Posted by Barbara Nicol on October 15, 2014:

Colonel Berry, as I knew him, was an immense help to me during my days as a West Point cadet. He was a stalwart ally during one of the worst periods of my life. After completing Beast Barracks, I had been assigned to his house as my family house. I immediately connected with him, and found I could talk about what was on my heart in an unguarded manner. I was full of woes. Thin-skinned and sensitive by nature, I was entirely unprepared for military life, and was marked early as a misfit. One upperclassman openly admitted to trying to run me out of the company, and he was not the worst. Assigned to company A-1 and also to the First Captain's table, I was continually stressed. I remember one day when a General sat at our table and the other plebe and I did our best to confer with each other, not knowing how to proceed as the General had not mentioned how many ice cubes he wanted. Also, as the last all male class was training us, I did feel that women were being unduly harassed. I mentioned this to Colonel Berry. Unbeknownst to me, Colonel Berry was close to the Superintendent, General Goodpastor, and he passed on what I had said. This caused a huge uproar in Company A-1 as General Goodpastor launched a major investigation. Although I chose to leave West Point, the memory of Colonel Berry's compassion still remains. I felt I had found a genuinely caring professor who looked out for me, and would protect the rights of the oppressed, including women. May the blessings return to him, Barbara Nicol Beast Barracks 1978

admin