There seems quite a confusion regarding army hockey. I will try to simplify:
Army DOES recruit. You must be a US citizen.  You CAN get an appointment based
on your athletic ability.  The problem is you also have to be able to read and
write. You need to be able to enter calculus as a first semester freshman.
Every student takes the same 26 courses (option is US History\European History
and Language) plus 5 core engineering courses. The major follows.  Essentially
every cadet takes about 160 semester hours.  It's like you get five years of
education and play four.  You also have to endure four years of "bull shit".
However this "sacrifice"is rewarded finacially. A graduate of West Point will
have $20,000+ upon graduation and a job, so to speak.  :-).  It is ALSO true
that every firm on Wall Street will be eventually calling.
 
Regarding hockey:
 
In my sons case, he was no chump. He was number 10 in scoring he North American
Junior Hockey League, the plus\minus league leader, a starter in the league
all star game and once the league player of the week. To the best of my
recolection he was "recruited" by Providence, Harvard, Dartmouth, Miami,
Western Michigan, Ferris State, Brown and Kent State. As an aside, he was
recruited for football by Brown, amoung the above schools, even though he did
not play football after his Junior year in high school.
 
To help you all understand his decision, and why anybody would go to West Point,
is clarified by what his Junior coach told him when Bill asked "what he should
do".  The response was, what do you want to be doing ten years from now? At that
point the answear was obvious. And this "advice" came from a CCHA all-
conferance defenseman who did not graduate, missed the Detroit Red Wings by a
busted Knee and can not coach college since he has no degree.  He is also a guy
who makes Bobby Knight look like a wimp.  He is currently coaching in
Worcester-AHL. To be honest, I am forever thankful for the advice he
gave my son for I truely believe there is no better palce to go to college
than West Point. I never in my life thought I would say that after the years I
spent in the service, 1966-70. Actually my plan was to do what ever I needed to
do to have my sons avoid the military. Funny things happen when you get old.
 
I will be glad to address any specific questions anyone has about West Point.
 
As a P. S.: some of you RPI FANS know one Army hockey player who has made a
carrer againsy RPI.:-).
 
        Tom Morrison.
 
HOCKEY-L is for discussion of college ice hockey;  send information to
[log in to unmask], The College Hockey Information List.