Chapter Twenty-One - SMA: Race to the Finish

Work to Do

Instead of feeling sorry for myself I was determined to be the straightest, most disciplined cadet on God's green Earth. Confinement meant that during all leave times I had to sign in at the guard hut every 30 minutes. I guess they figured you couldn't get into any trouble in a half hour. I spent a lot of time studying for finals and reading, just to keep my mind busy. Every night after Taps I served the last part of my punishment. The three freshmen and I had to change into our fatigue pants and t-shirts and go down to the track. We spent the better part of an hour running the cross-country route and doing calisthenics. Truth to tell, I welcomed the activity. Running through the sultry Southern night was a meditation of sorts and kept me focused on getting through to graduation day. And the push ups, sit ups and all that put me in the best physical shape of my life. Who knew screwing up could be so good for your health?

Each one of the guys in my group were right there to keep my spirits up. I felt it was my duty to them and to my folks to pull through.

Pete came to me one day and told me that he was worried about his grades. He had been struggling with a couple of classes and was afraid he might not graduate with the rest of us. He needed my help. Over the next several days we worked together on our mutual classes and I got a chance to turn the tables on him. Back in my junior year he had been the taskmaster and now I got to kick his ass. That's what friends are for. We were both fretting about our separate issues and keeping the other propped up. It was great.

When finals were over the grades were posted on each teacher's door. Pete and I went together to see how we did. When we got to his problem classes he had passed by the skin of his teeth. I had also passed all my classes and it was now just a matter of days before we were out. He had been at SMA longer than I had and this was quite a cathartic moment for him. Made me happy to be a part of it. Sadly, his roommate and our erstwhile party buddy Rick Kessler had gone off the deep end just a short time before graduation. Rick was Pete's fellow platoon leader and was a "lifer", having spent six years at SMA. WIth just weeks to go he had started acting out, disrespecting teachers and skipping classes. In short order he was demoted and finally dismissed. We were all in shock and never really knew what had driven him to that behavior. I hope everything worked out for him.

One day I was walking along the galleries during leave time, just enjoying the sunny day and thinking my own thoughts, when I heard someone call my name.

"Newb, hey, come here, man."

It was Pete, hanging out in another cadet's room.

"What's going on, Pete?"

"Hey man, feel like catching a buzz?"

"Are you shitting me? Do you know how much trouble I could get into?"

Pete went out onto the gallery and shouted at the guard hut: "Hey, who's on duty in there?"

The guard came out and it was somebody Pete knew well.

"Make sure Newbegin is signed in for the next hour. OK?"

The guard signalled that he'd do that and went back in.

"That do it for you, Newbs?"

We spent the afternoon getting pretty damn stoned and it never felt better. I think about that day now and I thank the Buddha we didn't have to take drug tests back in the day.

Grad Weekend



The last three days of school saw a flurry of activity.


Just after Rifle Exercises



Me on the left, Sgt. Boots on the right



Grams adjusting my hat at the Baccalaureate



Mom and Dad came out with Leslie and Lori and our neighbor, Jenny. My old girlfriend Diane came out from New Jersey and Grams came, too. Everybody stayed at the Holiday Inn and one day we were hanging out at the pool when Diane told me she had some bad news for me. She said she heard from Scott Faugust, a friend of ours, that a mutual friend named Dave Wise had died.

"How did it happen?"

"It was a heart attack"' she said.

"He was 18 years old! How does a guy that young die of a heart attack?"

She had no answer, and I was really bummed about it. In my sophomore year at Madison High School another friend, Beth Morse, had died tragically by electrocution along with her boyfriend when a tree branch had knocked a power line down on them. I wasn't feeling so young and indestructible at that point.

Now all we had to do was a bunch of marching and listening to speeches and looking spiffy in our nice clean uniforms. I gave away all my gray shirts and most of my other stuff, keeping only my dress jacket and overcoat. Saying goodbye to my underclass buddies who left on Saturday was tough, but we knew we'd see each other again some time. Yearbooks were exchanged and signed. Too many guys had to write things about my last weeks there:

"Don't get lost on any Hills or in any Caves."

"Be cool and don't try your luck so much next time."

"What a nice guy to get busted with!" That's right, the last guy was Marc Caplan...

"Newb, to a sinful me sma was a drag but to a sinful you sma was only a joke. Keep cool. Tony Miao"

"Stay out of caves"

...and so on.

The graduation dance out at the Ingleside Inn was a real hoot. Pete danced with Jenny and I hung out with Diane like we were still dating. It was a blast! We went back to the barracks later and shared a pleasant kiss at my door. She looked at me and smiled, then walked back to her car and drove out of my life forever. I occasionally do an Internet search for her, just to be sure she's all right in the world, but nothing has turned up. C'est la vie.

The Big Day

Graduation day started at Trinity Church with the Baccalaureate. We sat through the Mass on a sweltering day but I hardly noticed the heat. Every minute was bringing me closer to my goal and everything seemed like a dream. Look at the expression on my face here as I am walking into the church.


That's Pete on the right, and both of us are feeling the same way. Triumphant. After all we'd both been through it was right in front of us. I know that every guy who shared that day with us had their own sense of accomplishment and pride in what they had done. So now the Mass is over and we're heading out of the church. Just as I pass the last pew another person falls in step next to me and my old neighbor Mr. Cunningham snaps this picture:

Yeah, none other than Captain Howdy himself. What the heck, is this Moby Dick or something? Get out of my life, you moron! I wonder what back alley he's sleeping in tonight? Bitter? Not as much as you'd think...

And finally the ceremony itself. Pomp and Circumstance, the march into the gym, speeches, awards, and a keynote address by the esteemed General Robert E. Lee. Not the ghost, but the great man's great grandson. I always wondered how tough it must have been to have a name like that and go into the army. I mean, Private Robert E. Lee?

All the blather done with, it was time to start calling names. There were 37 of us in my graduating class, so this wasn't going to take long. I stood up and moved out into the aisle and Bob Parrino, my previous company commander, put a hand on my shoulder. "Congratulations, Ed. Now stay out of trouble." "Yeah, thanks. You too."


"Edward Ashton Newbegin...."

Oh, me.

...and then it was done. I clutched at that holder like it was made of gold. I carefully opened it and inside....was nothing. The diplomas had not gotten printed in time and were going to be mailed to us. No big deal. What mattered was that we were out. The ceremony ended and we boiled out of the gym and into the warm June day. I got to the top of the steps and met Mom and Dad.

Mom (Kitty), Me (Eric), Dad (Red)*

I caught sight of Pete coming up the stairs and we exchanged a manly hug. We walked together back to South Barracks to change and put our stuff into the cars. As we walked along in a daze, Pete said:

"I'm never gonna forget this, man. I am so fucking happy to be out of here!"

"You know what I'm going to do, Pete? I'm going to name my first born son after you." **

"Sure."


So long and thanks for all the fried chicken!


Got into my too-cool civvies, put the stuff in the car and we hit the road. Dad thought it might be nice for me to drive. I thought so too, until we got out onto the open highway. We were so weighed down by all the people and luggage that the damn car was trying to fishtail. I pulled over and told Dad that he should drive before I killed us all. Good move.


*Gratuitous That 70's Show Reference

**And I did!

Next: It's a Wrap! ...for now.