West Point Warriors : Profiles of Duty, Honor, and Country in Battle

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Summary: West Point Warriors
Review: After some 29 years since R Day (I reported on 2 July 1973), I thoroughly enjoyed "West Point Warriors' by Tom Carhart.

Some of the profiles were obviously familiar but chapters that dealt with the likes of Henry O. Flipper truly reminded me of the many graduates who so honorably served their country without complaining and without any expectation of anything but the Honor & Privilege of helping preserve our nation as our Founding Fathers had established.

The book is a true testament that ultimately Duty-Honor-Country will overcome what appears to be insurmountable odds.

Many of the stories I had heard while at West Point (WP) but for those that have not had the privilege to attend or visit WP I think it would be help put WP in a positive light (both historically and professionally).

I was also intrigued by the idea of a graduate school of Military History and Leadership at West Point.

Thanks Tom!

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Summary: West Point Warriors - A Must Read
Review: CARHART REVIEW

WEST POINT WARRIORS is an inspiring, highly readable book written by Tom Carhart, an USMA graduate of impeccable credentials. At once warrior and scholar, Carhart has two Purple Hearts from Vietnam combat, a law degree from the University of Michigan, and a PhD from Princeton in Military and American History. Further, he has held positions ranging from Policy Analyst with the Rand Corporation Santa Monica, Editor of "European Taxation" in Amsterdam, to being an international corporate lawyer in Brussels. He has also written three other books on battles in Vietnam and in the Gulf War.

WEST POINT WARRIORS yields not only fascinating history of the Point but includes amazing vignettes about various cadets. One, a high school drop out founded AOL; another, who as a cadet fired a cannon in the mess hall, is currently the Secretary of the Army; and, of course, many more became equally successful in the Army and in business. From blood and guts battles scenes both on the ground and in the air to poignant memories of spouses and fellow warriors, the book is gripping and revealing. Laced throughout is the theme, always do the right thing.

Never one to write a puff piece, Tom Carhart details the appalling treatment of Blacks in the early years (General Benjamin O. Davis suffered four years of the silent treatment), the malaise after the Vietnam War, decline of West Point graduates attaining flag rank, and Congressional mandates of political correctness. Then Carhart goes on to outline a program he believes will enhance West Point's future in both the military and academic communities. But one must read the book to learn of this innovative project.

WEST POINT WARRIOR is a must for the shelf of the serious student of warriors, from whence warriors came and why they are the way they are.

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Summary: Duty, Honor, Country, ........and Boredom?
Review: How do you take the the exploits of heroic graduates of the United States Military Academy and manage to make it boring? Author Tom Carhart manages, on a book that features just plain bad writing on so very many different levels.

There's the chapter on Henry Flipper, the first African-American USMA grad, which is a warmed over re-write of Carhart doctorial dissertation.

There are the chapters on the giants -- Lee, Grant, MacArthur -- which provide only meager details (MacArthur was involved in a Congressional investigation of hazing while a cadet; you'd think that would earn mention in a book titled WEST POINT WARRIORS, but you won't find it here).

There's the embarassingly gushing chapter on Colonel "Red" Reeder, with a would-be novelist's attempts at narrative and dialogue.

And finally, there's the final two-thirds of the book, which show that there's a lot more to good oral history besides turning on a tape recorder.

Top it off with the author parading his own "pet rock" idea (add a graduate school for military history at USMA), and you just have one big thudding blunder of a book. On the bright side, it did make me want to go back to the teenage section of my local library and find "Red" Reeder's WEST POINT PLEBE to reread.

Rating:
Summary: Duty, Honor, Country, ........and Boredom?
Review: How do you take the the exploits of heroic graduates of the United States Military Academy and manage to make it boring? Author Tom Carhart manages, on a book that features just plain bad writing on so very many different levels.

There's the chapter on Henry Flipper, the first African-American USMA grad, which is a warmed over re-write of Carhart doctorial dissertation.

There are the chapters on the giants -- Lee, Grant, MacArthur -- which provide only meager details (MacArthur was involved in a Congressional investigation of hazing while a cadet; you'd think that would earn mention in a book titled WEST POINT WARRIORS, but you won't find it here).

There's the embarassingly gushing chapter on Colonel "Red" Reeder, with a would-be novelist's attempts at narrative and dialogue.

And finally, there's the final two-thirds of the book, which show that there's a lot more to good oral history besides turning on a tape recorder.

Top it off with the author parading his own "pet rock" idea (add a graduate school for military history at USMA), and you just have one big thudding blunder of a book. On the bright side, it did make me want to go back to the teenage section of my local library and find "Red" Reeder's WEST POINT PLEBE to reread.

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Summary: Wonderful book that make me proud to be an American.
Review: I have read the book twice now. It is wonderful reading that makes you proud to be an American and understand the sacrifices that are made for us all by men/women that you will never meet. People that you will never know so much as their name. I served in the Army as an enlisted man, and I never knew until I read Tom's book just how much the men and women of West Point have put on the line for me. This is a wonderful overview of the men/women of West Point. If you have a child that you think does not have good grasp on just how wonderful they have it in life, get this book for them. It really puts a warm spot in your heart to know just how much people like Tom have done for us all. Tom was twice wounded and awarded the Purple Heart.
I took a Civil War history class from Tom just before the book was released and his knowledge of military history is far more than what can be fit into this book. This is a brief history of some of the men from the "Long Grey Line". I highly recommend this book to anyone that wants to know just what a hero is. After 9-11-01 we as a country say we know, but do you?

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Summary: Thinking About West Point
Review: If I had to characterize this book in one sentence, I would say that it is an "insider's" account of and thoughts about a subset in our society that most of us have probably not thought much about--the "long grey line" of graduates who have fought our nation's wars across the decades and the special values they embody. Of the 22 West Pointers Tom Carhart--himself a West Point graduate--profiles, barely a half dozen are known to most of us, and that in itself sets this book apart from most books about American military heroes. And at a time when Americans once again face the very real prospect of sending its daughters and sons into battle, this book seems especially relevant, for it takes us inside the minds and deeds of those who for almost two centuries now have been leading our troops into battle-namely, graduates of West Point. One need not be in favor of the present call for war, one need not even approve of all the reasons the USA became involved in all these wars, but Carhart does a superb job of conveying to us what it is that has made generation after generation of Americans able and willing to dedicate themselves to the extent that they lay down their lives. Far from being an academic "study," it is written in a vivid style and provides a generous mix of individuals and tales--I am sure it will offer some surprises to all except a few military "buffs." Carhart makes no apologies for highlighting the best side of West Point--its ideals and goals--and the best side of these graduates--their courage and dedication under fire. Some people these days may regard the West Pointers' motto--"Duty, honor, country"--as simplistic, old fashioned, but along with being a "good read," this book should make us all think hard about these goals in our nation's history and future.

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Summary: Caution! For West Point Graduates, Only.
Review: If you're a graduate of West Point who likes to bask in the sun of all the self-congratulating books on the West Point Military Academy, no reason why you shouldn't read this one, also. As for me, a mere citizen (former enlisted) history buff, I found this little paperback uninteresting. What I thought might be interesting is old hat, and what isn't old hat is verrry boring and uninteresting. The price is [inexpensive], however (if you don't value your own time). Sorry.

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Summary: .....,
Review: OK as another of already many well known sources of well known information on well known Generals. How did it ever get published? So much for merit...
Takes the exploits of U. S. Military Academy graduates and manages to make them boring. And, I was surprised at how poor, almost amateurish, the writing was.
That said, everyone likes military warriors and heroes. It could rate another star or two if an editor or someone helped put the information on paper in a more interesting way.

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Summary: The Price of Valor
Review: This is a book every American should read. Dr. Tom Carhart's West Point Warriors compiles the human stories of heroic young officers from the War of 1812 to present day Afghanistan as they meet the challenges of combat on land, sea and in the air. It will make you proud of America's soldiers and their leaders.
Dr. Carhart, a frequent contributor to ASSEMBLY (West Point's alumni magazine) and a Ph.D. in history from Princeton, attacks the task of chronicling the "warrior spirit" of West Point in a unique way--by telling the story of 200 years of valor through the combat experiences of selected graduates, both famous and obscure--except that many of the stories of the famous are taken from their developmental years, not their years of high command and grand strategy. In some cases, he also reveals the human element of the women these warriors left behind. In all, it captures the essence of the West Point warrior through the years and around the world.
The opening chapter concentrates on West Point's first super-hero, Eleazar Derby Wood, Class of 1806. In old paintings of the fledgling academy, the obelisk that was Wood's monument stood proudly on The Plain (West Point's parade ground). Now it reposes in the oldest section of the cemetery. Few Americans are aware of this graduate, who distinguished himself in the War of 1812 as an engineer, artilleryman, and infantryman and died leading a sortie out of Ft. Erie to break a British seige by a vastly superior force. But many Americans have stood on the site of his monument in New York harbor, for the base of the Statue of Liberty is the concrete-filled Ft. Wood.
Two familiar figures emerge in the chapter devoted to the War with Mexico--Robert E. Lee, Class of 1829, and Ulysses S. Grant, Class of 1843. Carhart puts a very human and detailed face upon the valor, dedication, and audacity of two young officers who later would play major roles in the history of our country.
The list of graduates honored includes the gallant John Pelham, ex-Class of 1861 and a Confederate, and Patrick Henry O'Rorke, Class of June 1861 and a Union officer (both would die young in the Civil War); Henry O. Flipper, Class of 1877, the first African American graduate; Douglas MacArthur '03 and George S. Patton, Jr. '09--but for WWI, not WWII; Benjamin O.Davis, Jr.'36 (a Tuskegee Airman) and "Red" Reeder '26 (author of numerous books after losing a leg at Normandy) for WWII; Joe Clemons '51 (of Pork Chop Hill fame) for the Korean War; Fred Franks '59 (of Desert Storm fame) and Rocky Versace '59 (recently awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously for heroic resistance while a POW until finally executed in retalliation) for the Viet Nam War; and CPT Jason L. Amerine '93 for the war against terrorism in Afghanistan. All in all, a fascinating and compelling book about West Point, the Army and our country over the past 200 years.

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Summary: Review of West Point Warriors
Review: Tom Carhart knows how to tell a story and he knows how to write.I found the book to contain great stories about some prominent and some little known West Point graduates and their heroic contributions in battle.The historical details of their lives, told in narrative fashion, presents interesting and entertaining reading.Many of the historical facts were new to me. I enjoyed the book tremendously.