A tradition started with the Class of 1965, 500 is the number that marks how many days the class has remaining until graduation and commissioning as Army officers. Your class will celebrate 500th Night with a formal banquet inside Washington Hall, the prestigious dining facility. The Ring Melt happens just before the weekend begins. In a moving ceremony, donated USMA Class Rings from graduates are placed into a cauldron, melted down, and the gold (along with shavings of Legacy Gold from over 800 previously donated rings) is used in future Class Rings – truly a physical embodiment of the Long Gray Line gripping hands.