Duty, Honor, Country: A History of West Point

Rating:
Summary: Entertaining
Review: After its initial publication in the mid sixties, this book was difficult to find so I for one was delighted when it was rereleased several years ago. West Point is always an interesting subject and books on its history are always interesting to read. My only complaint was that the whole book should have been completely updated given the changes that occurred between the 1960s and 1990s. However, I do recommend this book as a good starting point for anyone interested in West Point and the US military.

Rating:
Summary: Great Book
Review: Ambrose complied a great deal of information into a concise, readable, text that will give the reader a deeper insight into the country's most important military institution.

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Summary: An easy-reading history of West Point
Review: Ambrose's 1964 history of the Military Academy is an easy flowing and enjoyable insight into many of the core traditions of West Point. Some of the early history seems dry at times, but provides a seldom seen picture of the politics of the early nineteenth century. As a grad, I learned much of WP's early history that I had never known of. It was delightful to see how much of the culture and tradition has remained relatively unchanged over 150 years. On the other hand, it was interesting to see the stark contrast that exists in many areas of cadet and army life from then to now.

Ambrose has organized his work in a manner that defines the developmental stages of the Academy, beginning with the concept of military academies as first initiated in Europe. He does an excellent job of telling of the internal, and uniquely American, concerns about putting too much power into the hands of an elite military authority versus being adequately prepared for the defense of the new nation. Ambrose describes the rather weak beginnings of the Academy, and takes the reader through the its generational evolution. Along the way he cites many examples of how West Point pioneered many of the educational changes in the early American collegiate environment, as well as describing the contributions made by many of the Academy grads. He intertwines his historical narrative with a look at the cultures and traditions of West Point and how they contribute to the education of the officer corps.

I would love to see Ambrose bring this work up to date, and provide his insight as an historian into the last 35 years at the academy. The current edition has been updated by the publisher to include an afterword by General Goodpastor. Unfortunately, I found the General's comments to be a rather self-serving view of the changes that have transpired since the mid-sixties, and in particular his comments regarding the 1970's struck me as being weak, distorted, and inaccurate. As a superintendant of West Point, the General obviously has close ties to many of the recent changes and can hardly be considered as an objective oberserver. The afterword really detracts from the value of Ambrose's work. Nevertheless, I would highly recommend this work to anyone interested in the early history of our republic.

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Summary: If You're Ready to Go Back To School, Here's the 1st Text
Review: I enjoyed school a lot. I read a lot and played a lot. This new re-issue of Mr. Ambroise's writing reminds me of those history text books that were so difficult to read, still good, and full of information, but hard to read. This is not a reviting page turner like "D-Day" or "Citizen Soldiers", but if you want to learn details of the Academy, this is the source.

Written in 1965, it barely moves along. It is very interesting to see where the author has come from. In the forward, written by President Eisenhower, Mr. Ambroise is refered to as a "professor". AMEN! He has taught me a lot about West Point that I never knew of, or would care to know about. The author deals with details that I cannot imagine existing, never mind receiving is such detail. I have to take my hat off to the research, and work Mr. Ambroise put in on this book, but it's just not very entertaining like some of his others.

But, if you want to learn about American military culture, Jacksonian politics, and how Congress worked during the 19th Century, you got the right book. The frustration of a Congress that cannot see beyond it's own nose is very constant through the entire book. The Jacksonian era was wonderfully handled, and very surprising. I actually enjoyed this chapter. A new world opened for me. There are great pieces about Civil War personalities, quotes, and the conflict of principals between the Regular vs. Volunteer armies.

So, to quickly sum up. The book's not very exciting, so if that's what you want, stay away. The book is very intelligent, will teach you a lot, and is very, very detailed. If you want to learn something, then this is the right choice. I'm still a fan Mr. Ambroise!

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Summary: An often neglected side of early U.S. history.
Review: I found this early work of Ambrose to be an easy and interesting read and would recommend it to anyone interested in the history of the Military Academy. While the history of the academy is quite rich, Ambrose does an excellent job of providing a concise review of its significant points. The detailed narrative that readers of "Undaunted Courage" might expect is lacking in this work, but I believe "Duty, Honor, Country" flowed much more smoothly and was much easier to read. The book maintains a common thread throughout dealing with the mission of the academy and the expectations of the country for the academy and its graduates. The author does a wonderful job of laying the foundation for the academy's shaky beginnings in the young United States. As a graduate of West Point, I found Ambrose's analysis of its culture to be quite insightful. Since this book was originally published in 1964, the many recent changes which have challenged the academy are not covered -- I would dearly love to see Ambrose update this work The publishers of the current addition have attempted to provide an update by including an afterword by General Goodpaster, a grad and former superintendent. Unfortunately, I question the General's understanding and insight into the events of the last thirty years, especially the period covering the Vietnam era of the seventies. To a large degree I found the General's comments to be a somewhat self-serving review of the post-Vietnam changes at the academy - many of which he was instrumental in. In any event, those interested not only in the history of West Point, but also in the formative history of the early U.S., will find this book to be most enjoyable.

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing, Considering The Reputation Of The Source
Review: In my opinion, this book reads like a school book report. It is a disappointment, considering the reputation of the source -- Stephen Ambrose. Maybe I expected too much because the author is well known. On the other hand, I didn't expect too much from the not well known author Norman Thomas Remick and his book "West Point", and was most pleasantly surprised. But there you are, then. It's not what you do, it's who you know that counts.