Many of the live college mascot animals I've watched are clearly confused and often terrified by the huge stadiums and their accompanying noise. And by the age most women and men are in the service academies I'd hope that, given their future careers, they'd be more mature as well as more concerned about the inhabitants of the world they're choosing to safeguard, both human and animal.
91
It can be difficult for those who haven't gone to one of the service academies to understand the rivalry with each other. We are in the midst of what the USNA and USMA call Army Week and Navy Week, respectively. This entire week is devoted to rallying all cadets and midshipmen (which the article got wrong; we are not cadets) to the cause of beating their respective rival. Pranks abound. Things that would get us disciplined, even big pranks, receive unofficial approval. This is actually a good thing. It allows us to explore going to the edge without going over the line. I remember midshipmen crossing that line and being disciplined for it.
In many ways it is an official release from the incredible stress and discipline both academies place on the students. Outlets are needed and in this case, encouraged. I can still remember by plebe (freshman) pranks on my upper class with fondness. This is an extension of that. We just need to explore the boundaries of what is acceptable here, not just ban it outright and ruin the fun. We all knew the job was dangerous when we took it.
GO NAVY, BEAT ARMY.
(Class of 1988)
41
@rock harris I wanted to recommend your post, but I'm a USMA grad.
My favorite spirit mission was executed on us during lunch formation during Army-Navy week. A small airplane flew low over our formation and dropped thousands of ping pong balls that said "Go Navy Beat Army" They were bouncing 20 feet high...raining everywhere. It was my fave.
That year they also kidnapped the (often disliked, usually a strictler for the rules) First Captain. We told Navy to keep him.
15
Kate Jackson, if that aircraft was below 1,000 feet AGL it violated both FAA and military regulations. The person in command of that aircraft broke a cardinal sin in aviation.
6
@rock harris
Keep the mascots out of the pranks. They do not deserve to be mistreated.
45
I was a senior in 2012, and the Navy goat was found tied to a street pole about a week and a half before the Army/Navy game. At that time, I had received 5 hours (the service academies' form of punishment) for skipping one class. One week before the game on a Saturday, I had just finished serving my remaining punishment, but it wasn't yet logged in the system. Because of this, I and a few other cadets were blind-sighted that night, tasked with defending our mules for a 12 hour night shift.
We spent the overnight shift in the mule barn's un-heated, vaguely manure-smelling living room. One of the cadets brought an Xbox, so we hooked that up to the old Zenith television in the room, and most of us watched him play Halo off and on for some time. To pass the time even more, I frequently walked up and down the aisles of the mule barns, looking upon our prized mascots and petting a few of the barn cats. All of the barn entrances had parked trucks obstructing the doors. There was no way these mules were going anywhere, but thanks to all the incidents described in the article, I was stuck reaping the consequences of 50+ years of mascot stealing.
That Monday I told my roommate--the cadet responsible for updating my logged hours--all about what had happened. I had served a total of 17 hours that weekend, but I only had to serve 5. I joked with him that now I had two free class skips worth of credit in the system; "...yeah, it only goes down to zero."
USMA 2013 Grad
11
I have been part of several such military traditions. But the traditions are not just mischief - they have their own traditions. At the Marine Corps Birthday Ball at Fort Sill Field Artillery School it's traditional for Marines to borrow some decorations from the Army. When I was there in 1974, the Army was trying to develop revolutionary new howitzers in 105mm and 155 mm, and they had built one very top secret example of each. The concept was a flop but the cannons made excellent centerpieces at the ball.
But there were rules. No Marine who worked on the howitzer development project could be involved. No damage could be done - if there was any possibility of harm we were to abort immediately. And of course we were to return the items in an appropriate manner. (In this case the base commanding general, after phoning the project head who claimed the howitzers were still at the project building, volunteered to take charge of their return.)
The Army cadets showed themselves lacking in the guile needed to be excellent military leaders, and to be devoted more to hooliganism than to tradition.
2
I led soldiers in combat, and I would hesitate to fully trust the leaders and Cadets directly involved in the Aurora incident- I am tremendously disappointed in how this has been addressed by an institution that I love deeply as a graduate. These actions reflect terrible planning, an inability to win gracefully, and- most significantly- a lack of empathy. These are things that get soldiers killed and make our mission objectives more difficult to achieve in the most challenging environments in the world. Out there, treating civilians with the same disregard is the best way for us to develop the next generation of enemies who hate us and our values.
I do not think it is a coincidence that this is how some (by no means all) of our future leaders are behaving when we look at what our politicians, major corporations, and some fellow citizens are getting away with. The service academies are a collection of the best and brightest that our society has to offer. Let’s look in the mirror and think about what this tells us about who we are and what we stand for.
My recommendation to the USMA Superintendent is to send the Cadets involved in the falcon “spirit mission” to falconry training before commissioning them as officers in the U.S. military.
Let’s set our egos and military bravado aside and think about how much better our world would be with a little bit more empathy and love. Our service academies lead from the front, and we all need to do better at leading from the heart.
37
Aurora , the falcon, the Air Force mascot is an inspiring creature as she flies around the stadium and returns to her handler before a game.It is a beautiful sight! It is totally appropriate for the academy which is all about flight.The goat and mule are unrelated to their services and should not be treated as dumb animals in a tit for tat among Army and Navy-it is beneath their dignity.Inanimate objects work well to keep stoking a rivalry-witness the AXE “ exchanged” between Stanford and Berkeley.
9
Goats and mules are domesticated animals, but a falcon? No school should have a wild animal as a mascot.
This sentence just gutted me: "When the kidnappers stuffed her into a dog crate, Aurora panicked, and beat her wings frantically until they were bloody."
If that sentence didn't gut you, dear reader, then I don't know what to say.
What those cadets did to the falcon is a disgusting display of abject cruelty. I am so sickened and disheartened to see people defending their actions in these comments -- calling them just "a little fun" or a harmless prank. The fact that multiple commenters see no problem with "stuffing" a glorious wild creature into a dog crate and causing her to suffer hours of terror and pain -- well, I guess this pretty much sums up what's wrong with America these days. Cruel, selfish.
60
I'm with those who think they should leave the animals alone. Have your fun, explore your limits, but leave living breathing animals alone. Unlike the cadets and the midshipmen, the animals didn't choose to be there, and should not be the victims of these antics. Again, nothing against antics per se, just find another focus
31
Any sane school would stop keeping real animals as mascots after disastrous events. Statues, totem poles, flags, even jock straps would work for pranks. Keeping a gyrfalcon that could be subjected to stupidity is gross.
23
Falcons have been used by humans for hunting for thousands of years. This falcon puts on amazing displays at home games and instills in viewers a sense of awe at the wonder and beauty of nature. She is doing a great job and presumably in the future no other idiot will think to lay a hand on her.
7
Come on, folks - quit taking this seriously.
As long as there are no serious incidents - a good team building exercise - that is the mantra of today's corporations.
And if I were a betting man - most of these young men and women in these pranjs - probably are high ranking officers.
And they should be - they thought outside the box - another corporate mantra.
And delivered what they planned - ultimate corporate mantra.
5
I was scheduled in 1970 to pull temporary duty (stationed at Fort Dix) at West Point to guard the mules. For some reason it was canceled. Was very disappointed. Time off in West Point for an enlisted man was far better than at Fort Dix considering there was a women's college a stone's throw away.
2
May I suggest all these cadets add "Steal the President."
13
Pathetic! Treating these helpless with such cruelty for fun and sport. It's terrifying for the animals.
Where is the leadership of all three services? Why don't they get together and each issue serious regulations and punishments for wrongdoers on this?
The times have changes. Casual cruelty to living animal "mascots" is no longer acceptable in a civilized society.
Recruits need to find other ways to get their jollies and prove their manhood to rival armed services. If not, they should be punished, get demerits, and a permanent blot for stupidity on their record.
14
I'm an AFA grad. I always thought this stuff was stupid. It was usually carried out by the most geeky and immature cadets. How it was funny, I never understood and never will. The culture at the Service Academies has needed an overhaul for a long time.
17
Students at the U.S. Naval Academy are midshipmen.
Beat Army!
1
Spirit missions are a long-standing tradition at the Academies. One of the most famous was led by then Cadet Douglas MacArthur:
"A spirit mission is an activity undertaken by West Point cadets that is typically against regulations yet demonstrates qualities that the academy seeks to develop: audacity, teamwork, creativity and a mission focus.
The most famous example dates back to 1901 when Cadet Douglas MacArthur led a small group that snuck out of the barracks after taps and moved the heavy revile cannon all the way across the Plain to the top of the clock tower of Pershing Barracks. It took the corps of engineers over a week to figure out how to get it down."
https://www.sofmag.com/spirit-mission/
-Kate Jackson USMA 93
5
Cadets and middies need to proceed with caution in this new environment of an uptight defense establishment and PETA demonstrations. Those mascots are government property. You had better not hurt one of them. Abuse of a public animal is still a court martial offense under the UCMJ.
5
The USAF doesn't really count seeing as the Army-Navy game is older than the Air Force. I'm surprised anyone bothered to steal their mascot. Catching a falcon is hard... I guess? But on the other hand, who cares? Air Force cadets are pampered anyway.
Between Army and Navy though, Army has a distinct advantage in stealing mascots. It's much easier to travel with a stolen goat than a stolen mule. If you look at football outcomes though, Army still has the losing track record. This is why Army feels compelled to steal goats. Inferiority complex.
At this point I think we should mention, no one at West Point has ever dared attempt to kidnap the USMC bulldog. Army knows their place.
Go Navy! Beat Army!
6
I understand the Army’s mule & the Air Force’s falcon, but why a goat for the Navy?
Goats provide milk, eat anything and were easier to keep aboard on sailing ships than cows. They are also very ornery. A much better mascot than a sterile pack animal.
Mike
USNA ‘77
6
@Jean Clarkin Why a goat? Because a sheep would be too obvious!
5
And all paid for 100% by our tax dollars too!
5
Your tax dollars at work.
5
Someone sneaking onto a military base without authorization should be shot by the sentry. Perhaps that would put a stop to these "shenanigans".
1
Another cadet Army hijinks is assembling an Army jeep in a place it could not be possibly be driven into.
3
This is why I would have never been a good soldier. Being encouraged to follow the rules on one hand, but then rewarded for not following the rules on the other. Is this the same institution that has a rape culture problem? Wonder why? Even if sexual assault is against the rules, but it builds morale, does it make it OK?
7
As a former naval officer and USNA instructor (1967-69), I find this behavior reprehensible and meaningless in terms of inculcating leadership qualities or building morale in a real world context.
12
Obviously the service academies don't care about the animals involved. Putting the falcon in a cage is abject cruelty. The cadets involved should have spent a few days in separate cells in the county jail to see what it was like for the bird.
8
Seriously? We're supposed to think this is all fun and games and boys-will-be-boys? Mistreating animals, including injury to a federally-protected arctic bird of prey? Over a football game? This is wrong, appalling, revolting, and there is no excuse for it. Period.
17
The abuse of animals should not be tolerated. I would expect the perpetrators to be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
11
Yeah, I think ever since our numbers passed the 1 billion mark, we should have come to realize that we are just way over bread. Let's can the amusement with animals. They've got enough to deal with already.
5
I understand the impetus behind the tradition and why it has been continued. However, it is appalling that these men are not at all concerned with the fact that they are stealing living things. Falcons especially (as proven in this year's raid) are small, delicate creatures in comparison to a fully grown man who is more concerned with getting them stuffed into a cage than keeping them safe. The tradition would make sense with statues of the mascots, important paintings, or other inanimate symbols, but doing it with living beings is cruel and not what should be taught in these schools. This is about basic humanity: clearly if the falcon was so distraught it seriously injured itself, this can no longer be construed as a harmless prank.
8
I like a good caper as much as the next Netflix-watching sports fan! But the near fatal results for Aurora the Falcon should be enough for the authorities at all of the service academies to put an end to any notion that mascot-stealing will be tolerated. Be clear in advance about consequences -- suspension for a year, for example -- and then follow through. It just isn't good fun when there are innocent animals involved -- I cannot get the image of the frightened falcon nearly crippling herself in panic out of my mind.
5
First rule of Navy code of ethics: "Place loyalty to the Constitution, the laws, and ethical principles above private gain."
Air Force core values: "Integrity first, service before self, excellence in all we do."
Army values: "Loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, personal courage, integrity."
1
Closest I got the the military was the Civil Air Patrol. Thus I am limited on speaking to military custom. This is a tradition that, yes may at some point take a tragic turn to man or animal but is in line with what we ask these men and women to do. The difference is at least in this circumstance its for fun.
Let there be no doubt that when its real there is only one mascot, a Bald Eagle and all these fine men and woman would lay down their lives for their fellow service members. It is a lesson we have forgotten. They come together as all Americans should.
P.S. what about the Coast Guard?
1
Good Afternoon: Many years ago, stories appeared about the ghost of a 19th Century cadet haunting some of the buildings at West Point. A few wily Navy midshipmen decided to prank Army by claiming that they had used AV equipment to create and project an image on the Army campus. True or not, West Point responded by offering proof that Navy could not have pulled off such a stunt.
Now think about that for a moment. Our future generals went into conniptions trying to prove the existence of a *ghost.*
Think about that.
1
Reading this, I couldn't help being reminded of what is probably a near-universal parental admonition: "It's all fun and games until somebody loses an eye!" Or a falcon, or a goat, or a mule, I guess.
7
Yeah, I think ever since our numbers passed the 1 billion mark, we should have come to realize that we are just way over to many of us. YIKES.
Let's can the amusement with animals. They've got enough to deal with.
I understand perfectly the rivalry, and the sense of pride and accomplishment that derive from swiping your rival's mascot. MIT students once managed to liberate a 3-ton cannon from CalTech, transport it 3,000 miles, and install it on their Cambridge campus - a classic of the genre. (To their credit, CalTech later managed to swipe it right back.) Stanford and Cal have "The Axe", a game trophy famously subject to similar exploits.
The problem here is that the Academy mascots are not inanimate objects, but living animals. They are also kept under guard, so that physical assault has taken the place of subterfuge and stealth. A tragic outcome is pretty much inevitable if these pranks are allowed to continue.
What's needed is a command from on high, in both services, stating categorically that these animals are strictly off-limits, and that attempts to seize them will garner not glory, but severe penalties. Surely there are cannons and other hardware a-plenty that would make for better, more challenging targets - unless, perhaps, the cadets and middies are just not up to the standards of MIT and CalTech?
5
Whatever the intent, the risk and actual harm to the animals, and the terrorizing of animals, is cruelty. Either the cruelty is willful, or it arises from ignorance. Ignorance can be dispelled, if the academies are even a fraction as good as their boosters say they are. The commanding officers need to recenter their value systems. 'Boys will be boys' is no excuse for having a panic-stricken falcon beat its wings bloody. The officers turning a blind eye here are the real culprits in my view, and should be exposed and demoted.
42
@Malcolm - According to the annual rankings of top public colleges by Forbes, Princeton Review, and US News and World Report, West Point and Annapolis ARE every bit as good as "boosters" say they are - and West Point is often ranked #1 in the nation in several categories!
2
Cruel and moronic.
Kinda like America itself.
11
Just stop the pranks and animal-mascot-napping and get on with the games. These are for the athletes trained, conditioned, and skilled to carry out the mission - on all sides.
I have had the opportunity to teach at USMA and USAFA, but regrettably not at USNA. All of these young students are dedicated, energetic, and spirited and only a few are misguided and out of focus on this "capture the flag" approach to mascots.
Let us hope the foolishness stops and THE Game can go on unimpeded by juvenile behaviors.
BTW Go ARMY, beat NAVY!!!
2
Does the fact that it is "an enduring military tradition" mean it isn't stupid, cruel, petty and childish?
21
There is a story in my family involving mascot-stealing. My father (who would have been 101 years old this year) was in the Cavalry when they still rode horses. He played on the Army polo team. He transferred to the Army Air Corps before WWII. Apparently, someone at the USAF Academy (when it was built and started operation in the 50's) knew him or knew of him. Cadets were looking for a pilot to help kidnap the Army mule and fly it to Colorado Springs. So... They were looking for a pilot who could fly a cargo plane and had experience handling equines. He helped...
I have no idea if this story is true or not (like most people's family stories it may be quite embellished), but it is one that his siblings shared often.
Today, given that very few cadets are likely to have any training in handling any kind of animal beyond a domestic cat or dog, I can't support these antics.
5
How am I supposed to respect people who have such callous disregard for living creatures. Perhaps it's time to retire the idea of having living mascots.
16
Stupid beyond belief.
15
No mention of the Johnnies kidnapping Bill the Goat before the big St John's - Navy croquet game in 1988? I was living in the house where the goat ended up residing for several days. He was gently spirited away in the night, and kept comfortable in our garage. We blanketed it with hay and made sure he had everything he needed. The day of the game he was dressed in a St John's T shirt and tied to the Liberty tree.
The middies used to march past our school chanting about "majoring in macrame". Seeing their kidnapped goat tied to our tree was a great take-down.
7
Enjoy your past athletic glories in lawn croquet. The Johnnies won all four years I was in school. However, I sincerely doubt the Midshipmen paraded passed your school using “macrame” in a march song. Then they would have had to admit they knew what macrame was. It does not exactly roll off the tongue with an M-1 on your shoulder. Happy motoring!
Mike
USNA ‘77
2
That's my Navy!
1
What not have human mascots and steal them? there are enough of us to go around. This reveals a disconnect: wildness needs to be celebrated in the WILD, not in a lockeroom. Reminds me of the Boy Scouts tipping over ancient sandstone formations....where is the respect?
9
I am sorry. This story should have come with a warning.
The last sentence in this passage is gruesome. “The Army cadets who stole Aurora seem not to have known that the regal falcon is almost never caged. Even on commercial airline flights, she travels perched on a handler’s glove in the coach cabin. When the kidnappers stuffed her into a dog crate, Aurora panicked, and beat her wings frantically until they were bloody.”
12
Hilarious.
1
@Vw, yeah, stuffing a falcon into a dog crate and causing her to spend hours terrorized -- beating her wings against the crate until they're bloody -- yeah, that is SO GOSH DARNED HILARIOUS. You're right!
8
Typical that people treat animals as inanimate objects to be used for their own amusement. Keeping live animal "mascots" is barbaric, archaic, and completely unnecessary.
13
There’s a big difference between the presumably hilarious antics involved in stealing a few mules, and the misguided abduction of an animal which is arguably more intelligent than any of its captors.
“These aren’t barnyard animals. We’re dealing with protected birds of prey.”
4
What will be the live mascot of the Space Force Academy?
2
Finding a way to make an inanimate object into a mascot equal to the importance of the living animal would make sense. While the approach to steal the mascot could still occur, if you put a trophy made of wood into a box, that trophy would emerge undamaged.
3
Yes, please, let’s harrass these animals for our pleasure, never mind their care, their complete innocence, the fact they never asked to be pawns in meaningless yet cruel pranks. Because that’s the character of privileged children and corporate money? Shame on every person who participates or thinks this is no big deal. It’s a metaphor for other himan disregard for animals and their lives.
8
Though a successful abduction secures hearty stadium cheers and bragging rights (apparently worth a lifetime), is there a correlation between mascot-napping and actually winning the game?
4
@Preppie
Or winning a war?
3
Perhaps, rather than the cowardly "don't do that, it's not nice", senior leadership should encourage leadership and small unit tactics. The heist of the gyrefalcon would have gone a lot better had the raiders had some reasonable training.
4
Reasonable **tactical** training? I assume that's what was meant, since compassion, empathy and common sense are difficult to teach, and to the best of my understanding, the armed forces don't train cadets in veterinary science.
Perhaps they could at least teach them to do better research on their objectives, but I would prefer they teach them not to play asinine and unnecessary pranks that involve stress and possible harm to living creatures.
6
I am really glad Aurora survived the attack. I would have expected to see those cadets face the consequences. Maybe tie the cadets down, with eyes taped open and unleash the graceful predator.
Animals are not like humans. She probably would have refrained from the pecking they deserve.
24
I understand that academy cadets want to show their courage and loyalty. However, gyrfalcons are not only a protected species, who narrowly escaped being wiped out because of DDT ; as an arctic animal, they will be increasingly endangered because of climate change. It passes understanding that this kind of cruelty was not severely punished. Falconry is a skill that takes years, if not decades, to do well - because the birds are fierce but fragile. Stealing one and stuffing it in a box, and pretending to think that this was in any way OK, seems ... discouraging. Especially in a potential officer.
80
I had the honor of teaching math at USMA for a few years (2001-2004). The comments here about alleged cruelty to animals? Off the mark.
Crazy things do happen though! When I was there, somebody would donate an old wooden boat. West Point cadets would spend several days enveloping the boat with firewood, and the pyre torched on the Thursday night before the game.
My first year? Some middies snuck in late on Wed night and light the fire a day early.
My second year? USMA cadets posted guards with firearms to guard the pile. Not sure if ammo was issued to those guards!
20
@Alan J
There was cruelty to the falcon. If you're going to kidnap a mascot, shouldn't you do a bit of homework first?
19
@Alan J no reasonable person would condemn the Service Academies as a whole because of mascot-stealing. But I'm not sure how you can really argue that concerns about cruelty to animals are "off the mark" when the article references injuries (at least one rising to life-threatening status) to two of the mascots. Pranks at the expense of the rival academies can surely flourish without bringing the animals into it.
7
Comments about cruelty to animals are absolutely on the mark. These cadets did no research, knew nothing at all about falcons and clearly could have cared less about their trophy. However, since they are being trained to go and successfully kill humans I suppose a certain lack of empathy is considered a survival trait.
10
Every single one of us civilians owes a debt of gratitude to these fine young men and women who have chosen a career of service, whether in the Army, Navy or Air Force.
While they are indeed college students while at these three academies, their lives revolve around training to become officers in our Armed Services and they are committed to serving for years after graduation, risking their lives to make our lives better.
I'm happy they get to have a little fun along the way.
25
@Full Name
Fun? You consider physical and emotional torture fun?
Why are they making our lives better? I'm a baby boomer and I don't know of any war since WWII that made American lives better. (and perhaps the lives of anyone)
12
@m.pipik
You exist, and are not dead, so therefore your life IS better, because there are brave men and women willing to defend our country.
It's not about the merit or lack thereof of any specific wars.
The existence of our military makes your life better because they keep evil away from our shores.
2
@Full Name Nothing about this inspires a sense of gratitude in me.
10
This is why we have accidents in warships and planes. Stop letting students in these schools without proper test scores. If you can throw a football these schools will take you. Enough already.
3
@Mick
FYI the quarterbacks are not the ones involved in these pranks.
FYI the young men and women who are accepted into these academies undergo a rigorous selection process and many of them could have gone to ivy league schools, for example, based on their test scores.
FYI accidents happen to all human beings
19
Pure mularkey! Kids are taken out of high school
With below gpa and sat scores. They are not getting into Ivy League schools. Unless they play a sport. Give me a break.
3
Mick, the service academies have acceptance rates similar to the ivy schools. The men and women who gain entrance have very strong average test scores. They often are valedictorians or team captains or Eagle Scouts.
Sports-wise, the academies give young athletes the opportunities to compete at the Division 1 level, who otherwise may not be good enough to play for civilian schools.
11
WAY too much testosterone at work here.
The photograph from the 1924 Army-Navy game offers another lessen out of history. Instead of a prank that will undoubtedly end eventually in more serious injury or death, a meeting of mascots before and during the game seems more in keeping with honor, tradition and good-sportsmanship.
19
This behavior is not amusing. This how they treat sentient animals to get their jollies? Will that include humans too?
69
These mascots are not inanimate objects to be sported with. Any animal would be frightened to be seized by strangers and carried off to an unfamiliar place. By all means, snatch the Little Brown Jug or whatever other totem object. Leave these critters out of your juvenile pranks. And try to grow some empathy before you are marching somewhere with real guns.
93
I think we’re ready for robotic/drone mascots; they can flip, jump, and fly with remarkable agility and frightening realism. Better than a poor freaked out/drugged up animal who should be out in the wild. The students can then be as reckless and rough as they want to in their antics and rivalries.
23
@RF
Just curious. Where does one find a wild mule?
This kind of casual cruelty to animals is exactly what I would expect from people trained to kill for no reason and who have such high rate of rape in their ranks. “Core values of dignity and respect”... I guess that explains Abu Graib, Tail Hook, the experiments on the Tuskegee Airmen.
46
@E
"high rate of rape in their ranks" This is complete nonsense.
"trained to kill for no reason"? they are trained to defend our country: "kill for no reason" is again, nonsense.
4
@E "Kill for no reason" you say? We soldiers kill only when the People of the United States of America tell us to go forth and kill in their name for the good of the nation. Unlike most armies through history, the U.S. Army takes its orders from lawfully elected *civilian* officials. Perhaps you should complain to those civilian officials. And, inherent in going forth to kill is going forth to *be killed*. Until you can apply that bit about willingly accepting potential self-sacrifice unto death to yourself, perhaps you should keep your self-righteousness to yourself.
Go Army! Beat Navy!
Stephen W. Richey
West Point Class of 1984
Four-time veteran of Iraq
5
@E
Well that just went right off the rails. Soooo... tell me again how the Tuskegee Airmen were experimented on. I've actually known a couple of them and I'm pretty sure no one experimented on them and lived to tell the tale.
4
Childish pranks by spoiled children and handlers.
17
@Chuck
"spoiled children" ? The young men and women accepted to the Service Academies have many other choices in terms of pursuing university education. They are choosing to serve their country and protect all of us, including you and your family over there in PA.
Many of them come from poor families.
20
@Full Name all the other choices require money to be paid.
They are choosing to abuse animals which pretty much argues against their having good characters.
7
There's nothing wrong with fun pranks. You could even argue that it's a good learning experience. But at the expense of an animals wellbeing? I'd rather they not do it at all. But at the very least establish harsh punishment when the animal becomes harmed. That way, keeping the animal safe becomes prioritized. If they must do it, do it right.
39
There is nothing wrong with “fun pranks” unless you are using live animals.
6
The military academies think the abuse of animals is funny. War is bad for animals as well as humans; do not serve the state.
29
@DAVID E. SHELLENBERGER
Clearly, 12,000 cadets/midshipmen and 5,000 or so permanent party are all of one mind. No independent thought could possibly be allowed.
Please take your anti-military bigotry elsewhere.
2