Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!att!cbnews!military From: baldwin@cad.usna.mil (J.D. Baldwin) Newsgroups: sci.military Subject: Re: Hackworth (About Face) Message-ID: <10008@cbnews.ATT.COM> Date: 7 Oct 89 03:28:20 GMT References: <9933@cbnews.ATT.COM> Sender: military@cbnews.ATT.COM Organization: Canoe U. Lines: 39 Approved: military@att.att.com From: "J.D. Baldwin" In article <9933@cbnews.ATT.COM> moscom!de@cs.rochester.edu (Dave Esan) writes: >I have just finished reading Col. David Hackworth's new book "About Face", >and was wondering what others on the net thought about it. > [. . .] >The one I found interesting was his suggestion that West Point select part of >each class from deserving enlisted men. Comments? To get into a service academy, one must have a congressional appointment, or one of several other specialized types of appointments (Presidential, Vice- Presidential, etc.), all reserved for different categories of applicants. The individual service secretaries have 170 appointments each reserved exclusively for enlisted men--85 each from regular and reserve components. (This is out of an ultimate accepted class size of around 1000.) I haven't read Hackworth's book, but what is the nature of his suggestion? Is he suggesting we increase this number? That we make a greater effort toward identifying and recruiting such enlisted men? And why West Point only (if he meant West Point only)? What is his view of the role of West Point in the overall officer procurement picture? For my own part, I am a two-years'-worth prior enlisted navy electronics tech who was recruited and accepted into Annapolis. In five years of commissioned service, I have seen little to bolster the idea that prior enlisted service makes one a "better" officer. It *helps*, mind you--if nothing else, it gives one a greater degree of credibility with his "troops," at least initially. But individual variations among officers include some poor or mediocre prior-enlisted officers, and a like number of outstanding non-prior "12-week wonders" or ROTC grads. What are Hackworth's (and the newsgroup's) views on officer training in general, and a prior enlisted background in particular? -- >From the catapult of: |+| "If anyone disagrees with anything I _, J. D. Baldwin, Comp Sci Dept |+| say, I am quite prepared not only to __||____..}-> US Naval Academy |+| retract it, but also to deny under \ / baldwin@cad.usna.navy.mil |+| oath that I ever said it." --T. Lehrer ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~