Page 4
THE BATTALION
College Station, T%xas Thursday, September 20, 1973
W.C/s
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FRIDAY septRl
n.12.
SATURDAY sept 22
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lo<* WAUTom
West Point Graduate Endures Silence
FT. PENNING, Ga. (&) — Lt.
James J. Pelosi, graduated from
West Point in June after endur
ing 19 months of a now-outlawed
punishment called silence, says he
is still shunned by some of his
comrades-in-arms.
“I thought I would leave the
nonsense that went on at West
Point back at West Point. But
other people apparently didn’t
feel that way,” said the second
lieutenant who is undergoing
basic officer training here with
150 U.S. Military Academy class
mates.
In a rambling, often guarded
interview during a break in train
ing this week, the boyish-looking
22-year-old said the silence treat
ment is being used only by West
Point graduates, and not by non
academy officers.
“The flak is not on a frequent
basis. There’s no concerted ef
fort on the part of everybody
here to enforce silence,” he said.
“A small number of West Point
classmates just totally ignore me.
“It’s something I have to live
with. It really doesn’t upset me.”
At another point in the inter
view, the slim, bespectacled, offi
cer said, “My car was vandalized
a little. The tires were slashed,
and there was glass under
them.” As soon as he made the
statement, he turned to another
subject.
Pelosi, a West Hempstead,
N.Y., native, made national head-
Twenty Named
As Assistants
Twenty TAMU freshmen have
been announced as the 1973-74
executive aides to the Student
Government.
These students will work about
two hours a week for SG doing
such things as errands, research,
phone calls or surveys.
According to Corresponding
Secretary Sandy Aboud, “It’s a
great learning experience and a
good time for freshmen to learn
about SG.”
Fish appointees are Susie
Brewer, Steve Burch, Larry Car
ter, Coni Claycamp, Gary Cooper,
Krishna Das, Ed Gillard and San
dy Guillory.
Also on the list of aids are
Richard King, Larry Kruse, Bar
bara Palmer, Troie Ann Pruett,
Mark Sherill, Duane Thompson,
Shannon Walker, Jerri Ward,
Bruce Wayne, Tom West and
Scot Winter.
lines this summer when he re
vealed that he had been a vic
tim of silence, a rarely used pun
ishment exacted by cadets who
believe a classmate has escaped
a just punishment on a legal
technicality.
In 1971, Pelosi was convicted
of cheating under the academy’s
honor code, but the charge was
dismissed by the West Point
superintendent on grounds that a
staff officer had prejudiced the
case. Unsatisfied, his classmates
voted to invoke the silence.
Pelosi became a nonentity to
his classmates. They did not talk
to him or associate with him. He
was forced to live and dine alone.
He could not take part in class
activities.
For 19 months, Pelosi lived
alone with his punishment, re
fusing even to tell his parents
the full story. When his ordeal
became public, Pelosi said he in
tended to remain in the military,
despite West Point tradition that
silence lasts forever. He was
hopeful it would disappear once
he began regular Army work.
Last week West Point’s cadet
honor committee, a target of crit
icism over the Pelosi incident,
abolished the tradition of silence.
At the time, one cadet was en
during the punishment. Pelosi
regards the action as vindication,
but he doesn’t think it will change
his life.
“I’d be foolish if I thought the
silence was over,” he said. “You
can’t legislate social conduct. You
can’t compel someone to associate
with someone else. You can’t tell
someone to talk when they don’t
want to.”
From the beginning, Pelosi has
had two lawyers. One of them,
Edwin Cooperman, said a lawsuit
will be considered if the silence
does not cease.
Pelosi was extremely hesitant
to be interviewed before agree
ing to meet at a motel off the
base. He said his reluctance
mainly stemmed from fear that
more publicity would further an
ger West Point graduates.
“The cadets who imposed the
silence were upset with me be
cause of the publicity. They
thought I was out for attention,”
he said in a steady, unemotional
tone that characterized the inter
view. “If I hurt the image of the
military in any way, that’s un
fortunate. But there was no other
way to right the wrong that was
there ... I wasn’t out to prove
myself a hero. I just wanted to
see the changes made.”
A Ft. Benning spokesman de
clared, “We’re not aware of it,”
and said there would be no fur
ther statement. At West Point,
an officer familiar with the Pelo
si case said the Army was pow
erless to halt the silence.
But it is obvious that Pelosi
is living his own store of pur
gatory.
Pelosi said he spends most of
his free time alone. “I like to
drive a lot — to places where I
can rent a boat. When I have a
free day I might pick up a good
book and read in the sunshine.”
His major concern, he said, are
rumors that instructors at Ft.
Benning have expressed hostility
toward him and doubt they can
properly evaluate him because of
the silence.
“That’s implying that I won’t
be evaluated on merit but on
reputation,” he said. “I’m going
to do the best I can as an offi
cer.”
In October, Pelosi starts Ran
ger school at Ft. Benning and
two months later is scheduled
to begin a three-year stint as an
Army officer in Germany.
He said he expects to leave the
military when the tour ends,
stressing that he has no bitter
ness, no negative attitudes to
ward the Army.”
“I’m a misfit,” he said. "1
don’t belong in the military. I’m
an individual. I don’t think I can
be myself here.”
Stanek Sextuplets
Suffer Lung Illness
3 Join Economics Department
DENVER, Colo. (A 4 )—A cadre
of doctors and nurses worked
Wednesday to combat a lung dis
ease in three of the remaining
five Stanek sextuplets. The small
est of the six babies died Tuesday
night of the same illness.
Doctors said Catherine, the only
surviving girl, Nathan and Steven
Stanek showed symptoms of the
hyaline membrane disease that
claimed the life of Julia after 44
hours of blood and breathing
difficulties.
Catherine and Nathan were
given blood transfusions over
night in an attempt to alleviate
the disease which is common in
premature infants.
Doctors at Colorado General
Hospital said Catherine was in
poor but improving condition
after a complete blood exchange
transfusion. Nathan also was in
poor condition. He was given
a transfusion, but not a complete
blood exchange.
Steven was reported in fair
condition, but improving.
FOR
BEST
RESULTS
TRY
BATTALION CLASSIFIED
PEANUTS
By Charles M. Schulz
EDUCATE ME IN THE UJORlD'S
U)AV5i MAKE OF ME A
VESSEL FORTHV TEACHING.'
LET'S LEARN
THOSE CAPITALS]!
GRAND OPENING
of our new
COLLEGE STATION STORE
2301 South Texas
Friday and Saturday — Sept. 21 & 22
ALL INDOOR PLANTS Reg $4.99
10% OFF!
REGISTER FOR THE DOOR PRIZES!
Miniature
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Reg. Price $6.49
SALE $3.49
HANGING BASKETS
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. SALE $] OffReg^
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For Dorm and
Apartment Dwellers
Jeffrey’s condition dropped
slightly from good to fair Wed
nesday and his brother, John, was
still in good condition. Both were
reported in good condition Tues
day and were fed their mother’s
milk for the first time.
The sextuplets were born Sun
day night to Edna Stanek, 34,
and Eugene Jr Stanek, 31, of
LakeWood, Colo. Until Julia’s
death they were believed to be
the only living set of sextuplets,
said Dr. Tibor Engel, an obstetri
cian who said he had made a com
puterized search of medical rec
ords on multiple births.
The sextuplets weighed from
Three new faculty members
have joined the TAMU Depart
ment of Economics, announced
Dr. John W. Allen, department
head.
The new economics professors
are Dr. Richard H. Timberlake
Jr., Dr. Robert D. Tollison and
Dr. Leonardo Auernheimer.
Dr. Timberlake, visiting pro
fessor, was formerly associated
with Florida State University
and the University of Georgia.
He earned his B.A. degree at
Kenyon College, his M.A. at
Columbia University and his
Ph.D. at the University of Chi
cago. Timberlake is the author
of a collegiate textbook on money
and banking and has published
numerous articles in professional
journals. He recently served as
vice president of the Southern
Economic Association.
Dr. Robert D. Tollison, associ
ate professor, was previously
Senior Staff Economist with the
Council of Economic Advisors in
Washington. He holds degrees
from Wofford College, the Uni
versity of Alabama and the Uni
versity of Virginia. He has also
taught at Cornell University.
Tollison has coauthored three
books and has numerous articles
to his credit.
Dr. Leonardo Auernheimer, as
sistant professor, recently re
ceived his Ph.D. from the Uni
versity of Chicago and has also
studied at Michigan State Uni
versity and the University of
Buenos Aires. He has been asso
ciated with the Federal Univer
sity of Viscosa (Brazil) and the
Ford Foundation. Auernheimer’s
major fields of interest are mone
tary theory and international eco
nomics, and his publications in
clude a forthcoming article in a
professional journal.
just under two pounds to just
under three pounds. Mrs. Stanek
had been taking a fertility drug,
Pergonal, before coming preg
nant.
MSC BARBER SHOP
Hyaline membrane disease was
described by Ted Wrenn, a hos-
For your shine needs come by and visit Robert Freelin,
pital spokesman, as a film formed
on the inside of the lung when
air and blood come in contact.
who’s an expert on shoe shines.
That film prevents the escape of
carbon dioxide, the gas exhaled
when oxygen is taken from the
air by the lungs.
Hours 7:30 a. m. - 5:00 p. m.
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