United States Military Academy · West Point

DutyHonorCountry

The West Point motto finally has a melody.

Co-written by COL H.D. “Doug” McInvale ’93 and MSG Michael Reifenberg

Hear the first performance Discover the story

From the Long Gray Line

“May Duty, Honor, Country ever be.”

USMA aerial B-roll: Carmine Cocchia / USMA at West Point / DVIDS · 2020 · Public domain · Washington Monument image: Ahodges7 / Wikimedia Commons · Public domain

01 / The performance

The moment the melody first found its voice.

Preserved by Six Pack, this archival recording is presented as the group’s first performance of the song—the first time these words were sung to this melody.

Archival video

Six Pack performs “Duty, Honor, Country”
First-performance recording preserved by Paul Lima

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02 / From motto to melody

A gift in song.

For generations, three words have held West Point’s highest ideal. COL H.D. “Doug” McInvale and MSG Michael Reifenberg co-wrote a song that gave those words a new way to endure: a melody built to be carried by voices, remembered by graduates, and passed down the Long Gray Line.

The song was offered to the United States Military Academy community as a musical gift. In 2019, the West Point Glee Club recorded it under the direction of Constance Chase, with production by the West Point Band. This archive preserves the earlier Six Pack performance and is gathering the programs, correspondence, photographs, and recordings that tell the complete story.

Read the full song story, hear the recordings, and follow the music’s journey

1992Six Pack appears in the Howitzer record

2019The Glee Club records the new song

TodayThe creators’ archive comes together

03 / The creators

Two co-writers. One lasting refrain.

Six Pack performing Duty, Honor, Country in the West Point Cadet Chapel in 2018 — The first performance · West Point Cadet Chapel · 2018

Co-writer · words & music

COL H.D. “Doug” McInvale

United States Military Academy · Class of 1993

A West Point graduate, professor, musician, and defining voice of Six Pack. McInvale co-wrote “Duty, Honor, Country” with MSG Michael Reifenberg.

Co-writer · words & music

MSG Michael Reifenberg

United States Army · West Point musician

A West Point musician and co-writer whose work with McInvale turned West Point’s timeless motto into a new song for the Corps and its extended family.

04 / The original voices

Six Pack has its own legacy home.

Six Pack gave “Duty, Honor, Country” its first voice. The group’s broader story—its members, photographs, reunion performances, music, and decades of friendship—now lives on a separate website built for that legacy.

Visit the Six Pack legacy site

The Long Gray Line

“As my light fades, thy flame endures.”

A brief excerpt from “Duty, Honor, Country.”

Written for every voice that comes after.

A legacy is not only what happened. It is what the next generation can still hear, understand, and carry forward. This project exists to protect that chain of memory—and to credit every person who helped begin it.

Explore the documented history

05 / Provenance

The living archive.

History deserves receipts. These sources anchor the story while the creators’ private archive is organized and digitized.

01Doug McInvale on LinkedInThe co-writer reflects on the song and its West Point recording 02Six Pack first-performance archiveThe 2:53 performance preserved by Paul Lima 03West Point Band audio masterHigh-quality MP3 recording preserved in the song archive 04CADET magazine mentionIndependent 2019 West Point-culture column noting the song and its co-writers 051992 HowitzerThe Six Pack origin story in the USMA yearbook 06MacArthur oral historyThe 1962 address behind the enduring words

Archive in progress. Programs, correspondence, photographs, audio, and video are being cataloged for future additions.

Preserve the story