I remember the last divorce more than 50 years ago. The Department of Defense’s recent cancellation of military officer enrollment in Brown graduate programs is as wrong now as it was then.
I was new to Brown when the last midshipmen graduated in 1972, after the University ended ROTC enrollment in 1969. It was a time of turmoil — the Vietnam War was still raging — and the separation between Brown and the nation’s military was mutual. While Brown has learned to value its ties to the military since its mistake in 1969, it appears Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has overlooked this history. His decision to cut ties with Brown leaves our military leadership less prepared for the demands of our national defense.
The Marine Corps I joined upon graduation in 1975 was a challenging melting pot. I remember my first battalion commander, a Naval Academy graduate, asking me why in the world I wanted to join the military after graduating from a liberal arts school like Brown. I wondered if I was ready for this new world…