Accidental Soldier by Richard B. Schwartz

Author:Richard B. Schwartz [B. SCHWARTZ, RICHARD]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-7618-4835-6
Publisher: Hamilton Books

Chapter Seven

USMA—The Cadets

And when in academic halls, to summer hops we go,

And thread the mazes of the dance on the light fantastic toe,

We look into those sunny eyes, where youth and pleasure glow,

And think ourselves within the walls of Benny Havens, oh!

One of our earliest experiences at the Academy was a tour of the cadets’ barracks and dining hall. As part of the tour we were invited to dine with them, a memorable experience, both because of their company and because of the quality of their meals, which was very high. They each received an allotment for food; these funds were pooled and utilized in the most efficient manner. Purchases in quantity brought down prices and raised quality. Filet mignon, for example, was a periodic part of their diet; the closest equivalent at Notre Dame was the ‘chuck wagon steak,’ a vulcanized brown entity that could neither be cut nor chewed.

Every table always contained a jar of peanut butter. This was a high protein, fall-back alternative for those who did not care for the entrées on offer. The cadets needed a good diet both because of the physical regimen which they faced as well as the high incidence of illness.

The latter was not the result of a lack of hygiene, but rather the close quarters in which they lived. If one cadet caught some bug or other it made its way through the Corps rapidly. There was also a standing rumor that the pollution of the Hudson contributed to the problem. Sickness was a significant problem for the individual, since the curriculum was both demanding and rigorously structured. Cadets could not afford to fall behind. The antidotes were a healthy diet and a set of medications that were incredibly strong and fast-acting. One junior officer, afflicted with diarrhea, commented that after one pill he could feel his whole body closing up.

The doctors were, as always in the Army, a gamble. My minor surgery, as I noted, was performed by a Harvard-trained surgeon, who was superb. At the same time, we went into the clinic one evening when our son was suffering from canker sores and took medical potluck. The doctor on call had never heard of canker sores before our visit. He even checked his medical books in our presence (a rarity among civilian doctors) and said, “They’re just like ulcers, aren’t they?” I told him that I had gotten them as a child when I ate lemon drops and that the doctor had prescribed silver nitrate for them. Together we muddled through and got our son cured.

I also had my wisdom teeth removed at West Point. A young dentist came into the room and greeted me. He seemed nice. I told him that this would be interesting since I hadn’t had a tooth extracted since I was a child. He told me that it might be very interesting, since he had never extracted one before. My mouth fell open fairly easily after that and he told me that I should close my eyes while he put his forceps on the first tooth.

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