THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, August 19, 1995 TAG: 9508190045
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A2 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Column
SOURCE: Guy Friddell
LENGTH: Medium: 63 lines
Never was Shannon Faulkner more vulnerable, more appealing than she was Friday in quitting her 2 1/2 year battle to become the first female cadet at The Citadel.
From public reaction, one oft-repeated sentence summed up the sentiment of both sides: ``I'm glad she's leaving.''
It served alike for those who had been sympathetic to her plucky pursuit of an impossible dream and to those relieved that The Citadel will remain a male bastion.
To those of us rooting for her, some scenes during her five days as a cadet sully the escutcheon of that peacock-proud institution.
An air of protective gallantry toward women by the military is a tradition as old as any in The Citadel's history. There is a saying, originating in the ancient British military, of the necessity of being ``an officer and a gentleman.''
They may become officers, one day; many have much to learn about being gentlemen.
On the last day there were the resounding cheers that arose at word that Faulkner was leaving.
How she had yearned to be one of them! How that must have wrung her heart if she heard them!
During a break near the close of her first day in the corps, the men gathered, chatting, in two large closed circles while she stood alone. Not one had the courage or courtesy to approach her.
In years to come, when they are truly men, no longer callow kids, some will regret that they lacked the compassion and grit to extend kindness to an individual.
For that, loving and caring for one another, is the basis of civilization that sets us apart from barbarism. It is the first tenet to be taught at any institution of learning, military or civilian.
Near the start, Citadel President Claudius Watts said he didn't know whether the other cadets would ignore her. ``I cannot legislate friendship. I cannot legislate respect,'' he said. ``She can earn my respect. She obviously believes in what she's embarked on, and she should get credit for that. I don't agree with her position.''
The president was so focused on what he deemed he couldn't do - a simple order or two down the line would have done wonders - he apparently missed what The Citadel command should have done: instruct its young charges in civility and a sense of humanity.
With all that drilling and spit and polish, what The Citadel needs is a woman's touch, some feminization among those grim battlements, some training in sensitivity for all its troops.
Without women around to exert subtle guidance, men tend to become self-centered, stodgy.
``I don't think there is any dishonor in leaving,'' Faulkner said. ``I think there's a disjustice in my staying and killing myself just for the political point.''
No dishonor for her. She leaves a lesson for the occupants of The Citadel, if they but look. by CNB