The Army War College was another great assignment. The post at Carlisle Barracks did a superb job taking care of students; Bonnie and I lived in a four bedroom home within bicycling distance of the college and walking distance of the commissary.

USAWC was conducted in Seminars of about 12 students and three USAWC faculty members, so we got to know these fellow students and their families very well. The seminars were created to represent the various components of the Army; for example, I was the engineer in the sections I was assigned to, and was expected to bring that perspective into our discussions. We had lots of section parties and other social events that made our time at Carlisle Barracks especially rewarding.

The school emphasized strategic studies, and one of its great strengths was the number and quality of guest speakers who came to share their insights on national defense and foreign relations.

There was a creek that went through the base, and it was possible to float down a part of it on an inner tube - which we did. And there were fish in the creek, though you wouldn't know it from our fishing efforts.

Pennsylvania had a small skiing area not too far away. The hill (not large enough to be called a mountain) had all of about 600 feet of vertical drop. But we got skis from the base at almost no cost, so it was a fun thing to do.

We had lots of sports activities as part of USAWC. I played softball, basketball (not well), and soccer. We also played volleyball and I was the student coordinator for that sport. One of the big events each academic year was Sports Day, when the other senior service schools came in for a day of fun and sports competitions. We wanted to come up with USAWC volleyball team to play in Sports Day, and we had trouble finding 6-8 good players; we had about five. But we did have a Marine Colonel on the staff who was passionate about the sport, and he worked with us diligently all year to prepare us for the competition. We did pull together a team, and we did win the event without losing even one game. I also played on the CGSC soccer team. When it came time for my evaluation as a student, it looked more like I had attended USAWC on an athletic scholarship.

Another of the great activities was the day the whole class went to Gettysburg and got an up close look at the battlefield with the assistance of the Center for Military History, using the actual battle reports of the combatants. I've always been a big Civil War fan, and have visited Gettysburg a number of times, so this was a great day.