The Strong Gray Line: War-time Reflections from the West Point Class of 2004 [Hardcover]

An extraordinary set of stories.?Graduating from the orderly world of West Point into the violent complexity of combat in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Class of 2004 earned a special place in The Strong Gray Line  and paid dearly for it.?Like their predecessors who fought at Shiloh, the Argonne, and the Ia Drang Valley, these cadets-turned-officers tell the story of West Point, warfare, and what living West Points motto of Duty-Honor-Country looks like up close.In citing West Point's contributions to?this great country, General MacArthur told the Corps of Cadets in the spring?of 1962 The Long Gray Line has never failed us! It never has, and thanks to the heroism and sacrifices of West Point's young graduates, it never will. The moving tributes offered by members?of West Point's Class of 2004 to their deceased classmates who fought and died in Iraq and Afghanistan remind Americans again of this timeless truth.The West Point Class of 2004 has a story to tell that is unique in the 21st?century history of the United States Military Academy.? For the first time in many generations, a class entered the Academy when the Nation was at peace but was destined to spend the entirety of their time there in training and preparation for wartime leadership.??The Strong Gray Line?tells this story extraordinarily well, in a way that only those who experienced it first-hand can.? From inauspicious beginnings during a rain-soaked first summer of initial training and through the myriad challenges that cadet life entails, that story has now become one of battle-hardened, experienced professionals who are doing the Nations work in a way that brings distinction to a Class that has earned an honored place in West Points illustrious history.?Told through the eyes  and the lives  of several of the men and women of the Class,?The Strong Gray Line?resonates for all of us that have served through the years, and encourages all Americans to live lives that are worthy of the sacrifices of the gls(