Maj. Guster Cunningham IV knew exactly who to ask to render the oath for his December promotion ceremony at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.<\/p>\n
That would be his father, Maj. Guster Cunningham III, who is assigned to the Office of the Chief of Public Affairs, where he works as a transformation communications planner at the Pentagon.<\/p>\n
\u201cI couldn’t think of anybody better to do my promotion, honestly,\u201d Cunningham, 33, said. \u201cHe\u2019s a tremendous father, a tremendous man, a tremendous role model.\u201d<\/p>\n
The elder Cunningham, 56, enlisted in the Army in 1989 and spent 19 years as a combat medic. He says his grandfather served in World War I, while his father and two uncles served in the Korean War.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Army is a family affair for the Cunninghams, on the officer and enlisted sides,\u201d he said, adding that another son, Derek Cunningham, also serves.<\/p>\n
The elder Cunningham said he turned 40 while attending Officer Candidate School.<\/p>\n
All along, his son had been watching and learning. He said his father didn\u2019t spend a lot of time telling him what to do, but provided guidance about making decisions, about the consequences of one\u2019s actions, and how he would have to live with the decisions he made.<\/p>\n
Dad said his son grew up loving sports and studying what he called \u201chuman body stuff.\u201d He said once his son found the weight room in 10th grade, he never looked back.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo now he’s like a triathlete \u2026 a Spartan guy; and he’s very athletic, very fit,\u201d dad said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\u201cComing out of high school, I guess I was scared of what the real world was, and job seeking and all that. I just wanted something secure,\u201d the son said.<\/p>\n
That led him to ROTC and his commitment to the Army.<\/p>\n
He played football at the University of Hawaii. He earned his Bachelor of Science in kinesiology in 2013.<\/p>\n
The two were simultaneously students at what is now Fort Moore, Georgia; the father attending the Maneuver Captain\u2019s Career Course, and the son attending the Armor Basic Officer Leader\u2019s Course.<\/p>\n
The younger Cunningham served as a tank platoon leader at Fort Carson, Colorado, and deployed twice. He served as a One Station Unit Training company commander, then in South Korea was tasked as a commander in 2nd Squadron, 13th Cavalry Regiment.<\/p>\n
He earned his Master of Science in kinesiology from Texas A&M University and now teaches Army fitness at the academy.<\/p>\n