Ernest Graves
A:
We had encouraged him to keep the option. To go to West Point, you have to start
thinking about it long before you have to think about going to a civilian college because
you have to get your appointment and you have to do all these things--the physicals
and all of that. So we did suggest to him that he get this option.
Ernie came home from Vietnam in the summer of '69, just before Ralph's senior year,
which is the time you take your children on the tour of colleges. He and Ernie drove to
look at New England colleges. We are New England-oriented. Ralph was to pick out
which ones he wanted to see, but Ernie did inject, "Well, let's just stop at West Point.
You should see it, and my good friend, Freddie Smith is up there, and we ought to just
talk to him."
So they did. But that was just keeping the option for him. When Ralph got all his
acceptances, he had many fine options. He's methodical. He thought about the pros and
cons of all of these schools--which, again, was colored by the upheaval on the
campuses at the time he was having to make this decision.
He went upstairs in his bedroom one night. I guess he was up there about three or four
hours. And he came down and said he was going to go to West Point. I was thrilled.
I felt it was good for him.
The full-man concept that the academies have was great for him. It really was. And I
think he has not regretted it.
Q:
Your husband must have been very proud to have him there?
A:
We are. And of the fact that he graduated number one. We knew he could do it and just
were afraid he'd fritter it away. But he didn't. He hung in there.
Q:
You weren't particularly interested, or you didn't particularly try to channel your kids
towards a military career--any of them?
A:
No.
Q:
I guess not one way or the other.
A:
No. We felt it was a very good option. Ernie has had a fine career. He has had many
opportunities, many interesting jobs. His father before him found that the Army was
interesting and at times very exciting. We thought it was fine.
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