The minister who gave the invocation could barely disguise his disgust for the military, while the president of a university that declines to be involved in the cadets’ military education felt compelled to condescendingly hand out copies of “Just And Unjust War,” as if they might not be familiar with the concept. Having Gen. Petraeus on hand seemed to be a draw, though. Big crowd that cheered and clapped a lot.

Here’s Harvard student handbook warning to students:

Current federal policy of excluding known lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals from admission to ROTC or of discharging them from service is inconsistent with Harvard’s values as stated in its policy on discrimination. (See Harvard’s policy on discrimination on page 292.) Although the University respects the right of undergraduates to choose to participate in ROTC, the University does not provide any financial or other direct support for the ROTC program at MIT.

Students should be aware that one or more of the military services may impose limitations on the freedom of speech of cadets and that there may be certain academic requirements for eligibility for ROTC scholarship aid. Students should also be aware that the military may require the repayment of scholarship funds if their sexual orientation results in their discharge from ROTC.