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  • 2020-12-01 (xsd:date)
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  • Is the Story Behind Alix Idrache West Point Photograph Genuine? (en)
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  • A photograph of a West Point cadet with tears streaming down his face is often shared on social media along with an emotional message about the pictured person, a Haitian immigrant named Alix Idrache: Here's an example of the text that frequently accompanies this image: Although this West Point cadet's name is often misspelled in these viral social media posts (his name is Alix, not Alex), this is a genuine image of Idrache during his graduation from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, and the accompanying text is generally accurate. While Idrache was truly inspired to join the U.S. military after encountering soldiers in Haiti, the anecdote about Idrache telling his father that one day, I will be an American soldier appears to be an embellished retelling of this West Point cadet's personal history. The above-displayed photograph was taken in May 2016 by Staff Sgt. Vito T. Bryant. The image is available via Defense.gov under the title Tears of Joy and was originally shared to West Point's Instagram page with the caption: No greater feeling than that of accomplishment! The emotional image struck a chord with social media users and quickly went viral. National outlets such as The Washington Post, Baltimore Sun, Fox News, and CNN all published stories about Idrache in the days after the image's publication. In a since-deleted comment (it appears that Idrache's social media pages are no longer active), Idrache expressed gratitude for the support he received on social media, writing: Idrache talked more about his childhood in Haiti and his inspiration to join the military in an article published on the U.S. Army's official website in May 2016. Idrache said that he was fascinated by the U.S. soldiers (and the technology they used) during humanitarian missions conducted in Haiti during his childhood. Sgt. Ryan Noyes writes: We have not been able to find any record of the conversation between Idrache and his father included in the viral Facebook posts, but the West Point graduate did credit his father for helping him on his journey: (en)
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