DATE: Thursday, November 6, 1997            TAG: 9711050669

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B3   EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: Military 

SOURCE: BY TONI GUAGENTI, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: ANNAPOLIS, MD.                    LENGTH:  117 lines

A LEADER AMONG US AT 21, NAVAL ACADEMY BRIGADE COMMANDER LEADS 4,000

He leads 4,000 men and women.

He listens and energizes.

If something goes right, he's responsible. Likewise, if something goes wrong.

At 21, he's the example they should follow.

Virginia Beach native Eric Grant carries that responsibility as the fall semester's brigade commander at the U.S. Naval Academy.

While some college seniors party until dawn or sweat entering the work force, Grant concentrates on the well-being of the 4,000 midshipmen - from plebes to first class - in his charge.

In civilian terms, Grant is the academy's top student dog.

And like any effective, respected leader, Grant lets his subordinates know his door is always open.

``He's constantly setting the example. I would follow Eric anywhere, you ask any one of our classmates,'' said Brigade Executive Officer Aylin Duyal. ``He's very pleasant to work with, he's a very positive person. We're lucky to have him.''

Grant said he knew he wanted to attend the Naval Academy when he was 8.

An Army/Navy football game sealed his decision.

With country star Lee Greenwood singing ``Proud to Be an American'' while midshipmen waved a huge American flag and jets flew overhead, Grant remembers telling his father, `I gotta do that.' ''

Grant comes from a military family. His father, a two-star admiral, retired in May as the Navy's judge advocate general, but Grant doesn't talk about it unless asked.

``I just think he wanted to blaze his own trail; he's become more comfortable with that the older he gets,'' said Eric's mother, Katherine.

But, she added, Eric inherited the drive of his father, Harold ``Rick'' Grant.

It was apparent in his high school days at Norfolk Academy, where he graduated in 1994. He received the S. Barron Segar Award, given to the senior male with proven leadership qualities based on character.

``He's always been a hard worker and applied himself,'' said Charles S. Merriam II, who taught Grant calculus and physics. ``He's reaping the rewards.''

At the Naval Academy, Grant was chosen over more than 900 first class midshipmen to be brigade commander.

His judgment is always on target and others seek his advice, said Capt. Gary Roughead, the academy's second-in-command.

Roughead credits Grant with helping raise the school's cumulative grade point average to 2.85 out of 4.0, its highest in years, and with toughening physical education standards for the Class of 2001. He also led midshipmen to log more than 16,000 volunteer hours in the community last year.

``He's doing an absolutely magnificent job,'' Roughead said.

The Naval Academy's brigade commander gets a larger bedroom than other ``mids.'' His room comes equipped with a welcoming area - a coffee table, chairs and a couch.

It's there for a reason.

On one recent morning, Grant's phone rang three times in a half hour and mids kept dropping by with questions.

What should the mids wear to the Army-Navy soccer match?

Navy-issued jogging suits or uniforms, Grant decided.

Are civilian clothes really off limits? Yes, Grant was sure.

Decisions come with the territory.

Whether he's contemplating the little stuff, such as attire for sports events, or the big stuff, such as regulations under which midshipmen live, Grant is always on call.

Grant said he would like to reach each midshipman one-on-one, but that task is ``daunting.''

So he reaches out through ``his people,'' a core group of midshipmen that comprises his staff. He meets with them regularly, informs them of his goals, and makes sure that they preach and live his open-door policy.

Grant is interested in the personal lives of his midshipmen, because if their personal lives aren't going well, their performance in the classroom or in battle will suffer.

His own personal life revolves around his religious beliefs and his fiancee, whom he met through an academy friend.

Grant wants to go into the Marine Corps as an infantry or heavy artillery officer. But first, he'll attend Georgetown University next semester for a year-long master's degree program in national security studies.

The Naval Academy has ``given me God, it's given me a (future) wife, it's given me everything,'' he said. ``It's awesome.''

Eric stood as still as a department store mannequin in the crisp October air.

His boy-next-door smile gave way to a serious expression. In his winter working blues, sword in hand, he was ready to lead the brigade through noon formation, a ceremonial prelude to lunch, as hundreds of people watched.

Once in the dining hall, he worked the lunch crowd like a politician, except this politician didn't have a hidden agenda.

Grant really wants people to be successful, said Brigade Operations Officer John Zurn.

His sentiments were echoed by fellow midshipman Brigade Sgt. Maj. Lawrence Nance. ``He's about the best example of a midshipman I've ever seen,'' Nance said.

Nance said that Grant has taught him to put others first. If you do that, he said, ``everything else around you will become better. I've learned that from him.''

Grant is constantly upbeat, an attitude that he said may rub people the wrong way.

``You can take the brigade commander out of the cheerleader, but you can't take the cheerleader out of the brigade commander,'' he said. Grant was an academy cheerleader for three years before giving it up for the brigade commander position.

Katherine Grant said her son's capacity to touch others positively came at an early age.

In elementary school, she advised him to return a bully's anger with kindness. Eric befriended the bully.

``Within a week the bully was taking care of everybody on the bus,'' Katherine Grant said. ILLUSTRATION: AP Photos

Eric Grant...

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