Review Of West Point's 'Honor, Duty, And Country'

This book talks about the struggles of young men who pledged themselves to ``Honor, Duty, and Country,'' but found that living up to West Point's iron standards was very difficult and in some cases impossible. It tells us about the twenty-five-year adventure of the officers who fought in Vietnam. Atkinson tells the story of West Point's Class of 1966 through the experiences of three classmates and the women they loved. This story is told from their rowdy cadet years and youthful romances to the action in Vietnam, where dozens of their classmates died and hundreds more grew discouraged. The Long Grey Line teaches American men and women about innocence, patriotism, and the prices that we must pay in order for our dreams to become a reality.

After four years of a demanding and rigorous program, 579 men received commissions as lieutenants in the United States Army. In another four years, thirty were dead and another one-third were civilians. The highest resignation rate in the history of the Academy. This work is anything but easy. This book follows the life and career of nine members of the Class of 1966 and the women who loved them, grieved for them, and joined them in their commitment to the service of their nation. This book is essential reading for those who wish to gain at least a minimal understanding of the effect of the war in Vietnam on those who survived, its impact upon the U.S. Army as an institution, and the ideological infrastructure behind the contemporary reform