Today, approximately seven million viewers will tune into the iconic Army-Navy football game, a tradition in American sports since its inception in 1890. Remarkably, this event has been uninterrupted since 1898.
While seven million is a significant audience, it’s just a sliver of the American population that should witness it—not for the athletic prowess, which is commendable, but for the exemplary character displayed by the participants.
Familiarity with institutions like West Point, Annapolis, or the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs is dwindling. This is understandable given that only about 7.8 million Americans, roughly 6% of the population, have served in the military, a decrease from 18% back in 1980.
Paradoxically, the Military, Naval, and Air Force Academies are seeing a surge in popularity as educational institutions. Each year, they receive between 13,000 to 15,000 applications for just 1,300 openings at each academy, with many high school seniors applying to multiple academies.
Out of the 1.7 million high school graduates expected this year, around 250,000 will apply to the 300 most selective colleges, with only about 10% considering a military academy. Meanwhile, institutions like Brown University anticipate over 50,000 applications, Notre Dame around 28,000, and Berkeley more than 125,000.
Despite offering free tuition and housing—certainly appealing to some—the academies require a five-year military commitment post-graduation. This is viewed not as mere employment but as a duty and a privilege, connecting graduates to the storied lineage of West Point’s Long Gray Line or Annapolis alumni.
To anyone who has gone through Beast Barracks or Plebe Summer (as I did in the summer of 1969) — the two-month boot camp that precedes the first academic year at an Academy — it is absolutely evident that money has almost nothing to do with a young person’s decision to endure four years of Academy life or service after commissioning.
Unlike their college-bound friends, cadets and mids know their professional path will have one big difference: inherent danger.
Naval Academy midshipmen are reminded of those dangers nearly every day as they past Memorial Hall, which honors the many Academy graduates who have given their lives in service to the nation. West Point and Colorado Springs have similar tributes, and all are reminded by regular headlines about international military special operations where recent grads are at risk.
I was reminded of these risks — and the general public’s general unawareness of them — recently when I visited my other alma mater, Brown, for a Veterans Day celebration.
After speeches by dignitaries and a very impressive Brown sophomore Kloey Albertson, an Army staff sergeant, 12 ROTC cadets were sworn in.
About 250 people were in attendance, but that included most of the 75 undergraduates, and 38 graduate students who are veterans, and the 49 undergraduates who participate in ROTC programs. In short, it was clear to me that there were few, if any, non-military-affiliated students in attendance.
I didn’t sense any hostility towards this very light military presence on campus, but I certainly saw little connection between undergraduate civilians and the military contingent.
The gap — social, experiential, and probably political — between most Brown — and other Ivy — undergraduates and those who have served in the military is significant. And it is unfortunate and detrimental to the country. In all likelihood, Ivy League graduates will be among the next generation’s leaders in law, business, and government — but not the military.
On the flip side, many of tomorrow’s military leaders will come from the service academies. It would benefit both groups and the nation to have more interaction, and exposure to the other’s experiences and perspectives.
To that end, I would love to see regular Ivy-Academy football contests, and a semester-long exchange program between the Ivy League schools and the Academies. They would learn from each other, and more importantly, we as a nation would be better for it.
Cohen is an attorney at Pollock Cohen in New York, and member of the class of 1973 at the Naval Academy and the Brown University class of 1975.
