Cold Metal Bust

Some body stands in the stairwell.
Another strides the expensive ground. It's late.
A bust of a great man propped up where
none stroll or get lost looks on... blankly, cold.

'A pilot, you think?'
'What else.'
Visitors ooh and aah over
the war stories and
fantastic thoughts regain conciousness.
Regret's on all fours.
But I wonder what he would say
if one stopped and
committed more than a self-
righteous blank cold stare?
'Don't worship my half-lived life.'

Academy corruption surfaces

Cheating, drugs, porn, theft, and sex - The Air Force Academy's honor crisis. The Superintendent of USAFA announced last week that the moral compass of cadets here has gone astray. The school is investigating dozens of honor cases involving freshmen cadets cheating on military knowledge tests. A small minority of cadets have been accused of drug abuse. Last fall the communications squadron discovered why the the internet was moving so slow - cadets have been illegally streaming porn and other questionable material on their personal computers. Pirating music is at an all time high. And apparently we have another sexual assault to top it off.

I know very well the strongest argument most noble cadets offer in response to the news: the culprits represent only 1% of all cadets! Not bad. The numbers (at least those published) do in fact yield less than 1%. One must realize, though, that immoral cadets are not just the ones who get caught - and I am highly confident the Academy has not caught everyone.

Truthfully, the numbers don't mean much to me. It's hard, if not impossible, to quantify morality. The primary consequence of this Academy's corruption breaking the surface of acknowledgement is this: each cadet can't help but spend some time instrospecting. And from my own introspection I've no problem admitting that I am not the perfect, most honorable cadet. Then, when I examine the moral landscape of the Academy I consistently reach the conclusion that most cadets are not perfect and even in some cases the epitome of human depravity. So now what? Is this place hopeless? Maybe.

Cadets aren't pillars of moral perfection - I'm not shocked by that realization, we live in a fallen world. But I should ask what is the Academy doing to encourage and inspire cadets to put forth sincere effort into becoming "officers of character" and following the honor code: We will not lie, steal or cheat?" First, I wonder where the Academy adopted these virtuous rules from? I'd venture to say the Bible. Just take a look at the 8th and 9th commandments. If not, I'm only creative enough to suggest they're engraved on the Academy for some economic or differentiating gimic. If so, our country (and the world really) is worse off than I thought. Now, assuming the honor code is founded on biblical righteousness and following God's commandments, what's the best way to motivate a cadet to follow what the world says is worthless, too lofty, or unprofitable? I say profess truth. Invite God into the classroom, invite Him into our conversations, encourage communal prayer, brotherly and sisterly love, reintroduce apologetics. What has the leadership at the Academy done? All that is secular.

How can the Academy hope to create officers of biblical character without citing the Bible and without using God's name? It's a sad venture. Leaders are restrained from government powers, by those lobbying for tolerance and moral relativism. Why should the government be able to pressure the Academy like this? Money. Every cent comes from tax money and tax money spent has stipulations.

Why should the Academy expect to create officers who honor moral absolutes set by the Creator of the Universe when they can't teach His decrees?

I live in a paradox where leaders challenge cadets to be "good" and to disdain "bad" choices, but when asked "what is good and bad?" I hear the silence which best describes the United States Air Force Academy's moral climate.