Member-only story
“A cadet will not lie, cheat, steal, or tolerate those who do.”
This is one of the first things imprinted on New Cadets when they arrive at West Point for Beast Barracks. Along with such tantalizing bits as “How’s the cow?” and “How many gallons in Lusk Reservoir?” You know, important stuff. There was also grazing fire range for the M-60 machinegun, which is kind of useful and I still know.
Latest kerfuffle is that a bunch of beanheads, plebes, smackheads, whatever you want to call what other schools call freshman, got caught cheating because all got the same answer wrong on a test. The first thing that leaps to mind is a great lack of imagination on part of those caught in that they could have switched things up a bit. But I regress.
The Honor Code? Never was a big fan. Why? Let me count the ways.
Do you think you can teach honor or are you born with the fundamentals and develop it and by the time you’re a plebe at West Point it’s either there or not?
I believe the honor code made cheaters either suspend their cheating for four years, or be really good at it. After all, how many graduates have been caught cheating? Gen. Petraeus for one, who is now rehabbing his public persona, yet was certainly dishonest. And broke UCMJ. Yet has been invited back to the Academy to speak and I predict…
