In the early 1990s, I get a call from Lieutenant Colonel (Ret.) John Lock, a Ranger who is also a military historian. He asks for information on the … - Ralph Puckett

Strive for excellence in every activity. "Good enough" is never good enough until it is the best you can do. Whenever you settle for anything less than your best, you're cheating yourself, your Soldiers, our Army, and this great country.

While a conservative, I was no troglodyte- a claim some of my charges might contest. West Point is a kind of monastery tucked away on a bluff overlooking the Hudson, far removed from the hustle and tussles of modern life (ironically within an hour's drive of Manhattan). Tradition was its bedrock. Cadets still wore the gray uniforms of the Battle of Chippewa in the War of 1812, and many of the practices dated back at least that far. For decades, adherence to hoary teaching practices- rote memorization, daily recitations, arcane grading methods- left the Military Academy trailing the best civilian universities. West Point was in the midst of changing its pedagogic methods and modernizing the curriculum, but that, too, widened old fault lines. I agreed with those who wanted to make tempered adjustments when called for but also believed in preserving the best of the old system and enforcing the rules as written, which applied equally to officers and cadets. The tactical officers bore responsibility for the discipline and military training of cadets; the former demanded most of our energies.

Be there. That has always been my personal standard. Be there for my soldiers, and if a soldier is undergoing adversity, be there by his side.