Historic Thayer Hotel at West Point Hosts Silver Star Medal Recipient

Thayer Hotel Welcomes 2nd Lt. Nicholas Eslinger, a West Point graduate

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. September 24, 2009

SEPTEMBER 24, 2009 - The historic Thayer Hotel at West Point recently hosted Silver Star Medal recipient, 2nd Lt. Nicholas Eslinger of the 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division. Lt. Eslinger, a West Point graduate, was awarded the Silver Star for his actions in Iraq.

Last October, Eslinger, 25, was leading a dismounted patrol through Samarra to gather intelligence on recent attacks. When an insurgent tossed a grenade at them, Eslinger dove on it to protect his troops. Miraculously, the grenade did not go off right away, and he was able to throw it towards a wall, when it exploded. No one was hurt and Eslinger is credited with saving the lives of his troops.

Pictured left to right are: Kevin Anderson, Army Athletic Director, Highland Falls Mayor Joseph E. D'Onofrio; 2nd Lt. Nicholas Eislinger; and Don Sagaria, Managing Partner of the Thayer Hotel.

Built in 1926, the Thayer Hotel is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is the only full-service hotel on the Hudson River from the George Washington Bridge to Albany, New York. Originally constructed to accommodate U.S. Military Academy personnel and their guests, the Thayer Hotel was a successor of the original West Point Hotel. The Hotel is named for Colonel Sylvanus Thayer, Superintendent of the Academy from 1817 to 1833.

Over the years, it has hosted a long line of dignitaries and celebrities including General Tommy Franks, General Douglas MacArthur, President Dwight D. Eisenhower, President John F. Kennedy, Her Royal Highness Princess Alsha Bint-Huessen of Jordan, singer Luciano Pavarotti, actors George C. Scott, James Earl Jones and Gregory Peck, the Philadelphia Flyers, and many others.