Martha Hsu VanDriel: West Point's First Female Taiwanese-American Graduate

In 1991 Martha graduated with honors from the United States Military Academy at West Point, becoming the school's first female second-generation Taiwanese-American officer to graduate. Now she is stationed in South Korea, serving as a major in the 8th Army Corps. Born in southern California, Martha earned exemplary grades while at West Point, staying within the top 5%. After graduating she went to the University of North Carolina to complete her Master's degree in political science. She has served as an assistant professor at West Point, teaching courses in international relations, international security studies, and political strategy for electronic warfare. Then in 2004 she went to study at US Army War College, and is now working in her field of expertise: strategic planning.

So why did she choose West Point, initially? Martha's reasons are surprising. She explains it was actually because once she saw an Army football game on TV, and felt a sense of admiration for the cadets who were all wearing neatly pressed military uniforms, enjoying themselves and reveling in team spirit. She thought that if she didn't try to join, she would regret it the next time she saw an Army game. In any case, the academy's rules say that those who cannot adapt after two years are free to leave without penalty.

She recalls that on July 2, 1987, her father accompanied her to West Point's Reception Day ceremony. After the introduction, an officer instructed the plebes to report upstairs to begin Cadet Basic Training while their parents remained outside. She still remembers excitedly entering the door, then hearing the drill officer saying, with an authoritarian tone of voice, "From now on your eyes will look directly ahead. Do not look around or to the sides. When I speak, your only replies will be 'Yes, Sir!,' 'No, Sir!' and 'Understood, Sir!'" At that time her first thought was to rush downstairs into her father's arms to tell him she was quitting! But nobody else left, so she forced herself to stay too.

West Point is worthy of its reputation as America's foremost military academy. Top military leaders like Generals MacArthur and Eisenhower were trained there. While at the academy, besides undergoing physical training, Martha also received training in computer, language, science, and leadership skills. She is thrilled to see more Taiwanese students following the same path, such as Jingmei Girls' Senior High School alumna Hung Wan-ting who is currently in her junior year at West Point, and Class of 2006 valedictorian Jessamyn Liu, whose parents are from Taiwan.

When Martha graduated in 1991, the proportion of women attending West Point was only 11%. Despite being one of only two Asian female graduates that year, she does not believe she was restricted or discriminated against due to her sex or skin color. She feels that women receive the same respect as men in the US military, and the challenges men and women face are no different from each other.

While the majority of parents in Taiwan do not really want their children to join the military, Martha's parents fully supported her decision. Her father, Hsu Ho-jui, came to study in the US in the 1960s. He supported Taiwan's democracy movement and once served as president of the Taiwanese Association of Los Angeles. As a result, he was blacklisted for a time and so was unable to return to Taiwan to visit his relatives. He later became a co-founder of World United Formosans for Independence.

When talking about their daughter's tough life at West Point, her parents grow teary-eyed. Their love for her is obvious in both their words and their expressions. Because West Point's standards are so high, a third of the cadets are weeded out during the first year. Martha at one point wanted to give up, and her father agreed. But in the end she decided to carry on to the finish. She graduated with outstanding grades.

Once, Martha invited her mother to watch her skydive. On that day she executed a flawless jump from a plane at a high altitude. At the end of the event she asked her folks if they had a good time. Her mother didn't say a word, holding her tightly, reluctant to let go. Martha jokes that when you're in the army, you should never ask your parents to watch you skydive!

She is grateful to have married a man who shares her military career, and now they are raising two sons together. After they met in Arizona ten years ago, they soon became separated geographically, maintaining a long-distance relationship. At that time Martha was stationed in Korea and her husband-to-be was in the US. Only after they were married did the Army allow them to live together in Seoul. Now they live together as a whole family, and she enjoys the combined role of soldier, wife and mother.

Martha has now been on active duty for 15 years, and has five years left until she fulfills her military obligations. As for her future, whether to go back to teaching at West Point or continue her military service is something she is carefully deliberating. She and her family plan to visit Taiwan next year, fulfilling her dream of seeking her roots.