In a move demonstrating the U.S. military’s “wokeness,” West Point recently removed the words “duty, honor, country” from its mission statement and replaced them with the generic words “Army Values.”
“To build, educate, train, and inspire the Corps of Cadets to be commissioned leaders of character committed to the Army Values and ready for a lifetime of professional excellence to the Army and Nation,” the new statement reads.
West Point’s move comes as the military faces the worst recruitment problem in years. Concerns have grown over the military’s embrace of “woke ideology.”
West Point Superintendent Army Lt. Gen. Steve Gilland had announced the modification to the statement. The high-ranking military official claimed he wanted to focus more on the “mission essential tasks” of “build, educate, train, and inspire” instead of “duty, honor, country.”
The change received backlash on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“The hollowing of our military is progressing at breakneck speed. West Point is removing ‘Duty, Honor, Country’ from its motto. Would you send your sons and daughters to West Point now?” one user wrote on the platform.
The hollowing of our military is progressing at breakneck speed. West Point is removing “Duty, Honor, Country” from its motto. Would you send your sons and daughters to West Point now? pic.twitter.com/je3OqNJ5ao
— @amuse (@amuse) March 13, 2024
“The love of my life, who passed away three years ago, went to West Point and he is rolling in his grave right now,” another user said.
The love of my life, who passed away years ago, went to West Point and he is rolling in his grave right now! pic.twitter.com/W2RNB3tzCv
— DivaPatriot 🇺🇸 (@TeamAmerica2020) March 13, 2024
Army Col. Terrence Kelly, who directs communication for West Point, told Breitbart News that West Point has repeatedly changed its mission statement in the past, adding that “duty, honor, country” will always serve as the motto of the military.
The words first appeared in a famed speech by Army Gen. Douglas MacArthur to the Corps of Cadets in 1922. MacArthur served as superintended of West Point from 1919-1922 upon returning from service in World War I.
The Western Journal reported that cadets in the 1920s were forced to memorize a portion of MacArthur’s famed speech.
“Duty, Honor, Country: Those three hallowed words reverently dictate what you ought to be, what you can be, what you will be. They are your rallying points: to build courage when courage seems to fail; to regain faith when there seems to be little cause for faith; to create hope when hope becomes forlorn,” MacArthur said during his speech.
