August 13, 2003

     NEW BRITAIN -- Second Lt. Christee Cuttino received many smiles and inquiries as she walked through the Westfarms mall in her crisp, green Army uniform Tuesday.
     A recent graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and alumna of New Britain High School, Cuttino is one of only a handful of African-American female graduates of the military school and is headed to Germany to serve.
     Cuttino walked through the upscale shopping center Tuesday in hopes of her green uniform spurring the curiosity of shoppers. To those who approach her, she provides them information about the armed services.
     But perhaps what folks find most interesting about Cuttino is her experience in the military.
     The United States Military Academy is renowned for its historic and distinguished reputation as a leading, progressive institution of higher education and military training of young soldiers.
     A former basketball player for New Britain High School, Cuttino graduated with initially no aspirations to join the Army. She has since gone through a four-year process that has changed her life.
     "I knew I wanted more stability and structure and a place that would challenge me," Cuttino said. "During a time where even college graduates have had hard times looking for jobs, I wanted to know I’d have the skills to market myself."
     Cuttino brought her skills on the court to West Point as well as in the classroom.
     She earned an engineering degree and specialized in sociology, a subject in which she hopes to continue to study.
     As a cadet, Cuttino said, she learned basic military training that included a higher level of leadership through a demanding program. Cuttino said she was in one of the largest classes of African Americans the school has had: 21 graduated alongside her.
     Begin black and female presented a challenge more for others than it did for herself, she said.
     "I was taught to always be confident. Everywhere you go, you have to deal with some form of prejudice -- not only for being a women, but also being African American," Cuttino said.
     "Although officers expect the same from all students, we as women expect more from the other female cadets because we know it is a challenge to be (in the academy) and not everyone believes women should be there."
     She didn’t expect the intensity of the United States Military Academy’s program, Cuttino said, adding that it was lessons from home that helped her through it.
     Although leaving her family was difficult for her, Cuttino said, it was the guidance and advice from her father, Ronald Cuttino, that helped her navigate a path through the hard-knock ways of the armed services. Cuttino experienced the loss of her mother at a young age, and said she has never told her father how much his encouragement has helped her. "My dad has always said to be a truthful person, because lies and deceit cause more problems. But he also told me that God is always with, me no matter what," Cuttino said.
     "That advice has helped me through many struggles that I have had to go through. West Point was more difficult than I had expected it to be and to have that faith was my strength."
     Through the rigor of physical and mental training, Cuttino said, her leadership skills have improved as she had to become responsible for more cadets as her training progress.
     Although former president of the NAACP Youth Council, a member of the NBHS color guard and an active member of Spottswood AME Zion Church, she said she had to gather herself for the responsibilities that were expected of her.
     "You start off with one cadet, but as I progressed, I had to be responsible for more students and when you have people that rely on you, you don’t want to let them down, especially when officers have high levels of expectation," Cuttino said.
     Cuttino said she looks forward to the culture clash that Germany may present, but feels confident that USMA and her family have provided her with the training to handle whatever may come her way.
     "I’m a people person, like my father. I love to talk and give advice to friends and analyze peoples’ behavior," Cuttino said. "I’d like to do social operations, which is the study of the behavior and predictability of an identified enemy -- knowing how the enemy thinks, their capabilities."