The West Point Experience

[Lisa Steptoe]

From Cliff Hodge: You must have already read the Hackenback Letter....

Would you please forward this on to the rest of the Black Knights. It's a good opportunity to change direction from the recent rash of complaints and unite all of us "Old Grads" in our disdain for how much "the Corps has." I would love to hear what everyone else's thoughts are on this issue (though a bulletin board posting might prove useful).

I just received this, though it apparently has been in circulation for a while. Though it is undated and unsigned, I would happily apply my signature to legitmize the points made in this letter. If these allegations are all true about life today at the Academy, one really has to wonder at the value of a class ring these days!



~Cliff Hodge

USMA '88

Director, Program Mgmt

CTA Acoustics, Inc.

[phone]

[e-mail]

[wcosten]

While I haven't read the entire document...yet, my first thoughts after reading the first couple of pages that this letter is biased towards MEN and the combat arms. As a former "gray hog" and big haze, I was disappointed to learn about the elimination of Recognition. I will say that I was extremely shocked at what constituted lunch formation, during my walk through Central Area at lunch during our 20-yr reunion. I will also admit to feeling like the Academy is now nothing more than an Ivy-type school where people happen to wear uniforms (although I hear that cadets wear the "battle" uniform more than the class uniform or dress gray).

I'll add more once I've read the entire document. I find it interesting that this letter came from recent grads.

Wanda Costen
Class of '86

[Larry DeRamus]

Unfortunately, after a quick perusal of the Hagenbeck Letter, I'm not surprised at it's content. Little by little, every bastion of tradition in America is giving way to atrophy. Indifference has become the credo of Leadership. Everything and anything is OK. America has become #1 in nearly every category of moral decay - from murder to child pornography; from illegal drugs to gay Congressmen. Is it no wonder why West Point is becoming just another college with a great view. What's worse and what does really bother me is We (Grads) have become Mice instead of Lions! That look on the faces of the Statues overlooking the Plain is not pride. It is the grimace of discontent.

[Christopher Smith]

The authors of this paper make some great points, but unfortunately their tone is so self-important that it’s hard to view their position as balanced.

Reading the survey comments I was surprised (alarmed, even) to learn that the IOCT, table duties and cadet boards are no more. Making the fourth class system challenging (and, in the end, rewarding) is a key component of the West Point experience. Just last night I had dinner with one of my beast squad-mates that I hadn’t seen in a while, and it’s amazing how we’re still bonded by that experience over twenty years ago.

That said, though, the worst thing that could happen to our alma mater would be for it to transform itself into some sort of pseudo-religious “warrior culture” run by Christian conservatives – which is exactly the problem that the Air Force Academy is struggling with right now. The days where our Army by definition is run by White, Christian Infantry officers is in our rear view mirror. I’m reading between the lines here, but much of the sentiment against “softness” and “moral decay” and “political correctness” that I read sounds like thinly veiled yearning for simpler days gone by. Whenever I hear a blanket assault on “political correctness” my spider sense goes on; especially when the author doesn’t bother to define the term.

My cousin was a graduate of the class of 2005. She was a black female corps squader – a four year varsity athlete. Her firstie year she held a high-profile leadership position in the corps of cadets. Had the authors of this paper known her during this period this might have been considered an example of softness or political correctness or preferential treatment – I don’t know if they would have held my cousin or her firstie assignment in high regard (despite the fact that she was in the top 10% of her class academically.)

After commissioning she went on to be an inspiring leader who was respected by her solders and chosen by her superiors to lead dangerous missions in Iraq. In the end she made the ultimate sacrifice for her country in combat. Reading the comments of the soldiers that she led has been awe inspiring and humbling. What a great young officer.

The authors of this paper suggest that the Academy needs to “focus on combat leadership”. I don’t think this makes much sense. How in the heck do you teach combat leadership? Ask yourself this: how does a cadet best prepare for today’s Army? A couple of years on Sandhurst? Studying philosophy? Four years as an undersized lineman on the Army football team? An exchange summer in Chile? Boxing? Model U.N.? Rugby? Running cross country? Mil art? FCDT?

Or, perhaps, all of the above. From our experiences we know that people learn in different ways, but the best preparation for an 18-22 year old cadet is to put him/her in a position to excel and set high standards. You can’t teach leadership; you develop it. I particularly dislike the idea of instituting some sort of “final test” a’la the Citadel or VMI – crawling up a muddy hill or something like that. Nah. Too artificial.

But in the end, one of the primary factors that you have to consider is that the junior officers currently out there in harm’s way are performing remarkably well. So, no, we’re not facing some impending catastrophe and we haven’t commissioned a generation of useless junior officers. And the academy is making an effort to generate the kind of diversity that the Army’s future challenges will require. And that’s not just diversity of skin color; it’s cultural diversity, functional diversity, diversity in the way that we communicate and solve problems.

That said, I do think that the fourth class needs to get their neck back.

Beat Navy (someday)
Chris Smith
B-3
'91

[Lisa Steptoe]

From Ron Lee, '54 ([e-mail])

To Whom it May Concern:
I am an African American, 1954 graduate with Viet Nam experience, White House Staff experience (President Johnson), Asst. Postmaster General of the U.S.- (Nixon appointment), Exec. with XEROX, etc.
Who's Who in America (66), Who's Who in American Politics (73), Who's Who in the World (74). The reason I list those things is that my West Point exposure changed my life. I was born very poor in 1932 in a charity ward in Sloan's medical center and lived initially in a cold water, wood heated, no cooling flat in Harlem in New York. The universal knowledge of the singular rigors of a West Point education served as a "calling card" that established prima facie "acceptance"
at a high level of social, moral, honest, and academic, competence unattainable by any other institutional merit badge. Over the years, that de facto level has not only diminished acceptance, it even attracts derision in certain quarters. I endorse, whole heartedly, all of the recommendations listed and would serve gladly on any committee to help develop them and help their integration into the Academy. Additionally, I was a full professor, Assistant Provost, Creator of the Center for Urban Affairs, and Director of Equal Opportunity at Michigan State University, so change at educational institutions is not foreign.

Ronald B. Lee
1954 Co. L-2

[barrylowe81]

I had not seen / heard of this letter before. There is a lot that is valid in the full document. I and many of my classmates have shared this concern. I thought the program that I went through (Class of 1981) was pretty well balanced between the "M" and the "A". In my opinion, the pendulum slipped too far toward the "A" when I was on the faculty from 91-94. In more recent years, I am pleased to see the pendulum slowly starting to move back toward a more balanced approach ... but there is still a long way to go. We are the United States Military Academy. We are NOT an Ivy League school. Our graduates are performing well in combat, by and large, because they have the spirit and drive to be good officers, not necessarily from the program of instruction. I also have had numerous anecdotal reports from other folks - West Pointers and non-West Pointers alike that the USMA program as well as Basic Training / OSUT are not challenging enough to truly prepare our new young Soldiers and officers for the rigors of combat.

I offer some quotations to the discussion:

Liberal society in its heart wants not only domination of the military, but acquiescence of the military towards the liberal’s view of life. But acquiescence society may not have, if it wants to an army worth a d**n. By the very nature of its mission, the military must maintain a hard and illiberal view of life and the world. Society’s purpose is to live; the military’s is to stand ready, and if need be, to die.
T.R. Fehrenbach, from THIS KIND OF WAR, 1963

Americans fully understand the requirements of the football field or the baseball diamond. They discipline themselves and suffer by the thousands to prepare for these rigors. A coach or manager who is too permissive soon seeks a new job; his teams fail against those who are tougher and harder. Yet undoubtedly any American officer, in peacetime, worked his men as hard, or ruled them as severely as a college football coach does, would
be removed. But the shocks of the battlefield are a hundred times those of the playing field, and the outcome infinitely more important to the nation. The problem is to understand the battlefield as well as the game of football. The problem is not what is desirable, or nice, or politically feasible, but what is necessary.
T.R. Fehrenbach, from THIS KIND OF WAR, 1963

The values necessary to defend the society are often at odds with the values of the society itself. To be an effective servant of the people, the Army must concentrate not on the values of liberal society, but on the hard values of the battlefield.
GEN Walter “Dutch” Kerwin, former VCSA

We sleep safely in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm.
George Orwell

Never before in this nation’s experience have the values and expectations in society been more at variance with the values and expectations that are indispensable to a military establishment.
George Will

The difference between a soldier and a civilian lies in the field of civic virtue. A soldier accepts responsibility for the safety of the body politic of which he is a member, defending it, if need be, with his life. The civilian does not.
Robert Heinlein

Thanks for your time.
Barry, CO I-3, 1981

[Eric Verzola]

Please post letter or link to it. I have not read it.
Thanks,
Eric Verzola
E4/G1 '92

[Cliff Hodge]

Text from the letter:

"There is no need to suppose that human beings differ very much one from another: but it is true that the ones who come out on top are the ones who have been trained in the hardest school."
Thucydides, The Peloponnesian War



Dear LTG Hagenbeck:
Congratulations on your appointment as Superintendent. It’s been far too long since a fellow warrior has served in this important position. We hope that your tenure will be a time of positive change for our beloved Alma Mater.
First, let us tell you who we are. We are a group of graduates and junior officers who have experienced combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. We have seen fighting in Najaf, Kabala, Fallujah, Baghdad, and Sadr City. Many of us have taken life and seen life taken, and several of us have been badly wounded in the service of our country. In our limited experience since joining the Army, we have found that candor is sometimes a punishable offense. General Shinseki’s “retirement” and the reaction to General Pace’s recent comments on homosexuality should serve as sufficient evidence of this fact. For these reasons, and for the sake of our careers and families, we are keeping our names anonymous. What is important to know is that we care passionately about West Point, as it is directly tied to the future of the United States.
We are concerned over West Point’s adoption of a softer, more politically-correct approach to officer development. In an attempt to curtail abusive hazing, prior administrations have gradually emasculated the West Point experience, especially plebe year. We believe that they overcorrected, swinging the pendulum of progress away from Sparta and toward Athens. Crucial testing components and traditions that were the foundation of the West Point right-of-passage have been marginalized to accommodate the sensibilities of those who have never experienced the harsh realities of combat. This is unacceptable for a nation at war.
There are a number of counterproductive trends in American society that have adversely impacted the Academy. West Point serves as the last line of defense for traditional American values, standing strong against the forces of moral, cultural, and ethical apathy. Our graduates should not merely be a reflection of American society—they should reflect what’s best in that society. This notion is diametrically opposed to the plague of political correctness that has infected the Army and the Defense Department.

We do not endorse physical abuse, but we believe that a difficult right-of-passage fosters the qualities that are essential to combat leadership (i.e. the ability to process disjointed information and continue functioning under fire). Training the mind to deal with controlled stress in a non-lethal environment should be a priority for West Point. This was the logic behind the old Fourth Class System, which General Palmer eradicated in 1990. Rites-of-passage are vital to developing a sense of belonging and perseverance, they are not sophomoric anachronisms. The Spartan Agoge, Ranger School, and SERE School all share these elements, and they are no less prudent for a military academy. Just because cadets are overscheduled doesn’t mean that they have experienced a crucible that has shaped their character. We do not believe that these are only recent developments, as we witnessed the same problems when we were Plebes. In effect, we believe that we were cheated.
Graduation from West Point should be about more than academic rigor and empty expressions about the professional military ethic. If the trend towards looser discipline continues, the ranks of the Long Gray Line will become diluted with sub-par officers. This is the last thing that West Point and our Army needs. If attrition rates rise, so be it. West Point should always value quality over quantity. Each and every graduate should demonstrate that they are leaders of iron who have been toughened through the fires of stern military discipline. People choose West Point over Harvard expecting that stern discipline. It’s time that we start giving it to them again.
A West Pointer is a product, and a product is defined by its production process as well as its performance. To label someone a West Pointer who hasn’t endured the traditional developmental experience of the Academy is innately dishonest. It is the intellectual equivalent of filling a cereal box with dirt and calling it Cheerios. While the packaging may be the same, it is the substance that truly matters. Given the tremendous cost of producing a single West Point Officer as compared to his ROTC counterpart, American should rightfully demand that the USMA product be elite. If the cost-benefit analysis does not play out, then West Point will become obsolete and cease to exist.
Attached to this letter are our specific recommendations for bringing West Point back to its true self—the nation’s most elite military academy. We ask you to examine these issues and discuss them with The Corps. We strongly believe that a survey of graduates would reiterate the impact of these issues and their connection to junior officer retention. In fact, graduates have already echoed these concerns, most of which were ignored. A sample of graduate responses from that survey is also attached.
Most West Point superintendents are quickly forgotten, but you, like Thayer, now have the opportunity to become an icon of the Academy. We hope that you will take a decisive stand against the forces that have harmed our beloved Alma Mater.

Very Respectfully,


The Praetorian Guard







“Be not afraid of greatness: some men are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them.” - William Shakespeare

Recommendations for Improving West Point


The following recommendations are designed to bring West Point back to its warrior roots. For far too long, the focus of the administration has been on areas other than combat leadership and perseverance. Imagine a West Point that holds the same credibility with the American people as it did in the days of Pete Dawkins and Wes Clark. That is what we envision, and it is what America deserves. These changes, if enacted, will undue the damage done by decades of political correctness and the softer approach to warrior development.

1) A single sanction honor system
Dismissal from the Academy should be the only permissible punishment for those who willingly demonstrate that they do not meet the minimum ethical standard set forth by the Honor Code. It is not an honor concept like that of the Naval Academy. For years, the administration has deceived graduates by claiming that West Point “separates 100% of those cadets found guilty of honor violations.” In truth, “Suspended separation” and “turning back” violators has become the norm in recent years. In fact, over 50% of those found on honor are suspended separated. It’s not asking too much for cadets to be honest. If a cadet cannot maintain our very simple and straightforward code, then their ability to grow further ethically is highly questionable. In any case, those that break the code should never be given the honor of joining the Long Gray Line.

2) Focus on Combat Leadership
West Point is not merely a leadership school, it is an institution responsible for the creation of combat leaders. We are in the business of developing military officers, not business executives. Teaching leadership outside of the context of warfare places West Point’s purpose in an ambiguous light.

3) Revitalize of the Plebe System
It is said that the problem with the old Fourth Class System was not what it did to Plebes, but what it taught upperclassmen. This is why the Academy has a duty to differentiate between development and leadership. The Plebe System should be a rite-of-passage meant for developing future warriors, not a tool to develop the leadership skills of the upper classes. West Point offers numerous other opportunities for leadership development. Plebes are not Army privates; they are future officers. The way one treats a Plebe is not the way one deals with an enlisted man. The sense of pride and cohesion from having endured a grueling experience are clear contributors to individual and group confidence. Moreover, it is an important element of the traditional West Point Experience. Perseverance is a virtue worth having and building.

4) Recognize the value of controlled stress

West Point no longer seems to value controlled stress. This is not the same thing as a corollary activity which just happens to be stressful, such as a tough math class. Anyone who has graduated from Ranger, S.E.R.E., or Sapper School can testify to the importance of controlled stress in developing the qualities necessary for combat leadership. Several of us are Ranger School graduates, and we see a direct correlation to our ability to function under fire and the controlled stress we experienced at Ranger School. In both cases, we had a multitude of often conflicting information to process, people yelling at us demanding immediate performance, little or no sleep, and little or no food. West Point has historically performed this same function through the Fourth Class System. At some point, the administration’s policies showed more concern for potential political embarrassments to the Academy than it did about developing warriors.

5) Reinstitution of Recognition
The elimination of Recognition was an attack on one of West Point’s most honored traditions that harmed the fabric of our Alma Mater. A survey of The Corps in 2001 showed that most cadets, by far, preferred Recognition to its replacement, “promotion,” which they viewed as meaningless. Recognition showed the Plebes that they were now part of a brotherhood and accepted as equals. Its elimination marked the end of an era, and served as the proverbial nail in the coffin of West Point’s age of iron. We realize that there is not an equivalent of Recognition in the Army, but again, West Point is a unique experience that is not meant to mirror the Army. If Plebes are no longer recognized, perhaps that is indicative of the fact that they haven’t really done anything worthy of recognition; a truly sad state of affairs. Plebes are not learning to be privates, and they shouldn’t be treated like privates. Furthermore, recognition should occur during Graduation Week, not before. This simple, small change will make plebe year more meaningful.

6) Establishment of a final test before recognition
All rites-of-passage have traditionally had a final step to solidify the transition—one last Hoo-Rah. The Marines have the crucible, VMI has “breakout,” The Citadel has recognition week activities, and the Air Force Academy has the “long march.” Why shouldn’t West Point have something to mark the transition from underclassman to upperclassman?

7) Tolerance for raised voices
Anyone who has ever been in combat knows that yelling is sometimes a tactical necessity. Moreover, anyone who has ever been in a line unit knows that they will, inevitably, be on the receiving end of a candid verbal correction (i.e. ass chewing). The ability to maintain composure is critical for junior officers, in combat and elsewhere. We have found that the skins of recently graduated West Pointers are noticeably thinner than their fellow officers from VMI, The Citadel, Texas A&M, and OCS. This needs to change.

8) Push Privileges to the upper three classes
Pushups are not only a basic military discipline that can be used for punitive re-enforcement, they also assist in physical development. Upper-class cadets should be able to drop Plebes for pushups anytime other than Evening Study Period. Cows and Firsties have been trusted with pushups during Beast for years. Those who abuse this form of correction and development can and should be punished.

9) Bracing, pinging, and squaring corners
Having the Fourth Class assume an exaggerated position of attention while inside the chains reinforces the importance of good posture. Additionally, requiring Plebes to move out (eyes forward, hands cupped) at 140 steps per minute is appropriate for teaching a sense of urgency. Squaring corners also sets the fourth class apart from the upper class. These small disciplines require minimal enforcement from the upper classes. Why has West Point given this up when USAFA, VMI, and Citadel have not?

10) Table Duties
We believe that the administration did a disservice to The Corps in 2002 when it altered traditional table duties in favor of the more egalitarian version currently in place. Table duties allow the fourth class to learn the crucial lessons of accountability which will serve them well as military officers. They also foster attention to detail and performance under pressure. Unlike the field, where the Soldiers eat first, in table duties, the Plebes eat last and are required to give verbal account of the food remaining on the table. West Point has the unique challenge of turning self-centered former high school standouts into team players. They need to lean that they do not always come first; a hard truth that is best learned early (Beast through Plebe Year).

11) Plain uniforms for Plebes
We acknowledge that some fine veterans and prior enlisted Soldiers make their way into the ranks of The Corps. Their presence is extremely welcome, especially in time of war. Nonetheless, all Plebes should begin the West Point experience at ground zero. Although we honor their achievement prior to coming to West Point, allowing Plebes to wear Ranger Tabs, CIBs, ribbons, and any other accoutrements places them into a privileged group above that of their classmates. It also makes upper-class cadets look at them with different eyes. This is why students at Ranger School wear plain fatigues. Awards are perfectly acceptable after recognition, but they are unnecessary and counterproductive detractor during the first year.

12) Buzz cuts for the Fourth Class males
Buzzed heads bring the Fourth Class to the same level and remove them from the petty vestiges of their past. This is what the Definition of Leather is talking about: “When the fresh skin of an animal, clean and divested of all hair, fat, and other extraneous matter…” VMI and The Citadel have had their Plebes buzz their heads for years, and it contributes greatly to their group dynamics as members of a cohesive team. Allowing the Fourth Class to grow back their hair after recognition is also one more thing to make the transition from underclassman to upperclassman significant. A suitable alternative for female plebes would be to require them to cut their hair above their collar, as was done until 1997.

13) Uniforms during travel
When Plebes travel during holidays and leave periods, they serve as ambassadors to the Academy. As such, they should have to wear either Dress Gray or White-Over-Gray. This serves to further recruiting for the Academy. This fact is observable form the windfall in recruiting the Marine Corps gets for its sharp uniforms and promise of stern discipline (i.e. We don’t promise you a rose garden).

14) Removal of televisions from cadet rooms
Cadets should not have television in their rooms. Plebes especially should not have TV, music, or video games. These distractions prevent them from socializing and bonding with their classmates. It is counterproductive and it serves no functional purpose at a military academy. If cadets truly desire TV, they can watch it in the dayroom with their classmates. If the Office of the Dean finds certain programming to be essential, that programming can be broadcasted via closed circuit in the dayroom.

15) Reinstatement of the IOCT as a graduation requirement
West Pointers should be held to a higher standard than their ROTC or OCS counterparts. We realize that it has been a number of years since the IOCT was a graduation requirement, but we believe that if you ask more of people, you will get more. Brigadier General Leo Brooks proved this when he threatened to take away first and second class privileges from those who failed the IOCT. The first time pass rate rose from 40% to 80%. If someone cannot pass a difficult, but well-known standard for physical achievement by their final year at the Academy, then they lack motivation or physical aptitude. In either case, they should not be allowed to graduate.

16) Reinstitution of the CPFT
The Cadet Physical Fitness Test was nearly identical to the APFT; however, it demanded a higher standard of performance than its “Big Army” counterpart. This higher standard is appropriate for an institution like West Point. The Naval Academy does the same thing with their PT test. West Pointers should be an elite group, and increased physical demands would assist in this. DPE has records of the CPFT standards.

17) Stop gender-norming the West Point Experience

Women deserve to have the same West Point Experience as their male counterparts. Women should be treated as equals, and the same performance demands should be applied equally. Why is it appropriate for women to take mandatory boxing at the Naval Academy but not at West Point? Are we treating women like future warriors or future combat-service-support personnel? The current war on terror has repeatedly shown that women in support roles may find themselves in armed combat just as their male combat arms brothers. War is a performance based endeavor and a bullet is not less forgiving to a woman. If women are not trained to the same standards as men, then they are a liability. There is a perceived sense of favoritism to cadet females that must be ended. Specific groups should not be placed in positions of cadet leadership in order to meet a “goal” or a “quota.” To do so hinders rather than helps integration.

18) Full uniform during all meals and mandatory dinner
PTs and “cadet casual” should never be worn into the mess hall. Our nation expects West Point graduates to be gentlemen and ladies. Gentlepersons should dress appropriately for meals and display proper customs and courtesies. As-For-Class should be worn in the mess hall during the day and Dress Gray or White-Over-Gray should be worn for dinner. Additionally, the elimination of mandatory dinner only further discouraged the “team” mentality that West Point is supposed to foster. Mandatory dinner, at least four nights a week, is an excellent opportunity for cadets to bond.

19) Reinstitution of demerits with consequences
When the 2-1 was replaced by the Article 10 in 1998, the ability for cadets to punish one another was given almost exclusively to TAC Officers. Article 10s should not be an exercise in paperwork and bureaucracy. Cadets should be allowed to issue demerits that translate to hours on the area. If cadets have no power to punish their own, then The Corps does not belong to them. Additionally, excessive demerits should be sufficient criteria for separating unfit cadets. A bi-annual board should meet to review the cases of cadets who receive excessive demerits, and separations should occur when deemed appropriate by the board.

20) Not every cadet should be a ranker
Upper Classes should have authority over the Lower Classes by virtue of the class system, not meaningless cadet rank. It does nothing for the leadership development of a First Class cadet to make him the “Trunk Room Officer” or any other pointless position. West Point has far too many chiefs and not enough Indians. Rank should be a privilege, not an expected handout.






The following is a brief sample of answers given by USMA graduates to the survey question, “Are there any issues or policies about USMA or its direction which concern you?”

• One of the most valuable lessons I received from West Point was surviving the stress of Beast Barracks and Plebe Year. I drew on this experience in combat and have continued to draw on it in my professional career as a lawyer. I am concerned that changes in the system have deemphasized warrior training and substituted an emphasis on political training.

• The Honor System seems to have relaxed so that penalties for violation of the Honor Code support the low norms of contemporary society rather than the higher ideals required of the professional soldier.

• I'm concerned with the lack of 4th class system. I feel that it is very important that plebes be able to learn to function efficiently under stress—be it physical or mental. Much of my personal development I owe to that system that has been moth-balled.

• Discipline is starting to fall off. Fewer privileges should be granted. Equal physical standards for all should be increased and enforced. Stop looking at the investment in each cadet, or the quota of a cadet's race or gender; toe the line or exceed it, or get the boot. Honor needs to remain binary (toe the line, or get the boot). Physical hardship should be increased to make cadets drive to their limits.

• 1. The cloud of political correctness that has engulfed DOD and USMA. Need I say more? 2. Transformation of CDT life (no absence card, proliferation of privileges, no acknowledgement statement, no public posting of quill (remember USMA form 2-2?), erosion of the 4th class (or any class system) into something resembling a "boys school," etc. etc.

• In my opinion there is a single thing lacking which has been greatly detrimental to the quality of our current graduate. I was once told during my training at USMA (1953-1957) “The finest steel must go thru the hottest fire.” It seems to us that the hot fire has been replaced by an attitude of physical accommodation. In other words, over the years we have slipped into a mode of making our cadets comfortable in lieu of marching them thru that “hottest fire” that makes me proud to wear the West Point Ring and know that I am part of that Long Gray Line. The quality of the individual being admitted is increasingly better each year, however in late 1989 to present day I have observed a product that may not be of the fiber to be tested in the “hottest fire.”

• I do not support what appears to some to be the elimination of a Fourth Class System. The plebe year should be difficult (in ways other than academic) to ensure that each plebe has the requisite motivation required to be a commissioned officer and a West Point graduate.

• The dramatic way that plebe year has changed in the last several yrs (I'm a '91 grad). It is NOT the same place it used to be, and many grads are very mad and apathetic (look at recent grads financial contributions!) Basic training soldiers now face a more physically and mentally rigorous program than do Academy grads (no yelling at plebes??!! haven't they seen basic training??!!). This is a sad commentary indeed.

• Honor code looks to be in trouble (which all classes say after they leave; it should stand as an uncompromised rock w/o political meddling)

• Rather concerned about the "kinder, gentler approach" to cadet life and Army responsibilities. We need tough leaders who don’t get squeamish when bullets fly. Forget politically correct and train officers to lead soldiers IN COMBAT. That is the purpose that USMA exists for.

• Just like every “old grad,” I'm fearful that the disciplinary standards and sense of "toughness" are degrading.

• Fourth class system has disappeared—Spartan attitude is gone

• Application of the honor code. My impression from is that expectations (in military and civilian world) of 18 and 19 year olds today regarding honor is low; that going through college without lying, cheating or stealing is just no longer achievable. I consider this BS. Our military academies need to maintain the standard when it comes to honor—it’s really what separates us from the rest of the colleges around the country.

[imenuru]

Guys, you seem to have missed the "No girls in the clubhouse" tradition. And your post was anonymous.

Bring back bracing? Are you @#$% nuts?!!!!! I and many other grads have permanent nerve damage in our necks at least in part due to bracing. I couldn't wear a steel pot or kevlar helmet for most of my Army career for more than five or ten minutes as a result. That's real great preparation for combat.

And a black and white Honor Code? I had at least two classmates who turned themselves in for very minor infractions which got them no advantage at all, and each was gone the next day because they actually followed the Honor Code. A stayback would have made more sense in both cases, and the Army and West Point would have been the better for it.

At least one tradition lives on. We used to laugh at old grads who would come around and cry how the Corps had gone to hell when we knew better. It's no different today.

Bill Marriott '68

[Infidel]

I am a recent minority USMA grad commissioned in Armor. I have not deployed yet, but anticipate doing so within approximately the next year or so.

While the authors of this paper have a few good points (I am all for heightened PT standards and truly equal standards for all cadets regardless of gender, ethnicity, etc), there are so many falsehoods and misleading statements within that it is impossible to take seriously; its alarmist tone and haughty, holier than thou attitude certainly doesn’t help either. I am greatly appalled that so many Old Grads have been so quick to blindly accept the allegations without further investigation or serious thought of their own. So much for that whole diversity thing. Frankly, it’s almost as if the authors created this document to really further serve their own agenda, to somehow recreate some military academy utopia that never existed to begin with (“We do not believe that these are only recent developments, as we witnessed the same problems when we were Plebes. In effect, we believe that we were cheated”), instead of aiming to truly improve our Alma Mater. I’m inclined to agree with Mr. Smith about the whole “Christian conservatives” and “White, Christian Infantry officers” bit.. The blind obsession with “traditional American values,” Ranger School, and vehement opposition to “political correctness,” are certainly proof of that.

Anyone who has graduated from USMA within the last 3 years or so knows that many of the contentions listed (regarding table duties, TVs in cadet rooms, yelling at plebes, etc etc) are simply laughable at best and have no basis in reality.

I would argue that most of the problems at the Academy today are due to Corps Squaders’ collective lax attitudes+standards/favored status, widespread upper-class indifference/apathy (attributable to low morale), and low physical standards (mostly regarding the 2 mile run). I seriously doubt that forcing all plebes to shave their heads for a whole year, announcing that there are “2 and a butt servings of stromboli” left at the table, instituting more mandatory dinners, or requiring plebes to wear their extremely “sharp” Dress Gray uniforms during leave to “help USMA’s recruiting” are going to fundamentally address any of these problems.

Lastly, and most importantly, where is the evidence to support these claims??? Where is the evidence of sub par performance by recent USMA graduates in combat in Afghanistan, Iraq, or elsewhere, especially compared to OCS or ROTC graduates?? Could it be that this evidence is simply nonexistent?? The only “evidence” the authors present in support of their bogus allegations is a nonscientific internet survey that dates from 1997 (some notables being complaints about USMA grads receiving Reserve commissions and opposition to the presence of females in the Corps, for example), clearly outdated and irrelevant. Judging from these disturbing comments, a significant lot of the old grads who responded seem to be just as close-minded and arrogant as the authors.

There will always be people who slip through the cracks and somehow still graduate, it is inevitable in an institution as large and prestigious as ours whose admissions system depends on politicians. However, the failures of a few should not condemn the majority to also being designated as similarly incompetent and worthless.

I am sick and tired of “Old Grads” complaining about how this and that at the Academy is different from the time that they were cadets there. Recent West Point grads have had to accomplish a full spectrum of demanding missions in operational environment unlike any other that we as a nation have ever experienced in wartime. In addition, they and their Soldiers have had to endure repeated and excessively prolonged deployments and separation from their loved ones. It is time to give them our full and wholehearted support instead of belittling their efforts as cadets and junior officers and proclaiming them unworthy of leading Soldiers in our fine Army, when the vast majority have already done and continue to do so around the world.

[SDC]

Unfortunately the majority of this letter is in the right context. The changes in WP during the last ten years validate the statements...having been a TAC there in 99...the only time in my 20 years where I considered retirment. I don't wear my ring any more because of that immoral and cadet protective experience. When was the last time WP reached out to the field for comments? Trend lines and expectations? Not in my 20 years of MTOE units. As a sitting battalion commander in Afghanistan, there is no difference between a ROTC, OCS and USMA graduate....West Point has lost that distiction. The amount of money to train a cadet at the Academy vs ROTC is outrageous and the product is no different. The Academy needs to get back to the roots on which it was founded....discipline, academics and athletics.

[hajster]

Here's an interesting story from NPR radio today about how everyone is complaining that the Academy at Annapolis is being turned into a military school (need sound for the radio feed)...

www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=19157811