Destiny Jennifer Ringgold - Choosing the Harder Right: West Points 1976 Cheating Scandal

PRAISE FOR CHOOSING THE HARDER RIGHT: WEST POINTS 1976 CHEATING SCANDAL

Destiny J. Ringgold, in her second book, Choosing the Harder Right , has taken on the tremendous daunting task of telling the story of her fathers struggle in one of the most misunderstood and darkest period in the history of the United States Military Academy following the end of Americas involvement in Vietnam. Destiny had her father and his records, logs, notes, and thoughts to learn about the details and characters involved on both sides of the situation and used her outstanding writing skill to flesh out the main and supporting characters to become as realistic as possible to the reader. I was asked to review a loose-leaf, unedited version of the book to see if I agreed that Destiny had captured me as I saw myself during that period; she had presented me better than I could have done and Im sure she did the same for the other supporting characters. I think the book may be offensive to ones who think all liars, cheaters, and stealers should be eliminated from any of the military academies for any reason since they are at the academies at the taxpayers expenseno exceptions to be granted. However, if you do not really know the reason for the struggle to stop the expulsion of cadets during this tense period, Ms. Ringgolds book will enlighten you and show you that justice did prevail.

Colonel Arthur Lincoln, US Army (Ret.), USMA class of 66

Destiny has pierced brilliantly the complexity of the so-called 1976 West Point cheating scandal. These were turbulent, confusing, and challenging days. All there were tested in varied ways. Destinys father was pivotal in confronting and correcting a massive injustice. His moral courage and steadfast determination against seemingly indomitable forces at last prevailed. He was, for me, always a profile in courage. Thanks to Cadet Tim Ringgold and many others our beloved West Point emerged from those dark days brighter, stronger, and more honorable. May this valuable work contribute to further understanding, reconciliation, and peace to all who suffered during those painful times.

Father Thomas Curley, West Point Catholic Chaplain, 19721977

We live in an age where tribalism and polarization is the worst I have seen in my sixty-five years on the planet. These days, rather than falling into the feuding that seems so prevalent, I am on alert to discover ways to care for each other, to find common ground, to support generative efforts that seek to understand and restore. This work by Ms. Ringgold, born out of love and respect for her father, has the potential to deepen our understanding of what was transpiring in those cadet days so many years ago, when we were all twenty-something, trying to find our way. My hope is that the wounds carried by the men who navigated through those difficult days in the spring of 1976 can finally be healed. I would love to see evidence of this at our forty-fifth reunion in 2022, a gathering of all the surviving members of the original class of 1977. I believe there is an esprit in that direction that could be nurtured. This will require from each of us humility and a heart of forgiveness (a promise one gives to another not to resurrect or revisit past offenses). By Gods grace.

Steve Hunt, USMA class of 1977

An interesting read and clarification of the difference between the honor codes of the Military Academy at West Point, New York, and the Naval Academy at Annapolis, MD, and civilian institutions. West Point would do a lot for cadet anxiety levels if they would lessen the threat of tolerating the violation of the honor system while still upholding the honor system. Destiny, very much aware of the discipline and rigorous regulations, senses and accurately reports on the extreme anxiety induced by the Honor Code and the paranoia it causes at West Point, which sounded more like Duty, Honor, Paranoia, Country . As a Naval Academy graduate with twenty years of service as a Marine officer and now a practicing psychologist, I could feel the sense of urgency and anxiety.

Clifford R. Dunning Ph.D., LMFT, LPC, Lieutenant Colonel US Marine Corps (Ret.), USNA class of 1961

Destiny has reached into the past to retrieve a story nearly unknown to my generation. She has lovingly combined intricate research and hours of interviews into this retelling of her fathers experience as a West Point cadet. As an ethics professor, the story is compelling because students can apply various ethical frameworks to the controversy to sort out the layers that make it so complicated; the actions by individual students, the administration, and the government provide endless opportunities for discussing how to best carry out justice in light of the scandal. However, it is Destinys unique vantage pointand thus the signature on her workthat gives us the widest view of the scandal and the most interesting points to consider (and the greatest opportunity to really use philosophy).