U.S. Army Captain James (J.R.) Rogers Sessions III was selected to teach Mandarin Chinese at the United States Military Academy at West Point, beginning this fall. He is the son of James Sessions and Ronda McDaniel and grandson of Sonny and Peggy Sessions—he was born and raised in Freestone County. J.R. graduated from Wortham High School in 2005 and attended West Point from 2005 to 2009; majoring in Chinese Language. During his time at West Point, he studied for a semester at Jilin University in Changchun, China. Upon graduation, he received a post-graduate scholarship to attend the University of Hawaii; receiving a Master’s Degree in Asian Studies in 2011.
In 2012, J.R. became a Combat Engineer Platoon Leader in the 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood, Texas. He transferred to the 8th Engineer Battalion, 36th Engineer Brigade in February 2013 and deployed to Afghanistan as a staff officer; returning just in time for Christmas 2013. After several months of training, CPT Sessions commanded an Engineer basic training company—Charlie Company, 35th Engineer Battalion, 1st Engineer Brigade at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri—from February 2015 to April 2016.
J.R. will teach Introductory Chinese to 40-50 students a semester over the next three years. In addition to language, he will also share his experiences and teach West Point cadets about the high expectations of leaders in the Army. J.R. will travel extensively—he already spent seven weeks in Taiwan, refreshing his language skills while aiding a handful of cadets in study.
