Sacred Ground

I was at West Point this weekend for PointCon-- a wargaming convention organized by cadets. Its a good convention-- well run, plenty of good games, and a great location. There is no need to feel embarrassed about gaming when you hear and see how the military uses it.

The West Point Museum is a great way to spend a couple of hours and being on campus is an experience not soon forgotten.

The first thing that strikes you is the security-- at the entrance ID's are checked and vehicles searched. The MP's are armed CAR-15s and they are not just at the guard booth.

The architecture is massive; it marks the campus as a former fort and current military post and sets it apart from most college campuses. Nor can most campuses match the sense of history--- over two hundred years of producing leaders who helped make our country.

By far the most impressive thing is the cadets. As expected there are no piercings, tattoos, long hair or slovenly dress. Since every cadet is expected to be an athlete, there is also no flab or beer bellies. In my interactions with cadets i found that their discipline produced politeness without a hint of servility. (Call it the anti-punk ethos, good manners and self-respect).

They are the same age as other college students. But they don't just take classes, they train in air assault and armored tactics. They have committed to serve their country and in wartime it is clear what all that entails. Some of their friends who graduated last year have already gone to the Middle East. That is sobering for anyone, but hard to imagine for a twenty-year old.

Yet they volunteered to go there and then serve wherever their country needs them. Any nation would be privileged to have them.