen profession.</p>
<p>“I think everyone here has thought about fighting in the war at least once,” said Jessica Burks, 22. “It’s something I felt like I had to be prepared to do when I entered USMA — since I will be an officer in the U.S. Army when I graduate.”</p>
<p>Suzie Burks has more than three years of training to go. She said the war in the Middle East is on every cadet’s mind.</p>
<p>“I think everyone that goes overseas to fight the war is a little scared,” she said. “Of course, I don’t want to place myself in danger, but that’s what I signed up for — that’s what I’m here to do.”</p>
<p>The sisters came to West Point through similar paths. Their father, Don Burks, served four years in the Air Force, then worked as a California Highway Patrol officer for more than 20 years. </p>
<p>Don Burks said he encouraged his daughters to consider West Point but made it clear the choice was theirs.</p>
<p>“We’ve told other parents that a student can’t choose an academy because that’s what their parents want,” Don Burks said. “It’s a tough environment. If it’s not their choice, they can’t make it through the experience.”</p>
<p>Jessica Burks said she first started thinking about attending West Point while in the eighth grade. Before committing to the Army, she attended a summer program at the Naval Academy as a high schooler.</p>
<p>“I … loved it, so I knew what I was getting into,” Jessica Burks said. </p>
<p>Suzie Burks didn’t expect to attend West Point. In fact, while visiting the campus during her sophomore year of high school, she told her father, “Dad, I am not going here, so you can just get over it.” </p>
<p>A year later, she changed her mind. But then she had to convince her parents she was serious.</p>
<p>“They were just like, ‘Are you sure?’” Suzie Burks said. “They had almost ruled out me attending the academy because they didn’t think it was for me. I wouldn’t be able to blow-dry and straighten my hair every day or wear the cute clothes, so it kind of caught them off guard when I told them I was serious about it.”</p>
<p>Each year, 12 to 15 candidates compete for each open spot at West Point. Every candidate goes through a demanding application process that includes standard college entrance exams, physical fitness tests and a series of interviews with representatives of their local members of congress. </p>
<p>Each representative and U.S. senator can nominate a limited number of students for admission to one of the four service academies that allow federal nominations — West Point, the Naval Academy, the Air Force Academy and the Merchant Marine Academy. The Coast Guard Academy follows different admission procedures.</p>
<p>For the Burks sisters, the process meant meeting with Maj. Gen. Ron Markarian, who leads the selection committee for Rep. George Radanovich, R-Mariposa. Radanovich nominated both girls for West Point.</p>
<p>“We look at the total individual, from academics to athletics,” said Markarian, 76. “Any academy is going to present a tough educational environment to the cadets, and we want to make sure they are ready.”</p>
<p>Life at an academy goes beyond athletics and academics, Markarian said.</p>
<p>“We also look at their leadership experience and potential,” he said. “Academy graduates are immediately military leaders, and they have to be ready for that responsibility.”</p>
<p>The sisters said being on campus together makes the challenges easier to face.</p>
<p>“It’s like always having a friend, workout buddy, dinner partner, etc.,” said Jessica Burks.</p>
<p>Suzie Burks, who as a plebe is in the middle of the most difficult year at West Point, said having her sister nearby has been invaluable.</p>
<p>“When I’m having a bad day or just stressed out about classes, she’s always there to calm me down, chill me out a little,” Suzie Burks said. “We’ve gotten really close since I’ve been here, too, so I feel really fortunate to have such a close bond with my sister now and to be able to spend a year of college with her.”</p>
<p>One West Point graduate who knows how she feels is Col. Gene Ressler, a 1978 West Point graduate whose brother Stephen was on campus in the class of 1979. The brothers now serve together on the West Point faculty. Ressler said he is always happy to see siblings attend West Point.</p>
<p>“Every set of siblings I’ve encountered, including my brother and I, had a very positive experience,” Ressler said. "It’s an intense environment, and there are lots of demands on your time. It can also be a little impersonal at times.</p>
<p>“Having a brother or sister on campus gives you a personal touchstone and helps you get through the tough times.” </p>
<p>The reporter can be reached at <a href="mailto:dboyles@fresnobee.com">dboyles@fresnobee.com</a> or (559) 441-6659.</p>