I remember the morning of September 11 distinctly. It was a Tuesday. It was bright and sunny. Our professor wheeled a television into our computer science classroom. As soon as we saw another plane crash into the second tower, we knew that America was under attack.
It was a defining moment for our nation and for me. I was in my first year at West Point, and from that moment on, my classmates and I knew we would spend the rest of our time at the United States Military Academy preparing for war.
But what made it personal was learning that the terrorists used the Hudson River to navigate their way to New York, essentially flying over West Point.
Everyone handled the attacks differently. West Point held a special vigil for the victims of 9/11. Traditionally, a Taps vigil is reserved for a cadet who dies while at West Point. This time, the administration opened the candlelight vigil to the public for the first time. I was struck by a group of active-duty instructors who defied orders and left after class each day to search for survivors in the rubble. I couldn’t go with them, so I coped by working. I wanted to learn everything I could so that when I finally confronted the terrorists responsible, there would be no question about who would win that fight. I remember writing to my family on AOL Messenger that very night, “The hand of American justice will be swift — America’s resolve is steadfast.”
Most Americans made a vow after 9/11 to never forget, but the truth is, we can’t forget. The images of the Pentagon on fire, of people jumping from the Twin Towers, of dust filling Manhattan after the towers came crashing down, of hero firefighters on top of the rubble, and of the American flag flying over it all are seared into our minds. They aren’t just memories; they have fundamentally shaped who we are and how we see the world.
In 2005, the year we graduated, Time Magazine featured our class. They called us the class of 9/11. And as if by Providence, we graduated with exactly 911 cadets. Time’s article got many things right, but it wasn’t the whole story. Parading across the Plain on graduation morning was only the beginning. The real story began once we deployed to war.
Fortunately, while at West Point, many of our instructors cycled through active combat roles in between teaching. This, along with the creation of the Combating Terrorism Center, gave us a taste of what we’d be up against. As one instructor who had just come back from the battlefield told Time, “What these cadets don’t know is that I’m secretly teaching Iraq every second of every day.” That real-world instruction proved invaluable once we reached the battlefield.
I was honored to serve with many of my West Point classmates during the 2008 surge into Iraq and beyond. We all learned what it means to be soldiers and then what it means to be leaders.
Five years into my service, I joined the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR). Our mission was to go after high-value terrorist targets in Afghanistan. One mission stands out. We were going after a high-level terrorist in northeastern Afghanistan near the Pakistan border. I was the air mission commander and part of a flight of MH-47s. As we entered a valley to extract the ground force, I had a feeling that something wasn’t right. Suddenly, an RPG struck our refueling probe. By the grace of God, it didn&#8217;t explode. My crew immediately did exactly what they had been trained to do. They engaged the enemy, communicated with the supporting aircraft, and helped get the situation under control. We had a split second to decide what to do next, and chose an alternate route over the mountain and out of the valley. This mission was formative. It taught me how important it is to have a team you can trust. None of us would be here today if even one of us hadn’t done our job. That is a lesson West Point teaches, but it&#8217;s not something you can truly understand until you’re on the battlefield.
I’ve been asked since the fall of Afghanistan if the war was worth it. That’s complicated, but ultimately, my answer is yes. While watching the Taliban invade Kabul and then parade through the streets with the same U.S. military equipment we used to fight them was uniquely painful, I am still confident that we did good in Afghanistan. After watching those towers fall, none of us could rest until Osama bin Laden was found and his network destroyed — and that’s exactly what we did in Afghanistan.
From the moment I took my affirmation oath at West Point to my last flight in Afghanistan, nothing mattered more to me than the mission. I was raised by a Vietnam veteran who sacrificed his health, and ultimately his life due to Agent Orange, for this country. For 10 years, the only thing that mattered was finding and disrupting terrorist networks. Before 9/11, my West Point class picked a motto: “Class of 2005, Keeping Freedom Alive.” My classmates and I lived that motto during Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
That being said, I’m not blind to the sacrifices the War on Terror required — and still requires today. One cadet told Time magazine that he majored in economics because it&#8217;s a marketable skill. He went on to say, “Hopefully, I’ll be alive to use them.” My West Point classmates and I had stood in our mess hall in silent attention over 20 times since September 11 to commemorate the death of a fallen graduate. This prepared us more than anything for the sacrifice required of us. Yet after graduation, things became even more real. Some of the bravest men and women I studied and trained with at West Point did not survive the War on Terror, and many of those who did survive carried mental, emotional, and physical scars.
This year, as we commemorate the 25th anniversary of that September day, I can’t help but think back to my time at West Point and the message I sent to my family that night about American resolve. We need that resolve now more than ever. September 11 taught us that terrorism is not contained to one country or one region. Today, “Keeping Freedom Alive” is more than just a motto; it is a solemn responsibility for every American and one we must pass on to the next generation. 
*** 
Congressman Matt Van Epps is a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District. After graduating from West Point, he served 10 years on active duty, including nine combat tours as an Army aviator, deploying to Iraq and Afghanistan and flying the AH-64D Apache and MH-47G Chinook with the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. He continues to serve in the Tennessee Army National Guard and brings his military, public-sector, and private-sector experience to Congress, where he serves on the House Committee on Homeland Security as well as the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.

West Point Class of 2005 Prepare for Parade Review

Twenty-Five Years Later, My 9/11 West Point Class Still Keeps Freedom Alive

afghanistan

matt van epps

opinion

september 11 attacks

war on terror

west point

In a stirring, emotional and inspiring commencement speech at West Point, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth perfectly articulated the warrior’s credo for the graduates while he devastated the woke ideology that had permeated the military in recent years.
“On a day like today, there&#8217;s no better way to start than with a word from Scripture,” he began. “And on a day as special as this, for the 998 great Americans of this class, there&#8217;s no more fitting verse than from Isaiah 6:8:
<blockquote>Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said. “Here I am. Send me.”</blockquote>
“Many of you, even in your short time in uniform, have endured what I call the slow slide of the U. S. Army,” Hegseth recalled. “You&#8217;ve seen standards lowered. You&#8217;ve seen an obsession with race and gender. You&#8217;ve seen the watering down of discipline, codes weakened and traditions tossed aside in the name of political correctness. Statues taken down, paintings placed in the basement.”
“I&#8217;m here to tell you the slow slide here at West Point and across the United States Army is over,” he declared. “Political leaders with ideological agendas and weak military leaders who were just looking to curry favor for the next star allowed our cherished army to slide off our true north. But you, our warriors, will snap it back. You are the future. Others may have allowed it to slide away. You will not. You will restore our army. And I will empower you to do it.”
“The single dumbest phrase in military history was peddled in our army only a few short years ago,” he continued. “You&#8217;ve all heard it, maybe in your first two years at West Point: ‘Our diversity is our strength.’”
“The single dumbest phrase in military history,” he stated. “We had generals saying this with a straight face on national television. It was absolute nonsense. Now, these sorts of silly things can be laughed at when they occur in a civilian lounge or civilian faculty lounge or debated in graduate seminars. But they cannot be tolerated in our formations. These ideas are what get people killed. Diversity is not our strength. Unity is our strength.”
“When you&#8217;re out there in your formations as platoon leaders at the tip of the spear,” he said, “You will not compromise; you will not seek color, and you will not try to meet arbitrary quotas based on immutable characteristics. You do not have time to celebrate identity months. And you will not make excuses for yourselves and you will not accept excuses from others. You will lead. That&#8217;s what this academy has trained you to do, to lead us.”
“There&#8217;s no substitute for preparation ever,” he said. “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong. Plan for recovery, resupply, alternate communications, rehearse and refine.”
He turned to his own personal history to illustrate his point:
<blockquote>The first air assault I ever did, leading a platoon in Baghdad in the middle of the night on an al-Qaeda objective, we had 36 hours to prepare, and I spent every minute of those 36 hours preparing. It paid off. Because when the pilots dropped us a few hundred meters in the wrong spot in the middle of a mud field and the GPS didn&#8217;t work, there was one man that platoon was looking at. It was me. And because I&#8217;d done every map recon, every satellite imagery recon, every recon I could, I had a general sense of where we were and could orient at that moment in the right direction. 
If I had not prepared, they would have looked at me and I would have looked right back at them. And nothing I did was perfect. Nothing you&#8217;ll do will be perfect, but at least you can prepare. Always be the most prepared member in your unit.  Be decisive and be aggressive. Pick a course of action and carry it through until you have a point to reassess. Second guessing. Set the example and display courage. Both physically and morally to make the tough calls, especially when it&#8217;s not popular. It doesn&#8217;t mean you won&#8217;t be afraid. But it means you will be prepared to push through it. Know the purpose of your mission and explain it to your soldiers.</blockquote>
“My job is easy,” he said. “Your job is hard. Your job is to forge a team of American soldiers who will stand tall, not back down, look the enemy in the eye, and whisper, ‘Send us.’ You are in the profession of arms. You feel comfortable inside the violence, so that our fellow citizens can live peacefully. Lethality is your calling card, and victory our only acceptable end state.”
“My seven kids are here with me today,” he noted. “My wife, Janie, and I brought them. Our oldest is 15 years old. He may. look at attending West Point one day. Or heaven forbid, the Naval Academy,” he joked. “Who knows? We have five boys and two girls, all Americans, all children of God. I don&#8217;t know what path God will choose for them. And I know that I&#8217;ll fiercely love them no matter what they do. But I can tell you this, nothing in the world would make me prouder than to hear one of them stand up and proclaim, ‘Send me.’”
“We live in a culture of clickbait and rage bait and vapid social media and celebrity gossip,” he said. “In a world like that, it&#8217;s really easy to get distracted and lost. And no matter what my kids end up choosing, I pray like this audience: they choose substance. I pray they choose service. And I pray they choose purpose. &#8216;Send me&#8217; is the timeless, selfless call to service. It&#8217;s the craving to serve something greater than yourself.”
<iframe loading="lazy" title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tuzJPVrW-DQ?si=3hdpuujMjtFpSHZS" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>

DOW Secretary Hegseth Addresses Graduates At West Point Commencement

Hegseth’s Challenge To West Point Cadets Will Bring Patriots To Their Feet

pete hegseth

Under War Secretary Pete Hegseth, America’s military is rediscovering its true mission of forging warriors, not social justice activists. He’s already purged divisive DEI and race-based admissions policies from our elite service academies, but one seemingly benign obstacle remains: academic accreditation. And like the wall on the training course, it must be overcome.
From West Point to the Air Force Academy, all five military service academies are accredited by a handful of private, unaccountable agencies with enormous influence over higher education. Unless the academies adopt these gatekeepers’ standards, their degrees may not be recognized when graduates pursue advanced degrees at civilian universities. That gives a handful of unelected, pro-DEI activists control over curriculum at schools founded to produce warfighters, including my alma mater, West Point.
That’s a serious problem.
West Point, established by Thomas Jefferson in 1802, along with the Naval Academy and the Merchant Marine Academy, are all accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, which <a href="https://www.msche.org/standards/fourteenth-edition/">lists</a> “reflection on diversity, equity, and inclusion” among its “guiding principles.” That includes applying DEI to admissions targets, student assessments, and curriculum design. 
Never mind that the Supreme Court ruled race-based admissions unconstitutional in 2023, the commission insists that DEI reflection should “address disparate impacts on an increasingly diverse student population if discovered.” Its leadership reflects this far-left agenda, including commission president Heather Perfetti, a <a href="https://www.msche.org/president/">DEI champion</a>, and board members like Valerie Lehr, a professor of “LGBTQ politics” and author of Queer Family Values.
The Coast Guard Academy is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education, whose standards also reference DEI <a href="https://www.neche.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Standards-for-Accreditation-2021.pdf">at least five times</a>. While the commission is reportedly considering ditching DEI in October, it remains under the control of a <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2013/01/10/169037364/300-college-presidents-call-for-guns-to-be-banned-on-campuses-other-steps">gun control extremist</a> who urged the Obama administration to ban “military-style assault weapons” and has praised the children of illegal aliens as embodiments of “<a href="https://www.ajc.com/news/opinion/opinion-dreamer-collegians-embody-america-promise/2PfaNiACsrc1EKNVTsWCNL/">America’s promise</a>.”
The same holds true for many of the military’s <a href="https://www.restorethemilitary.com/professional-military-education/">Professional Military Education institutions</a>, full of leftist ideologues and subject to the same diversity accreditation mandates.
It’s bad enough that these commissions push radical ideologies on civilian universities. But America cannot afford to waste resources indoctrinating the next generation of military officers, especially as <a href="https://restoration-news.com/is-america-prepared-for-a-war-with-china">China poses a rising threat</a>.
The military’s biggest problem isn’t meeting diversity quotas; it’s restoring a warrior ethos to military culture. For decades, political mandates imposed by Democratic presidents undermined unit cohesion and combat readiness, while leaving the U.S. military dependent on foreign manufacturing to supply critical equipment. 
The organization I lead, Restoration of America, has laid out a blueprint for reenvisioning the military at <a href="https://www.restorethemilitary.com/">RestoretheMilitary.com</a>. It includes legislative solutions for reforming our service academies.
Fortunately, President Trump is turning things around. Under his direction, the War Department is reinstating physical fitness standards. He’s also removing woke senior officers, such as Merchant Marine Academy Superintendent Joanne Nunan, an <a href="https://restoration-news.com/exclusive-service-academy-s-woke-leadership-removed">anti-Christian bigot</a> he fired in June. In July, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll <a href="https://restoration-news.com/west-point-leadership-thumbs-its-nose-at-the-trump-administration">blocked</a> the West Point superintendent from hiring Biden’s “disinformation” czar to head the Social Studies Department.
These are major victories that should be celebrated, but we cannot rest on our laurels.
The next logical step is removing all outside influence over academy curricula by withdrawing the academies from these accreditors. The service academies should either be accredited by a new War Department accrediting body or accreditation should be eliminated altogether. Accreditation exists to prevent fraudsters from issuing worthless degrees from a phony “college,” and to ensure that students know the basics.
West Point, Annapolis, and the others have nothing to prove. They’ve demonstrated their excellence on the battlefield, time and again. It’s time to let them make warriors, not quotas.
* * *
Doug Truax is a West Point graduate, former 4th Infantry Division Army Captain, Ranger, and successful entrepreneur. He is the volunteer, unpaid founder, and CEO of <a href="http://www.restorationofamerica.com">Restoration of America</a>.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
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Washington DC Celebrates Army’s 250th Anniversary With Parade And Festivities

Social Justice Warriors Shouldn’t Control West Point

Social Justice Warriors Shouldn't Control West Point

Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI)

Leftists

lgbtq

Social Justice

U.S. Military

woke culture

President Donald Trump took a moment on Monday to cheer the cancellation of a planned award ceremony for Academy Award-winning actor and director Tom Hanks, saying that it was a step in the right direction for the United States Military Academy to step away from granting awards to “destructive, WOKE recipients.”
Trump touted the move in a post shared first on his Truth Social platform, where he also ripped into the Academy Awards and suggested that the annual award show broadcasts would likely achieve better ratings if they steered clear of woke culture as well.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<a href="https://t.co/AUolU9INeB">pic.twitter.com/AUolU9INeB</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1965035149835534800?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 8, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
“Our great West Point (getting greater all the time!) has smartly cancelled the Award Ceremony for actor Tom Hanks. Important move!” Trump crowed. “We don’t need destructive, WOKE recipients getting our cherished American Awards!!! Hopefully the Academy Awards, and other Fake Award Shows, will review their Standards and Practices in the name of Fairness and Justice. Watch their DEAD RATINGS SURGE!”
The ceremony, which was set to take place on September 25, was supposed to honor Hanks with the prestigious Sylvanus Thayer Award — given to an “outstanding citizen” based on their commitment to upholding the standards put forth by West Point: Duty, Honor, Country.
As <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/09/06/tom-hanks-west-point/">reported</a> Saturday by The Washington Post, Army Col. (Ret.) Mark Bieger announced the ceremony’s cancellation in an email to faculty on Friday, saying, “This decision allows the Academy to continue its focus on its core mission of preparing cadets to lead, fight, and win as officers in the world’s most lethal force, the United States Army.”
The West Point Association of Graduates (WPAOG) announced that Hanks was to receive the award in June. At the time, WPAOG Board Chairman Robert A. McDonald, Class of 1975, said of the actor, “Tom Hanks has done more for the positive portrayal of the American service member, more for the caring of the American veteran, their caregivers and their family, and more for the American space program and all branches of government than many other Americans.”
Hanks, at the time, responded, “To have my first ever visit to the Academy be to accept such an honor as the Thayer Award is simply astounding. West Point’s legacy of leadership, character, and service to the nation is a powerful example for all Americans. To be recognized by an institution whose graduates have shaped our country’s history through selfless service is both humbling and meaningful.”
The actor has not yet responded to the news that the ceremony has been canceled, and it was unclear in the initial reports whether Hanks might still receive the award at a different time. Previous Thayer Award recipients include former President Barack Obama (2024), former President George W. Bush (2017), actor Gary Sinise (2015), former President Ronald Reagan (1989), and famed World War II Army aviator James Doolittle (1983), among others.

Tom Hanks

‘Important Move!’: Trump Crows As West Point Axes Award Ceremony For ‘Woke’ Tom Hanks

'Important Move!': Trump Crows As West Point Axes Award Ceremony For 'Woke' Tom Hanks

donald trump

Executive

Military

politics

A sophomore football player at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point joined his father in heroically rescuing a man from a burning car just before it became engulfed in flames.
The courageous actions of Army football safety Larry Pickett Jr. and his father Larry Pickett Sr. were caught on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/larry.pickett/videos/629538596878829/?rdid=o63wxWrD2P38qCi2">video</a> as they seized the driver of the car — which was near downed power lines — and carried him away.
“At one point, a woman could be heard screaming: ‘Larry! Come on! Come on! Get him out!’” <a href="https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/46127559/army-football-player-larry-pickett-jr-rescues-man-burning-vehicle">ESPN</a> reported.
The car smashed into a utility pole in Fort Montgomery, New York, roughly four miles from West Point on Sunday. Pickett Jr. was driving back to the West Point campus with his dad and his sister, Lauren, after having dinner in Manhattan. Lauren took the video of her brother and father pulling the man to safety.
&#8220;Just after Midnight, I watched in awe as my son, Larry Pickett Jr., ran toward a burning vehicle, ignoring the downed power lines crackling around it,&#8221; Pickett Sr. wrote on Facebook. &#8220;With immense courage, he pulled a man to safety, saving him from a fiery fate.&#8221;
&#8220;There was no discussion. My son just jumped right into action,&#8221; Larry Pickett Sr. told <a href="https://abc11.com/post/former-enloe-current-army-football-player-saves-man-burning-car/17705965/">WTVD-TV</a>. &#8220;He mentioned his military training kicked in, and we pulled him out. He took care of him on the side of the road until the police officers got there. And then the fire department got there shortly after.&#8221;
“It&#8217;s just amazing to see him in action. And it&#8217;s just not surprising because we&#8217;ve watched him his whole life do amazing things,” he added.
“We&#8217;re proud of the heroic actions taken Saturday night by Cadet Larry Pickett Jr, a second-year cadet &amp;  @ArmyWP_Football  player, &amp; his father who are seen pulling a driver to safety in a video online taken by the family. Their actions are the embodiment of the @USArmy  Values,” the U.S. Military Academy wrote on X.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
We&#8217;re proud of the heroic actions taken Saturday night by Cadet Larry Pickett Jr, a second-year cadet &amp; <a href="https://twitter.com/ArmyWP_Football?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ArmyWP_Football</a> player, &amp; his father who are seen pulling a driver to safety in a video online taken by the family. Their actions are the embodiment of the <a href="https://twitter.com/USArmy?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@USArmy</a> Values. <a href="https://t.co/dlccTMwonT">pic.twitter.com/dlccTMwonT</a>
— U.S. Military Academy at West Point (@WestPoint_USMA) <a href="https://twitter.com/WestPoint_USMA/status/1962338537719706087?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 1, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Army Athletic Director Tom Theodorakis echoed, “This is exactly what we strive to develop at  @WestPoint_USMA &amp; @GoArmyWestPoint — leadership, courage, and selfless service. Cadet Larry Pickett Jr. and his father exemplify the values we hold dear, stepping up in a moment of crisis to save a life. Proud to see these traits in action, on and off the fields of friendly strife. Count the brave.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
This is exactly what we strive to develop at <a href="https://twitter.com/WestPoint_USMA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@WestPoint_USMA</a> &amp; <a href="https://twitter.com/GoArmyWestPoint?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GoArmyWestPoint</a> &#8211; leadership, courage, and selfless service.
Cadet Larry Pickett Jr. and his father exemplify the values we hold dear, stepping up in a moment of crisis to save a life. Proud to see these traits in… <a href="https://t.co/6IyMefpkkp">https://t.co/6IyMefpkkp</a>
— Tom Theodorakis (@TT_Army_AD) <a href="https://twitter.com/TT_Army_AD/status/1962485812013961623?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 1, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Larry Pickett Jr

HERO: Army Football Player Rescues Stranger From Burning Car

college football

Rescue

U.S.

Two more military academies agreed to permanently end race-based admissions, the Justice Department announced Tuesday.
In a new settlement, the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and the Air Force Academy will abandon DEI in favor of merit, Attorney General Pam Bondi <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-settles-lawsuits-challenging-race-based-admissions-west-point-and-air">said</a>. The settlement will lead to the dismissal of two lawsuits against the academies brought by the group Students for Fair Admissions.
“This Department is committed to eliminating DEI practices throughout the federal government,” Bondi said. “We are proud to partner with the Department of Defense to permanently end race-based admissions at West Point and the Air Force Academy — admission to these prestigious military institutions should be based exclusively on merit.”
Students for Fair Admission, the group whose suit led to the end of affirmative action at universities across the country, argued that race-based admissions policies at the military academies violated the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution.
The terms of agreement in the settlement stipulate that merit will be the only factor leading to admission at either West Point or the Air Force Academy.
“America is the land of equal opportunity, in spirit and in law,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton for the Southern District of New York. “Today’s agreement ensures that our future military leaders will carry on the greatness that is born of opportunity, effort, and a level playing field.”
Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon also praised the settlement.
“Congrats to our [DOJ Civil] Division for their hard work in restoring merit-based admissions to some of our top military academies!” she posted on X.
In June, a similar settlement <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/naval-academy-promises-to-permanently-end-race-based-admissions">was announced</a> between Students for Fair Admissions and the U.S. Naval Academy.
That came after President Donald Trump signed an <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/restoring-americas-fighting-force/">executive order</a> on January 27 that said that no one within the military should be given any advantage based on gender or race.
“Unfortunately, in recent years civilian and uniformed leadership alike have implemented Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs and their attendant race and sex preferences within the Armed Forces,” Trump wrote in an executive order. “These actions undermine leadership, merit, and unit cohesion, thereby eroding lethality and force readiness.  They also violate Americans’ consciences by engaging in invidious race and sex discrimination.”

Two More Military Academies Agree To ‘Permanently’ Drop Race-Based Admissions

Affirmative Action

Air Force

department of justice

President Donald Trump was met with countless rounds of applause during his keynote commencement address at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point on Saturday.
During the address, Trump touted the &#8220;Golden Age of America,&#8221; told the graduates to be proud of their accomplishments, and highlighted numerous cadets for their standout achievements.
“You are winners, every single one of you,” Trump said during the address. “You are the first West Point graduates of the Golden Age of America.”
&#8220;We’re getting rid of the distractions and focusing our military on its core mission: crushing America’s adversaries, killing America’s enemies, and defending our great American flag,” Trump continued, <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/05/24/us-news/trump-rips-prior-presidents-vows-military-will-be-respected-again-in-west-point-graduation-speech-touting-golden-age-priorities/?utm_campaign=nypost&amp;utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_medium=social" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to the New York Post.
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“The job of the U.S. armed forces is not to host drag shows, to transform foreign cultures, or to spread democracy to everybody around the world at the point of the gun. The military’s job is to dominate any foe and annihilate any threat to America anywhere, anytime, and anyplace,&#8221; he said.
“My preference always will be to make peace and seek partnership, even with countries with which our differences may be profound,” Trump added.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
<a href="https://t.co/5tN9l40W83">https://t.co/5tN9l40W83</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> at West Point:
“This is a day you will never forget.”
He’s right. 
Because under President Trump, the forgotten warriors are finally remembered. 
The military is being rebuilt. 
And West Point stands tall again — not as a woke experiment, but as a…
— TOMMYTATUMNEWS (@BenKaxton) <a href="https://twitter.com/BenKaxton/status/1926284210051895376?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 24, 2025</a></blockquote>
Trump brought up numerous graduates to the stage during the address, including one young man who broke an international record by 13 minutes with his 18-mile march time.
&#8220;Where is he? Where is he? Come up here &#8212; come up here, Chris!&#8221; Trump shouted, eliciting loud cheers from the audience. When Trump told him to say something to the crowd, the cadet smiled and told the audience, &#8220;It&#8217;s been a long five years, but I couldn&#8217;t have done it without any of these guys.&#8221;
<div id="attachment_925069" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-925069" class="wp-image-925069 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-24-at-11.27.03-AM-1024x568.png" alt="" width="1024" height="568" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-24-at-11.27.03-AM-1024x568.png 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-24-at-11.27.03-AM-300x166.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-24-at-11.27.03-AM-768x426.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-24-at-11.27.03-AM-1536x852.png 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-24-at-11.27.03-AM.png 1640w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Screenshot: C-Span</div>
Trump also highlighted eight cadets who &#8220;took on the challenge of designing their own hypersonic rocket.&#8221;
&#8220;Oh, we can use you,&#8221; Trump said to laughs from the audience. &#8220;We&#8217;re building them right now! &#8230; We are the designer of it, we had it stolen during the Obama administration. You know who stole it? The Russians stole it.&#8221;
Throughout the commencement address, Trump touched on politics. For example, the president referenced the Democrats&#8217; lawfare campaign against him after he left office in 2016.
Trump said he was investigated more than mobster Al Capone. &#8220;Can you believe it? And now I&#8217;m president talking to you,&#8221; he said to loud applause.
WATCH:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hyULwVCcgJw?si=dJ2NesEguSLVuLIm&amp;start=1451" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/fire-everyone-in-charge-conservatives-blast-west-point-over-false-pete-hegseth-claim?author=Amanda+Prestigiacomo&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=‘Fire+Everyone+In+Charge’%3A+Conservatives+Blast+West+Point+Over+False+Pete+Hegseth+Claim" target="_blank" rel="noopener">‘Fire Everyone In Charge’: Conservatives Blast West Point Over False Pete Hegseth Claim</a>

President Trump Speaks At West Point Commencement Ceremony

‘Golden Age Of America’: Trump Brings Down The House During West Point Commencement Speech

'Golden Age Of America': Trump Brings Down The House During West Point Commencement Speech

Graduation

President Donald Trump announced on Monday night that he will deliver the commencement addresses at the University of Alabama and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
Trump will address graduating cadets at West Point for the second time after delivering the commencement address there in June of 2020 during the COVID pandemic. The speech at Alabama will be his first commencement address at the university.
&#8220;I have agreed to do the Commencement Address at two really GREAT places, the University of Alabama and, WEST POINT. Stay tuned for times and dates!!!&#8221; Trump wrote on social media.
Alabama&#8217;s commencement ceremonies will <a href="https://commencement.ua.edu/#:~:text=COMMENCEMENT%20AT%20UA,May%204th%20at%20Coleman%20Coliseum." target="_blank" rel="noopener">take place</a> at the Coleman Coliseum from Friday, May 2, through Sunday, May 4. West Point&#8217;s graduation ceremony is scheduled for May 24.
&#8220;Thrilled @POTUS will deliver the 2025 commencement address at the University of Alabama. What a tremendous honor for my alma mater,&#8221; <a href="https://x.com/SenKatieBritt/status/1914638177433772214" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL). &#8220;Looking forward to a historic occasion for graduates and their families. Roll Tide!&#8221;
Trump has made multiple trips to the University of Alabama in recent years. During his 2024 presidential campaign, Trump traveled to Tuscaloosa to attend the Alabama vs. Georgia football game, and during his first term as president, he was at the Alabama vs. LSU game.
West Point grads are usually <a href="https://www.westpoint.edu/about/traditions/graduation/usma-commencement-speakers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">addressed</a> by the commander-in-chief, vice president, or other sitting U.S. leaders. Last year, then-President Joe Biden delivered the commencement address at West Point, and in 2023, Vice President Kamala Harris addressed the graduating class. Former President Barack Obama delivered the commencement address at West Point twice while in office, as did former Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton.
During his 2020 address at West Point, Trump emphasized the importance of the academy and the sacrifices and contributions its graduates made for the country.
&#8220;Every graduate on this field could have gone to virtually any top-ranked university that you wanted,&#8221; Trump <a href="https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-president-trump-2020-united-states-military-academy-west-point-graduation-ceremony/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> during his 2020 address. &#8220;You chose to devote your life to the defense of America. You came to West Point because you know the truth: America is the greatest country in human history, and the United States Military is the greatest force for peace and justice the world has ever known.&#8221;

Donald Trump

Trump To Deliver Commencement Addresses At ‘Two Really Great Places’

Commencement

education

university of alabama

President Donald Trump hit the ground running on Monday morning, announcing early in the day that he had ordered the &#8220;immediate dismissal&#8221; of the Board of Visitors for all three major service academies: the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York; the Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland; and the Air Force Academy near Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Trump delivered the news directly to the public via his social media platform Truth Social, saying that he planned to help make the American military stronger by appointing all new board members who shared Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth&#8217;s vision for a military free of &#8220;Woke Leftist ideologues.&#8221;
The Board of Visitors functions similarly to an advisory board.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
🚨 <a href="https://t.co/DJIMVPmo0t">pic.twitter.com/DJIMVPmo0t</a>
&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1888955801454231969?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 10, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;Our service academies have been infiltrated by Woke Leftist Ideologues over the last four years,&#8221; Trump posted. &#8220;I have ordered the immediate dismissal of the Board of Visitors for the Army, Air Force, Navy, and Coast Guard.&#8221;
&#8220;We will have the strongest Military in History, and that begins by appointing new individuals to these Boards. We must make the Military Academies GREAT AGAIN!&#8221; Trump&#8217;s statement concluded.
Trump&#8217;s announcement comes just 24 hours after a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/pete-hegseth-social-justice-and-dei-are-out-at-military-academies" target="_blank" rel="noopener">similar one from Hegseth</a>, who said that he&#8217;d already met with leadership at the service academies and was pleased with the progress they&#8217;d made thus far in excising Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs from the academies.
&#8220;Last week, I met with the leadership of @westpoint_USMA, @navalacademy and @af_academy,&#8221; Hegseth said in his post to X. &#8220;My message was simple: stick to leadership, standards, excellence, war fighting, and readiness. These are MILITARY ACADEMIES, not civilian universities.&#8221;
&#8220;I was impressed by the changes already underway and look forward to visiting each institution. Social Justice and DEI are OUT; History, Engineering, and War Studies are IN,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;We must restore the warrior ethos to the @deptofdefense — and it starts with our future leaders.&#8221;
Hegseth has been very clear — since long before he was confirmed to his new post — that one of his top priorities would be ridding the military of DEI programs and initiatives, restoring the Warrior Ethos, and making the American military the strong and lethal fighting force that it has been in the past.

President Trump Meets With Visiting Israeli PM Netanyahu At The White House

Trump Orders ‘Immediate Dismissal’ Of Military Academy Boards

Trump Orders 'Immediate Dismissal' Of Military Academy Boards

Naval Academy

Conservatives railed against the U.S. Military Academy at West Point on Wednesday, after it was reported that the academy told a left-wing journalist that Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Defense, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/pete-hegseth" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pete Hegseth</a>, was never accepted into the school, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/pete-hegseth-scoops-apparent-media-hit-piece-about-west-point-heres-my-letter-of-acceptance" target="_blank" rel="noopener">which is false</a>.
As reported by <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/pete-hegseth-scoops-apparent-media-hit-piece-about-west-point-heres-my-letter-of-acceptance" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Daily Wire</a>, Hegseth scooped ProPublica, which was preparing to publish a story about Hegseth supposedly lying about getting into West Point. After Hegseth posted a photo of his acceptance letter, ProPublica said West Point&#8217;s public relations office told them twice on the record that Hegseth never even applied to the academy. However, after Hegseth sent the outlet his acceptance letter, ProPublica ignored the story.
Quickly, some online questioned why ProPublica didn&#8217;t publish the story about West Point giving them false information. West Point was also criticized for what the academy called an &#8220;error.&#8221;
&#8220;Officials at the U.S. Military Academy should not be feeding lies to left-wing reporters about President Trump’s nominees,&#8221; Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) posted. &#8220;West Point needs to thoroughly investigate this egregiously bad judgement and potential violation of the Privacy Act immediately.&#8221;
Cotton published a photo of a letter he sent to West Point Superintendent <span class="c5aZPb" role="button" data-enable-toggle-animation="true" data-extra-container-classes="ZLo7Eb" data-hover-hide-delay="1000" data-hover-open-delay="500" data-send-open-event="true" data-theme="0" data-width="250" data-ved="2ahUKEwis8Oaa2KCKAxUG78kDHTmVCIcQmpgGegQIGBAD">Lieutenant General Steven W. Gilland. The letter asked the leader to look into the matter, noting that it was likely a violation of the Privacy Act of 1974 for such (false) information to be divulged to a media outlet.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Officials at the U.S. Military Academy should not be feeding lies to left-wing reporters about President Trump’s nominees.
West Point needs to thoroughly investigate this egregiously bad judgement and potential violation of the Privacy Act immediately. <a href="https://t.co/gQpFjLbLaS">pic.twitter.com/gQpFjLbLaS</a>
— Tom Cotton (@SenTomCotton) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenTomCotton/status/1866896643892842860?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 11, 2024</a></blockquote>
Vice President-elect JD Vance criticized the journalist for failing to report on the &#8220;actual story.&#8221; &#8220;You were misled by a bureaucrat,&#8221; he wrote. &#8220;That&#8217;s actually a story, just not the one you wanted to print.&#8221;
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/gift-guide/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CHECK OUT THE DAILY WIRE HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE</a>
&#8220;The effort to tank Hegseth&#8217;s nomination is one of the most coordinated smear campaigns I&#8217;ve ever seen in DC,&#8221; Vance added.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
You were misled by a bureaucrat. That&#8217;s actually a story, just not the one you wanted to print.
The effort to tank Hegseth&#8217;s nomination is one of the most coordinated smear campaigns I&#8217;ve ever seen in DC. <a href="https://t.co/1vH2SrcOSb">https://t.co/1vH2SrcOSb</a>
— JD Vance (@JDVance) <a href="https://twitter.com/JDVance/status/1866942718678798835?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 11, 2024</a></blockquote>
&#8220;A journalist would now focus on why the West Point Office of Public Affairs lied to them, as opposed to simply dropping the original story because it didn&#8217;t pan out the way they wanted,&#8221; Stephen L. Miller echoed.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
A journalist would now focus on why the West Point Office of Public Affairs lied to them, as opposed to simply dropping the original story because it didn&#8217;t pan out the way they wanted. <a href="https://t.co/ngslklag1K">https://t.co/ngslklag1K</a>
— Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) <a href="https://twitter.com/redsteeze/status/1866902744004489287?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 11, 2024</a></blockquote>
&#8220;West Point lied to you about the incoming SECDEF and you didn’t think it was worth a story?&#8221; Sean Davis wrote. &#8220;That’s not journalism. You were looking to run a partisan hit, and when it failed, you tried to slink away and pretend it never happened.&#8221;
Davis also responded to Cotton&#8217;s letter, writing, &#8220;Make it easy and just fire everyone in charge at West Point. Send a clear signal that nonsense will not be tolerated anywhere.&#8221; 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
West Point lied to you about the incoming SECDEF and you didn’t think it was worth a story? That’s not journalism. You were looking to run a partisan hit, and when it failed, you tried to slink away and pretend it never happened. <a href="https://t.co/KeGsZcxl4X">https://t.co/KeGsZcxl4X</a>
— Sean Davis (@seanmdav) <a href="https://twitter.com/seanmdav/status/1866901969148760490?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 11, 2024</a></blockquote>
&#8220;The real question &amp; story here is **why** West Point lied to you,&#8221; Sean Parnell said. &#8220;Because it seems the motivation was to hurt Pete’s chances at becoming SECDEF. Which in turn could mean a military officer wanted to undermine a President-elect. And this folks, is precisely why we need Pete.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The real question &amp; story here is **why** West Point lied to you.
Because it seems the motivation was to hurt Pete’s chances at becoming SECDEF.
Which in turn could mean a military officer wanted to undermine a President-elect.
And this folks, is precisely why we need Pete. <a href="https://t.co/2KfBBPQNUk">https://t.co/2KfBBPQNUk</a>
— Sean Parnell (@SeanParnellUSA) <a href="https://twitter.com/SeanParnellUSA/status/1866886971991249111?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 11, 2024</a></blockquote>
&#8220;If Pete Hegseth hasn’t kept a letter for almost 30 years, the biggest story today would be about West Point. And it would have been a hoax,&#8221; Mike Cernovich posited. &#8220;Entire West Point chain of command must be removed.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
If Pete Hegseth hasn’t kept a letter for almost 30 years, the biggest story today would be about West Point.
And it would have been a hoax.
Entire West Point chain of command must be removed. <a href="https://t.co/3P0Edn3hYc">https://t.co/3P0Edn3hYc</a>
— Cernovich (@Cernovich) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cernovich/status/1866910939414749495?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 11, 2024</a></blockquote>
When The Daily Wire reached out to West Point on Wednesday about the discrepancy, the academy said it was due to an &#8220;error&#8221; on their part and apologized.
“A review of our records indicates Peter Hegseth was offered admission to West Point in 1999 but did not attend,” the West Point directorate of communications said in a statement.
“An incorrect statement involving Hegseth’s admission to the U.S. Military Academy was released by an employee on Dec. 10, 2024,” the statement continued. “Upon further review of an archived database, employees realized this statement was in error. Hegseth was offered acceptance to West Point as a prospective member of the Class of 2003.”
“The academy takes this situation seriously and apologizes for this administrative error,” the directorate of communications added.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/pete-hegseth-scoops-apparent-media-hit-piece-about-west-point-heres-my-letter-of-acceptance" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pete Hegseth Scoops Apparent Media Hit Piece About West Point: ‘Here’s My Letter Of Acceptance’</a>

Peter Thiel Visits “FOX & Friends”

‘Fire Everyone In Charge’: Conservatives Blast West Point Over False Pete Hegseth Claim

Department of Defense

media

On Wednesday, Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Defense, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/pete-hegseth" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pete Hegseth</a>, scooped a left-wing media outlet that was preparing to publish a story about Hegseth supposedly lying about getting into the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
Hegseth, a decorated combat veteran, posted photos of his acceptance letter from the academy in a now-viral post. The 44-year-old said he chose not to attend the academy after he was accepted.
&#8220;We understand that ProPublica (the Left Wing hack group) is planning to publish a knowingly false report that I was not accepted to West Point in 1999,&#8221; Hegseth wrote. &#8220;Here’s my letter of acceptance signed by West Point Superintendent, Lieutenant General Daniel Christman, US Army.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
We understand that ProPublica (the Left Wing hack group) is planning to publish a knowingly false report that I was not accepted to West Point in 1999.
Here’s my letter of acceptance signed by West Point Superintendent, Lieutenant General Daniel Christman, US Army. <a href="https://t.co/UOhOVZSfhJ">pic.twitter.com/UOhOVZSfhJ</a>
— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) <a href="https://twitter.com/PeteHegseth/status/1866833468589584625?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 11, 2024</a></blockquote>
ProPublica editor Jesse Eisinger said West Point told the outlet on two occasions that Hegseth did not even apply to the academy, but said after Hegseth&#8217;s people sent ProPublica the acceptance letter, they chose not to run with the story.
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/gift-guide/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CHECK OUT THE DAILY WIRE HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE</a>
&#8220;Hegseth has said that he got into West Point but didn’t attend,&#8221; Eisinger posted online. &#8220;We asked West Pt public affairs, which told us twice on the record that he hadn’t even applied there. We reached out. Hegseth&#8217;s spox gave us his acceptance letter. We didn&#8217;t publish a story. That&#8217;s journalism.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Hegseth has said that he got into West Point but didn’t attend.
We asked West Pt public affairs, which told us twice on the record that he hadn’t even applied there.
We reached out. Hegseth&#8217;s spox gave us his acceptance letter.
We didn&#8217;t publish a story.
That&#8217;s journalism. <a href="https://t.co/TceZdglkmL">https://t.co/TceZdglkmL</a>
— Jesse Eisinger (@eisingerj) <a href="https://twitter.com/eisingerj/status/1866863141826752735?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 11, 2024</a></blockquote>
West Point told The Daily Wire that the discrepancy was due to an error and apologized.
“A review of our records indicates Peter Hegseth was offered admission to West Point in 1999 but did not attend,&#8221; the West Point directorate of communications said in a statement.
&#8220;An incorrect statement involving Hegseth’s admission to the U.S. Military Academy was released by an employee on Dec. 10, 2024,&#8221; the statement continued. &#8220;Upon further review of an archived database, employees realized this statement was in error. Hegseth was offered acceptance to West Point as a prospective member of the Class of 2003.&#8221;
&#8220;The academy takes this situation seriously and apologizes for this administrative error,&#8221; the directorate of communications added.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/pete-is-a-winner-trump-stands-by-hegseth-amid-legacy-media-firestorm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">‘Pete Is A WINNER’: Trump Stands By Hegseth Amid Legacy Media Firestorm</a>

President-Elect Trump’s Nominees For Upcoming Administration Meet With Lawmakers On Capitol Hill

Pete Hegseth Scoops Apparent Media Hit Piece About West Point: ‘Here’s My Letter Of Acceptance’

If you’re a veteran like me, you will find it increasingly more difficult to watch the news. Lately, as current events pertain to the military, however, it’s becoming almost unbearable to witness the crumbling of the beloved nation we once donned the uniform to preserve and protect.
If you follow The Daily Wire, you know I recently <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/woke-u-s-military-more-dangerous-world" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote an article</a> addressing my concerns that a sense of “wokeness” is seeping into America’s armed forces. It is a seemingly conscious effort to chip away at American nationalism. This relentless shift to the Left is distracting our military from focusing on its true mission, which is to protect our homeland through lethal projection of power and the willingness to use this power if necessary.
With this said, imagine my dismay, along with many other veterans, when I read that the United States Military Academy at West Point is dropping the patriotic edict “Duty, Honor, Country” from its mission statement in favor of the more politically correct “Preserving Army Values.” At first, I thought it was “fake news” as I simply refused to believe that such an about face on American patriotism was taking place at one of the nation’s oldest and most revered military academies. To my dismay, as The Daily Wire has since <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/west-point-removes-duty-honor-country-from-mission-statement-replaces-with-army-values" target="_blank" rel="noopener">confirmed</a>, the initial report I read was, in fact, correct. 
I am not the only veteran in my family. My father served in the Korean War, First Marines, wounded in combat, whose hero was General Douglas MacArthur. Although not popular among the rank and file, my father always admired that MacArthur, an army chauvinist to the core, nevertheless chose his First Marine Division as the spearpoint for his brilliant Inchon landing behind communist lines in 1950 that saved South Korea from tyranny. And so, many of MacArthur’s dicta rang true with him. 
One of the General’s mantras was the hallowed West Point rallying cry of “Duty, Honor, Country.” Indeed, though my father was a hard man who’d seen war up close, who suffered personal loss during his life, the only time I ever saw him weep was when we watched the movie “MacArthur” and actor Gregory Peck recites to a group of actually assembled West Point cadets, the eponymous character’s final speech to his beloved academy in 1962, two years before his death. Audio recordings of the General’s actual speech can also be found on YouTube. It wasn’t the acting so much as the words, spoken verbatim, that so deeply affected my combat veteran father.
In his moving elocution, the old warrior again and again reverts to the three sublime words as the bedrock standards upon which they should base their future conduct as America’s first line of defense: “Duty, Honor, Country.” 
Says MacArthur, 
<blockquote>…great national problems are not for your professional participation or military solution. Your guidepost stands out like a ten-fold beacon in the night &#8211; Duty, Honor, Country. 
You are the leaven which binds together the entire fabric of our national system of defense. From your ranks come-the great captains who hold the nation’s destiny in their hands the moment the war tocsin sounds. The Long Gray Line has never failed us. Were you to do so, a million ghosts in olive drab, in brown khaki, in blue and gray, would rise from their white crosses thundering those magic words &#8211; Duty, Honor, Country.</blockquote>
To a member of the U.S. Armed Forces, this sacred credo is the summation of who, why, and what we serve. They are calls to commitment, morality, and belief in the national interest above the self. Indeed, no better words can sum up the ethos of the American fighting man and woman. 
And now these words which stood as a beacon in an institution that for over two centuries has produced some of the world’s most gifted captains have been scrubbed from the walls of the academy like so much politically incorrect graffiti.
During MacArthur’s soliloquy — a framed copy of which my father kept prominently displayed in our family room — the importance the great strategist and former West Point superintendent placed on those three words &#8220;Duty, Honor, Country&#8221; made an indelible mark on my psyche. So much so that offering my life up for military service was an easy decision. To this day, those three words still inspire me with a deep sense of American nationalism whenever I revisit them: “Duty, Honor, Country.” 
Now, I find that this new, progressive group of Army bureaucrats — I won’t call them generals because that is a title worthy of respect and admiration — who are “facilitating” West Point, not leading, are actually uprooting every fiber of the patriotic base that made West Point the wellspring from which the desire to preserve our American Constitution flows. Words have meaning; they inspire feelings, thoughts, and conduct. As such, to sterilize the powerful message found in those three words “Duty, Honor, Country” with a sanitized, anodyne PowerPoint slogan such as “Respect Army Values” is a blight against every patriot who died for this country, from Nathan Hale to the Unknown Soldier.
Words can inspire, and an inspired enemy is difficult to control and is capable of extraordinary bravery. The Left understands quite well that language can be a powerful tool of indoctrination. It is not by chance that our children no longer start off their school days by first reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. Again, rousing words lead to extraordinary deeds, and evil people, who are trying to usurp a good and free nation, know this. Taking away the loyalty oath of “Duty, Honor, Country” has a desired, debilitating effect. I doubt very much, that the men who fought their way to the summit of Mount Suribachi to plant the flag atop Iwo Jima had the words “Army Values” running through their minds as the fierce battle raged around them. But they knew their purpose, they knew why they were fighting, and they knew for whom they were willing to continue engaging in a life-and-death struggle for freedom. It was their duty to honor their fallen comrades in order to save the country they loved so dearly. Again, I don’t see where saying “Army Values” would have motivated anyone to risk their lives for a nation that from grade school to even our military academies they are being taught to disdain.
No doubt, many a G.I. over many battlefields has garnered intestinal fortitude by whispering to themselves those same three words “Duty, Honor, Country” before lining up for the charge into the hell of enemy fire. The concept that “Army Values” could inspire such valor at a time when an American soldier needs it most in order to ensure a continuation of our free way of life under the Constitution is ludicrous and laughable on its face, and frankly insulting and offensive. “Army Values” indeed.
With every waking moment of his or her day, a West Point cadet is reminded that he or she is an integral part of The Corps whose core values were, &#8220;Duty, Honor, Country.&#8221; A cadet can take solace in the knowledge that the shiver of motivation he or she feels running down their spine is a natural outgrowth of such inspiring words. That is, until today!
If you had read one of my other articles about the reactions us boomer vets and myself were having to President Biden threatening to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/extreme-prejudice-at-the-texas-border" target="_blank" rel="noopener">call out the National Guard</a> on the Texas border agents, you will remember that we regularly debate this nation’s policies as we sit in the waiting rooms of the VA hospitals. The same scenario will happen the next time I show up at my VA, and I’m almost certain I can gauge what will be the reaction to the extreme alteration to West Point’s point mission statement.
In 1917, the Espionage Act was passed after the United States entered World War I. It was followed by the Sedition Act of 1918. Both of these pieces of legislation were designed to incriminate individuals who attempted to impede the war effort. Those who did so were punished since they were believed to be performing acts of anti-patriotism.
I can tell you with no uncertainty, that during the next discussion I have with a fellow vet, we will be deliberating who we feel is responsible for removing West Point’s more than a century-old motto. My conclusion would be that the individual bureaucrat in uniform, or even the entire committee if the decision were made in this manner, should be stripped of his/her rank(s) and brought before a court martial to face charges of sedition in accordance with the Espionage and Sedition Acts.
After all, unlike &#8220;Duty, Honor, Country,&#8221; these words are still on the books.
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Brian Schaeffer served as a Naval aviator until his honorable discharge in 1985 with the rank of Lieutenant. Lt. Schaeffer has been in both the shipping business and involved in real estate ever since re-entering civilian life. Prior to heading off to Aviation Reserve Officers Corps, he graduated with honors from Indiana University, Bloomington.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

US-MILITARY-WEST POINT-DEFENCE

‘Duty, Honor, Country’: Political Correctness At West Point Leaves Our Military Distracted From Its True Mission

'Duty, Honor, Country': Political Correctness At West Point Leaves Our Military Distracted From Its True Mission

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