Caleb Campbell: Casualty of Military’s “Integrity Vacuum”
Army DB Caleb Campbell
The Monkey and I have always maintained that disfunction is like poop; it always rolls downhill. When there is a flaw in leadership, it emanates through an organization like a sickness, making the entire organization fundamentally sick.
This idea holds true in the case of Army 2nd Lieutenant Caleb Campbell, who as the best football player to emerge from the Academy since QB Ronnie McAda, was drafted by the Detroit Lions in this year’s NFL draft, due to a change in Army policy that allowed military members with significant talents to be released from active military service.
Campbell’s selection by the Lions was both the feel-good story of the 2008 Draft (spectators in New York City, the site of the draft, broke out into raucous applause, chanting, “USA, USA!” when his name was called), and a point of controversy among many who felt that Campbell was shirking his duties and the Army sending a mixed message.
As a West Point graduate, I applauded and supported this policy by the Army and pick by the Lions in a blog post here, arguing that the benefit of recruiting new talent and inspiring young people and football fans alike would outweigh the cost of losing one soldier on the battlefield, as Campbell’s primary duty when not in football training would be to work as an Army recruiter and public face for the West Point athletic program.
Army QB Ronnie McAda, 1996
And in case you haven’t been keeping up with Army athletics lately, the West Point football program has strung together one of the lowest winning percentages in Division I college football over the last ten years, ever since the last time an Army player was drafted (Ronnie McAda), who led the team to a 10-2 record and bowl game appearance against Auburn in 1996.
But at its heart – this story isn’t about wininng percentages or boosting up ailing football programs or creating “feel-good” stories. It’s about living up to one’s word.
Duty, Honor, Country?
The Military Academy has a simple, three word motto: “Duty, Honor, Country,” which the greater Army has adopted at least unofficially. The problem is that the facts indicate that the expectation of living one’s life according to the principles of dedication to duty, adherence to honor, and love of country only go one way. The military expects its members to behave according to this immutable ethical code, yet has proven time and time again, especially within the context of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, that this code doesn’t apply to the highest levels of the organization, doesn’t apply to the policy makers, spokespeople, and “deciders.”
Need proof? Campbell’s case is the most recent example. He fulfilled his duty, served and played with honor, and no one can doubt his love of country. By entering the NFL, he was simply adhering to a policy that in design would not only benefit himself personally, but the military, the NFL, and the nation as a whole. In a league often plagued by immaturity on the part of players, coaches, and management, imagine what kind of impact on the locker room and playing field a player with Campbell’s leadership training could have positively influenced.
If the Defense Department had a problem with the Army’s policy, they should have done something about it back in 2005, when the policy was first initiated. Changing the goal posts in the middle of the game is reneging a contract and a horrible display of integrity. And not only did the DoD breach a contract with an individual soldier, but they breached a contract with the Detroit Lions, who essentially squandered a valuable draft pick on a player who at the end of the day was deemed in eligible for play. There’s a real case for a lawsuit by the Lions against the military, although there’s no way in a million years their management would pursue such a tactic, as it would be a PR nightmare for them, while legally justified.
"Hero" Jessica Lynch "Rescued" by SF
Need more proof? The Jessica Lynch story is an embarrassing example. In the early days of the war, the military sold to the American public a made-for-Hollywood story about Jessica’s brave stand against her captors and subsequent Rambo-esque rescue by Special Forces. Only problem was that her one-woman stand against Iraqi soldiers was a fabrication and her rescue was staged. But the military sold the lie nonetheless, to trump up public support for the war and to put up a “pretty face” on what was quickly becoming an ugly affair (little did we know at the time of Jessica’s capture and rescue how ugly it would become – Abu Ghraib, Gitmo, & Haditha anyone?)
Army Rangers Pat & Kevin Tillman
But one of the most egregious examples of the “vacuum of honor” at the highest levels of the military (as well among several mid-level leaders), ironically also involves the NFL. And that is the sad story of Army Ranger Pat Tillman, former NFL star, who lost his life at the hands of his comrades in the hills of Afghanistan in 2005. Once again, the military brass sold an outright lie to the military, the American public, and most disgustingly, to the Tillman family. The facts of the case are frankly too heart-breaking to recount here, but again the military expects all from the rank and file but displays nothing but dishonesty when it really counts.
GWB Wearing A Ribbon Not Earned
I began by saying that poop rolls downhill. It is my belief that the lack of integrity among military leadership (and LET ME BE CLEAR – I AM NOT ASSAILING IN ANY WAY THE INTEGRITY OF THE BRAVE MEN AND WOMEN WHO SERVE ON THE FRONT LINES), flows through the organization from top to bottom. At the top of the poop pile is George W. Bush, Propagandist and Faker in Chief, who has surrounded himself with schemers and charlatans who have deprived this nation of its greatest treasures: its youth and its resources.
The military leadership has had so many opportunities to “make things right” over the course of these wars and its failures to live up to the core principles of DUTY, HONOR, COUNTRY, in several notable examples undermines the progress and integrity of the men and women on the ground. The fact remains that achieving integrity will remain an energetic impossibility until integrity is restored to its highest offices.
RELATED POST: Army’s Caleb Campbell No Draft-Dodger
Hey, the dude got 4 years and a degree of one of the best educations you can get, also is a lifetime member of the WPPA [West Point Protection Association] so he will never have a problem getting a good job, he was paid as an E5, got full benefits. You go to the school you do the payback. He knew that going in and if he did not like it he should not have gone there. That goes for ALL the service academies, if you can’t do the time don’t take the schooling, let someone who can go there go.
DOD definitely screwed up here by waiting until the last second to change this policy, and I am happy to see Campbell willingly accept his active duty stint (have no fear, the Army will make every effort to pack him in cotton to avoid exacerbating the PR disaster by having him get killed in combat.) Having said that & thinking broader than this specific case, there never should be PR or “feel good” exceptions made for Service academy or ROTC grads to sluff their active duty commitment to go play professional sports, or do anything else that other what “normal” grads do, especially during time of war. That is a slap in the face to everyone junior officer that gets no such special treatment for the press circus. Roger Staubach comes to mind. If you want to pursue a dream of pro sports, go for it- but do not sign up for a 4 year stint & then expect to sit out the war. Sign up for a reserve unit, or put the athletics on hold until your commitment is up.
I agree with Rich P. that one knows the requisite demands after one completes an education at West Point. However, I agree with Paul Davison, that the DOD has been perilously dishonest to our troops and our nation, on numerous occasions throughout this filthy war. Honor is honor, and truth is truth, and there are no gray areas.
Maybe Campbell should have opted for a different college as Rich stated. Campbell is not a child, he knew what he was doing when he opted for West Point. I grew weary of special treatment for ‘certain’ members of the armed forces long ago. Being a good football player does NOT make this particular person any more special than a man with four children currently sitting his tail end in the sandbox. This being said, the family of five with their father/husband in Iraq has much much more to lose if he should be injured of killed serving his country. So what if Campbell misses out on a few million dollars I’ll be sure to cry a river for him.
The Monkey and I appreciate the interest and comments on this story, but it seems like many might be missing the point: when Campbell entered the Academy as a freshman the policy allowing him to enter the NFL DIDN’T EXIST. It was initiated in 2005. He had an opportunity to go to a football factory but didn’t and should be commended for his decision to enter West Point.
The problem we have is that the ARMY – not Caleb Campbell – created the policy to allow those with special abilities to puruse things like the NFL. It’s not like Caleb had this idea to be a pro football player when he was being hazed at Beast Barracks. Then the DoD decides to change the policy three years after it was initiated, and several months after he was drafted by the Lions.
Our point is that if the Army didn’t like the policy, they shouldn’t have put it into place in the first place, and certainly shouldn’t have revoked it only after one individual benefited from it. Our problem is that they changed the rules in the middle of the game.
And to set the record straight – whomever is perpetuating the myth that West Point cadets get paid $30,000 per year doesn’t know their facts. From the West Point website:
As far as Second Lieutenant base pay, the scale is currently set at $2555 per month, or a little over $30,000 per year.
[...] RELATED POST: Caleb Campbell: Casualty of Military’s “Integrity Vacuum” [...]
I did not miss the point, the army changed its mind after pressure was placed on them by other branches of service. The Navy has a top notch pitcher who was drafted by the Cardinals but he was not permitted to vacate his commitments. The bottom line here is he knew there was a chance he’d be forced to fulfill his contract with the Army and I find it commendable Mr. Campbell seems to be taking it well. But if Mr. Campbell did his homework in college and indulged in recreational perusal of the news as it relates to the military complex he knows the military is notorious for flip flopping. I grew up military, we, as well as other groups, have a saying when referring to politicians and military statements and promises – “They say, they say”. The point is obvious so I’ll not insult your intelligence.
Again I’ll cry a river for Mr. Campbell, he should have known better. He signed a contract with with a fickle partner.
The policy which allows a service academy grad to play pro sports was flawed from its inception. The academies exist to provide leaders for our military, not jocks for our amusement. However, the academies’ leadership groups badly wanted this policy to attract better athletes for their sports programs, in the misguided (IMHO) notion that better sports programs will lead to more visibility for the academies and more successful recruiting. The problem with this is that they want to attract better athletes to have better sports programs, but they neglect the fact that of all major groups of cadets at the academies (they are categorized as scholars, leaders or athletes during admissions process), athletes have the lowest rates of staying on active duty beyond their minimum service obligation. Their mindset is that of an athlete who happens to be a cadet, rather than a cadet who happens to be an athlete, and this flawed mindset affects their entire outlook towards serving their country. So, I think the entire policy is misguided, contradictory to all that the academies stand for, and a very bad idea. That said, Caleb Campbell is a fine young man who was playing by the rules as published at the time. For the Army, or DOD for that matter, to pull a stunt like this on the day before he was to report to the Lions’ camp is dishonest, mean-spirited and just wrong. Both DA and DOD were well aware, in the weeks before the draft, that he might be drafted. At any time, they could have changed the policy and told him he was ineligible and that would have been the end of it. Instead, they did the stupidest thing they could in the most ham-handed way they could. Finally, guess what Caleb Campbell will likely be doing for the two years of active duty he has to serve. Hint: he won’t be going to Iraq or Afghanistan. Instead, West Point has told him he will be serving as an assistant football coach for two years, and will then be eligible for the NFL draft again. However, what will be the chances that any team will select him, or any other athlete, given the past performance by DA and DOD? This stinks all around, and this poor kid is stuck in the middle, watching fools screw up every part of his professional life. BTW, I am also a WP grad and a career officer, and this is my view from the couch.
Casey:
Thanks for your thoughtful, informed reply. You make several great points in your comment and I am honored to provide an opportunity for a fellow man in uniform to speak up on the matter.
When I was at the Academy, I actually supported this idea that later became a short-lived policy because I thought those individuals could serve as ambassadors and recruiters for the military in a different way. Unorthodox? Definitely. Unpopular? Maybe. But I thought worth the cost. I suggested that the NFL team who wishes to draft a player would pay the government back for a portion of their West Point training in exchange for the individual taking a reserve assignment.
If you’re interested: here is the post I wrote when Campbell was first drafted, laying out my reasons for supporting the policy.
Regarding your point about athletes not staying in beyond their minimum commitment…that may be true but I know offhand of four of my classmates (3 corps squad football players) 1 soccer player who led very distinguished military careers and were some of the finest officers to wear the uniform. Pat Work and Eric Oliver were both standout defensive guys and later became extremely successful Army Rangers. Another friend of mine, Jimmy Adamouski, was a soccer player and one of the first to die in Iraq, getting shot down in his Blackhawk in the opening months of the war. I know these are just anecdotal examples but I am get the sense that many of the Corps Squad standouts served comparable stints to the non-corps squad graduates.
[...] but as of now the Monkey and I can only construe the offer as further evidence of an “integrity vacuum” that permeates many strata of our culture, from the military to corporate America, to [...]
[...] lot of attention and links from the Wicked Local Blog. Next is my follow-up post about Army baller Caleb Campbell who was drafted by the NFL’s Detriot Lions and drafted back by the military when they reneged [...]