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A VMI Man Makes a Cameo
By John
Ever since my VMI days, I've been a huge fan of Robert Kaplan. Back when I was a second classman, one of my professors had us read The Coming Anarchy. From then on out, I was hooked. I couldn't put Imperial Grunts down, and Balkan Ghosts is pretty much required reading for any military leadership deployed to Kosovo.
Right now I'm in the middle of Hog Pilots, Blue Water Grunts.... Kaplan's latest. So imagine my delight when, on page 146, I found a good friend and Brother Rat highlighted in a chapter that covered Kaplan's embeds on the USS Benfold and USS Houston.
Prior to departure, lunch was served in the officers' wardroom- a replica of the Benfold's, though so much smaller that the Formica-covered walls seemed almost to breathe. Instead of a picture of Eddie Benfold, there was, there was the Houston's insignia, featuring the American and Texan flags, along with the Latin words for "Always Vigilant." The officers sat jammed together, making light fun of a Virginia Military Institute graduate at the end of the table, Ensign David Bartles of Falling Waters, West Virginia, who, they told me, could never stop talking about how superior VMI was to the Naval Academy and every other institution of higher learning.
Try to picture the size of my sh*t-eating grin after reading that. My buddy Bartles (we never called him Dave), one of the most junior officers on the ship, sitting around the wardroom telling higher ranking officers that their schools sucked.... well, compared to VMI at least.
Bartles, by the way, was one of the sharpest guys in our class. He graduated number 2 in our class, and (I believe) top graduate in a Mechanical Engineering program that started with 60+ cadets our Rat year and was down to 10 by the time of graduation. He breezed through the rigorous Navy Nuke School in Charleston, as well as navy Dive School.
Those are the type of brains that it takes to get into the submarine service, or so I hear. Why do you think we let Bullnav post here???
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I thought it obvious,given the Bull's massive frontal lobe just bustin the cranium, that he would be a member of the "Higher thinkin cap club". Wish we could get he and other likes into our political construct,,,,,,just a dream.
OR....