unn ed , ▁by ▁fellow ▁cad ets . ▁He ▁was ▁acqu itted ▁by ▁a ▁court - mart ial , ▁but ▁the ▁sil encing ▁continued , ▁as ▁well ▁as ▁the ▁on s la ug ht ▁of ▁de mer its ▁for ▁small ▁rule ▁inf ra ctions . ▁In ▁his ▁s oph om ore ▁year ▁his ▁mother ▁appe aled ▁to ▁a ▁family ▁friend , ▁United ▁States ▁Senator ▁David ▁I . ▁Wal sh , ▁head ▁of ▁the ▁Senate ▁Naval ▁Affairs ▁Committee , ▁who ▁investig ated ▁personally . ▁The ▁Honor ▁Committee ▁quietly ▁re vised ▁its ▁position ▁and ▁announced ▁that ▁it ▁would ▁ab ide ▁by ▁the ▁court - mart ial ▁ver dict . ▁Le ary ▁then ▁res igned ▁and ▁was ▁honor ably ▁dis charg ed ▁by ▁the ▁Army . ▁Al most ▁ 5 0 ▁years ▁later , ▁he ▁said ▁that ▁it ▁was ▁" the ▁only ▁fair ▁trial ▁I ' ve ▁had ▁in ▁a ▁court ▁of ▁law ". ▁ ▁To ▁the ▁ch agr in ▁of ▁his ▁family , ▁Le ary ▁transferred ▁to ▁the ▁University ▁of ▁Alabama ▁in ▁late ▁ 1 9 4 1 ▁because ▁it ▁admitted ▁him ▁so ▁exp edit iously . ▁He ▁en rolled ▁in ▁the ▁university ' s ▁R OT C ▁program , ▁maintained ▁top ▁gr ades , ▁and ▁began ▁to ▁cultiv ate ▁academic ▁interests ▁in ▁psych ology ▁( under ▁the ▁a eg is ▁of ▁the ▁Middle bury ▁and ▁Harvard - ed uc ated ▁Donald ▁R ams d ell ) ▁and ▁bi ology . ▁Le ary ▁was ▁exp elled ▁a ▁year ▁later ▁for ▁sp ending ▁a ▁night ▁in