(FeaturedHeadlines.com) The US Military Academy at West Point has produced officers for the nation’s armed forces since 1802, including notable names like Dwight Eisenhower, George Patton, and Douglas MacArthur. However, the academy now faces a lawsuit for removing its famous motto, “duty, honor, country,” from its mission statement.
Legal watchdog group Judicial Watch launched the lawsuit after West Point declined to provide information related to its mission statement change. Judicial Watch filed the case as a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit.
The change raises concerns about the impact of the “woke virus” on West Point and whether it is affecting what future Army leaders are being taught at the academy, Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said. West Point’s refusal to turn over records related to the change makes matters worse, Fitton added.
West Point said that it recommended the change to its mission statement after taking a year and a half to review the academy’s mission, vision, and strategy. The updated mission statement focuses on the essential tasks of building, educating, training, and inspiring cadets to be leaders of character, the academy said.
West Point’s mission statement has changed nine times in the past century, the academy said. The “duty, honor, country” motto was first added to West Point’s mission statement in 1998, the academy noted.
The lawsuit over the mission statement change is not the only legal battle that West Point has faced in recent months. Legal advocacy group Students for Fair Admissions sued the academy in federal court over its consideration of race in admissions.
In 2023, the US Supreme Court ruled that race-based affirmative action programs in college admissions processes violate the Constitution. However, the court did not apply the ruling to military academies. The Supreme Court declined to hear a case challenging West Point’s consideration of race in admissions until it plays out further in lower courts.
It remains to be seen whether Judicial Watch’s lawsuit will shed light on West Point’s decision to remove the tripartite motto from its mission statement, or whether the matter will eventually reach the Supreme Court as well.
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