Guest post by Major General Paul E. Vallely, U.S. Army (Ret.) and Capt. Tony Lentini
Duty, Honor, Country is West Point’s motto, and until recently, when the current superintendent deleted those hallowed words, part of the academy’s mission statement. Duty means performing any mission, however dangerous or difficult, to the best of one’s ability, all the time.
Country implies adherence to the U.S. Constitution and loyalty to the United States in peace and war.
The Honor part means comporting oneself with absolute integrity, even when doing so can have negative consequences. It means taking the more arduous right course rather than the easier wrong one.
The Cadet Honor Code comprises thirteen unequivocal words, simple and direct: “A cadet will not lie, cheat, steal, or tolerate those who do.”
New cadets are instructed on the Honor Code and its nuances from the moment they enter the U.S. Military Academy, and it underpins every day they spend there and beyond throughout their military careers and lives.
One of those nuances is “quibbling,” or using words or phrases intended to deceive. Quibbling is the same as lying. The penalty for those found guilty of an honor violation is expulsion.
The reason for so harsh a penalty is simple: On the battlefield, lies can cost lives and cause missions to fail. Commanders must have trust in their subordinates, and they, in turn, must have faith in their leaders.
For example, a company commander sends a small scouting party behind enemy lines to determine whether an attack is imminent.
The patrol leader deems the mission too dangerous, so he goes out a few meters, lays low, and returns to report no enemy contact.
Later that evening, the undetected enemy attacked and decimated the company.
A real-life-and-death example occurred on Sept. 11, 2012, when four Special Forces troops in Tripoli, preparing to fly to the rescue nearly 40 Americans under attack at the U.S. diplomatic compound and CIA annex in Benghazi, Libya, were ordered to stand down.
High-level American officials, including then-Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, outright lied about the availability of assets, leading to the deaths of U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens, Foreign. Service Officer Sean Smith and Navy SEALs Tyrone S. Woods and Glen Doherty.1
This brings us back to West Point. In recent years, the academy has faced severe criticism from The MacArthur Society of West Point Graduates, Stand Together Against Racism and Radicalism in the Services (STARRS), Veterans for Fairness and Merit (VFM), and other veteran groups for degrading the Honor Code and progressive indoctrination.
In addition to the U.S. Corps of Cadets, West Point is home to the Combating Terrorism Center (CTC), endowed by individual graduates and the classes of 1966, 1971, 1977, 1984, 1987, 1989, 1998, and 2001.
A Senior Fellow of the CTC is none other than Michael Morell, former Acting Director and Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), who authored and solicited signatories to the infamous letter signed by 51 retired and active CIA personnel that falsely dismissed the Hunter Biden laptop story as having “all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation.”2
Note the wording: They knew it was a lie, so they quibbled by qualifying the statement with “all the classic earmarks of.” This massive deception helped swing the 2020 presidential election of Joe Biden to the White House.
All the signatories, including Morell, also shirked their duty by violating the CIA’s charter, which prohibits interfering in domestic affairs. And all betrayed their country by putting partisan politics above the Constitution and free and fair elections by the people.
Having a known duty-shirking, country-betraying liar in any leadership position at the United States Military Academy is antithetical to its mission and core values. It makes a mockery of Duty, Honor, and Country undermines the Honor Code, sets a horrible example for young cadets, tarnishes West Point’s reputation, and insults the Long Gray Line of graduates who have contributed so much to this nation.
As cadets are dismissed for lying or quibbling, Morell must resign or be ejected from the CTC. Immediately. His continued connection to West Point is an abomination.
Paul E. Vallely is a retired U.S. Army foremost General and former senior military analyst for Fox News. A 1961 West Point graduate, he served in the Vietnam War and retired in 1991 as Deputy Commanding General of U.S. Army Pacific. In 2004, with retired Air Force Lieutenant General Thomas McInerney, he co-authored the book, “Endgame: The Blueprint for Victory in the War on Terror. He has served as military committee chairman for the Center for Security Policy and runs Stand Up America US. He is a founding and board member of The MacArthur Society of West Point Graduates.
Tony Lentini is a 1971 West Point graduate who served in the U.S. Army for five years, attaining the rank of Captain. He then pursued a career in the energy industry, serving as Vice President of Public & International Affairs for two independent oil and gas companies. He is a founding and board member of The MacArthur Society of West Point Graduates.
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