Chaitanya Jyothi Museum Opening, 2000

RAMANAM
In the Name of The Father, and of The Son and of The Holy Spirit, Amen.

Countrymen,

ORBIS NON SUFFICIT
SOLUS DEUS SUFFICIT

A non-public struggle has been ongoing among some West Pointers since the early 2000s.  Superficially, the struggle regards a statue, now on post, that commemorates West Point Graduate and famous Football Coach Earl Red Blaik.  Actually, the struggle regards protecting — for our nation’s welfare — the West Point Honor Code and Honor System.

Here following is background on this matter followed by my peroration regarding its existential importance.

Colonel, United States Air Force, Retired, West Point Class of 1955, Bill McWilliams (and here) is an inspired military historian and a fine friend.  He is also a distinguished combat fighter pilot, a true battle leader.  His literary accomplishments are in areas of American History that illustrate the grandeur of the human spirit and the sacredness of human values.  He is thorough and precise, traits I much admire and that are much sought after by men and women of learning.  Please take a look, read, enjoy and learn.

For a sense of the value of the West Point Honor Code and Honor System to the citizens and future of the United States of America, ruminate upon this letter (and here), dated May 20, 2003, from Bill McWilliams to then-Superintendent of the United States Military Academy Lieutenant General William J. Lennox, Jr.  Background and perspectives, by Bill, on that letter are here (and here).  The letter (and here) builds from Bill’s monumental work, A Return to Glory (and here), applying his research and lessons learned there — the 1951 cheating scandal — to a specific matter which arose at West Point in the early 2000s.

That specific matter, which relates decisively to the West Point Honor Code and Honor System, arose again — erupted is how Bill puts it — in 2015 and, this time, prompted Bill to engage with other West Point graduates and some non-graduates — to include the owner of this blog, who is a Friends of West Point — to attempt to settle the matter once again in favor of upholding the West Point Honor Code and Honor System.  In April and May of 2016, current Superintendent of West Point, Lieutenant General Robert L. Caslen, Jr., was sent letters and materials briefing treatment of the specific matter in 2003 and Bill sent the Federal Bureau of Investigation this Memorandum dated April 22, 2016.  Bill copied the Memorandum to General Caslen and the Chairman of the Board of the West Point Association of Graduates, Lieutenant General (Ret.) Larry L. Jordan.

His April 2016 Memorandum to the FBI is also here on Bill McWilliams’ personal website (and here).

As of  March 2017, the Superintendent of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, LTG Robert L. Caslen, Jr., has had the Blaik statue installed at the Academy, although not as originally constructed or sighted.  Not addressed by this installation — and indeed ignored by it — are honor violations by West Point Graduates, arguably amounting to a federal felony, attending its provenance.

Thus my peroration:

Circumstances surrounding the Blaik statue subvert the moral uprightness rightly expected of our national service academies and graduates.

We want to be faithful to our Constitution and our families and personal and national properties and processes.  We want our leaders to share our faith and justify our commitment of trust in them.  When they do not, we hurt and are harmed, as are they and our nation.

While it is deplorable that a $100K heist appears, so far at least, to be considered too small an amount to be investigated by the FBI, this is the case and proves the point made by not a few: moral tone is sunk so low as to be counted in money rather than honor.

The honor violations at the center of the Blaik statue arouse our disgust and thoroughly justified crie de coeur.

The FBI, understandably, investigates morality violations that cause or can cause physical or financial harm.  Our service academies investigate morality violations that harm or can harm honor, duty, or country.

Investigative reporters also investigate morality violations that harm or can harm honor, duty or country.  That is an ancient role for which real journalists — as distinguished from stenographers — are justifiably proud and protective.  Journalists are right to think that Americans, even in these times, yet want their leaders morally upright, to include especially their military leaders, and especially service academy graduates, and especially West Pointers.  Uprightness is what West Point always has said it is, to the point of stodginess if need be (good practice for holding a line against enemy attack).

So I suggest proceeding towards investigative reporters while strongly holding the mind to the fact that the morality/honor matrix is the crux of the matter of the Blaik statue.

The West Point Honor Code and Honor System, which began evolving when Congress authorized the Academy in 1802, are the foundation for the honor codes and honor systems developed at all of America’s service academies.  West Point is the first national service academy authorized by the U.S. Congress.   The West Point Honor Code is the foundation for the officer codes of all military formations.

Update 2: USMA, USNA and USAFA are led by career-end 3-stars for some time now.  Ideally they are led by career-move 2-stars fresh from one combat command and on their way to another.  They should not have been Corps Squad athletes when Cadets or Midshipmen.  And they should answer to their chief-of-service and CJCS instead of wealthy fellow graduates and their alumni associations.  Ditto the Commandants, who should be career-move 1-stars fresh from one combat command and on their way to another.

AUM NAMAH SHIVAYA