Ernest Graves
grade with another half hour. The second half hour was the marginal effort to get a
complete grasp of things.
I was never very good at languages, but I stood very high in German. I discovered that
I really had to do all the assigned lesson before class. In West Point at that time, 90
percent of the questions or problems given in class were straight out of the book. There
might be one problem not from the study assignment. In German, for example, we were
given sentences to translate. We would have conversation, but then at the end to help
nail the grade down, the instructor would give us three or four sentences to translate.
All those sentences were in the book. They were sentences that would develop a
particular aspect of grammar. If we were studying verbs, they would feature verb forms,
et cetera.
A:
I did every one of those sentences the night before. When I had the time and could use
the book, I could do all the necessary research to get the declensions right or the
number right--get all the details. The book might have ten sentences; I would do all
ten. In class the instructor would give us five. I had done them all before and I could
do them correctly in class.
Q:
Sure.
A:
That produced perfect grades. At the beginning of the year, I found out in about a week
that if I waited until I got into class to try to do the sentences, I made all kinds of
mistakes. I am not saying everybody worked that way, but the people at the top worked
that way.
Q:
Real diligence was rewarded.
A:
I don't think it is any different from what you see in Olympic sports or any top-level
competition. These people work their guts out to be the best, to be at or near the top.
In the academic environment we had then, this was true, too.
Q:
I was looking at the list of cadets in that class, and I wanted to ask you about a couple
of people, in particular, who you may not ever have thought of for years. And one was
Brigadier General Leo Douglas Kinnard, who has recently been the chief of military
history.
A:
I didn't know Doug well as a cadet. Of course, I have known him since. An able,
colorful guy. Somewhat opinionated. Set his mind on goals and did the things he set his
mind on. I have enjoyed my friendship with him in recent years, but I don't have any
specific recollections to recount from our time together as cadets.
21
Previous Page
