West Point decision to cut ‘duty, honor, country’ from mission statement under fire again

EXCLUSIVE: A United States Military Academy ngo connection swap from "duty, honor, country" to "Army Values" is coming nether occurrence again — this clip by a blimpish judicial and authorities watchdog radical who claims the schoolhouse engaged successful a "cover up" strategy erstwhile it altered its ngo connection successful 2024 arsenic portion of an effort to beforehand a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) agenda. 

On March 11, 2024, West Point Superintendent Lt. Gen. Steven Gilland publically announced that West Point would update its ngo and insert the word "Army Values" successful lieu of "duty, honor, country." Even so, Gilland stressed that "duty, honor, country" would stay West Point’s motto arsenic it has been since 1898. 

Judicial Watch obtained documents via a Freedom of Information Act petition seeking each emails regarding the removal of "duty, honor, country" from the ngo connection betwixt officials astatine West Point. 

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Among the documents Judicial Watch obtained is simply a papers from Gilland detailing ngo connection talking points for Founders Day speakers that was sent connected March 23, 2024. The memo instructs speakers to "AVOID saying ‘removed,’ ‘replaced,’ ‘deleted’—just notation to the ‘updated ngo connection and reenforce that the motto remains unchanged.’" 

The memo does not explicitly link the ngo connection alteration to immoderate DEI initiatives. 

However, Judicial Watch argues that the talking points papers it obtained implies DEI was a origin successful the ngo connection alteration due to the fact that the papers besides contains an FAQ conception that appears to downplay the relation of DEI, claiming lone 5 to 8 students each twelvemonth implicit West Point’s Diversity and Inclusion Studies minor. 

"These records item however the DEI docket helped alteration the ngo connection of West Point — and however enactment nether the Biden medication tried to screen it up," Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said successful a Thursday connection to Fox News Digital. 

But successful the memo outlining ngo connection talking points, Gilland urged speakers to propulsion backmost against the communicative that the ngo connection alteration was done for governmental purposes. 

"EMPHASIZE the existent 7 values arsenic immoderate successful the assemblage don’t recognize Army Values is simply a defined word and to antagonistic the societal media communicative that the Army Values alteration for governmental reasons. AVOID comparing DHC to AV—it’s not either/or," the ngo connection talking points papers said. 

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The U.S. Military Academy astatine West Point is simply a selective instauration that prepares students to go officers successful the U.S. Army.  (iStock)

"AVOID the cognition that the External Review Team was governmental oregon made the decision. The Academy selected them. They advised. Academy enactment made Decisions," the papers said. 

The word "Army Values" keeps "duty" and "honor" wrong its halfway acceptable of values, but besides includes the following: loyalty, respect, selfless service, integrity and idiosyncratic courage. 

Gilland said successful a connection announcing the alteration that "country" is reflected successful the word "loyalty." 

"The Army Values see Duty and Honor, and Country is reflected successful Loyalty, bearing information religion and allegiance to the U.S. Constitution, the Army, your unit, and different Soldiers," Gilland said successful an announcement astir the ngo connection change. 

Gilland besides said that "duty, honor, country" is "foundational to the United States Military Academy's civilization and volition ever stay our motto." 

An Army spokesperson directed Fox News Digital to Gilland's archetypal announcement wherever helium wrote: "Our absolute focus on developing leaders of character ready to lead our Army's Soldiers connected progressively lethal battlefields remains unchanged."

West Point is 1 of respective U.S. subject academies that trains students to go subject officers. 

Meanwhile, West Point’s ngo connection has been changed 9 times successful the past century, and the words "duty, honor, country" didn’t marque it into West Point’s ngo connection until 1998. 

As of March 2024, West Point’s ngo connection is: "To build, educate, train, and animate the Corps of Cadets to beryllium commissioned leaders of quality committed to the Army Values and acceptable for a beingness of work to the Army and Nation."

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West Point cadets successful formation. (U.S. Military Academy)

West Point’s erstwhile ngo statement, archetypal adopted successful 2005, remained: "To educate, bid and animate the Corps of Cadets truthful that each postgraduate is simply a commissioned person of quality committed to the values of Duty, Honor, Country and prepared for a vocation of nonrecreational excellence and work to the Nation arsenic an serviceman successful the United States Army."

West Point’s superintendent astatine the time, Lt. Gen. William Lennox, requested the alteration successful 2005 and then-Army Chief of Staff Gen. Peter Schoomaker approved the change. 

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Meanwhile, Republicans have pushed to incorporated "duty, honor, country" backmost into the ngo statement. For example, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, spearheaded authorities successful January to adhd the words backmost to the subject academy’s ngo statement. 

"For centuries, the United States Army has acceptable the planetary modular for subject excellence due to the fact that its leaders clasp a beingness of selfless work and embody the values of ‘Duty, Honor, Country.’ West Point’s removal of these halfway values from its ngo connection risks eroding the instauration of American subject leadership," Cruz said successful a connection successful January.