It would not have been unusual for a kid to go to one college for a couple of years before getting the appointment to the Point. Doesnt happen much these days.
One of my classmates did his freshmen year with me at Norwich, and then left for the Coast Guard Academy. He had to go through his freshmen year all over again.
Going through two freshmen years at any military school—public or private—would really suck.
I think Patton did a year at VMI and then went to the Point-but I am not 100% sure.
Yeah, it used to be quite common for officers to have done a year at VMI, Norwich, The Citadel, etc. before going to West Point. I think this was the period when admission was by competitive examination? The curious thing is that the Colonel must have done way more than a year (more like 3) somewhere. He was too young by my calculations to have served in WW1 (unless he lied about his age), however he could have enlisted just after the War.
You’re correct about Patton, incidentally. I believe Patton’s grandfather, and possibly his father, graduated from VMI. That’s the connection.