Posted on 11/11/2005 6:18:29 AM PST by Calpernia
Fifty-one seconds.
It separated a free education from a tuition bill of $189,000.
It was the difference between a framed West Point diploma and a "certificate of attendance."
It meant returning to Oakland and becoming a telecom salesman - instead of being sent to Iraq as a proud soldier.
For Brad Waudby, 51 seconds changed his life.
Waudby, a 6-foot-5-inch, 340-pound football player recruited for his skills on the offensive line, failed the running test on his West Point physical. He was supposed to run two miles in 16 minutes 36 seconds. It took him 17:27.
West Point had exempted Waudby from the test during his playing days, he said, but required him to take it when his football career ended.
Then, when he failed on his third and final try, the academy asked Waudby to pay all four years of his tuition and told him the military did not want his services, he said. Cadets, by law, get a no-cost education in return for five years of service.
He received no degree.
He has filed a federal lawsuit seeking his diploma and the free schooling he had expected.
He says he wants to serve his country.
"I was excited to do it," the former offensive tackle and guard said. "Especially after 9/11. My whole mind-set changed where I was determined to go."
West Point officials declined to comment on Waudby's case, but they acknowledged that the biannual physical fitness test has been modified for others in the past.
"It's inappropriate for me to discuss individual cadet records or other personnel matters," said Lt. Col. Kent Cassella, an academy spokesman. "The same holds true for matters under litigation."
Waudby has no regrets.
"I'm glad I went there," the 24-year-old said recently in his attorneys' office. "It gave me discipline. A sense of duty, honor."
Still, he longs for things he's been denied:
To receive his bachelor of science degree in systems engineering and law. To fight alongside his classmates in Iraq. To make his way through the ranks of the military. To go to law school. To take advantage of the lifelong network afforded to all "ring knockers" - a slang term for military academy graduates.
Destined for football
Waudby, who met his academic and moral requirements to graduate, had been exempt from running in previous years, his lawyers said, because the academy wanted him to retain his size while he played football. When he was admitted to the United States Military Academy Preparatory School at Fort Monmouth out of high school, Waudby said, he already exceeded the Army's height and weight requirements by 129 pounds.
He has always been big.
As a third-grader, just two years after beginning youth football, Waudby was shut out of the league because of his weight. He still played sandlot games and watched his friends play. But it wasn't until freshman year of high school that he was able to play his favorite sport in an organized league.
"My father played in high school," Waudby said. "He's been breeding me to play since I was born. My first Christmas present was a football.
"I guess I was built for it," he said.
While at the academy, Waudby played varsity his junior and senior years. An Army football Web site described him as "an impressive physical specimen ... a powerful performer who moves well for a big man." His time playing there was dismal. The Black Knights won only five games in the four years he was at the academy and only once while he was on the varsity.
Several top schools recruited Waudby, including Boston College, Syracuse, Rutgers and Northeastern universities, he said.
But his first recruitment letter was from West Point.
His dad's jaw dropped.
Brad Waudby Sr., the owner of Oakland Memorial Funeral Home, opened his son's eyes to what a life-enhancing opportunity the military academy could be.
"It was the structure and the discipline," said Waudby Sr., an Air Force veteran whose own father had served in the Army. "Not every kid gets the opportunity. I just thought it was a good thing and the right thing for him to do. And I still feel that today."
After some raucous visits to a few schools that were trying to recruit him, his dad leveled with Waudby.
"He said, 'Brad, be honest with yourself. You're not going to play football for the rest of your life. ... You might as well get an education first,'Ÿ" Waudby recalled.
Not just an education
But at West Point, the classroom is equal to the battlefield.
"You're not just here to get a college degree," academy spokesman Cassella said.
Cadets sign an "Oath of Allegiance" promising to complete their education and serve for eight years following graduation - five years on active duty and three in the reserves.
If they fail "voluntarily" or because of misconduct, cadets must reimburse the United States the cost of their education. Cadets who are discharged, however, are given the option to go on active duty or pay tuition, Cassella said.
Waudby's lawyers said he was not given that option because he was honorably discharged from the military and the academy at the same time.
Successful completion of the fitness test - which includes sit-ups, push-ups and a two-mile run - is an Army standard.
"The Army is a very physical profession," Cassella said. "Officers must be physically fit in order to perform their duties. And to set the standards for their soldiers."
There are instances where a cadet may be exempt from some or all of the test, he said. For example, a soldier recovering from a leg injury might walk for a certain distance within a certain time. Cassella would not discuss if or why Waudby was given an exemption.
"Relatively few" cadets who can't pass the test are allowed to remain at West Point and try again, he said. "We invest in these cadets' success," Cassella said. "We know the quality of cadets who come in here. We work hard to commission them as leaders in our Army."
West Point is deemed a "more selective" school by U.S. News and World Report's annual rankings. There are eight to 10 applicants each year for every one of the 1,200 open spots, Cassella said. And of the select group admitted, 20 percent never make it to graduation.
Waudby said he passed the push-up and sit-up tests at each attempt but failed the two-mile run.
He contends that over the four years he played on the Army football team, he was allowed to substitute cycling for running because of his size. Once his senior season concluded, West Point insisted that he pass the running requirement, his lawyers said.
The academy maintains that Waudby knew from the beginning that he'd have to pass the running portion of the test when his football career ended and before graduation.
Waudby's lawyers said he was given two chances to pass during his senior year. When he didn't make it by the time his classmates were to be commissioned, in May 2004, he was invited to return that fall and try again.
Waudby trained with a major who helped him set a pace. His lawyers said he was told the pace man would be allowed to run with him during the test, but when he arrived, he was told he had to do it alone.
The rest of the cadets complete the run en masse, his lawyers said. They can keep up with the front of the pack or stay in the middle. But with Waudby being the lone man on the track, he was at a disadvantage, they say.
After several months of limbo, and with his military status pending, Waudby was notified in July that he was being discharged. A month earlier, the academy had issued him a certificate of attendance in lieu of a diploma.
"It's like something you get from the back of a box of Cheerios," said Michael L. Detzky, one of his attorneys.
His lawyers said they were told Waudby could transfer his academic credits to a college in New York State, pay $1,500 and be issued a diploma from that school.
"It just seems so absurd that he would give four years to the academy," said Frederick W. Klepp, Waudby's other attorney. "Be academically qualified to graduate from the academy. Play football for them for four years, which is what they wanted. They recruited him. And now get a degree from some other school, with which he had no affiliation."
Waudby, meanwhile is trying to make something of his life in spite of this setback. He recently started working as a sales representative for a telecommunications company.
"Everything I learned in college, I can't really apply [outside the military]," he said.
His father, still proud of all his son has accomplished, chalks it up as a learning experience.
"It's made him stronger," he said. "And it's made our family stronger ... learning how to deal with adversity."
E-mail: pries@northjersey.com
I don't have strong feelings about this. Going in to West Point he should have known and understood that it's not like other colleges, and there are some pretty serious consequences for not meeting standards.
Also, most reporters are notoriously bad at reporting on the military -- I suspect there's more to the story that we aren't reading about. The Army certainly does dumb or counter-productive things all the time, but I'm not sure they're wrong in this case.
>>>Going in to West Point he should have known and understood that it's not like other colleges, and there are some pretty serious consequences for not meeting standards.
West Point modified the standards. They don't have the right to back bill. They recruited him.
Waudby should never have been allowed to skirt the PT, as well as height/weight requirements, simply for the sake of football. West Point placed his value as a football player above his value as a future military officer. As heavy as he is, he could be quite a liability for his unit in a combat situation. Not to mention that, as an officer, he should not be allowed to fail standards with which his soldiers must comply.
That being said, West Point can't expect him to lose 129 pounds instantly. Obesity does not end as soon as football season ends, and that kind of weight takes a long time to lose, no matter how strict one diets. If they encouraged him to be so overweight (through allowing him to skirt the normal PT requirement), then it's a little shady to punish him for having the physical performance of a very obese person.
They should give him time to lose the weight. If he wants to serve badly enough, he'll lose it.
The military recruits lots of people, and everyone knows they can be kicked out (or worse) if they don't pass PT, with painful financial penalties.
Like you, I wish nothing but the best for this young man in the future. At best, maybe he'll still be able to serve in the Army, to avoid paying back his tuition. And perhaps he'll still get a chance to serve as an officer some day. I bet he could make this happen if he wanted to.
My point was, they allowed this for his football skills. West Point shouldn't back bill him for the scholarship.
Unless he's been given a reasonable amount of time to lose the weight and make the run time, but refuses to diet, et cetera, we are in agreement.
I'm going through the entire U.S. Military Academy West Point site search features. I don't see anything about scholarships being back billed or even terms. It seems from all I'm reading, that if a scholarship was awarded, terms for the award were met in prequalification.
I'm presuming that there's an item in the agreements that the cadets make with WP that allows the Academy to back-bill students who are removed and separated from the Army. I doubt that they'd put that sort of thing in their information for prospective cadets.
One of the brave and handsome Sgt. Phantom's old platoon lieutenants was quite overweight, and failed a PT test or two. He was put on what is lovingly referred to as the "fat boy program." He wasn't separated, though. For both officers and enlisted soldiers, it takes quite some time for the Army to chapter you out for your weight (at least in infantry...my husband says it's harder for infantry to "chapter" out soldiers for any reason).
The military blew it my letting the guy in in the first place. They saw huge football player and didn't see how this would end. They knowingly violated their own rules and now want him to pay up. Dumb move, but they are in it now and have to find a mutually beneficial way around this obvious problem.
I'm sorry. But the article did cover the requirements you mentioned. There was no confusion about that.
The debate here was on whether he should be made to reimburse the scholarship.
Waudby was only required to do the bike because the school didn't want him to lose size. He past his academics, sit ups and push ups as stated in the article.
No one here was debating whether he should have graduated or gone on to officer. The confusion was why he is being held to reimburse the scholarship since West Point did modify the standards for him.
West Point offered Waudby the same exceptions and held him to the same standards as every other football player. every other football player was able to meet the standard Waudby failed to meet. the standard did not change for him, Waudby knew he would have to complete the run in a specified time, and have to cut weight, he knew this for the four years he was at the academy. this is a matter of Waudby failing to meet a known standard and paying the known consequences. the academy is not holding only Waudby accountable for his tuition bill, were i to be separated for failing the APFT i would be held financially accountable as well. any cadet, regardless of what sport he/she does or does not play may be held liable for their education costs if they are separated. had the academy changed the deal on Waudby i don't think he should be held liable, however he accepted the weight exception knowing his liabilities, so if he failed to meet the conditions of the agreement, he should be held liable, just like any other agreement or contract people enter into.
We've been going to the home games at West Point for 7 or 8 years now. The first year that we went Army won every game.
However, their coach only used a running game and all their competitors had to do was look at the tapes of last year. They immediately started losing consistantly. There is an awful lot of pressure on the athletic department to come up with a winning team.
Since we started going they are on their 3rd coach and still struggling (they won the last 2).
What they did to this guy is definitely wrong.
Also, don't go into infantry problems when there is a whole other side of the army called SUPPLY where they rarely have to run at all.
Finally, some people are built differently and cannot run that fast - no matter what. I happen to be one of those - I can skate fast but I can't run for beans.
Arch
I appreciate your anecdotal evidence. I, in no way, am saying he should be accepted in the MIL overweight and unable to fully pass his physical. I am just having a hard time swallowing that, if what the charge is to be true, that they would go light on his physical training until it was too late for Waudby to be able to pass his test. Now he has to pay back his scholarship. It wasn't a loan, it was a scholarship he earned.
Schools do have a reputation for bending the rules for athletes. Makes one wonder if that is what they did for him.
>>>There is an awful lot of pressure on the athletic department to come up with a winning team.
This is exactly what was in my head.
My thoughts exactly. Any young man fit enough for football should be fit enough for the military. He deserves a better chance and his diploma.
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