<p>The letter published by West Point was done so to dispel the rumors that have been flying around, i.e. the loosely factual Washington Post article, about what has been happening here. Unfortunately several cadets took it upon themselves to anonymously speak to the media and disclose information largely based on rumors and hearsay; not to say that they were totally at fault, as I’m sure the journalist(s) involved misreported what the cadets said as well.</p>
<p>The lesson to learn here is, cadets should not talk to the media, at least while in uniform and on the record as a soldier, unless given prior authorization to do so. The reason is that most cadets have not been instructed on what is proper/allowed to be said/discussed and what is not, and therefore they will usually do the Academy and the Army more harm than good, especially on a subject such as this one.</p>