40 years ago today, the first women graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point, NY. In honor of that historic day, May…
Real Leaders | Real Life
Category: Character
When I was young, one of the first lessons my parents taught me was that words have meaning. If you make a promise, you keep…
In the month of August, both Forbes Magazine and US News & World Report ranked West Point as American’s Best College in each of their respective annual rankings. The rank and follow-on accolades are tribute to a national treasure – the United States Military Academy. There has been both praise and criticism of the methodology used to calculate this year’s results. The primary criticism being that students of the federal military academies receive a free education, which allows them to graduate debt free in comparison to the majority of other university students.
This letter to the Editor of the New York Times appeared in both the on-line and print versions of the New York Times on August 19, 2009.
To the Editor:
The topic of women in combat remains controversial. Conventional wisdom and current law prevent women, no matter how able, from serving in units with direct offensive combat missions — infantry, armor, artillery and special forces. The justification for this exclusion includes that women are not fit for combat and battlefield stress because they lack the emotional stability and physical strength.
I am at a loss of words for the momentous and seismic shift we witnessed today with the inauguration of Barack H. Obama as the 44th president of the United States of America. The joy and hope of people everywhere was palpable as a new chapter in our Nation’s history opened. Today was a day for all Americans.