James Robbins makes your correspondent feel just that little bit better about his own class standing at the Trade School on the Severn:
(There) is no clear relationship between Academy class rank and leadership qualities. For example, Jimmy Carter, the only Naval Academy graduate to serve as president to date, graduated 59th out of a class of 820, so draw your own conclusions. Seventeen class anchors have attained flag rank, and many low-ranking graduates have gone on to brilliant careers. This tracks with the thesis I developed in my book Last in Their Class; the bottom of the class tends to produce a different kind of leader than the top. Those who wind up at the foot are often there by choice. They could do better if they studied, but they would rather trade class ranking for other pursuits. They tend to be the risk takers, the innovators, usually very well liked and in their own way driven. They know how to get into trouble, and more importantly how to get out of it. They also tend to have more than their share of luck.
Also profiled is the legendary “Hoser” “Toeser” Satrapa, F-14 jock of the “no kill like a guns kill” fame, and self-made armorer of the “blow your thumb off with a 20mm cannon and replace it with your big toe” variety.
Those of us who finish around the anchor have a mantra, “we make the top 90% possible”.
Douglass MacArthur, upon greeting a new general to his command, would shake his hand and say, as part of his greeting: “Are you a lucky General?”
As the old saying goes, “I’d rather be lucky than good.” Blind luck trumps skill and cunning as often as not–and when the two are combined?
I might also say that studies have examined the success rates of Academy
graduates vs ROTC and OCS graduates in terms of flag rank attainment and have shown that being a ring-knocker
really is ultimately of very little advantage. (Although I disagree with the conclusions of most of the studies, which is to close the Academies as not being cost effective) My point is that the creme/scum eventually rises to the top anyway no matter how things start out–more or less. (I’d be the LAST person in the world to deny that the Armed Services can often be the most hot-house political environment in the world)
The general point here is that people have various motivations while in college, and grade-point averages often tell little about one’s true intellectual
capabilities. If I had known that I was going to inherit a multi-million dollar publishing empire like Dan Quayle I’d have been on the links every day on my way to a “gentleman’s c” also, rather than hitting the books. (Quayle, btw, is, despite the bad pr, intellectually up to speed with the best of them–if it hadn’t been for his almost single-handed efforts to keep the Patriot system alive when he was in Congress and “smarten up” a software system intentionally dumbed down because of the ABM treaty, the system might not have been ready in time for the Gulf war and the pressure for Israel to go nuclear would have been immense)
Besides, I think McCain’s measured I.Q.
has been published as a 153. The greatest theoretical physicist in the world after Einstein, Richard Feynman
had an I.Q. of only 127. To quote him: “To think I’ve done so much with so little!”
Upon further reflection, I should like to add that people often confuse glibness with intelligence (although intelligent people can be glib too) This is one of the reasons George Bush is so often ridiculed. He simply is not glib under pressure in highly public settings.
A certain lass I once dated while stationed in England, during one of our more tender moments, looked lovingly up into my eyes and said: “Are you really smart, or are you just glib?” It was at that moment that I knew I was going to have to drop her like a hot potato–she was far, far too insightful for my own good………
I strongly recommend Robbins’ book “Last in Their Class.” I read it when it came out when he was still teaching at NDU. I couldn’t put it down. And lots of lessons for today.
Many years ago at IBM they were known as “Wild Ducks” and much prized. Well, prized until one of them came up with an ad for their latest rendition Selectric Typewriter that proclaimed, “The Only Typewriter With Balls!”
Ah, those were the days…. Remember typewriters?
Hmm. Wasn’t Pickett, of the eponymous Charge at Gettysburg, the last man in his class at USMA?
N.B., he had nothing to do with deciding to do that, but obeyed lawful (though dumb) orders and executed them as well as one could expect.
I write as an admirer of General Lee, and admit that he screwed up big-time on that occasion. He did admit that it was his fault afterward, unlike some other generals.
…A certain 05 named Custer was also last in his class too (USMA, 1861).
Mike
Great to see Hoser is still around and kickin. I use to love seeing him walking around the squadron (VF101) with his “When your out of F8′s your outa fighters” patch. A true “Kick the tires light the fires” fighter pilot. He would take any aircrft assigned to him. Got much respect from us maintainers. Tomcats Forever Baby!
i may not have been the goat myself, but i take pride in having given him a run for the money and making him EARN it.
Not to sound skeptical, but… did anyone see the big toe pinch hitting for the thumb combination? The reason that this sticks out for me is that without the big toe, I don’t think you can walk without both big toes. I know the point was to keep flying, but it seems that would be a phyric victory if the Navy booted him for being unable to walk even when sober.
One of the best guys I ever worked with finished 4th from the bottom at USNA-he was trying for “closest to the pin”-but as he said he screwed up and passed a test somewhere.
Good pilot and a hell of a guy. Then again-his approach to liberty was not in keeping with the traditions of today’s “diverse” and “core values” Navy- even though he is a great American.
Which to me makes a good point. Many of the people the guy profiles were able to flourish in the world of the “old” Navy. I’m not so sure in 20 years they would be able to say the same thing.
I would also point out that at a real military college-there was no such thing as Class standing. At least you never knew it.
“When 50% is required to pass, 51% is overkill.”
Cheers
That “if the minimum isn’t good enough, they wouldn’t make it the minimum” is deeply ingrained in Naval Aviation. At BI, there was a final that required a 70 to get jets out of Saufley. Night before, my best friend, Pete Lockwood (now of American Airlines — hear that name in a PA, and be very scared) says, “Come on, it’s Thursday — let’s go to Dirty Joe’s.” I remind him of the critical test the next day. He reminds me that would be a pentultimate example of being a non-hacker. I think the p**** word was used. Off we go to P Beach. Tested the next day, mildly hung over (probably on a volume today that would render me dead at least until noon). Scores posted next week, Lockwood a 70, me a 73. Pete says, “Why’d you waste those three points?”
Skippy -
Who dat? Hubs?
Nose,
I can neither confirm or deny.
during fours years of attendance, if you can manage to catch 8 good hours of sleep daily, you actually only spend roughly 2 years and 8 months physically there (or there-abouts, i leave the detailed math to those higher in the class)..
Also known as the 1/2 cruise theory. (If I sleep for half the cruise the cruise is only 3 months long………devised before the days of FRP. Now the number is indeterminate….).
ah yes, but THOSE are “nautical months”, whereas these would be “statute months”…
just divide by “furlongs per fortnight” and the whole thing comes out right. (my star-man roommate showed me how to do that)..
Nose’s cruise survival tip of the day:
If you get 8 hours of sleep a day, anything you get at night is gravy…
DM- I may be wrong, again, but I don’t think losing your big toe prevents you from walking, just makes it harder.