West Point Founder's Day
Founder’s Day
March 2024
Thank-you
And a special thanks to Jerry Butler for your leadership in this outstanding West Point society. Thanks for all you’re doing Jerry, for our Alma Mater here in the Central Florida area.
I am honored to be here. Frankly though, when I got the call from Jerry asking if I would provide comments, I immediately thought he needed me as the Old Grad. But to be asked to provide comments to this august audience while in my retirement years is a distinct honor. And as a “has – been”, to be asked to hang out with you all is not only humbling, but a thrill to be around the best men and women in our nation.
Founder’s Day is special. It is not only an opportunity to celebrate our Alma Mater’s birthday, but a time to get together in fellowship and tell all kinds of stories. And as we sing Bennie Haven’s – well, you can sing it; if you want to see this room empty in no time, sign me up to do the singing!! – but when we sing Bennie Haven’s, “we’ll sing our reminiscence, to Benny Haven’s Oh”. Not many other universities do what we do each year. It is special, and thank-you to each of you for coming here this evening.
You all really are very special. As a Superintendent, I always admired and valued our graduates. Yes – some were a legitimate pain in the you-know-what – but when you stop and reflect on the reasons why you went to West Point, the service you provided to our Nation, and the culture of leadership with character wherever you have been, you all truly have made – and continue to make – a difference wherever you are.
However, with all the hoop-a-la going on with my successor about the West Point mission debate – the removing of “Duty, Honor, and Country” – I really am glad I’m not back there right now, getting all that love mail from our grads!!!
Having said that, I do love our grads. Because although you had many options of what you would do or where you would go when you graduated from High School, contrary to the vast majority of your peers, you elected to stand in the gap between the evil that threatens our Nation and our way of life. And because of that, you have joined the generations who have gone before you. Those who stormed the beaches of Normandy, who fought in the jungles of Vietnam, who celebrated Christmas in the trenches in France during The Great War. But as someone who has stood in your ranks and served for 43 years, I could not be more proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with each and every one of you this evening.
As much as I respect and admire all our veterans who served their country, I am especially fond of the men and women who volunteered to serve our country since 9/11 over the last 22 years; to include our current cadets who are right now filling the halls of Grant barracks, Ike, Mac, Mac Short, and Davis barracks.
Last December was the 82nd anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor leading to our involvement in World War II. The men and women who served during World War II are part of what has often been referred to as the “Greatest Generation.” That’s a term that journalist Tom Brokaw coined, arguing that these men and women fought, not for fame and recognition, but because, in Brokaw’s words, it was the right thing to do.
Some dignitaries have referred to those who have elected to serve since 9/11, to include those serving now, as the new “Greatest Generation” – although I consider you all the “9-11 generation” – a generation that knew your country was attacked, and recognized the fact that our very way of life was threatened, and as a result, they decided to do something about it.
Frankly, many of the 9/11 generation’s West Point warriors are sitting here this evening. I have the utmost respect and admiration of you because when you reported to West Point on R-Day, you reported when our nation was at war, where freedom and rights were at risk across the world, and when you came on R-Day, each of you knew full well that you would join an Army at war. And yet, you came nonetheless. You came with the deep desire to serve, to stand for something much bigger than yourselves. You came because it was the right thing to do.
All of you here tonight are special for many reasons, but the fact that you stood up and said “Send me” speaks volumes about who you are and what you stand for. Becoming a member of the United States Army is always a big decision, but to do so in times when our national security was most at risk, is perhaps the noblest thing you could ever do. For you had already internalized the ethic of “Duty” and service to “Country” when you reported on your R-Day, because like 99.5 percent of your peer group, you could have easily opted for a safer existence. The fact that you stood in the gap with the trust and confidence of the American people, truly makes you the best and brightest we have in this nation.
For those who thought West Point is not what it used to be, or has gone Wok – or whatever you want to call it – nevertheless, there are some pretty impressive things going on and coming out of there.
When you think about it, West Point is not a college or a campus – it is so much more. West Point is an Academy - a living, breathing leadership laboratory that encompasses every aspect of the developmental experience, preparing our graduates to become leaders of character for the Army and our Nation.
It is also one of the Army’s centers of intellectual capital, that contributes to Army readiness and its efforts to build the Army of 2030. Even without a graduate program, West Point conducts relevant and cutting-edge research with industry that supports the Army’s transformation necessary to meet the challenges of future battlefields. If you have never gone to West Point in the springtime to observe “Projects Day”, you would be amazed at the level of research and the industry partnership that is going on.
West Point teaches Cadets how to think, not what to think. To prepare to lead in the uncertain contemporary combat environment, West Point’s curriculum is designed to push its cadets beyond their comfort level. The curriculum simply cannot afford to intellectually coddle cadets. And why is that? And what comes out of this intellectually challenging culture? Readiness for our Nation, with military leaders who are agile, resilient, and critical thinkers who have the intellectual agility and adaptability to not necessarily survive, but to thrive in this environment.
So how are they doing? If you think there is any shortage of intellectual capital being developed and molded, so far this year, the current first class has 2 Rhode Scholars, and 1 Marshall Scholar, and around 20 semi-finalists for Fulbright Scholars. And that is just the beginning of the season where scholarships are announced.
As a matter of fact, 2 years ago, West Point hit an all-time record with their firsty class earning 4 Rhode Scholars! That is an incredible accomplishment. And besides these 4 Rhodes, there were an additional 48 scholarships.
Just to put it into perspective, at the University of South Carolina with 50,000 enrolled students, and the #1 US News and World Report ranked Honors College in America, that university has had only 1 Rhode Scholar in 10 years. I’m not picking on South Carolina – or maybe I am. But it really does put into perspective the intellectual quality of our cadets. I know if I were at West Point as a cadet today, there is no way I could have competed with that level of intellectual competence.
I want to also applaud the military training going on at West Point right now. It is great to see the toughness, rigor, and realism that is part of this program. Many of you participated in CLDT – Cadet Leader Development Training. And perhaps for some, maybe you have not yet heard of it. But it is a basically, a mini-Ranger school, and all firsty cadets have to take it and they all have to succeed. Like Ranger school, CLDT is way more than military skills training – although that occurs as well. It is about leadership development. I remember visiting our graduates in Iraq and Afghanistan when I was Superintendent, and asking them what at West Point did they do that best prepared them for what they were doing in combat. Unequivocally, they all highlighted CLDT.
The other thing I’d like to highlight, and thanks to my successor Darrell Williams, is that Lake Frederick is back as part of Cadet Basic Training. With tent city, march out and back, FTX, and pugil sticks.
Although the military training teaches military skills, it’s main purpose is to develop officers in the profession of arms. TRADOC and its BOLC training will develop platoon leaders. West Point develops officers in the profession of arms. That is a significant difference, but it is why the percentage of West Point general officers is significantly higher than the percentage of West Point officers in the entire officer corps. And it is why the percentage of valorous awards – which is defined by ARCOM with V-device, Bronze Star with V-device, Silver Star, and Distinguished Service Cross. These valorous awards received by West Point graduates in Iraqi and Afghanistan’s Enduring Freedom, are significantly higher than the percentage of all other officers from the other commissioning sources.
Another area I’m exceedingly proud to see at West Point, is the excellence surrounding the athletic pillar. Not only in corps squad and club squad athletic teamwork, but also in our Phys Ed programs. And despite pressure from the Army to eliminate boxing because of potential head injuries, we initiated a significant injury mitigation program. And we not only kept plebe boxing, but we expanded it to include women as a mandatory phys ed program as well. It wasn’t my pushing for the women to begin to box, it was the women themselves, as well as our women graduates. And it has been hugely successful.
You see, we don’t have boxing to necessarily teach combat skills, although boxing does indeed teach combat skills. We teach boxing to learn how to overcome fear, because leadership in the crucible of ground combat requires leaders to come face to face with fear, and to overcome it. We don’t fight wars at 30,000 feet in the air, or in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, we fight wars where it is the most disgusting, disturbing and adversarial places. And it is there that we need leaders who will face fear, and face adversity, and to press on and persevere.
But let me go back to corps squad athletics if I could, simply because it is worth bragging about successfully beating both Airforce and Navy and bringing the Commander in Chief trophy back home where it belongs.
So far this year we’ve had 2 Patriot League Champions – Women’s soccer and women’s cross-country. In the Army-Navy Sta Series, Army leads 6-4-1 (Men’s Golf, Spring FB, Women’s XC, Women’s Soccer, Women’s Rugby, and football). On competitive clubs, 470 cadets compete regionally and nationally on 16 teams, we have 4 Team national Champions in AY23 – Women’s Boxing, Men’s Judo, Men’s Team Handball, and Women’s Team handball). And 7 club teams have beat Navy – Water Polo, Fencing, Boxing, Men’s Team handball, Judo, Climbing, and functional fitness).
Let me brag about our Football team if I could. I could not be more proud of Coach Jeff Monken, and the excellence, discipline and toughness he has instilled within the program.
This past year’s Army – Navy game was exceptional. Not only did we win the game, but it really showed the mental and physical toughness of our future leaders in the Army. Let me tell you what I mean.
When America puts boots on the ground in harm’s way, America does not expect us to go out there to “do our best”, or to “look good”. They expect us to go out there and WIN, and to win within the values of our Nation and our Army. And when they see Army and Navy football players playing with incredible intensity, with discipline, toughness and grit, laying it on the line for each other, they do not necessarily see college football players playing a tough football game, they see future leaders of our Army and our Navy who will lead their own sons and daughters into harm’s way, and to fight with the same grit and toughness in the crucible of combat, and to do so within the character that defines our nation.
I remember the 2017 Army-Navy game, when Army defeated Navy and won the Commander-in-Chief trophy for the first time in over 20 years in the middle of an east coast blizzard, in a game that was decided on the very last play of the game. The game was ranked as one of the top 10 collegiate football games watched that entire year. True that Army prevailed and won the game, But what was probably most important to our Nation and to the American people, was that America witnessed an incredibly tough, gritty, fully emotional game, where both Army and Navy played with incredible tenacity and discipline. They also saw a disciplined, emotional, and loyal Corps of Cadets and Brigade of Midshipmen. And as surely as America saw an Army victory; what was more important than wins or losses, was that America also saw its future Army and Navy leaders of our military, and America had to be pleased knowing these football players, and the Corps supporting them, will be our military leaders in the future years ahead. They had to know our country is in good hands if these are the men who will lead our Nation in the most challenging and difficult times. In other words, America’s trust and confidence in our military’s leadership could not be stronger as was best demonstrated on the “fields of friendly strife” that snowy Saturday afternoon.
One of West Point’s priorities, which is in line with the Army’s priority, is to win and to win honorably. Like I said, when America puts boots on the ground in harm’s way, they do not expect us to go out there and look good or to do our best, they expect us to win, and to win in accordance with the values of our Nation and our Army. But winning is not just winning wars – for each individual cadet winning is to meet the academic, military, physical, and character standards of the Academy. For many, winning is a struggle – just think of survival swimming, or jumping off the tower, or going down the slide for life. For others, it is just passing that WPR or the IOCT, or to pass the TEE in summer school, so they can remain at West Point, and fight the Dean for another semester. So winning is important; winning individually and winning as a team.
I remember my first Army – Navy football game as Superintendent. We had not beaten Navy for 11 years. I personally remember being in the Middle East in previous years, staying up all hours of the night to watch the Army-Navy game, only to walk back to my hootch dragging my chin on the ground, living through another loss to Navy. I remember being in Qatar at a CENTCOM Commander’s quarterly meeting with General Mattis – the CENTCOM commander – the year before I was the Superintendent. After our ‘once again’ loss to Navy, I walked back to my chu saying to myself that if I ever had anything to do about bringing West Point football back to preeminence and to win again, I would make sure we did it. Little did I know how that commitment would be personally tested the following year.
Many have asked me, why did I select Jeff Monken as the new coach and what was behind his selection. And the answer was simple – he had the traits that would fix the problems within our program. Whether it was mental toughness, physical toughness, or discipline. Let me explain.
When I arrived as Supe, there was a strong contingent of graduates pressuring me to drop our football program to D2. And I just would not accept that. If AF or Navy was able to compete in a D1 program, there was no reason why we couldn’t as well. Besides, I believe that a 2 or 3 star recruit could compete with a 4 or 5 star recruit on any given day, or an entire 60 minute competition. What would make the difference was discipline, extraordinary physical shape, physical toughness, and mental toughness, with a commitment to pay the price to compete at that level well before the first snap of the first game of the season.
You only get the ball during a game 10-12 times, and if you’re going to win, you have to put at least 30 points on the board. That means you have to score either a touch down or a field goal at least half the time you get the ball. But if you have a turnover, or a major penalty that stops a drive, you have just lost one of your scoring opportunities. Army was losing turnovers 3-5 times a game! And Army had holding penalties or other drive-stopper penalties another 3-5 times. Said another way, we were an undisciplined football team.
And during that first A-N game as Superintendent - it was a miserably cold and snowy day. I spent a lot of time during the game on the sideline, and I watched over and over, our players huddling around the heaters and not paying any attention whatsoever to what was going on during the game. And I was later standing next to GEN Odierno, the Army Chief of Staff. He told me he stood near the Navy coach right after halftime, when the teams were returning from the halftime locker room. CBS did a quick sideline interview and asked the Navy coach if the poor weather was going to impact his team. He said, “absolutely not – we knew it was going to be a lousy weather day, so we practiced outdoors just to get ready for today”. I immediately recalled what Army did to get ready for their game. They practiced inside every day.
I couldn’t help but conclude that we had issues with discipline, mental toughness and physical toughness, and we needed a coach who would deliver that. And we believed Jeff Monken was the one to do that.
And for those of us who thought West Point was stuck in the 1800’s, its USMA 2035 Update, is a brilliant and very expensive investment by our Congressional appropriators. One of those appropriators is also on West Point’s Board of Visitors – Congressman Steven Womack from Arkansas. He is a great American, he loves West Point, and he has been remarkable.
But if you go on West Point right now, you’ll see construction all over the place. But what’s encouraging is that you won’t only see it on West Point, you’ll also see it at places like Camp Buckner. That huge building that was where the old hospital was, and that will connect with Mahan Hall is called the “CEAC” – which stands for Cyber Engineering Academic Center. It is coming out of the ground nicely and is on schedule for an August ’25 completion. All the academic buildings are scheduled for upgrade, and a multi-year program is underway for Cullum and the Patton Swing space. The cemetery is expanding where the old PX gas station was, and will expand capacity for a couple more decades. And one I’m very proud to see is Michie Stadium, with its construction on the East stands which will be a complete renovation, and will take two years to complete. Although the stands on the east side will come down, Michie will still be open during the construction for its normal events of football, lacrosse, and graduation.
I think I’ve talked my allotted time, so let me leave with a couple final thoughts.
I have had the honor to serve with some of the greatest leaders in our generation. The Ray Odierno’s, Buster Hagenbeck’s, Jim McConville’s, Lloyd Austin’s, Scotty Miller’s, Joe Votel’s, Steve Gilland’s, Richard Clark’s, and many more. And while serving with them, I have learned so much.
First I learned to never apologize for being a member of the United States Army or a graduate from the United States Military Academy. This is the life I have chosen – the life I have lived for just over 43 years. It wasn’t risk free, and it wasn’t always easy. But in the humble opinion of this proud grunt, it’s always been a life worth living. There is no more noble profession than the opportunity to serve your country. It was a portion of my life spent in the cold, hot, snow or rain – facing danger during peace and war, while making the best friends I have ever had, men and women who will have your back no matter what life brings. As Americans, we aren’t perfect – but I can think of no better place to serve.
Second, I have learned over the years to draw my strength in the days ahead from my faith and my values, particularly the values of West Point. They were and are to me a moral compass that has guided me in the decisions I have made and not matter what the cost – to do the harder right. Have I made mistakes? Oh yes. But I have also been around leaders who believed in me, and they had used my mistakes as opportunities to learn and grow and become stronger as a result.
#3. I have realized that the friends I have made during my time at West Point are among the absolute best friends and teammates anyone could ever hope to have, and they have created relationships that will have lasted a lifetime. Through the shared hardships …... of sitting in the field in nights of freezing rain next to my battle buddy, or walking off demerits with my beast roommate, or finding humor studying for my term ends at 0300 – realizing all the while that the pure comradery created from shared hardships, that I was forming bonds that have lasted a lifetime. The relations I have made with my classmates have been deeper than my own blood brothers.
Lastly, I realize I can never forget those who got me here, and those who stood by me through the good and the bad, through thick and thin, who supported me even when no one else did – my beautiful wife and my children, and before that – my mother and father. They have all gone through an emotional roller coaster while I was at the Academy, and through the many deployments, field problems, challenges, failures and missed expectations. They have loved me more than you can imagine, unconditionally, and have been there no matter what. I know your families have done the same with you, so please don’t forget to thank them and give them a hug as often as you can.
Finally, as I look out at West Point right now, I am absolutely confident that our Nation is in very good hands. I could not be more proud of each and every one of our cadets and graduates. And if the American people want to see what is right with America, all they have to do is to spend a day at West Point, and take a couple minutes and talk with any one of our cadets.
Thank-you for a great evening and for the opportunity to be with you all.
Go Army!
Beat Navy!
Beat Everyone!
Thank-you.