Shut Down West Point and the War Colleges

[Surferbeetle]

As a 2-year-non-scholarship ROTC guy with three degrees (2 undergrad, one grad), two plus decades of service, and over a decade spent living overseas I understand Tom Ricks’ sentiment but disagree with his solution. GWOT has been good for us in the sense that the USG, to include our military, has been forced to reconcile the comforting dreams of ideology with the cold hard reality of the world as it is. There is a balance point between the two, and our excellent military educational process is working to catch up and prepare our forces for what is needed for our nation to not just survive but excel in the rapidly changing times of today as well as for the future. As the old guard retires and our folks who have spent time on the line take their place we are seeing what’s equivalent to spring turn over in lakes and ponds: oxygen and nutrients are being distributed and new growth is doing what it’s made to do: adapt, overcome, and replenish. As with most things of quality it takes time and will not occur at the pace found in a Burger King drivethrough.

All military schools are trade schools as they should be. How can I, or anyone else, effectively do my/our job without it? Military education does not stop at the schoolhouse door however; military service/OJT and worldwide travel are an incomparable/irreplaceable component of a soldier’s education just as they are of a journalist. Fortunately for us, congress has finally considered the needs of the nation ahead of their own for just a moment and passed a comprehensive GI Bill. Military service followed by time spent in our nations various schools pays the nation dividends as we all know from studying the history of our nation as well as examining our own family histories.

Education is something our nation must invest in if it wants to continue, and so we must continue to improve our military training facilities instead of closing them.