Sen. Blackburn Probes USMA’s Dropping of ‘Duty, Honor, Country’

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Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., is probing the U.S. Military Academy’s decision to drop “Duty, Honor, Country” from its mission statement.

It was reported last week that West Point no longer will use the motto, which was highlighted in a famous speech by Gen. Douglas MacArthur in 1962.

Instead, the three words will be replaced by a line that includes, “Army Values.”

Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth and Army Chief of Staff Randy George both approved the change, which critics may see as West Point going woke.

Blackburn sent a Tuesday letter to USMA superintendent Lt. Gen. Steve Gilland seeking answers on the decision.

“Cadets have long been inspired by the notion of ‘Duty, Honor, Country,’ a phrase that has become synonymous with the Academy itself,” Blackburn wrote in her letter to Gilland. “Those three words serve as a solemn and patriotic reminder that our country is worth defending, with the utmost duty and honor.”

The senator questioned the mission statement’s change.

“While ‘Duty, Honor, Country’ has represented a clear and consistent objective for cadets to strive toward for over sixty years, your new mission statement — focused on ‘Army Values’ — represents a vague subjective that can be changed time and again based on cultural and personal preference,” Blackburn wrote.

“More, as Russia, China, Iran and North Korea continue to test the will of the United States, West Point recently held its largest diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) conference. While the U.S. military has been focused on DEI initiatives, our adversaries are plotting against us.”

Blackburn wants Gilland to explain “specific considerations prompted this revision” and name the “external stakeholders” offering input on the change.

She also wants the superintendent to answer two other questions:

“How does the updated mission statement better align with the timeless principles and values that West Point has upheld for generations?”
“What do you say to those concerned that ‘Army Values’ can be broadly interpreted to fit the ever-changing cultural climate?”

Blackburn mentioned MacArthur in her letter to Gilland regarding “Duty, Honor, Country.”

“General MacArthur said it best when he told cadets that the words’ ‘reverently dictate what you ought to be, what you can be, what you will be. They are your rallying point 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,’ ” Blackburn wrote.