Tag Archive for: West Point

Documents Detail West Point Cover-Up of Removal of ‘Duty, Honor, Country’ from Mission Statement

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Last year the U.S. Military Academy at West Point under President Biden removed the words “Duty, Honor and Country” from its mission statement, and in doing so it demonstrated a total lack of honor.

Judicial Watch received 445 pages of records from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point revealing that speakers at the March 2024 “Founders Day” event were instructed to “AVOID saying ‘removed,’ ‘replaced,’ ‘deleted’ [when referring to the new mission statement] – just refer to the ‘updated mission statement and reinforce that the motto remains unchanged.” [Emphasis in original] The records also tie DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) efforts to the mission statement controversy.

These records detail how the DEI agenda helped change the mission statement of West Point – and how leadership under the Biden administration tried to cover it up.

In a March 12, 2024, “Message from the 61st Superintendent,” Superintendent LTG Steven Gilland announced the change, referencing the Army’s continued commitment to “Duty, Honor and Country” and then announced the new mission statement without explaining why the words themselves were deleted.

The records were produced in our June 2024 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit filed when West Point failed to respond to a March 2024 FOIA request (Judicial Watch, Inc. v. U.S. Department of Defense (No. 1:24-cv-01757)). Judicial Watch is asking for:

  • All documents which form the basis upon which the decision was made to remove the phrase “Duty, Honor, Country” from the United States Military Academy Mission Statement, according to various reports (such as https://armedforces.press/report-west-point-to-remove-duty-honor-country-from-official-mission-statement/).
  • All emails between the following USMA officials and other email accounts ending in .mil or .gov regarding the removal of “Duty, Honor, Country” from the USMA Mission Statement: Superintendent LTG Steve Gilland, MG Lori Robinson, and BG Shane Reeves.

The records include a March 23, 2024, email from Gilland to LTG Christopher Donahue regarding “Founders Day Speaker Talking Points and FAQs” with four attachments, one of which states:

Our motto is who we are. Our mission statement is what we do.

  • Duty, Honor, Country is carved in granite across West Point, adorns our cadets’ uniforms, and will always remain our motto.
  • The mission statement codifies our mission essential tasks: build, educate, train and inspire the Corps of Cadets to be commissioned leaders of character.
  • The revised mission statement was approved by—but not directed by—the Secretary of the Army and the Chief of Staff.
  • AVOID saying “removed,” “replaced,” “deleted”— just refer to the “updated mission statement and reinforce that the motto remains unchanged.” [Emphasis in original]

In the “FAQ” attachment is an explanation regarding “DEI in Curriculum:”

  • USMA [U.S. Military Academy] does not have a core curriculum dedicated to Critical Race Theory (CRT). CRT is explicitly covered in one upper-level elective – The Politics of Race, Gender, and Sexuality. Out of 30 lessons, there is one lesson introducing CRT and another focusing on critiques of CRT.
  • USMA has a Diversity and Inclusion Studies Minor (DISM); created in 2017. Five to eight students each year complete the minor.

The “FAQ” attachment’s “Diversity Conference” section details:

  • USMS’s Diversity and Inclusion Leadership Conference, as with all USMA conferences, encourages participants to present alternative viewpoints and challenge assumptions. This aligns with our mission to develop leaders of character who are mentally agile, perspective-laden critical thinkers.
    • In other words, our goal is to teach Cadets HOW to think, not WHAT to think. [Emphasis in original]

An additional bullet in the document under the heading “NDAA” (National Defense Authorization Act) reads:

  • We are working in coordination with HQDA [Headquarters, Department of the Army] to comply with DEI-related provisions of the FY2024 National Defense Authorization Act that relate to USMA.

A November 2023 “Memorandum for Superintendent, USMA [U.S. Military Academy]” is intended for Gilland and addresses a “requested change for USMA [U.S. Military Academy] Mission” from its current reading to a revised form that is fully redacted:

Current:

To educate, train, and inspire the Corps of Cadets so that each graduate is a 4 [sic] leader of character committed to the values of Duty, Honor, Country and prepared for a career of professional excellence and service to the Nation as an officer in the United States Army.

Revised:

[Redacted]

Under the heading “Rationale for USMA [U.S. Military Academy]” Mission key edits” the memorandum instructs:

Substitute “Army Values” for “Duty, Honor Country.” We expect leaders of character to demonstrate all seven Army values. This change strengthens our connection to the Army. We will retain Duty, Honor, Country as the USMA [U.S. Military Academy] Motto.

In a March 11, 2024, email from Gilland to members of the West Point Board of Visitors, Gilland characterizes the MacArthur Society of West Point Graduates as “a small but vocal group of Academy alumni who criticize the Academy on our continued transformation efforts.”

In a March 28, 2023, PowerPoint presentation for a West Point Board of Visitors meeting, in a slide titled “Focus Areas,” under the subtitle “Army Lines of Effort,” is a bullet “Development and implementation of a DEI Plan informed by the current D&I [Diversity and Inclusion] Plan (Middle States Association).”

In a July 27, 2023, U.S. Military Academy Board of Directors PowerPoint presentation, the one slide contains the bullet “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) at USMA.”

Judicial Watch is pushing relentlessly in federal court for the full truth on the Biden’s regime war on traditional military values.

In November 2024, we filed a FOIA lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Defense for information regarding the rebranding of West Point’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) office to “Office of Engagement and Retention.”

In March 2023, records from the U.S. Department of Defense showed the U.S. Air Force Academy had made race and gender instruction a top priority in the training of cadets.

In July 2023, we exposed records from the United States Air Force Academy, a component of the United States Department of Defense, which included instructional materials and emails that addressed topics such as Critical Race Theory, “white privilege,” and Black Lives Matter.

In June 2022, we exposed Critical Race Theory (CRT) instruction at the U.S. Military Academy. One training slide contained a graphic titled “MODERN-DAY SLAVERY IN THE USA.” [Emphasis in original]

EDITORS NOTE: This Judicial Watch column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

President Trump Appoints New Members to Three Service Academy Board of Visitors

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After removing members of USAFA, USMA and USNA Board of Visitors appointed by Biden, President Trump named their replacements today:

USAFA

Donald J. Trump
@realDonaldTrump

Our Great United States Air Force Academy will soon have an
incredible Boad of Visitors, composed of Doug Nikolai, Dan Clark,
Senator Tommy Tuberville, Charlie Kirk, and Dina Powell
Congratulations to all!

Doug Nikoli is a 1989 USAFA grad, an F-16 pilot and retired Colonel.

Charlie Kirk responded:

Dina Powell served as the Dep. National Security Advisor for Strategy in Trump’s first term.

USMA

Donald J. Trump
@realDonaldTrump

I am pleased to announce a new Board of Visitors for our Nation’s oldest
Military Academy, West Point. Major General David Bellavia, Lieutenant
General Dan Walrath, General Michael Flynn, Congressman Wesley Hunt,
Maureen Bannon, and Meghan Mobbs are hereby appointed to the Board.
They will make our Country proud. Congratulations to all!

Gen. Flynn posted on TruthSocial:

Michael T. Flynn
@TrueGen Flynn

It is an absolute privilege to contine to server our U.S. Military in this capacity,
Being appointed by the 47th President of the United States, President
@realDonaldTrump (the greatest President in my lifetime) on the West Point
Board of Visitors is an absolute honor and humbling opportunity. Our military,
especially our Army, is an important institution that has provided so many
leaders, not only to our Army, but to our nation. Just and incredible opportunity
and I look forward to helping shape the future of West Point, our Army and our
nation. Thank you Presidnet Trump for this amazing opportunity.

Congressman Wesley Hunt, USMA ’04, posted:

“I am deeply honored to be appointed by President Trump to the Board of Visitors at West Point.

As a graduate and former Apache pilot, West Point shaped my life, values, and commitment to service.

This institution forges the next generation of military leaders, and serving in an advisory role is both a privilege and a responsibility. I look forward to working with my fellow board members to uphold West Point’s legacy of excellence.

This appointment is a continuation of my lifelong commitment to the ideals of Duty, Honor, Country.

THANK YOU for this honor Mr. President.”

David Bellavia is a Medal of Honor recipient (and retired as an Army Staff Sergeant).

Megan Mobbs, USMA ’08, served in the Army and has many articles on STARRS

Maureen Bannon, USMA ’10 served in the Army and is Steve Bannon’s daughter

Maj General Dan Walrath bio

USNA

Donald J. Trump
@realDonaldTrump

Completing my list of appointments to the United States Naval Academy, I am
happy to announce that the full Board will consist of Sean Spicer, Walt Nauta,
Congressman “Doc Ronnie” Jackson, Congressman Derek Van Order, Senator
Tim Sheely, and Earl Ehrhart. Congratulations to you all!

RELATED ARTICLE: The President Dismisses Board of Visitors for Service Academies

EDITORS NOTE: This STARRS column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

EXCLUSIVE: Emails, Phone Logs Reveal How Botched Pete Hegseth West Point Story Imploded

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After a West Point spokesperson falsely claimed that Pete Hegseth had not even applied to the institution, much less been accepted, journalism outfit ProPublica reached out to Hegseth’s lawyer, asserting that the Secretary of Defense nominee had lied and gave him a one hour deadline to respond.

Hegseth posted on Wednesday morning a photo of his acceptance to West Point and said ProPublica was planning on posting “a knowingly false report” that he was not accepted to the school in 1999. ProPublica editor Jesse Eisinger then responded with a Twitter thread, explaining that the outlet had done “real journalism” and determined something they heard was not true and that they would not be posting their story. Eisinger wrote that journalists must give the subject of a story a “fair chance to respond to all of the salient facts in the story.”

However, emails and apparent phone transcripts obtained by the Caller reveal that ProPublica themselves did not do that in pursuit of the Hegseth story.

Justin Elliott, a reporter for ProPublica, reached out to Hegseth’s lawyer, Timothy Parlatore, on Tuesday about the story. Elliot told Parlatore he had an “urgent request” for comment and gave him just one hour to respond, an email obtained by the Caller shows. 

“I’m reaching out with an urgent request for comment for your client Pete Hegseth. We’re moving quickly so please let me know if you or he would like to comment as soon as possible. Our deadline is in one hour,” the email reads.

Emails between Timothy Parlatore and Justin Elliot obtained by the Daily Caller.

Elliott explains that a West Point spokesperson told ProPublica Hegseth never even applied to the school. He then asserts, seemingly based on West Point’s statement at face value, that Hegseth was lying.

“Why did Mr. Hegseth say he got in to West Point when that is not true?” Elliott wrote. “How can Mr. Hegseth be Secretary of Defense given that he has made false statements about getting in to the military’s most prestigious academy?” he continued. “Is there anything else we should know?”

Elliot’s assertion that Hegseth lied appears to have been based on a single email and phone call with West Point spokespeople. Eisenger tweeted that one West Point spokesman told them over email that Hegseth hadn’t even applied to the school, citing the Admissions Office. ProPublica then called West Point and a second spokesperson confirmed the falsehood, saying “Absolutely. 100%.”

The Daily Caller reached out to ProPublica to ask them a series of questions, including whether or not they would require more evidence than just two statements to accuse a cabinet secretary nominee of lying, and if they did any additional work to verify the story before accusing Hegseth of lying.

The Caller reached out to ProPublica nearly 6 hours before publication.

“Reporters do their job by asking tough questions to people in power, which is exactly what happened here. Responsible news organizations only publish what they can verify, which is why we didn’t publish a story once Mr. Hegseth provided documentation that corrected the statements from West Point,” a ProPublica spokesperson told the Caller.

The Caller followed up to ask if ProPublica did any additional work to verify their story beyond taking two Army public information officers at face value. The spokesperson said the first statement “speaks for itself” and they have no further comment.

The Caller also reached out to Elliot directly, but the email bounced back stating he was “out of office.”

After sending the email, Elliott called Parlatore to ask him about the story, according to a transcript of the call provided to the Daily Caller. The transcript shows that the reporter repeated that he was on a one hour deadline and was looking for a comment from him or Hegseth.

Once Elliott explained who he was, Parlatore continued to ask the reporter how he obtained the information, alleging that the school could potentially be breaking federal privacy laws, according to the transcript.

While Eisenger claimed on Twitter that Parlatore “didn’t deny the facts” during his phone call, the transcript obtained by the Caller indicates otherwise. In the transcript, Parlatore says West Point was providing ProPublica “false information,” and Elliot replies that he would use that denial on the record.

Hegseth’s team eventually provided ProPublica with his acceptance letter, which the outlet then took to West Point. At that point, the West Point public affairs office apologized and admitted that, per a new records check, Hegseth had applied and been accepted to the school.

The Daily Caller reached out to West Point to ask how the false information was relayed, if there was any further communication between the school and ProPublica, and if the officials who shared the false information were being disciplined. They did not answer the questions and refused to accept a phone call to discuss the story further.

Hegseth has been the target of a number of negative media stories since he was announced as President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Pentagon. Hegseth has denied most of the claims, and after a rocky period, appears to have garnered the support of most Senate Republicans.

Just this week, dozens of veterans who served directly with Hegseth in the military signed a letter supporting his nomination.

AUTHOR

Reagan Reese

White House correspondent. Follow Reagan on Twitter.

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RELATED VIDEO: The Justice Department’s bombshell report on January 6 has dropped!

EDITORS NOTE: This Daily Caller column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

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ACTION ALERT: West Point Official Mission Statement Eliminating ‘Duty, Honor, Country’

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”Duty, Honor, Country,” a striking expression of West Point’s time honored ideals, is the motto of the U. S. Military Academy and is embedded in its coat of arms.

Though not as old as the institution they represent, the USMA coat of arms, also referred to as the seal, and motto have a long and interesting history.

According to archival records, the coat of arms and motto were adopted in 1898. Col. Charles W. Larned, professor of drawing headed a committee to design a coat of arms for the Academy and stated several criteria for the design. The committee decided that the design should represent the national character of the Academy, it’s military function, its educational function and its spirit and objectives.

Symbolism in the Coat of Arms

The committee began with the creation of an emblem that consisted of a sword, a universal symbol of war, and the helmet of Pallas Athena, a fully armed mythological goddess, is associated with the arts of war, and her helmet signifies wisdom and learning. The emblem is attached to a shield, bearing the arms of the United States, and on the shield’s crest is a bald eagle, the national symbol. The eagles claws hold 13 arrows representing the 13 original states and oak and olive branches, traditional symbols of peace.

Duty, Honor, Country

The eagle is grasping a scroll bearing the words “West Point, MDCCCII (1802), USMA,” and the motto, “Duty, Honor, Country.” The motto as such was never previously stated, but in writings of early superintendents, professors and graduates, one is struck by the recurrence of the words “duty,” “honor” and “country.” Colonel Larned’s committee believed Duty, Honor, Country represented simply, but eloquently, the ideals of West Point.

The committee did not express an opinion as the relative importance of the three words; however, there is perhaps significance in the fact that “honor” is in the center of the motto. As Maj Gen Bryant Moore noted in a 1951 article in Assembly Magazine, “honor” forms the keystone of the arch of the three ideals on which West Point is founded.

The coat of arms was used without change until 1923, when Captain George Chandler, of the War Department, pointed out to the Superintendent Brig. Gen. Fred Sladen that the eagle and the faced the heraldic sinister side. The helmet, eagle’s head and sword were soon turned to their current position.

Since 1923, the coat of arms has been in regular use at West Point and is carved on many of the older buildings. In 1980, the coat of arms was registered with the Library of Congress as an “identifiable logo” for the Academy.

Another tradition the woke Lieutenant General Steve Gilland, the Superintendent of the United States Military Academy at West Point and his Marxist bosses are trying to eliminate the motto Duty, Honor, Country.

This is an “Action Alert”

Col. (Ret.) Bill Prince, President of the MacArthur Society of West Point Graduates, attended the 07 March West Point Board of Visitors meeting, at the Library of Congress in Washington DC.

Early in the meeting, current Superintendent LTG Steven W. Gilland announced a major change to the Academy’s Official Mission Statement. Expunged is the commitment to the approximately 125-year-old motto of Duty, Honor, Country.

LTG Gilland advised that in its place members of the Corps of Cadets would be “…committed to the Army Values…’’’ The seven Army values are not listed in the Mission Statement, but LTG Gilland remarked that Duty, Honor, Country were pretty much subsumed under the seven Army values. (Col. Prince’s comment: Duty and honor are two of the seven; Country does not make the cut.)

Meeting organizers supplied printed 12 page agenda packets to Board members and their staffs, but not the visitors, me being one, so we took the opportunity to grab agenda packets from vacant chairs. LTG Gilland advised, and the agenda packet specifically stated (page 4), that the new verbiage has been validated as an “Army Senior Leader Approved Mission.” Applicable briefing slide.

There is no identification of which Senior Army Leader found fault with Duty, Honor, Country. Not even the GOP members of the committee raised any objections.

Quickly, the briefing slides moved to the impacts of potential short-term and long-term lapses in funding.

Click here to view all briefing slides.

ACTION

If you are concerned, as we in the MacArthur Society certainly are, that there is an element at the Academy, and likely in the chain of command above, which wants to eradicate foundational principles which have stood the test of time, then I’m asking you to join me in sending an email to VP for Alumni Services Terence Sinkfield ’99 at terence.sinkfield@wpaog.org (845-446-1513).

Three questions occur to me:

Who is the “Army Senior Leader” who expunged Duty, Honor, Country from the Mission Statement?

Did this officer receive direction from above in his chain of command to take this action?

Did the AOG (in its mission to represent the members of the Long Grey Line) provide preliminary input to this decision and if so what input.

The MacArthur Society’s Mission is to preserve, defend, and advocate for West Point’s history, purpose, and principles of Duty, Honor, and Country. Clearly our Society must take action on this issue. Donations are of overriding importance in helping us stay in the fight. Join us!

Thank you for your support of the mission.

Col. (Ret.) Bill Prince ’70
President
MacArthur Society of West Point Graduates

Student Group Sues West Point Over Race-Based Admissions

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Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) filed a lawsuit against the military academy West Point Tuesday alleging that the school is violating the Fifth Amendment’s equal protection clause by using race-based admissions policies.

The Supreme Court ruled against Harvard and the University of North Carolina in June in a 6-3 decision, arguing that a “student must be treated based on his or her experiences as an individual—not on the basis of race.” SFFA, who represented the plaintiffs in the previous cases, sued the military academy, arguing that the Supreme Court’s decision should apply to all schools.

“Over the years, courts have been mindful of the military’s unique role in our nation’s life and the distinctive considerations that come with it,” Edward Blum, president of SFFA said in a press release. “However, no level of deference justifies these polarizing and disliked racial classifications and preferences in admissions to West Point or any of our service academies.”

The lawsuit argues that instead of basing admissions on “objective metrics and leadership potential” the academy’s administrators had instead opted for discriminating on the basis of race. It notes the school’s “benchmarks” for the amount of students in each class that should be made up of  “African Americans,” “Hispanics,” and “Asians.”

“Because skin color can be—and often is—a decisive factor for successful applicants who are chosen from those congressional nominee pools, it is equally dispositive for the other qualified nominees who are turned away,” SFFA argues. “Put differently, because race is a ‘positive’ factor for some West Point applicants, it is necessarily a ‘negative’ factor for others.”

SFFA criticized the military’s justification for the racial quotas, saying that these kinds of policies insinuate that all minorities think alike. The lawsuit also dismissed the academy’s claim that these policies were needed in order to gain legitimacy in a “diverse nation,” noting that a country’s military should not be considered trustworthy only because of its racial make up.

The lawsuit asks that the court issue a “declaratory judgment that West Point’s use of race in admissions is unconstitutional under the Fifth Amendment” and that it grant a preliminary injunction barring the academy from enforcing the policy while the lawsuit goes through the court system.

“Because the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent opinion in the SFFA cases expressly forbids all institutions of higher education from using race in admissions decisions, it must follow that the U. S. military higher education institutions must end their race-based policies as well,” Blum said.

West Point did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

AUTHOR

KATE ANDERSON

Contributor.

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Climate Change Blamed for ‘Icy Reception’ to Obama Speech at West Point

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Experts in the world’s only settled science were shocked as dramatic new evidence has emerged that climate change is much worse than even the most dire forecasts had predicted.

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Frozen USMA cadets. Photo courtesy of the White House.

As President Obama visited the US Military Academy at West Point to give a commencement address that could only be described as “awesome,” his speech received what a state-approved and licensed CNN journalist termed an “icy reception.”

This followed a bizarre incident where the wildly-popular and much beloved president received “tepid applause and a short standing ovation from less than one-quarter of the audience upon his introduction” according to stunned credentialed journalists who witnessed the surrealistic scene.

“This is an incredible worsening of climate change in just five years,” said Charles Gore-Kerry, a fictional amalgam of the biggest climate change experts, one we were forced to create because no one would talk to us.

“Back in 2009, Barack Obama could not go to the toilet without receiving a 20-minute standing ovation! Now, just five years later, it’s obvious most of these people are frozen solid in their seats! At this rate, by late 2015, there will be no ice in the Arctic and all of Obama’s audience will be glaciated, far ahead of what the hockey stick graph predicted,” Charles Gore-Kerry warned.

Stunned by deterioration in the earth’s climate, the president is expected to propose taking dramatic new action on Climate Change, such as scheduling any future speeches in warmer places, like Hawaii.

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AP’s Julie Pace: Obama West Point Speech “Odd” [Video]
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