I learned long ago on the battlefields of Vietnam that in a crisis, there is no substitute for clear-eyed leadership.

The function of combat is not merely to perpetrate violence, but to perpetrate violence on command, instantaneously and reflexively. The function of the service academies is to prepare men for leadership positions where they may someday exercise that command.

World War II brought the Greatest Generation together. Vietnam tore the Baby Boomers apart.

The function of combat is not merely to perpetrate violence, but to perpetrate violence on command, instantaneously and reflexively. The function of the service academies is to prepare men for leadership positions where they may someday exercise that command.