The "Death Hour" in this case being the period after lunch, when students are required to pay attention to a learned instructor.
Here is Defense Secretary Robert Gates's introduction to a lecture he delivered last Friday to students at the U.S. Army's Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas:
Good afternoon. Thank you, Kevin, for the introduction. I can tell you it is good to be out of D.C. and back in my home state -- at least for a short visit.
However, I realize that it is Friday, and after lunch, so I will be content with thanking you for staying awake, or trying to anyway.
Of course, falling asleep in a leadership class or here is one thing. Falling asleep in a small meeting with the president of the United States is quite another. But it happens. I was in one cabinet meeting with President Reagan where the president and six members of the cabinet all fell asleep.
In fact, the first President Bush created an award to honor the American official who most ostentatiously fell asleep in a meeting with the president. This was not frivolous. He evaluated candidates on three criteria -- first, duration -- how long did they sleep? Second, the depth of the sleep; snoring always got you extra points. And third, the quality of recovery -- did one just quietly open one's eyes and return to the meeting, or did you jolt awake -- and maybe spill something hot in the process? Well, you will appreciate that the award was named for Air Force Lieutenant General Brent Scowcroft, who was the national security adviser at the time. He was, as you might suspect, the first awardee, and, I might add, won many oak leaf clusters.
The rest of Gates's speech discussed the merger of conventional and irregular warfare and the implications for strategy, officer education, and doctrine.
Click the link above for the transcript.