Ears to Hear

Reflections on July 1976 and July 2026

I remember the wall. The height of it. The pressure builds as the line gets shorter. Taller as I get closer. Jump! Yes – a grip on the top edge. Kinda rough. Pull, swing legs. A long way down on the other side. Must be safe, or they wouldn’t make us do it. Whump. I made it. One test down, many more to come. Most of it is just a blur now.

I really enjoyed meeting you all as you walked up to Roland Hall on reporting day. There were many different expressions, but generally you seemed more confident and prepared than I remember being.

The Provost, Dr. Donahue, was there, too. I took the opportunity to ask her a question that came up when I met with Elliot and Spencer back in Illinois. “What was the turning point for CGA in terms of increased retention?” She said that it was a strategic move at all of the service academies about 10-15 years ago. They were guided by advances in the science of learning, which measured performance and skill development under conditions of stress and strain. They redesigned swab summer to maximize development and minimize attrition. “Good idea,” I said.

A larger trend is at work, also, it seems to me. In the 1940s, the average global death rate from armed conflict was more than 100 per 100,000 people. By 1958, the year I was born, it had dropped to 6.4. Although it bounced back up to 23.5 by 1971, it dropped to the rate of 1 in 100,000 people by the end of the century, and it has been at about that level since (Our World in Data). I think they were trying to toughen us up for the next war when I entered the academy in 1976. But now that death in war is a much less likely occurrence, the goal is to build up rather than toughen up, and I am glad of it.

Since reporting day, I’ve been following you on FB through the PDuddy photo dumps. I have to say that your training seems very well organized and that you seem to be doing well. The obstacle course has been redesigned with a greater emphasis on teamwork and agility. But still challenging. Great job, Dr. Donahue!

One of my favorite Bible verses begins this way: “All things work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose…” (Romans 8:38) I would submit that the Class of 2030 has been called according to His purpose, and I definitely see evidence that all things are, in fact, working together for your good.

Before long, it will be your turn to run swab summer as cadre, then to manage it as company officers, then to strategize the training program as senior officers. I believe you will do very well, with God’s help.

Go 2030!

Captain Weil