My Alma Mater Is Chock-Full of Legacies

I followed in my father’s footsteps and went to the U.S. Naval Academy. July 19, 2023 11:11 am ET Photo: Getty Images William Galston writes that preferential treatment for college legacies gives “additional advantages to the advantaged” (“End College Legacy Preferences,” Politics & Ideas, July 5). I was a legacy. I followed in my father’s footsteps and went to his alma mater, the U.S. Naval Academy. One day during plebe summer, the commandant visited me. My company mates watched as the second-most senior officer at the academy introduced himself as my father’s friend and colleague, and asked me how I was doing. He thought he was doing a nice thing, but he might as well have put a target on my back. After he left, my upperclassmen set to work. I spent the rest of the summer marching—punishment not for minor infractions but for being the son of a senior naval offi

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Opinion Jul 19, 2023 Add to Reading List

I followed in my father’s footsteps and went to the U.S. Naval Academy.

July 19, 2023 11:11 am ET

William Galston writes that preferential treatment for college legacies gives “additional advantages to the advantaged” (“End College Legacy Preferences,” Politics & Ideas, July 5). I was a legacy. I followed in my father’s footsteps and went to his alma mater, the U.S. Naval Academy.

One day during plebe summer, the commandant visited me. My company mates watched as the second-most senior officer at the academy introduced himself as my father’s friend and colleague, and asked me how I was doing. He thought he was doing a nice thing, but he might as well have put a target on my back. After he left, my upperclassmen set to work. I spent the rest of the summer marching—punishment not for minor infractions but for being the son of a senior naval officer.

Good thing I grew up in my father’s family. I didn’t quit, graduated with distinction and went on to serve in the Persian Gulf. Many of my Naval Academy classmates now have children there. It turns out most young people willing to serve in the military either come from underprivileged backgrounds or are legacies.

Sam Baker

Nantucket, Mass.