Dress Gray: A Woman at West Point

As a member of one of the first classes that allowed women into the hallowed grounds of West Point, Donna Peterson ran into many roadblocks. The arrogance of male cadets, officers/instructors. and even alumni who didn’t believe that a woman should attend West Point would be enough to discourage any cadet male or female. But Donna Peterson persisted. Now she takes us behind the scenes of how the institution works, examines some of the arcane rules and rituals still maintained, and gives the reader a better understanding of the academy as not only a military training ground but also a center for learning and obtaining a college degree. Being very proud of the institution and her service career, Captain Peterson opens up this man’s world with a remarkably candid and insightful look from her unique perspective. She eloquently details the ins and outs of the system and how women struggled to achieve their place in the Long Gray Line.

“So, tell me, Miss Peterson, just how much money did your daddy have to pay to get you in here?” Pay? How degrading! I had worked harder than many of the other cadets for my appointment. I didn’t know anything about getting a West Point nomination. My parents were hard-working, middle-income Americans struggling to raise a family of four children. What did this cadet know about what I had to do to get here? “You really think it’s fair that you took the place of some deserving young man just because your father could pull a few strings?” he continued. “But that’s just your style, isn’t it? Let a man do all your work for you. That’s your style.” That was not the first time I had shed a tear during Beast, though it was the only public display. On the fifth night I was at the Academy, I remember tears falling on my pillow for several seconds before I fell asleep. Before then, I was probably too tired at night to stay awake long enough to cry.”