[ObozoMustGo2012]

That isn’t even close to an offer of “scholarship”*.
Did Carson complete the required application? Get a Congressman/Senator’s approval?

If not, than no such thing as “turn down”....

*There is no such thing as “scholarships” to service academies...

[ctdonath2]

1. The colloquial term “scholarship” means some form of “you don’t have to pay full tuition”. We’re not talking a legal/economic audience here for the term, where exact terms with precise definitions are used.

2. If someone powerful/influential with suitable authority says “we’ll give you a full scholarship” to a school (or “service academy” if you’re pedantic), that’s being offered a scholarship; he just tells an underling “give this guy a full scholarship” and the underling does whatever bureaucratic steps are needed to give the guy a full scholarship. Carson “turning it down” just saved the hassle of filling out & processing paperwork and making a formal offer - just so he could fulfill the pedantic nuances of turning it down.

[cornfedcowboy]

*There is no such thing as “scholarships” to service academies..

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If Westmoreland tells a 17 or 18 year old that he can get him in to one of the service academies, then yes, it is similar to offering him a scholarship. This is believable. I am sure that many Generals make kids similar offers. In reality it isn’t a scholarship, but we reasonable people realize the distinction is very important.