Hvala and molim, Lex.

U redu, I wouldn’t agonize over the flap at bay ca beaucoup much, because it appears these things are cyclical, much as it grates to say it. In the mid-90s, it was the USMA and honor code violations, in the late-90s into the start of this century, it was the Colorado Cockpit Campus and sexual harassment, this year it’s the Naval Academy’s double standardizing and han la, chac la, it’ll be the USMA’s turn next time around.

The majority of the cadets are honorable and will likely remain so, and the services will continue to survive…

And bon chance avec the Espanglais. Just think of your downtown sojourns as malo deployments…

I’m not sure where I was going with that, but the above comments were interesting. As one who is soon to enter the Academy, I do wonder every once in a while if something seemingly so innocent happened, would my carreer be ruined? It is something to keep in mind, but I do not distrust females at all, in the end, if I wasn’t doing something wrong or putting myself in a position where I have to say “O man, I hope LT XXX never finds out about this…” then I don’t feel I’ll run into problems.

For 200 years we have expected our naval leaders to cultivate “the nicest sense of personal honor”. Call it choosing the harder right over the easier wrong, but it is all about the inner and outer demands of integrity.

Your son freely chose a difficult but extremely rewarding career, one like no other. Upon graduation, he will assume responsibilities that most civilian middle-aged people can hardly fathom, let alone his own age peers in other colleges.

Being an officer, both commissioned and non-commissioned, is about personal example. So that you truly merit the “special trust and confidence” that others repose in the office in which you are about to enter.

There is no civilian equivalent to this special trust. It’s not just a job, or a role that lapses when you take off the uniform. It is a burden of self-reflection and self-correction that continues for the rest of one’s life.

Stop worrying about phone calls. The PC circus will be what it is. Your son and all the other mids need only look to their own honor first.

And yes, we DO ask high-speed, talented young people in the prime of life to put service before self and willingly abide by a higher code of personal conduct. Because that’s the deal. To whom much is given, much is expected.

Most will accept this code and serve with honor, courage and committment. These values have nothing to do with gender. They are about the person inside.

The few that do not may get away with it for awhile,….but not forever:

http://www.usafa90.com/flinn.html