One of the great constants of all things is the belief by any given service academy graduate that their class was the last real class there ever would be.
Well said! As a member of the last real class at USAFA ('81, if you didn't know), I've been an academic dept head (13 years), faculty member, and admissions panel chair. I laugh every time I hear an old grad say, "The only thing that should matter is MERIT," and then not only struggle to define merit (hint: it usually means "any white male family member or friend" or football player that helps the team win) but then make comments that directly contradict their definition. What they also ignore is that admissions decisions on 18-year-olds is and always has been a total crap shoot. Some of the best "on paper" are total dirtbags, while those that look like they'll be in the bottom of their class turn out to be rock starts. THEN, once they graduate, even more divergence kicks in. We all know top 10 grads from our classes that were dirtbag officers and bottom 10ers that made flag rank AND deserved it.
You 2.0 gpa cadets be nice to those with a 3.5 gpa. They will help you graduate from this place. And you 3.5 gpa’s be nice to the 2.0 ‘s because you’re going to need a job one day.
Nice job, Sean. The erosion of which you speak is evident in that you graduated 17 years after the last real class. JK.
You make a solid point about the fact that there has always been selective lowering of standards, and Mr. France accurately discusses the difficulty of divining the potential of an individual based on how they look “on paper” (I doubt there’s any paper involved anymore, but we’re all old). So while you’re addressing the admissions process here, I think you’re missing a lot of the point. I disagree with you that the Service Academies don’t make future leaders. If that were true then why even have them? Just as we don’t pull stainless steel out of the earth, promising candidates flourish through the crucible of the USNA/USAFA/USMA process.
I stopped my donations to the Alumni Association when I read that each company was going to have a DEI officer/watchdog. I was reminded of the Soviet-era (you read about that, didn’t you?) practice of having a political officer on every ship, in every unit, to ensure that everyone was aligned with party politics. One need look no further than the United Kingdom to see the danger of Groupthink (DEI, or as my British friend calls it, DIE) … it’s the canary in the coal mine and the censorship is not limited to religious freedom.
The simple fact is that you cannot have an authentic conversation that benefits from diverse points of view when some points of view are stifled by concerns of the thought police taking exception to politically incorrect viewpoints. Patton himself said, “If everybody is thinking alike, then somebody isn’t thinking.” I suspect that members of USMA/USNA class of 1862 had some rather spirited discussions. Diversity isn’t new, it’s simply been appropriated by the Left.
So, no, this isn’t just another example of who had the last real Plebe/Doolie Year. This is about the responsibility that we, who don’t have anything to lose anymore, speak up. If we don’t, then those watchdogs may soon be monitoring to ensure that only right-wing ideology is authorized.
Funny, because I stopped my donations when they disinvited a history professor who specialized in mid-century fascism, whose lecture was about mussolini's use of the media in Italy, becuase too many right wing grads complained. And now the Provost is mandating what words professors are allowed to use. So perhaps your canary is not the one that died.
I was one of the little know cadre...the base veterinarian. Did you know you can bring your horse to West Point? Someone needs to do the basics for them...and the mascot mules!
Here is the deal...without those so called DEI hires...without us...the DoD doesn't eat. It doesn't get paid. The supply chain stops.
14% of our Army is Hispanic. More are other People of Color. Frankly...we all know that women now outperform men on the PT tests.
My fondest hope is that the kids are meeting in secret with their now disbanded DEI clubs...forming their version of Dumbledore's Army.
I am sure those kids are learning so many lessons in survival. Who has your back most of all.
Well said! As a member of the last real class at USAFA ('81, if you didn't know), I've been an academic dept head (13 years), faculty member, and admissions panel chair. I laugh every time I hear an old grad say, "The only thing that should matter is MERIT," and then not only struggle to define merit (hint: it usually means "any white male family member or friend" or football player that helps the team win) but then make comments that directly contradict their definition. What they also ignore is that admissions decisions on 18-year-olds is and always has been a total crap shoot. Some of the best "on paper" are total dirtbags, while those that look like they'll be in the bottom of their class turn out to be rock starts. THEN, once they graduate, even more divergence kicks in. We all know top 10 grads from our classes that were dirtbag officers and bottom 10ers that made flag rank AND deserved it.
You 2.0 gpa cadets be nice to those with a 3.5 gpa. They will help you graduate from this place. And you 3.5 gpa’s be nice to the 2.0 ‘s because you’re going to need a job one day.
Very well said, Sean. Thank you.
Thank you, Sean. As always, well written and thoughtful. BZ
I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess that the author does not own a MAGA hat...😂
Go Navy! Beat Everyone Equitably! 😎
Nice job, Sean. The erosion of which you speak is evident in that you graduated 17 years after the last real class. JK.
You make a solid point about the fact that there has always been selective lowering of standards, and Mr. France accurately discusses the difficulty of divining the potential of an individual based on how they look “on paper” (I doubt there’s any paper involved anymore, but we’re all old). So while you’re addressing the admissions process here, I think you’re missing a lot of the point. I disagree with you that the Service Academies don’t make future leaders. If that were true then why even have them? Just as we don’t pull stainless steel out of the earth, promising candidates flourish through the crucible of the USNA/USAFA/USMA process.
I stopped my donations to the Alumni Association when I read that each company was going to have a DEI officer/watchdog. I was reminded of the Soviet-era (you read about that, didn’t you?) practice of having a political officer on every ship, in every unit, to ensure that everyone was aligned with party politics. One need look no further than the United Kingdom to see the danger of Groupthink (DEI, or as my British friend calls it, DIE) … it’s the canary in the coal mine and the censorship is not limited to religious freedom.
The simple fact is that you cannot have an authentic conversation that benefits from diverse points of view when some points of view are stifled by concerns of the thought police taking exception to politically incorrect viewpoints. Patton himself said, “If everybody is thinking alike, then somebody isn’t thinking.” I suspect that members of USMA/USNA class of 1862 had some rather spirited discussions. Diversity isn’t new, it’s simply been appropriated by the Left.
So, no, this isn’t just another example of who had the last real Plebe/Doolie Year. This is about the responsibility that we, who don’t have anything to lose anymore, speak up. If we don’t, then those watchdogs may soon be monitoring to ensure that only right-wing ideology is authorized.
Funny, because I stopped my donations when they disinvited a history professor who specialized in mid-century fascism, whose lecture was about mussolini's use of the media in Italy, becuase too many right wing grads complained. And now the Provost is mandating what words professors are allowed to use. So perhaps your canary is not the one that died.
I agree with your conclusion. But DEI was the wrong thing for the wrong reasons and is triply bad if imposed in our service academies. ⚓️
Thank you for this Sean. Spot on.
USMA cadre here. Served in 07/08/09.
I was one of the little know cadre...the base veterinarian. Did you know you can bring your horse to West Point? Someone needs to do the basics for them...and the mascot mules!
Here is the deal...without those so called DEI hires...without us...the DoD doesn't eat. It doesn't get paid. The supply chain stops.
14% of our Army is Hispanic. More are other People of Color. Frankly...we all know that women now outperform men on the PT tests.
My fondest hope is that the kids are meeting in secret with their now disbanded DEI clubs...forming their version of Dumbledore's Army.
I am sure those kids are learning so many lessons in survival. Who has your back most of all.