My attendance at West Point almost didn’t happen. My father wanted me to apply. Me, not so much. He asked me to write a note to my Representative in Congress, and he said we probably wouldn’t hear back. My brother and I walked to a mailbox, and I told him I was going to throw the letter away and tell Dad I mailed it. Before I could react, he grabbed the letter from me and put it in the mailbox.
Three days later I received a telegram from Representative Otis Pike that was my entry into the civil service exam that would be given the next day. I maxed the math portion which was enough for Rep. Pike to make me his primary candidate, sight unseen. He did not do interviews and he did not dole out appointments as favors to donors.
I have to say that I mentally thank my brother every day. My four years at West Point was very probably much like those of my 799 classmates, but shaped me for what was to come in the next 50+ years of my life. I serendipitously met Sherri at the Army-Pitt game on November 16, 1968, the luckiest day of my life. Two children and three grandchildren later I again thank my brother.
My Army career, although lasting almost 21 years, was not extraordinary. One of about 75 Signal Corps officers in our class, I rarely crossed paths with any of them. We were spread throughout the Army. I served in Germany and Korea, was the ADC for the CG of Fort Gordon, attended the Naval War College with some great classmates, and taught math at West Point, with few classmates since I arrived as a Major. My final job was with the Defense Nuclear Agency. I retired from the Army in 1990 and spent 25 years in the nuclear business before I retired completely in 2015. One of the highlights for me was chairing the 50th Class Reunion in 2019.
I look back at West Point fondly. Thanks, Brother Rich.
- A Memory of R-Day at West Point
Mine is a pre-West Point story and shows how little I knew about West Point. I’m from Long Island so my admission physical was done at Fort Jay on Governor’s Island, requiring a ferry ride. There were a number of future classmates there for the overnight stay. I met Bill Kyle from New Jersey and… Read more: A Memory of R-Day at West Point