‘If not me, then who?’ West Point cadets say why they serve

Hello. I’m Dr Frank I Luntz, host of America Speaks. Of the more than 1000 focus groups I’ve conducted in my career, none have been more satisfying and more emotionally draining as the one you’re about to see 18 cadets from the United States Military Academy, every one of them exceptional and extraordinary. Every one of them dedicated to service and sacrifice. West Point itself unparalleled and unrivaled for its focus and its success in producing students of leadership and character. And I, as the moderator of this very special conversation, am so incredibly honored to bring it to you now. For those of you who’ve lost faith in the future of America, you’re going to love the next 17 minutes. And for those who still believe America is still exceptional, get ready to see and hear proof right here on straight arrow news. So let’s get started. I will do 100 focus groups in 2024 but I can’t think of a focus group that’s more important than the cadets at the US Military Academy West Point. So if you could to start this conversation, give me a word or phrase to describe West Point,
selfless purpose,
service due to resilience
tradition.
So as you think about this place, what would in a sentence would you want Americans to know about West Point?
I’d say the resilience that we have here and the traditions that’s founded on and that’s still being enacted today every day, from combatives to boxing, getting punched in the face. West points a life of tradition, getting punched in the face. Absolutely, that’s what I wanted to have when I was a university student. That was my goal in life, getting punched in the face. Just to build off of baha’s point, even more, it’s even the balance of one class, you’re getting pushed in the face, and then not even an hour later, you’re discussing what’s going on in the world. You’re discussing military signs, how you’re going to lead your soldiers. And then you go to another class and talking about philosophy. It’s a balance of all these different elements.
Can several of you tell me what West Point means to you personally, not describe the institution, but but its impact on you.
What the first thing that goes through my mind is the classic question of, if not me, then who? How can I expect there to be a military if I wouldn’t want to sign up for it, we’re lucky to have a volunteer force. That’s something that a lot of Americans don’t think about, that we as a nation have an all volunteer force that’s not present in most of the world.
For me, it’s a calling. It’s a sense of duty, something that isn’t tasked upon me, but something that I feel as if I need to do for my family, for my fellow Americans, and most importantly, for my friends here, I wake up every morning being proud to serve and to be at this institution, because I’m doing it for the people around me. So people want to know watching this, why did you choose West Point? Why did you choose to serve, and why are you literally putting your life at risk?
My family’s not from here. The same isn’t from here. So I owe it to those who came here, those in my family, those in yours, and those in the families that want to come in the future to secure freedom and a bright future for them and their kids. And part of that starts with service. And to me, that meant West Point
as a gold star son, I’ve witnessed in my own family what sacrifice does and what sacrifice means, and I perfectly believe that who would I be if I didn’t take up that mantle, if I, if I didn’t choose to serve like my father did, this calling is a calling for something greater than myself, by being someone who’s willing to risk their life, not only for this country, for the future, but for the Constitution. It is something that is ingrained in ourselves when we come here, and it’s a calling that I’m willing to put myself, or I’m willing to put my country before myself, and I’m willing to even make that ultimate sacrifice, if called upon by my country. When my dad ran with his coworkers out of the World Trade Center, I don’t know if he had faith in his country’s ability to protect him, but when I got into West Point and I called him and he was crying as I told him, I want to be an officer United States Army, I knew that I had made a promise to him that I would spend my life defending this country. And when Jonathan and I had a heart to heart, he told me that his dad was killed in action in Iraq, I knew that the reasons I was going to stay were just like the reasons that I’d come to this place in the first place, that’s because I’ve made a promise that I’m going to uphold. You
weren’t born. Here. So this is not your country of birth, and you choose to be here anyway. Where were you born? I
was born in Iraq, sir.
And why are you here? I’m here because I want to serve the nation that gave me the American dream. My father was an interpreter for the United States Army, the US Army as a whole, and the American institution has given my family an outlet to chase the American dream. But
you didn’t have to do it.
So why? Because it sucks, sir, and I’ll tell you, and I’ll tell you why. There’s a trick to it. There’s something about putting yourself in a position where you’re uncomfortable, where it’s not always bright and sunny, but then you look to your left and your to your right, and then you look at their smiles on their face. We’re going through the exact same suck, but they’re processing it with you, like lifting you up along the way. You know, there’s no better camaraderie or teamwork than that. I
want to know where you’re from, so I’m going to count to three, and then I want you to shout out your state. Okay, so Americans can see where you all from, 123, so this really is America. What is it that the rest of Americans seem so angry with each other, so resentful of each other, so bitter with each other, and yet you’re talking about brotherhood and sisterhood and working together.
Why we face like shared hardship here it’s that shared hardship that like brings out that camaraderie.
I don’t know many members in this room, but I feel a connective tissue, right? We all believe in each other and believe in where American can go, and rather than looking on our shortcomings what we need to improve, we’re looking at solutions. Your
parents weren’t born here, correct? No, they were not. So when you told them you wanted to come here, what was their reaction? No,
it was nothing but support from them. Honestly, they don’t. No one in my family has served in the US military, so it’s, honestly, it’s an honor to be the first and I think at this point, it might become generational. My sister, she saw the effect that West Point had on me, and she’s gonna be starting a navy in June.
So let’s do this, describe the typical cadet, and I’m gonna walk down this front row here, in a sense, describe the typical cadet,
a resilient person and is able to adapt to change and challenge themselves every day. I
think they strive for greatness. I don’t think they give up when easily pushed back. And I think that they’re always striving to be better each day.
Someone who’s prepared to grow William, capable of helping you whenever you need
help, someone who has an understanding of purpose well is the good of the other person?
Long gray line was it me?
The long gray line refers to all those who have gone before us and have worn the cadet gray. It’s a continual line of commitment that goes from the past to the present and towards the future. So
you spoke about the continual line. I think something that’s also really interesting is the 50 year affiliation program. This is, I think, more of a recent thing that the association of graduates started, but each class is partnered and paired with a West Point class that graduated 50 years before us. So I’m the class of 2025 and we’re paired with the class of 1975 and we’ve had fireside chats with them, and they come and visit. They did our march back from the east when we walked 12 miles back to West Point. So there’s like that bond that links us. What
is the worst day you had at this this last is everyone gonna have the same answer? What’s the worst day,
I’d say, getting pushed in the face at eight o’clock and then, and then going to a calculus taste test and getting pushed again. So just go. I
learned the hard way at West Point the dangers of procrastination. I was cranking out about 500 words every half hour just trying to survive at like 2:30am when I went to bed at about 445 and I woke up at about 530 for Sandhurst next morning. Then we were and I was doing Hill sprints up, uh, Hill.
So what happens?
I made it the history paper got turned in. It got a 86 and while the day you have is miserable, I was struggling to stay awake during class, the storm passed. So
there’s something about perseverance and resilience. How does West Point teach those values or those principles? For you all,
West Point is really, really good at finding something that you’re bad at, and they will make you get good at it. They will force you. And it is really tough. It builds a lot of character. So what
is it about here? Yep,
I’ll say it wouldn’t come to West Point. My dad was a former Marine, and I’ll never forget him telling me that. It, they were not going to allow me to fail. And I didn’t understand that concept. I guess coming through, I was very academically minded, and you can definitely fail in academics. But he told me, you cannot fail. You can quit, but you will never fail. And I think being here, there’s not a single scenario that I can think of where someone would not be beside you, behind you, in front of you, leading the way for you, how
many hours a week do you think you’re either studying, taking classes, doing sports or military training?
Typically, if you wake up around 630 you go to bed around 10, you’re working approximately a 90 hour work week on average. That’s a little bit of homework on Saturdays and Sundays. You get some time off on the weekends a little bit. But if you’re really up from 630 to 10, and you’re not counting the off time as like a 20 minute lunch break and some other things, you really are just doing schoolwork, going your classes, sports, military training, studying,
average college student in the US works about 20 hours a week. And if you add income for those who have to work, it’s probably another 10 or 12. You’re working three times the average college student. And you want to do this because I want to
do it with people besides me. It means a lot to me when I’m working for them and I know they’re working for me. If I need help with someone, something, homework, whatever I can get help. There is tons of resources here that are willing just to help me and see me succeed. There’s so many people beside me that want to work for me that I want to do the same for
them. So I want to know your biggest challenge at West Point that you overcame. The
most challenging thing for me at West Point was the six meter dive in swim. And what really got me was, for some reason or another, my boxing coach had substituted that day in swim, and he knew me. He knew I was very aggressive, and he was like, Oh, if anyone messes with me, like I’m gonna get her on you, because I was, I was a really good boxer, and the day that we had to shout at her training, the day that we had to jump, I just remember seeing him, and he just looked so confused. And he was like, Why can’t you do it? And I just remember feeling so hurt that I was excelling this area, but I wasn’t in this area. And I remember that day thinking to myself, this is the day that I have to stop thinking that I can do everything by myself. I’m the only female sibling, so, like, I used to think like, oh, I can, like, help everybody. I can do everything by myself. Like, I’m gonna get it together, I’m gonna wrap everybody up. And this, I couldn’t, I just couldn’t do it. And so I had to be humble, and I’d had to go to the CEP where they have different simulations, where you can practice jumping. Had to go talk to friends about it. And I was like, Guys, please help me. And in fact, the day where I actually jumped, my friend asked, could he come? And so I’m expecting to come in, and he brings the whole class that he was with, and is I just felt so supported in that moment, I realized, like, I have to do this, because this is more than just myself. This is about the community that I’m with, and I’m so much more than myself,
somebody else. My
first year roommates were from inner city, Baltimore, small border town next to Mexico, the country of Qatar. And then I was from New England. And if you think that we could come up with a time to get up, a time to go to bed, when to turn the lights out, or how to clean the room, you’re crazy. I mean, the three of us are on the debate team here at West Point, practically because we love to disagree with each other, but West Point teaches you how to disagree with the people you have to work with because you’re here for a greater purpose, and so you have to put aside your personal differences and find a solution. How
does this place develop character, and the kind of character that this country needs to fight successfully in the wars of the future. So
we all talked about growth, but it’s not just personal growth. It’s growing together. And through the four years here, we all grow together. We all learn together. We rely on each other. So in taking that to the military, then in a broader aspect, it’s not just sacrifice for ourselves. It’s sacrifice for the people to our left and right. So we have to be willing to say, for you, you don’t battle buddy, I’m willing to sacrifice whatever it requires for us to get the mission done. There’s also a hope for the future between all of us. So there’s the understanding that if we sacrifice for each other, we are enabling each other to create a brighter future for our country tomorrow. How
many of you optimistic about their future? So you know I’m not those of you who know me just a little negative. Why are you so hopeful at
the end of the day? Of the day, when push comes to shove. I truly believe that we are willing to put down whatever disagreements we have and help each other personally. There was no better example than what my parents talk about for 911 they worked in the Twin Towers. Yeah, it was my brother’s first day of preschool on 911 so they weren’t going into the office, but they lost colleagues that day, but they lived in New York. I grew up in New York, seeing that cohesive nature of people to care for each other. That’s who we are as a society. You’re
an optimist. Why?
I have two very close friends here. One of them was born in Ethiopia, actually, and he was, he was adopted by a family here. The other he doesn’t have to work a day in his life if he doesn’t want to. And they’re both here. They were willing to put everything aside to come here. We have instructors here, a lot of them who fought in a 20 year war, who saw just how bad life can get. But you know, we’re all still here. We’re not
necessarily saying that just because we’re optimistic there’s not going to be dark days ahead. That’s how life is. At some point, there will be challenging times. I’m just optimistic that we’ll be able to get through them.
What is the impact that you wish to have on the world, on the country, on your family, based on you being here at West Point,
I’d say being a role model. That’s the main impact that I want to be. There’s different divides and divisions all across the country, but I think one thing at least the academy we can come together, is understanding what being a role model looks like, what it looks like ethically, being a leader and being resilient, physically and mentally. And I think that’s what I would want to give the countries that there is hope and there is leadership out there.
It was President Lincoln that said, if the United States ever falls, it’ll be our undoing, and not in other countries. And I think West Point facilitates humility, and it facilitates a purpose and a love for others, besides beside yourself. And I think it’s the antithesis of that pride which is currently causing most of all of our problems. So I think the way that you inspire that shift in values is to do yourself, lead by example.
You swear an oath to the Constitution. What does the Constitution mean to you?
Just putting myself in the shoes of our founding fathers, when they were writing that, they were writing of a dream. They were dreaming of something better, and to even see that dream come to where it is today, or how it can improve in our future as well. It’s it’s really moving because all of us sworn oath to protect that constitution, to protect that dream, protect that vision for something better. And I think that’s why, when you ask like, Are are you optimistic about the future? And we all say yes, it’s because we are choosing to be optimistic about this dream, about this future, about what it can be, what America can and will be.
If there were two words that you could communicate that you want every American to know, ask you that to West Point. What would those two words be? All to know that you are the best of America, and I will never have a privilege like this. So thank you all. And there you have it, the voices of these remarkable cadets from West Point, nowhere in America. Do you find students like these nowhere in America? Do you find an educational institution so influential and so successful in producing so many leaders of tomorrow that are worthy of our respect and our appreciation today? I’m Dr Frank Luntz, your host of America speaks right here on straight arrow news. Thank you for watching and for listening, and may I add just for this episode, God bless America. You.