Reader Photo: Not buying Ben Carson’s ‘full scholarship’ explanation

To the editor: Is the difference in Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson’s assertion that he received a “full scholarship” offer from West Point and the so-called nuance that Carson’s ROTC commander or Army Gen. William Westmoreland assured Carson that he could be admitted to West Point just a matter of semantics? Based on my experience, the answer is no. (“Why Ben Carson has no business near the Oval Office,” Op-Ed, Nov. 11)

In 1963, I was nominated by a member of Congress as principal candidate to the U.S. Naval Academy. All I had to do to gain admittance was pass scholastic and physical examinations.

I failed the eye exam and never got in, learning the hard way that being nominated and named the principal candidate was no guarantee of admission.

Instead of just being given oral assurance he could be admitted, even if Carson had been nominated for an appointment (“scholarship”) at West Point, there was no guarantee that he would have been admitted. We will never know for sure, since Carson never took the required exams.

That’s more than just a difference in semantics.

David Nelson, Houston

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