When you hear the words West Point, you likely conjure an image of a great military academy for higher learning – you see military cadets drilling and going to school and eventually entering the Army as an officer. You probably believe, like everyone else, that it’s not prestigious if a student graduates West Point at the bottom of his or her class and is labeled the goat.
Don’t let the label deceive you.
The Goats Of History
The Goats of West Point are a prestigious group of well-known names in our history, including but not limited to General Custer, General Longstreet, Confederate President Jefferson C. Davis and George Pickett. While those who graduated at the top of their class were indeed offered great commissions in the engineers and artillery – don’t feel bad for the men who graduated as goats.
You see, a goat at West Point went on to serve in the Infantry or the Cavalry as an officer and most of these men were perfectly content with their assignments. Can you see General Custer as an Engineer? Pickett? Longstreet?
It’s important to remember that there were and are several components to a West Point education. Cadets were drilled academically as well as in military prowess, performance and skills such as shooting, hand-to-hand combat and equestrian talent.
The goats were honored not because they were failures, but because the top and the bottom of a West Point class were equal in their potential contributions to the future. So just because you run the marathon and come in last does not mean your efforts, your skills, your talents or your achievements are less – because you still completed the marathon and demonstrated your ability to do it.
Don’t Let Perception Get Your Goat
While goats are no longer lauded at West Point, the practice having been done away with in 1978 at the urging of educators because of self-esteem issues – I think it’s worth mentioning that the goats of West Point were hardly a sorry lot. Winning isn’t everything nor is finishing first. Sometimes, finishing is the win – so compete against yourself and if you find yourself in the position of Goat – recognize that you are in glad company.
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