West Point graduates sign letter challenging leadership of military academy

Several retired U.S. military officers signed a letter written by "Concerned Graduates of West Point and The Long Gray Line," which objects to mandatory vaccinations, CRT instruction, progressivism and other "woke" sentiments in the military academy.

"We wanted to challenge the leadership of the Academy and the Defense Dept on their WOKE actions, CRT, Diversity training and the other discrepancies in the Academy," retired Army Maj. Gen. Paul Vallely, told the Epoch Times.

"We found it pervasive at the Naval and Air Force Academies so we knew it was directed from the highest levels of our Military Leadership. We all want the Military to get back on track to training and leading our Armed Forces to secure America and it's Citizens," he said.

The letter, titled, "Declaration of Betrayal of West Point And the Long Gray Line," requests from the academy information in a number of areas including a justification for the mandatory COVID-19 vaccination of cadets and an explanation for reaching so-called "Critical Race Theory" at West Point. 

In addition to other information, the letter also demands to know why some civilian faculty members have been permitted to become involved with political activism, violating the "long-standing policy of the Academy and Army Regulations."

And it questions the institution's "exclusive reliance upon radical progressive guest speakers to address the Corps of Cadets."

"This practice results in prejudiced political activism on the part of the Staff and Faculty in violation of Army Regulation," reads the letter. 

The signees, who include a number of military officers, say they have witnessed and been informed of a modern rejection of the principles of the military academy that could ultimately endanger the institution's core and original mission to "educate, train, and inspire the Corps of Cadets so that each graduate is a commissioned leader of character committed to the values of Duty, Honor, Country and prepared for a career or professional excellence and service to the Nation as an officer in the United States Army."