Over the last several years I’ve had the opportunity to participate in several Congressional Academy Selection Boards,  For those not familiar with the process, every Congressman and Senator gets to nominate young men and women to the service academies.  How the selections are made is up to the individual legislator but the process seems to be pretty standardized. The nominees submit an application with their school records, letters of recommendation, a short essay, and a resume including community involvement, sports participation and whatever else they’d like to say about themselves.  They’re then interviewed by a board of 2-3 individuals selected by the congressman who have a variety of backgrounds including current and former military members, local community leaders, parents of former academy graduates and whoever else the congressman believes would be equipped to discern what it takes to be successful at an academy.  The great thing about serving on these boards is, that no matter how negative I feel about the direction our country is going when I walk in, by the end of the day I have renewed hope in what America was and can be again.

In spite of video game addiction, pop culture, and the general entitlement mentality I see today, there are some truly amazing young people out there.  I’ve interviewed kids that maintain a 4.00+ grade point average, work nearly full time at the small family business and letter in multiple sports.  These kids could do anything they put their minds to yet they are choosing to serve their country and make a lifelong commitment at a very young age.  The hard interviews are the kids who are missing one of the critical elements.  What I mean is this.  You’ll get a kid who has great grades but that’s, obviously, all they can manage.  They’re not involved in anything else and it’s hard to figure out if they’ll make it physically or socially.  Or there will be one who has an average academic record but is involved in everything in their school, church, and community.  Those are the tough ones.  Academics aren’t everything.  History shows that many of our greatest military leaders didn’t graduate anywhere near the top of their classes.  But, if they’re going to struggle academically you don’t want to set them up for failure. Lots to consider, but a very rewarding process none the less.

I like to ask questions that actually get the kids thinking.  I usually start by asking something totally off subject. To both break the ice and to make the poor sweating kid a little more relaxed, I’ll ask something like, “Milk, dark or white, which kind of chocolate do you prefer?”.  It’s one of my favorite interview questions.  There’s no right answer (although dark really is the right answer).  It takes a minute, but most of them realize that it’s OK to express an opinion and that this isn’t the Inquisition.  I’ll then ask questions like, “If I stopped a random kid in the hall at your school and asked him to describe you, what would he say?”, or, “When you take the oath of office, and become a military officer, you’ll be abrogating some of your constitutional rights.  Which right do you think you’ll miss the most?”  I’ve heard some amazing answers and occasionally some not so amazing ones.

Once, at the end of a very long day of interviews, we reviewed the last package and realized that this one might be the hardest one.  The kid’s grades were pretty abysmal, but his involvement in scouting, skiing, scuba-diving and social activities in general were the best we’d seen all day.  We read between the lines and it occurred to us that he was probably the “cool” kid at school who finally realized during his senior year that there was life after high school and he really hadn’t prepared for that eventuality.  He was behind the power curve, approaching stall speed, and frantically throwing the throttles to the wall.  But, we were committed to objectivity, so we invited him into the room with open minds ready to give him every opportunity to present his case.  He walked in introduced himself and I immediately realized that this kid was Eddie Haskill.

I’m going to date myself, but do you remember the TV show “Leave it to Beaver”?  For those of you who are too young or don’t like retro TV, you’ve really missed out. Eddie Haskill was a character in the show who was the best friend of the Beaver’s older brother Wally.  I think all of us have known an Eddie Haskill.  He’s the kid who usually stays out of trouble, but talks everyone else into doing bone-headed things.  When he’s with kids his own age, he’s the guy everyone listens to.  He’s the ringleader, the center of attention.  But when an adult shows up he turns into mister polite and innocence.  He’s the very definition of “smarmy”.

This kid was the 2012 version of Eddie.  He had piercing blue eyes, perfect hair, and a very expensive suit.  He actually interviewed very well, but there wasn’t an ounce of humility in his personality and when I asked the question about how a kid in your school would describe you, he didn’t even hesitate.  He said that everyone knew that he was the “go to” guy in the school.  Everyone’s friend, everyone’s mentor.  The source of all knowledge.  The solution to all problems.  I think I actually vomited a little in my mouth.  When the interview ended we all stood up, shook hands and thanked him for applying.  He turned towards the door, but then stopped, turned to us and asked, with a big smile, the worst question I’ve ever been asked at an interview.  “So, did I dazzle you?”  I’m rarely at a loss for words but I was that day.  I could only stare at him and hope that I would never see him again.

I get to do it again this Saturday.  I can’t wait!

Isaiah 30:15