1. At least two of the cadets are lying, and likely more are. The expression of 'are we really doing this' is directly contrary to their later statements that the raised fist 'was intended to display unity, solidarity and pride'. BTW, lying is a separable offense.
2. The reviewing officer's assessment that the cadets did not have enough time to make the right decision is contrary to just about everything taught at West Point. From day one, cadets are taught to make decisions under stressful circumstances. Its one of the primary justifications for plebe year hazing. And, this ability to make quick decisions is also considered to be very important later, when they become officers. The officer was practically admitting that these cadets had not properly learned to make good decisions, and were not ready to graduate. To me, it almost sounds like the soft bigotry of low expectations to suppose that these ladies were too stupid to make a decision within a minute's time.
I'm very disappointed in this. At very least, the leaders/instigators should have been reprimanded and held back to graduate next December. At least two of these cadets have extra chevrons - I believe one is a cadet company commander and one is a cadet battalion commander. I'm left speechless that they are not held to an even higher standard, much less allowed to slide, because they are apparently lack sufficient brain power to know better.
display unity, solidarity and pride
But they didn’t display DIVERSITY!
Wonder what determination the reviewing officer would make if the photo was a group of ole Southern boys with a Confederate flag.
In what?
Unity with theier fellow cadets? Obviously not.
Solidarity with the U S Army? Not likely.
Pride in the USMA? I seriously doubt that.
Clearly, you are correct. Either they lied, a serious violation of the honor code. Or. The entire group, living in the most racial sensitive time of society and the military, is ignorant of the implications.
No matter which case, they should be disciplined. If lying, dismissed. If stupid and racially insensate, well . . . dismissed. Do slips of the tongue about transponders, gays, and blacks receive such liberal interpretations of innocence?
He asked rhetorically.
Then there's the obvious....they're all black.
You can bet the CiC told them they’d better not do anything against them.
They are a disgrace to their uniform, their gender, and their race.
In a group that size, I can see a couple being smart enough to wonder if it might have some blow back. But if the higher ranked cadets said do it, I can also see them going along to avoid harassment and hazing. I’d convert the leaders and any one who didn’t question them to PFCs and let the two that questioned it graduate.
But I’m not a wimp army officer worried about a career.
The “Old Corps” photos in front of the old 1st Division have been done for years, including back when it was the real Old Corps when photography was first introduced. I challenge anyone to find among those thousands of photos a single one where clenched fists were raised. Including in 1860 when Southern Cadets were getting ready to resign and return to their states.
Officers have to make snap decisions in combat and must live with those decisions for the rest of their lives. These women made a very bad decision and will be celebrities and will probably be invited to the White House.
whitewash
Okay.... unity with what or whome? Solidarity with what or whom? Pride in what?
Obviously not in West Point.
The superintendent was not going to pull these women a week from graduation, he's got a career to manage, and having BLM blocking the front gate isn't a career enhancing play.
At USMA and in our army, they belong to a protected class that checks two of the three blocks which essentially make them immune to any serious inquiry as to their conduct.
Now I'm going to call a spade a spade (see what I did there?) These women got away with this, because they are female and they are black and they are going to find when they get into the army, they're going to get along using those two cards wherever they can play them.
In my experience in the military, though color isn't supposed to matter (with the exception of all male combat units), it does.
Having served in both, some of the best soldiers I've ever had were black females, however some of the worst soldiers were also...black females. I'm pretty sure these ladies are going to fall into the second category. But, they got through West Point...So? The operative phrase is “got through”, it remains to be seen if they are worthy of a Commission and all the tax dollars spent on them.
If you try to understand the problem is that our army has been for many years a great social experiment,opposed to a tool a national policy designed to kill people and break things and kill people, this will all make sense.
I am glad I am retired. I am not enlightened enough to accept how pretty the Emperor's new clothes are. I pity the Company Commander who will have any of these new lieutenants in their unit. Maybe they'll all want to be ‘infantry-persons’ or ‘tank operators’.
And these boys will be running our military one day....
Gotta love Amerika!
Just what we want and need as military leaders - people who think quick on their feet and make the wrong decision.
I do not want the USMA investigating things like this.
WHITEWASH BLACKWASH ALERT!
Expel them and let them express their ‘Black Pride” at home while they’re working to pay back Uncle Sam’s tuition, room, and board.
End of story.