I became a very serious cadet in August 1972 after a lapse of good judgment just before the end of my first year at St. John’s. The experience gave me a second chance and taught me a valuable lesson that would affect my life forward. The experience allowed me to take the initiative, work hard, and earn back my self-respect.
This story began during my first year at St. John’s, and all was going well. I had advanced quickly and was a Staff Sergeant serving as the B Company First Sergeant. It was not until about 27 days before Commencement that I got myself entangled in a very stupid stunt, which was both personally quite costly and also priceless.
The barracks rumor was that some cadets had appropriated some beer a short distance from campus and that there were also girls there. That sounded like a great chance to have fun and to be a part of, and though I knew it was a dumb move, I went out there, and sure enough, there were cases of beer stacked around a fire, and there were some girls, as well! I had a beer, avoided eye contact with the girls, and after a while, I returned to the barracks. What I didn’t know was that the beer had been taken from a distributorship by cadets who had broken into the building.
The following morning, I was in Lt. Col. Kellogg’s office, and my life changed dramatically. I was restricted to campus for the remaining weeks of the year, reduced from SSG to SGT, lost my position as B Company First Sergeant (a job I loved), given 20-hour tours, 20-hour Extra Police Duty (EPD), and 20 demerits. I was additionally sent to Don the Barber and received an “identifying haircut,” which is reserved for the worst miscreants. This haircut (remember, this is 1972) is just short of a shave. You can barely feel the stubble.
That was the costly part. The priceless part came with what happened in the next 27 days. The worst was not the stolen beer I drank while underage or the pathetic side glances at the older women. It had disappointed Lt. Col. Kellogg, the TACOs, and my family. I was pretty upset with myself. I didn’t know what to do, but I had to do something to address this horrible turn my life had taken.
My roommate, Mark Fowler (who received the same punishment), and I set about to make it right. The only thing we could think of was to work off the punishments as fast as we could. So, we got up an hour before First Call (the bugle that wakes you up) and went out to the front gate and walked tours with our rifles, going to present arms as each teacher and administrator arrived through the gate. We did this before First Call because our daily tasks were tightly packed at other times. On Saturday, when the other cadets got passes after morning drill, Mark and I were on the EPD detail, picking up trash on campus, including cigarette butts and anything else required. Then on Sunday, when we were done with any other EPD, we were back on the gate. We walked the tours, EPD, and demerits off and in doing so, got some of our life and a lot of our self-respect back. The haircuts and restrictions remained, but by the end of those twenty-seven days, I had my stripe back plus one. When I returned to St. John’s after the summer break, two and a half months later, I was promptly promoted to 2LT and served as Platoon Leader of 1st Platoon, A Company. But, after a very short stint, I decided to return to my preferred first year–B Company–where I would serve as Executive Officer and later Company Commander.
Just one example of many where I learned incredibly valuable lessons while a cadet at St. John’s. My departure from what I knew was the right course brought great pain and discomfort. Shame and disappointment. The ramifications of my decisions were quick and terrible, and long-lasting – my hair wouldn’t comb well till I went back to SJMS. I also learned that with hard work, tenacity, and not quitting, you can overcome a lot of obstacles. Finally, I learned that there is redemption. I think our efforts were appreciated and that perhaps we may have even climbed a rung or two in that respect ladder.
I thank God for those lessons learned and my time at St. John’s.
—Cadet Lt. Col. Roy A. Knight III, Class of 1974