Lieutenant C. B. Palmer Recalls Life Of West Point Cadet From 1920 to '24

"Surely I remember travelling with the corps," replied Lieutenant Instructor Charles D. Palmer, in answer to a query of a CRIMSON reporter. "We used to get up at three o'clock in the morning, get breakfast in the mess hall, and start to the game in either motor buses or trains.

"Before we left we were given a P.M.E. lunch. Everyone who has attended West Point knows what they are. The initials stand for Practical Military Engineering because it is the standard lunch for engineers. It consists of two sandwiches, one piece of cake, and one piece of fruit. We were allowed to eat the lunch any time we desired, but we usually tried to save it until eleven or twelve o'clock because we ordinarily had nothing more to eat until after the game.

"When we did not march off the field we were told to assemble at the station at a certain time, and then were allowed to do as we pleased until that time. This meant that except as guests of friends we were unable to do anything elaborate for lack of money. At the Notre Dame game we were given ten dollars if we had that much coming from our pay, but that is the only time I remember that we were allowed to have any spending money. Instead of money we were given five dollars each month in the form of coupons or "boodler's tickets" that could be exchanged at the Academy store for candy, magazines, and papers, or we could get something to eat at the restaurant when we were off duty.

"While I was at the Academy from 1920 to '24, we went to only two games each season, those with Yale at New Haven and with Navy at Franklin Field at the University of Pennsylvania. In my last year as a special concession we were allowed to attend the Notre game; which was held in New York. During these trips was the only time that the plebes could act as human beings. From supper the night before the game until we returned, they were allowed to be "at case" and if the team won, the "at case" period was extended until Monday morning.

"Our life, of course, was much different from that of a college student. Taps were sounded at ten o'clock, and we were theoretically supposed to sleep until six o'clock, but often the cadets went down to the basement to study, because the lights were turned out in the rooms. We were allowed no cines but if caught cutting we, were required to "walk the area" for twenty-two hours. This was called a "month slug," and meant patrolling back and forth carrying a gun and unable to speak to anyone. A chapel cut counted as two class cuts.

"There is no doubt that it is the best military school in the world, but it is a broadening experience for an officer to teach in a large college, because it gives him a side of school life that they do not receive as a cadet."