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SGT Edward Wilcox
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I have to agree with the bulk of the authors message. While academy students have to maintain higher levels of physical fitness, integrity, and academic success than their civilian counterparts, I don't think it makes them 'better' than their civilian counterparts anymore than my service makes me 'better' than someone who did not serve, or who did not serve as long as I did. I have run into the arrogance that comes from being an academy graduate, and it was demoralizing. Academy graduates actually think they are better soldiers and officers, when, in fact, I have had better leaders who came from ROTC and OCS.

You would think that someone who teaches at the Navel Academy would have a better understanding of the Academy than this guy seems to have. Oh, well.
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MAJ James Woods
MAJ James Woods
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Nice to see I'm not the only one who had similar take away from this article. I agree some arrogance do graduate from each academy but I would hope that's an individual personality issue and not something leaders at the academy are instilling in them. I felt author was implying Academy culture and recent guest speakers were promoting that they are the best of the best of Americans and that implication I disagree with.
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SGT Edward Wilcox
SGT Edward Wilcox
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MAJ James Woods - And I felt, from the author's description, that the speakers were simply re-enforcing a mindset that already exists within all the service academies. I feel the academies do instill in their students that they are 'the best of the best' simply because they were accepted to, and graduated from, an academy. This is just my take away, based on historical figures who graduated from West Point, and personal interactions with other West Point graduates.
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SSgt Copyright Specialist
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SGT Edward Wilcox - I think you are right that all academies seem to instill that sort of mindset into their graduates whether it is Annapolis, West Point, or one of the other service academies.
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SMSgt Thor Merich
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The author has been attending the Annapolis graduations for 30 years and this is the first time he has heard this type of talk? He lost me at that point. Sounds like typical graduation speeches to me. There is nothing wrong with having a little enthusiasm at the graduation of a military academy.
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LTC Orlando Illi
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First of all - why do I care what this guy thinks? He's already advocated for the demise of the U. S. Military Academy System. He is an arrogant narcissistic academic who as far as I can see NEVER SERVED a day on Active Duty.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2898247/English-professor-Naval-Academy-Abolish-military-academies.html
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