PARSIPPANY — Clayton “CJ” Bernauer, a graduate of the Parsippany High School Class of 2021, graduated from the prestigious United States Military Academy, commonly known as West Point.
Bernauer joins an eclectic network of alumni—colloquially known as The Long Gray Line—including former President Dwight D. Eisenhower and moon-acquainted astronaut Buzz Aldrin. As a magna cum laude graduate of the United States’ top military academy, Bernauer belongs to a class of approximately 1,000 rigorously trained cadets, selectively chosen from an applicant pool of over 10,000. This year’s graduation ceremony, like many before it, was attended by a plethora of noteworthy guests, including current President Donald Trump, who delivered the academy’s commencement speech. Bernauer was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant Officer by his honorable cousin, Captain Rebecca Morel, who graduated from West Point four years earlier in 2021.
Joining the many government officials and top-ranked military executives who were at the May 24th ceremony was Parsippany-Troy Hills Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Denis Mulroony, the former principal of Parsippany High School. “When we heard CJ Bernauer would be attending West Point, we were thrilled but not necessarily surprised,” Dr. Mulroony told the Parsippany Focus. He describes Bernauer as a “high-character leader” who “challenged himself through high school, treating people with respect and doing the right thing.”
In Parsippany, Bernauer was nothing short of a superb student in and out of the classroom. A well-rounded athlete and academic, Bernauer helped found the Parsippany High School Math Club, served as treasurer for the school’s student council, and, most prominently, swam competitively for Parsippany High School’s and Lakeland Hills YMCA’s swim team. Following his successful high school career, Bernauer was recruited as a Division I swimming athlete at West Point. He eventually became captain of the team and led it to several major victories—including a historic win over the Naval Academy, their first in more than twenty-two years. And just as his swimming career at West Point came to a close, Bernauer chose to keep his athletic path open, joining the triathlon team as a versatile athlete within the school’s athletic division. Agile and earnest, Bernauer’s contributions to athletics have bolstered both Parsippany’s and West Point’s athletic reputations.
Just as he’s made impressive strides in athletics, Bernauer continues to set his sights firmly on the future. A civil engineering major, he helped plan, develop, and construct a 34-foot steel bridge as part of his year-long senior capstone project. The bridge, built over the picturesque forests of Harriman State Park, is just a thirty-minute drive from the bustling urban landscape of New York City and an integral part of the Appalachian Trail. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held to honor Bernauer’s capstone accomplishments just a few days before he graduated from West Point.
Looking ahead to the next phases of his military officer training, Bernauer will join the 101st Airborne Division—otherwise known as the Screaming Eagles—a highly specialized infantry division focused on air assault operations. The infantry, befitting its name, is one of the most distinguished in American military history and has played a pivotal role in several major wartime operations, including D-Day and the Battle of the Bulge. After completing an intensive leadership training program in Georgia, Bernauer intends to represent his country faithfully through service in the renowned airborne division.
As his number-one cheerleader since day one, there is no one prouder of Bernauer’s accomplishments than his parents, Stacey and John. Mrs. Bernauer tells the Parsippany Focus that Clayton has grown into a “wonderful young man” with a strong “code of ethics,” and most importantly, that throughout all of his industrious and exhaustive training, he has thoroughly “enjoyed it.” As a firmly committed individual, Clayton Bernauer seeks to honor not only his community but his nation as a whole—and most would agree he’s become a source of pride for the Parsippany community.
