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by dak1 2005 days ago
I went to West Point almost two decades ago.

It's important to remember that almost every cadet here was a plebe (1st year student). Plebes are under enormous pressure, and they are only just beginning the inculcation of the honor code (they've all only been there about 6 months now).

Traditionally, they are given by far the most leeway. The expectation is that going through this process will only hasten and harden their understanding of the importance of the honor code.

I recall reading stories in the news about happenings when I was cadet, and there's always invariably some nuances and details that are either incorrect, missing, or misunderstood by people not familiar with West Point.

Some cadets are also still going to go before an honor board, which may very well lead to their separation.

Without knowing more details, I trust the administration (including cadet-led) to take actions in the best interest of our country, the institution, and the Corps.

1 comments

An E4 cheating on land-nav at PLDC/WLC/BLC whatever it's being called these days gets treated more harshly.
No question about that.

Ironically, that knowledge leads to a crisis of trust in military institutions among enlisteds.

The trust problem is critical and far ranging, but also multifaceted. It permeates not only the military but all of US society at this point. I'm honestly unsure as to the best solutions? We may only be able to restore trust with glacial change rather than sea change.

> I'm honestly unsure as to the best solutions?

As someone who has never been in a military, I'm going to throw out a wild idea:

I can't imagine that restoring this trust will be easy as long as officers aren't drawn from the pool of enlisted men.