A Howard Watson Intrigue - West Point Academy
Duty, Honor, Country
Plebe that I was
My mustache that had just started to grow soon met the razor and hit the floor like it was running away.
When I arrived at the Academy every type of statute from all wars was on full display all over the grounds. Our rooms were bare, but not boring, and our rifles hung over our beds. My roommate, also from New York, was somewhat private but opened up completely when asked about Syracuse, his hometown. It was not at all unusual to change rooms and roommates in the four years at the Point. Thank goodness. Some plebes thought I was crazy because I was always amazed when all the cadets that resided on campus dined together. You read this correct - we dined en masse on weekdays for breakfast and lunch.
West Point Academy was originally established as a fort that sits on strategic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, with a scenic view about 50 miles north of New York City. It is one of the five U.S. Service Academies. Tuition for cadets is fully funded by the Army in exchange for an active duty service obligation upon graduation. Approximately 1,300 cadets enter the Academy each July, with about 1,000 cadets graduating.
The idea of attending West Point Academy didn't hit me until my junior year in high school. By that time my dad and I were bonafide political opposites. The Vietnam War was raging and I had the nerve to want to go to a military college. Go figure. My father would have liked to hit the roof but decided at nearly the last moment to refrain from doing so, as he would only be hurting himself.
In addition to the required excellent grades and test scores for admission to West Point, a candidate must receive a nomination, usually from a member of Congress. Luckily my father knew the Congressman from New York and after weeks of my trying to track him down, my dad finally caught up with the Congressman who told him that it would be "a privilege to nominate Howard to the Academy".
My mustache that had just started to grow soon met the razor and hit the floor like it was running away.
When I arrived at the Academy every type of statute from all wars was on full display all over the grounds. Our rooms were bare, but not boring, and our rifles hung over our beds. My roommate, also from New York, was somewhat private but opened up completely when asked about Syracuse, his hometown. It was not at all unusual to change rooms and roommates in the four years at the Point. Thank goodness. Some plebes thought I was crazy because I was always amazed when all the cadets that resided on campus dined together. You read this correct - we dined en masse on weekdays for breakfast and lunch.
Bottom line, I enjoyed my life at the Point, marching in the numerous parades and the constant cleaning of our weapons. However, as a black man, I absolutely recognized that my time in the Academy was truly in stark contrast to the appointment of James Webster Smith, the first black cadet in 1870. Smith endured harsh treatment from not only fellow cadets but faculty and staff. He eventually wiped out, but not before etching out a path for Henry O. Flipper who became the first black graduate in 1877.
Although all the military academies have come a long way regarding admittance of people of color, West Point also earns high marks for admitting women too, as women comprise approximately 20% of newly entering cadets. I'm especially proud that in recent years the position of the 60th Superintendent has been held by Lieutenant General (three-star general) Darryl A. Williams, the first African American to command West Point. He took command on July 1, 2018.
It was a laborious curriculum but after four grueling years, I received a B.S. in history and a minor in political science. I was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant upon graduation. I then upped for Vietnam...but you already know that story.
Talk soon.
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