________________________________________________________________________Richard S. Kem
Cadet Kem showed his parents and brothers the "sammy" (syrup)
pitcher on the dining table in Washington Hall during his plebe
Christmas at West Point in 1952. On the left were his brothers,
David, Jan, and Bill. On the right, his parents, Dr. Charles E. and
Janice Kem.
Q:
Released you from the bondage of the first year.
A:
Released me from bondage, that's right, and tried to assure me there was nothing personal
that they'd done all year.
Q:
Then, of course, later you're going to be on the other side?
A:
That's right.
Q:
Not like your squad leader the first year, I'm sure. That was an unusual--you think that was a
really unusual situation? You said there were others that had a real problem with the same
squad leader that you did.
A:
He remained an S.O.B. throughout his military career.
Q:
He's also even nameless, which is fine.
A:
He hounded me even years later.
Q:
Really? So, you keep running into people, negative and positive, in the rest of your career.
A:
Right. Fortunately, most all are positive.
17
Previous Page
