Great commentary on GEN MacArthur’s famous “Duty, Honor, Country” speech, an event I attended 50 years ago next Saturday.   Fortunately, it was captured for posterity by one of my classmates on another cadet's personal tape deck, a story in of itself.  

I added a couple of links below:

a.    link to the recording made by my classmate, Pete Wuerpel, Brigade Adjutant.  

b.    link to the transcribed text of the speech

c.    link to a backgrounder from my classmate, Jim Ellis, First Captain

Charlie Shaw, '62

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Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (post-gazette.com)

May 5, 2012

The Corps, And Core Values

By David M. Shribman

Where to start with Douglas MacArthur? To say that he was general of the Army? To note that he was superintendent of West Point? To recall his famous exit from the Philippines and his even more famous return? To cite his role in the occupation of Japan? To refer to his time commanding U.N. troops in the Korean War? To reflect on his firing by Harry Truman? To quote his remarkable "just fade away" speech, interrupted numerous times by applause, on Capitol Hill?

We may not know where to start, but we surely know where to end -- where MacArthur effectively ended his public career, 50 years ago this coming Saturday, when he appeared among the ghosts and memories of West Point and spoke to the sparkling young men who could have known only vaguely on that day in May 1962 how Vietnam would shape and, in some tragic cases end, their lives.

Plebe Year in E-1, we lived in the southwest corner of old Central Area, just below building 720 boodlers, near West Sally Port and Cadet Store entrance.  For meal formations, we were the first company out of Central Area by way of that Sally Port and thus, first into the Mess Hall by the East Entrance.  For that reason, E-1 company tables were always up close to the Washington Hall Mural of historic battles.

I have no idea by what sequence other companies left Central or South Area, or entered the Mess Hall, but it seemed that there were always South Area company tables very close to ours, between E-1 and the East Entrance.  Due to that proximity, with Plebes sitting at the north end of our tables, I was often very close, and certainly within hearing distance of some of the South Area tables - - sometimes back to back with some South Area Firstie table com.  I clearly remember hearing the extent of *less than kinder/gentler* commentary from the South Area upper classmen to their Plebes.  Those Plebes were spouting poop on demand that was often far beyond any of the requirements placed on Plebes in other, less hostile Cadet companies.

One of the indelible memories of those times was one upperclassman with a very high pitched, nasal voice, for whom it seemed a most favorite avenue of run - together whine rapid fire questioning was "Sit up dumbsmack, let's have the Days, too slow, whats the movie Saturday night, too slow, who is the OC?"  Plebe would finally get a chance to answer, "Sir, the Officer in Charge is Major XXX of the (branch identified here.)"  Often, for certain officers identified as OC, the next question was "What's he famous for dumbsmack?" and since the Plebe usually did not have an immediate answer, if was "Dumbsmack you drive around to my room before CQ and you better know what Major XXX is famous for or you''ll be on Calls to me till June Week."

The rare variance to that scenario was "Sir the Officer in Charge is Major Warner of the Infantry." or "Sir, the Officer in Charge is Major Treffery, of the Field Artillery."   Then in response to the "What's he famous for?" that always came next, the Plebes in that company had learned to answer "Sir, he is from the class of 1950 that went immediately from Graduation Leave to the Korean War."