If you read the entire article, you get a very different picture. The headline reads like Carson has been claiming something he really hasn’t. And his recollection is very consistent with the events some 30-40 years ago.
Then why not write what he recalled rather than the fiction that is in the book? I just don't understand... Was Carson lying in his book, or was the book written by someone else?
As the mother of a West Point graduate, I understand completely what Carson was saying, as I was up front and there during my son’s application and appointment to the USMA.
Carson’s memory as a high school graduate rings true. West Point decides who will be eligible to apply for admission. That is the first step in a long process. WP sends the list of the applicants they down to the local level, where applicants are interviewed by local Army officers, and sent on to their local congressperson, who has a committee to review the already screened applicants.
Based on Carson’s writing, it is entirely consistent that he was told, based on his scores and performance in ROTC, that he could “win a scholarship/appointment if he decided to apply and go through the process. He decided not to do so, eventually.
Everyone who is accepted, then offered an appointment, wins a “scholarship”, in effect, as there is no charge for attending West Point, and in fact cadets are paid a stipend, out of which they must purchase their uniforms and other essentials.
I hope this helps to clarify the issue.