College selection is always a difficult task and it is especially so for first generation college students who do not have a family support network to ask questions and seek guidance. I was a first generation perspective college student and I started thinking about college seriously early in my junior year of high school. At the time, I thought Georgia Tech was a great fit and realistically achievable. It had an acceptance rate of about 50% at the time. Princeton was an academic stretch given the lower selection rates and I would grow academically. It had an acceptance rate of 15-20% at the time. West Point would be an all-around stretch that would really challenge me. It had an acceptance rate of 10-12% at the time. Of the three, West Point required the largest lead time as you had to obtain one of a very limited number of nominations from a Congressman, Senator, the Vice President, or the President of the United States.
I talked with my father about it and while he had serious concerns about my viability to attend West Point, he would not share those concerns with me until after I graduated from West Point. Thus, on September 19, 1977, I typed my first letter to Representative Bo Ginn thanking him for allowing my Boy Scout Jamboree group to visit him in his Washington offices. He responded (or his admin) by thanking me for thanking him. Little did I know that I had started an intensive campaign to secure a congressional nomination that ultimately was won by surviving an ambush by a two-star general and getting the selection committee to laugh at me.
A plethora of letters of recommendation from various leaders across Savannah, notes from mutual friends on my behalf, and flowers to their administrative assistants thanking them for their help ensued. There were no consultants or experts involved in the process. My family, friends, and I did not know a single graduate of West Point. So, we used what connections we had to engage Senator Sam Nunn and Representative Bo Ginn with dozens of typed letters sent over the next 18 months. Of all the letters, the notes from Hudson Wise and Eddie Culver were most meaningful for me and I believe carried the greatest weight in my selection.
Eddie Culver
While the letter campaign ensured, I engaged in other activities to strengthen my resume. I joined a number of clubs and worked to become leaders in those clubs. In a very fortunate event, Benedictine High School changed how it evaluated and selected military leaders in the JROTC program. I was evaluated as 5th in the JROTC program and assigned as a battalion executive officer. An unlikely of allies emerged in the form of the American Legion who nominated me as Boy Scout of the Year which I won for my region and ultimately would place as 2nd in the state. The American Legion would then select Paul Murphy and I for Boy’s State with Paul being selected for his leadership at Benedictine High School and I being selected for my leadership in the Boy Scouts. The cumulative effect of these efforts made me competitive in the college selection process.
I applied for an early decision from Georgia Tech and was accepted for admission. I had my “fallback” school secured. Now it was time to stretch for West Point and Princeton. I was invited to interview for Senator Sam Nunn and traveled to Atlanta for the interview before a large committee. It went well and I placed third. I would be competitive for an alternative appointment. On December 4, 1978, Representative Bo Ginn invited me to meet with his selection committee on December 28th, 1978. It was time for an ambush and laughter.
The interview went well given it was my second interview of my life. At one point, Major General Vaught, the commander of the 24th Infantry Division, asked if I was leading a platoon in combat, where should I be – in the front, middle or rear of the combat? It is a trick question and an ambush as it depends on details he did not provide in the question. I didn’t know that at the time but chose to answer that I would lead from the front and set the example. He declared that I would be the first killed and dismissed my answer. Before he could ask another question, I re-answered the question arguing that I would lead from the middle and justifying the answer that the situation was unclear and I could best access the situation from the middle. He accused me of being a coward although there was laughter from selection committee. I again did not allow him to ask another question but then argued that I would lead from the rear because obviously genius level leadership was required to survive this platoon level encounter and it was the only option left thus it could only be the right answer for a fair question. General Vaught did not have a chance to destroy my answer as the entire selection committee burst into laughter. Even General Vaught started laughing and decided to ignore the sarcasm in my final answer. I suspect
On January 15, 1979, I was in high school in an analytic geometry class when I was called to the principal’s office. I received a telephone call from Representative Bo Ginn and to my surprise I would be his primary nomination for West Point. I returned to class where I shared the news with two of my classmates before the teacher called on me. She told me that if I had something to share with two of my classmates, I might as well share it with the rest of the class. I stood up and shared the news. The class applauded me and my teacher was stunned. She had not seen that answer coming and it took her a second to regain her composure and the classroom.
While I was still in the application process for Princeton, I halted that effort after I passed the medical and physical exam parts of the West Point application. I would be attending West Point and would be fortunate enough associate with the men and women of the Class of 1983 for the remainder of my life.
You are who you associate with.
Paraphrase of Epictetus, AD100
