Slaight looked straight at Thrunstone and spoke loudly into the mike. “Sir, I don’t know who you’ve been listening to, but I’m afraid that you have been misinformed.”
“Misinformed? About what?” Thrunstone growled.
“Sir, let’s begin with physical standards for cadets at the Academy. It may interest the commitee to know that female cadets today are required to do more push-ups, sit-ups, and pull-ups than male cadets did back in the sixties when I was a cadet. Their minimum time for the two-mile run is faster than it was when I was a cadet. We haven’t lowered standards, Congressman. We’ve raised them.”
“They still don’t have to meet the same standards as the males, do they?”
“No sir, they do not. But they are meeting a standard that is tougher than it was. The same is true for academics, sir. We’ve got a tougher academic program at West Point today than we did even ten years ago, and far more comprehensive than it was twenty years ago. The same is true of military training. Cadets get more intensive military training during their summers than they ever did in the past. When I was a cadet, we didn’t get the chance to go to Airborne School until after graduation. Now we’ve got male and female cadets going to Benning every summer. I see jump wings on dress gray coats every day, sir. We’ve got male and female cadets going through jungle-warfare school every summer. We’ve got cadets assigned to Army units all over the world every summer. We’ve got plebes going through an indoctrination and training upon entering West Point that is far tougher than the one I went through. If you want facts and figures, sir, I can arrange for them to be sent to the committee. But you can take it from me right here, right now that your assessment of cadet training at West Point is dead wrong.”
“So what you are doing is defending the status quo. Is that right, General?”
Slaight was looking straight into Thrunstone’s eyes. You couldn’t read this guy even if you spent months trying. It was no wonder he had ended up chairing the National Security Committee. He was a pro.
“Congressman, I believe you’re wrong on every count, and if you want me to, I’ll prove it to you.”
“We are up to our ears in facts and figures here at the National Security Committee, General. What those figures tell me is that we have an Army today that is being feminized, and much of the responsibility for this trend lies with West Point.’’
“Congressman, West Point started instituting policies to facilitate the integration of women into the Army beginning with the first class of women at West Point. We have carried out the laws passed by this Congress, and we have done a good job of it. Unless and until the Congress changes its mind and passes another law removing women from the Army, we’re going to continue following the letter and the spirit of the law.”
“Are you trying to tell this committee when the Army falls down it is the Congress of the United States that pushed it?”
“No sir.”
“Then what are you telling this committee, General Slaight?”
“I’m telling you that West Point is a better Military Academy today than it’s ever been, and we’re turning out classes of young officers who measure up to the class in which I graduated and every other class that has graduated from West Point, sir. What you are hearing from these sources of yours does not comport with my experience either at West Point or in the Army.”
“You are telling this committee that our military is just as effective today as it was fifteen years ago?”
“More effective, sir.”
“It is remarkable, General, that we could differ so greatly on this very basic point.”
“Congressman, there was a great line in one of my favorite movies, Cool Hand Luke: ‘What we’ve got here is a failure to communicate.’ “
Titters of laughter broke out around the hearing room. Thrunstone banged his gavel. “Are you trying to test the patience of the Chair, General Slaight?”
“No sir. But there is a communication problem if what you are hearing differs so markedly from what I have experienced in more than thirty years of service in the Army.”
“Why don’t you point out where you think the communication breakdown is, General.”
“I’ll be glad to, sir. The Army has changed greatly over the years, and it continues to change every day. Fifty years ago, we had a segregated Army commanded entirely by white men. Today we’ve got an Army which is integrated by race and gender, commanded by men and women, many of whom are not white. As we move into the next century, the makeup of our Army will change even more. The year I graduated from a West Point class which was one percent black, eighty-three percent of Americans were white. That was twenty-eight years ago, sir. As we sit here today, seventy-three percent of the population is white. By the middle of the next century, less than fifty percent of Americans will be white. The Army will reflect those figures, and I would posit that the Army will also undergo further changes along gender lines as well. The complaints I heard about the Army twenty-five years ago were about race. The complaints you’re hearing today are about gender. Somebody is always complaining about the Army, Congressman. That’s just one of the things soldiers do, and if I may say so, they complain better and louder than any class of people I’ve ever come across.”
“The issue before us today is not whether the Army and West Point have changed, but whether they have changed too much,” said Thrunstone. “The purpose of West Point is to train leaders to win our nation’s wars. I can tell you right now that this Congress is not going to stand for engaging in social experiments in either West Point or the Army.”
Slaight pulled a sheet of paper from his inside jacket pocket. “Congressman, I’d like to read you a quote from a congressional hearing which was called to review President Truman’s executive order integrating the Armed Forces in 1948. The witness was General Omar N. Bradley, who rose to five-star rank, and was one of our country’s great leaders during World War II. General Bradley was asked what he thought about Truman’s order integrating black and white military units. He responded, ‘The Army is not out to make any social reform, Mr. Chairman. The Army will not put men of different races in the same companies. It will change that policy when the nation as a whole changes it.’ “
Slowly Slaight folded the sheet of paper and stuck it back into his jacket pocket as the hearing room buzzed around him. Thrunstone banged his gavel, silencing the room.
“If you are comparing me to Omar N. Bradley, I can assure you right now that is a comparison I will gladly accept, General Slaight.”
“Very well, sir, but I would point out to you how wrong General Bradley was when he testified before the Congress. The Army he grew up in was a white male institution, and he thought it should remain that way. The Army did not remain the same. Neither did West Point. You are hearing from constituents who do not identify the West Point of today with the West Point they have seen in old movies on television. West Point is different. So is the Army. They are both far better institutions for having faced up to the problem of race in our society. We are not finished facing up to the gender problems which we have encountered since women were integrated into the services twenty years ago. West Point and the Army have led the way on race, and now we’re leading the way on gender.”
Thrunstone’s face was red. He turned to Sheila Rooks, the young woman Cecil Avery had lent to his committee. They whispered for a moment. She reached into a briefcase and handed him a document.
“Since you brought up women at West Point, General, let’s stay on that subject for a moment. It has come to the attention of this committee that a young woman died recently at West Point. Is that true?”
“Yes, it is, Congressman.”
“Why hasn’t this information been made public, General?”
“We have been conducting an investigation into the cause of her death, sir. When the investigation is completed, we will make a full report to the Pentagon, and to this committee, if you so desire. We are not concealing anything at West Point, Congressma
n Thrunstone. In the interest of conducting a thorough and complete investigation, we have attempted to prevent the kind of circus atmosphere the media can create. We don’t want a media feeding frenzy, sir. We want an answer as to how and why this young woman died while marching in a parade at West Point. We need to learn this in order that it never happens again.”
Behind Slaight, a cell phone vibrated. One of the lawyers from General Meuller’s office answered. He listened for a moment and passed the cell phone to Colonel Bassett. The lawyer stood up and hurried out of the hearing room. Bassett was whispering into the phone as Slaight poured himself a glass of water and took a long swig.
“I’m not satisfied with that answer, General Slaight. I don’t like cover-ups, and I smell a cover-up here. What is the name of the young female cadet who died?”
“Her name was Dorothy Hamner, sir. She was a first-class cadet, an excellent student, and one of the top women in her class in physical aptitude. That’s why her case is so confounding. We’re having a hard time figuring out how a young woman of her abilities simply dropped dead on a parade ground.”
“It was hot that day, wasn’t it, General?”
“Yes sir. It was ninety-six degrees.”
“That was the parade welcoming you as Superintendent, was it not?”
“Yes sir.”
“As hot as it was, why didn’t you reschedule, or call it off?”
“Sir, we don’t call off wars because it’s too hot to fight. We don’t call off parades because it’s too hot to march. I thought you were concerned about standards, sir. Are you suggesting that we set a maximum temperature, and if it exceeds that temperature, we should call off parades and training?”
“Of course not.”
“No cadet has ever died on parade at West Point until Dorothy Hamner died, sir. That is why we have conducted an extensive investigation into her cause of death.”
“Isn’t it obvious she died from the heat?”
“That cause was ruled out in the autopsy, sir.”
“Then what killed her, General? What is it that you are covering up from this Congress?”
Slaight was about to answer when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned his head. It was Bassett. “Sir, if I may take a moment to consult with Colonel Bassett.”
“Go ahead.”
Slaight covered the mike with his hand. Bassett whispered in his ear for a moment and then sat down. Slaight turned to face Thrunstone.
“Sir, Colonel Bassett is in charge of the investigation into Dorothy Hamner’s death. He just reported to me that the final report was filed with his office this morning by Major Elizabeth Vernon, the pathologist who conducted the autopsy. We have a cause of death, sir. One of my staff has left the hearing room to receive a fax at an office down the hall. We’ll have the written report in a moment.”
“Do you know how she died, General? Have you been told what’s in the report?”
“Yes sir.”
“Why don’t you enlighten this committee, General Slaight.”
“All right, sir. Dorothy Hamner died of a drug overdose. We have reason to believe that the overdose was administered to her by another cadet. The investigation into who gave her the overdose of drugs is continuing, sir.”
The hearing room buzzed at the news. Thrunstone covered his mike and whispered with Rooks and Embry. Embry got up and rushed out a side door. In the back, Buck got up and left through the main door to the hearing room. In a moment, he came back and whispered in Slaight’s ear.
“Embry ran down the hall and talked to Gibson. He’s been sittin’ in the next office, watching the hearing on C-span.”
“What are they up to?”
“I wish I damn well knew.”
“This guy is pissing me off, Leroy.”
“Keep your head, man. Play it cool. If he’s listening to Gibson, he’s gonna be stepping in shit pretty soon.”
Up on the dais, Embry had returned and was whispering in Thrunstone’s ear. He listened for a moment, nodding, then he turned around and gaveled the hearing to order. He put on his half-glasses and consulted the papers that had been given him by Sheila Rooks. He took his time. When he was finished, he looked up at Slaight with a dimpled smile.
“The young woman who died was in your daughter’s company, H-3. Is that correct, General Slaight?”
“Yes it is, Congressman, but I hardly think that has any bearing on the question of how she died.”
“Oh, but it does, General Slaight. There are drugs at West Point, General, and the drugs are being used in the company under the command of your daughter, Jacey Slaight. This is a matter of great concern to this committee. If there’s a drug problem at West Point, we need a superintendent who can deal with the problem, not a father who is covering for his own daughter’s failure of command.”
Slaight sat there for a long moment, gathering himself. He knew there was no use going into the details of the investigation, explaining to the committee that Dorothy Hamner had overdosed at a party far from West Point, and that she had gone as the date of a cadet who wasn’t even in her own regiment. Thrunstone had no interest in the facts. What he wanted to do was hang the Superintendent of the United States Military Academy in front of about a dozen TV news cameras. He saw his hands were bunched into fists. He relaxed his fingers, and pressed his open palms on top of the witness table.
“You have dragged my daughter into this, Congressman, and you have wronged her in a most cowardly way. I take exception to your characterization of my daughter’s professionalism and character. It will delight me no end to supply every member of this committee with a full report on the death of Dorothy Hamner which will exonerate my daughter and establish the facts as they have been revealed by our investigation. Gentlemen may disagree, Mr. Thrunstone, but they do not denigrate one another’s families, a lesson in manners and honor which you obviously never learned.”
There was a loud buzz behind Slaight. People were whispering, pointing at Thrunstone. He banged his gavel, red-faced.
“I am accusing you of running a lax Military Academy, General Slaight. It appears to me that you are not up to the job of Superintendent. I will propose that this committee hold a vote on whether or not to recommend to the President that he ask for your resignation.”
“You’re the Chairman. You can hold any vote you want. But before you vote, I want to point out to the members of your committee that every member of Congress on Capitol Hill, every senior commander at the Pentagon, and probably most of the reporters covering this hearing can see right through your motives. They know that this hearing is being held under false premises. You are attacking West Point because you want to bring the Pentagon to heel on the fight over the defense budget. This Congress has cut the United States Army’s manpower strength by one quarter, and you are not finished. You want to strip four more divisions from the Army. You plan to take the money you save on paychecks for soldiers and spend it on a mess of B-2 bombers the Air Force has told you it doesn’t even want. You’ve been listening to complainers in the Army? Well, I’ve heard a few complaints myself. I’ve heard complaints from soldiers and citizens that the members of this committee represent districts with defense-industry contracts totaling ninety-five billion dollars. That is one-third of the total budget of the Department of Defense. By a huge majority, those contracts are for weapons systems and hardware. You don’t care about West Point, Congressman Thrunstone. You don’t care about the Army. All you care about are the defense jobs you deliver to your districts and the campaign contributions you suck down from the contractors who are getting rich off those contracts. It’s obvious to those of us in uniform that you don’t care about soldiers. You care about money.”
“You have accused the members of this committee with false charges of corruption, General. I think you had better reconsider your words. You owe me, and you owe the members of this committee, an apology.”
“I don’t owe you or your members anything other than the solemn commitmen
t I made when I took an oath as an officer in the Army to defend the Constitution and to lay down my life, if necessary, to defend this nation. How many of you on this committee have taken that oath, Congressman? How many members of this committee have served as much as one day in uniform?”
“That is an impertinent question—”
“I know the answer to that question when it comes to you, Congressman Thrunstone. When your nation needed your service during the war in Vietnam, you were awarded a 4-F draft status because you had a skin condition.” He slurred the words derisively, and before Thrunstone could react, he raised his voice, thundering, “You want to try and pass a bill in this Congress to cut the funding for West Point and shut the place down? I can tell you as I sit here today, Congressman, it’s not going to happen. Not at West Point, and not on my watch. See how far you get without the young men and women from West Point who have set the moral standards for the Army of duty and honor and country for nearly two hundred years of our nation’s history. See how far you get without the West Pointers who have fought and died for their country in every war since its founding in 1802. See how far you get with all those parents out there in your congressional districts when you tell them there won’t be a West Point offering worthy students from every state in the Union the opportunity to serve their country. See how far you get when your constituents learn you will no longer be making the congressional appointments to West Point which each of you make every year. See how far you get telling the American people they can forget about the Army–Navy game, they can forget about visits of the West Point choir to their churches, they can forget about driving up the Hudson to see a parade, or watch their college play Army in soccer or basketball or lacrosse or wrestling. See how far you get with this President, or any other for that matter, when you tell him you want to destroy West Point in order to save it.”
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