LIARS MUST HAVE NO CONNECTION TO WEST POINT
By Major General Paul Vallely (USA, Ret)
July 1, 2024
“A cadet will not lie, cheat, steal, or tolerate those who do.”
By Major General Paul E. Vallely, U.S. Army (ret.)
And Tony Lentini
Thirteen unequivocal words, simple and direct, such is the Honor Code of West Point’s Corps of Cadets. New cadets are instructed on the Honor Code and its nuances from the moment they enter the U.S. Military Academy, and it underpins every day they spend there and beyond throughout their military careers and lives. One of those nuances is “quibbling,” or using words or phrases intentionally to deceive. Quibbling is the same as lying. The penalty for those found guilty of an honor violation is expulsion. The reason for so harsh a penalty is simple: On the battlefield, lies can cost lives and cause missions to fail. Commanders must have trust in their subordinates, and they, in turn, must have faith in their leaders.
For example, a company commander sends a small scouting party behind enemy lines to determine whether an attack is imminent. The patrol leader deems the mission too dangerous, so he goes out a few meters, lays low, and returns to report no enemy contact. Later that evening, the undetected enemy attacked and decimated the company.
A real-life-and-death example occurred on Sept. 11, 2012, when four Special Forces troops in Tripoli, preparing to fly to the rescue nearly 40 Americans under attack at the U.S. diplomatic compound and CIA annex in Benghazi, Libya, were ordered to stand down. High-level American officials, including Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, outright lied about the availability of assets, leading to the deaths of U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens, Foreign.
Service Officer Sean Smith and Navy SEALs Tyrone S. Woods and Glen Doherty.1
https://armedforces.press/liars-must-have-no-connection-to-west-point/
