Ben Carson, the Republican presidential candidate whose appeal is built basically on his remarkable personal story, admitted he had never actually applied or had been granted admission to West Point, despite the written words in his book “Gifted Hands” where he indicated he had been offered a full scholarship to the military academy.
Although Carson said in his famous book back in 1969, that when he was 17 years old he introduced to General William Westmoreland and dined with him. There was when he offered him a “full scholarship ” to the military academy; however, West Point, has no record of the application of Carson, and much less an extend admission.
As said on Politico, Theresa Brinkerhoff, a spokeswoman for the academy, said, “In 1969, those who would have completed the entire process would have received their acceptance letters from the Army Adjutant General.” She said West Point has no records that indicate Carson even began the application process. “If he chose to pursue (the application process), then we would have records indicating such.” Also, according to West Point, there is no such thing as a “full scholarship” to the military academy, as Carson presented on his book.
After the declarations given by the spokesman of the West Point academy, Carson’s campaign admitted that he had never applied there, and clarified the events without details, saying that he actually did received the offer to enter the academy, but ultimately didn’t accept the admission because of other priorities, and attending West Point would have required four years of military service after graduation.
After this event, some media questioned him about some other stories of his career, to the point that even Carson admitted that he made up the names of some childhood acquaintances in discussing his violent youth.
However, Carson said to those declarations, “If you choose not to believe it, if it doesn’t fit the narrative that you want, that’s fine. Let’s let the American people decide.”
Republican strategists said that this could be more than just a hiccup for the Carson campaign. The candidate’s backstory has come under increased scrutiny as he enjoys the top slot in many of the latest primary polls.
Source: Politico