Back to the Future: One Person’s 36-Year Perspective.
In 1978, the Class of ’82—the third class with women—reported to West Point. As I reflect on the past 36 years of my time as a cadet and Army officer, it seems we have gone “back to the future” as we now address how to implement the decision to open all combat arms to women. When people ask me about the Army, my response is that the Army is all about people…if you like working with people, you’ll love the Army. Specifically, the Academy embraces this people-centric focus as the premier leader development institution in the world. Leader development primarily occurs through education, and West Point has the additional responsibility as an institution of higher learning to ensure a healthy learning environment wherein the free exchange of ideas is thoughtfully encouraged so that people learn and develop, both professionally and personally. It is this added responsibility and identity as an institution of higher learning that provides West Point with an opportunity to lead change in our Army, and in this case, to lead the effort to successfully integrate women in the combat arms.
One of the key ways for people to learn is via communication. What was missing in 1978 was open, honest communication regarding gender relations. Back then, it was new ground. In my case, I did challenge some upper-class cadets about their insensitive, sometimes even demeaning comments, and to my surprise saw that they realized they truly had no idea what they were saying, once confronted about their comments. Overall, however, the institution struggled to set the conditions such that honest, candid communication could occur. Now, as the Army continues to take steps towards setting the conditions that encourage people to treat others with dignity and respect, I am afraid that we are again inadvertently discouraging open, honest discussion, and this kind of discussion very much needs to take place. However, this dialogue is not happening because people…men and women… are afraid of being “SHARPed.” Why? Because people, in this case, many men, are afraid to talk, thinking that if they inadvertently say something “wrong,” they will be severely punished. Moreover, when there is no middle ground for discussion, women do not want to say anything, either, due to fear of reprisals as a result of speaking up about gender issues, sexual harassment, or assault. In other words, people are confusing sexual assault and other crimes that must be reported with sexual harassment and gender issues that in many cases can be addressed at the lowest levels. And this is where the learning occurs—when people have a real conversation that is essential for developing empathy and growth.
What has complicated matters in recent years is the emergence of social media in the midst of a sexually-charged pop culture. Back in 1978, people could hold a conversation without it being shared with who knows how many people. It is hard to learn with thousands of social media on-lookers who may not even know the context of a conversation. People need to learn from their mistakes…it’s not the mistake per se; it is what results from it that counts. We bring in members of the Corps from all walks of life, from all over the country, and from all over the world. Not everyone will come in with the same set of values…this is why USMA is a leader development institution designed to inculcate values. To do so, we have to set conditions that encourage frank, open discussion. Here’s what I propose:
1. Emphasize the importance of holding conversations. If one cadet perceives remarks to be unkind or disrespectful, talk about it; have a conversation, preferably only between those involved. If the conversation is tough to hold, bring it to the attention of the next line supervisor. Do not lose this learning opportunity.
2. For the State of the Academy talks to cadets, staff, and faculty by the Supt, Dean, Comm, and Dir ODIA, it must be clear that any problematic virtual behavior on e-mail, Facebook, and other social media is NOT acceptable. Virtual behavior is real-world behavior and can actually be worse because the victim does not know who else is participating. These points must be made during each summer training cycle and each academic year. We have a high turn-over of both cadets and faculty, so it is important to repeatedly make this point clear.
3. As an institution, we need to especially engage with the CPTs and MAJs, many of whom have not worked with women. This fact became clear to me when one of our faculty members during his post-award remarks said that it wasn’t until he came on faculty that he realized that one doesn’t need a “y chromosome” to be a leader. Since the CPTs and MAJs are the closest the cadets have in terms of contact and role models, we need to ensure that these role models “get it.”
4. Fraternization is the first step towards creating an unhealthy environment. The inclusion of NCO ranks within the Corps has made the senior-subordinate relationship less clear than the previous rank structure, wherein all upper-class were either “sir” or “ma’am.” Consequently, we need to be even more vigilant about the abuse of using first names…this point should be incorporated in leader talks.
5. Admissions should include a social media policy to those candidates who receive acceptance notices. No upper-class cadet should be in contact with any incoming new cadet. If this contact happens, incoming new cadets need to have a specified procedure to follow to address this problem.
6. The recent decision to open all combat arms to women has brought us to a time similar to the 1970s, when women were first admitted to West Point, and I believe it is time for the institution to capitalize on the experiences of those of us currently serving or recently retired who underwent these trials in the ‘70s here and later in the Army. As a member of that group, I have always shied away from telling stories of sexual harassment because no one likes to admit to being the target of demeaning hazing. Doing so makes one vulnerable, and I have never wanted to come across as a “woe is me” kind of person. However, if framed properly, this kind of dialogue could help our cadets—and faculty—by enabling them to interact with leaders who were the target of sexual harassment who had to deal with it…sometimes well, and sometimes not so well. Hopefully, the audience would see my colleagues and me not as damaged goods but as strong leaders who had to deal with this unhealthy aspect of our profession. Moreover, this group should include men who can provide their perspective and what they have learned over the years so that together, we can provide positive ways to deal with gender-related problems in our profession by sharing our mistakes as well as our triumphs. With this generation of men and women who must successfully integrate our forces, this discussion—perhaps as a MX 400 panel—may help equip all with the right mindset and tools to effectively lead a fully integrated force.
7. Army units tasked to train our cadets should first be oriented to our environment of respect. NCOs who are the primary trainers/lane walkers must undergo this orientation before they train our cadets. Many NCOs may not have had any contact with cadets and are not sure how to view or treat them.
8. I do think we as an institution send mixed messages. For example, on the one hand we stress respectful and professional behavior in all places and venues, and yet one need only view the terrific film, Game of Honor to note that in the locker room scenes, profanity is widely used and accepted.
9. I think it would benefit the Superintendent to conduct several sensing sessions, personally and by trusted leaders. These sessions could be with a variety of groups: plebe women, male upperclassmen, mixed, etc.
10. While we have been on a trajectory to increase the percentage of women here at West Point, we need to redouble our efforts because meeting that goal is not only about what the Army needs. Having a higher percentage of women in the Corps is also very important in order to establish the right learning environment at West Point, which is very hard to do when there are so few female cadets. The Army needs leaders who know how to behave professionally in a diverse environment, and having more female cadets will help to establish a learning environment that develops leaders of character who are able to capitalize on the diversity within their units.
11. Finally, while I have not made suggestions regarding sexual assault per se, I have just received a notice from William Mary, where our daughter is a sophomore that informed the W&M community about a recent rape. This notice made me wonder how we communicate such incidents to the West Point community, and it made me consider what steps we might take to be more inclusive in the way we handle rape, other forms of sexual assault, and all other types of gender-related problems.
In closing, these recommendations are not meant to be exhaustive, but rather just serve as a start point. At the very least, hopefully they provide the beginnings of meaningful conversations among people at all levels, ranks, and permutations thereof. West Point can seize this opportunity to lead the way in thoughtful, effective integration of women in the combat arms by capitalizing on its unique identity as both a military and academic institution.