Harry joins US army training
2010-06-26 12:43
West Pointy - Britain's Prince Harry, no stranger to military exercises, joined cadets training at the US Military Academy on Friday at the start to his three-day visit to New York.
Harry, third in line to the British throne, arrived by helicopter at the storied military grounds just after 13:30 local time. The camouflage-uniformed prince hopped on the back of a Humvee, swapped his light blue beret for a helmet and headed out for live-fire exercises on the artillery range and field exercises in nearby woods.
He was met by West Point Superintendent Lieutenant General Franklin L "Buster" Hagenbeck and others.
The drills were held some 65km north of New York City, but they may seem familiar to the 25-year-old prince. Harry attended the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst and is a lieutenant in the British Army.
Harry served in Afghanistan in 2008 as a battlefield air controller until his time was cut short by a media leak. He has made no secret of his desire to return to the front lines, and the decision last month by British Army commanders to train him as an Apache attack helicopter pilot could make that more likely.
After West Point, Harry heads to another military-themed event on the flight deck of Manhattan's Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, a retired aircraft carrier, where he will promote cooperation between US and British veteran organisations.
Harry will throw out a first pitch at a Mets baseball game against the Minnesota Twins on Saturday and take part in a Unicef event.
On Sunday, he will walk with wounded veterans participating in a road race through Central Park. He also plans to participate in the third annual Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic that day on Governors Island in New York Harbour.
The polo event will benefit American Friends of Sentebale, the US arm of the global charity co-founded by Harry that supports impoverished children of Lesotho in southern Africa. He's holding a reception for the event on Saturday evening in Greenwich, Connecticut.
- SAPA
