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A Return to Glory: The Untold Story of Honor, Dishonor & Triumph at the United States Military Academy, 1950-53

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"A Return to Glory" by Bill McWilliams is 3 books in one. It is the
story of West Point's tragic 1951 cheating scandal; Academy graduates in
the Korean War, including a condensed version of the
last battle for Pork Chop Hill; and the restoration of the
Academy's honor system and football program/team in the years
immediately following the 1951 incident.

Weaved into the work is the story of Army coach Earl "Red" Blaik and
all he went through following the cheating incident, in personal
efforts to retain the Cadets ultimately discharged. The book has numerous
examples of the extensive correspondence between Blaik and General
Douglas MacArthur that demonstrates their close friendship and Blaik's
relentless pursuit of the cadets' retention. This also went to the highest
levels in the Pentagon and all the way to President Harry S. Truman.

The 1951 cribbing incident, as some refer to it, occurred during the
first year of the Korean War. The 1951 Army football team was the
pre-season pick for the number one college football team in the
country. Even Army's second-string team was rated better than the other
top-10 teams of that era, which included Southern Cal and Notre
Dame. A total of 83 Cadets resigned. Among them was Coach Blaik's
son Bob, Army's starting quarterback.

Earl Blaik nearly resigned following the 1951 disclosures, but at
General MacArthur's urging, didn't, and in the 1953 season,
brought his Army team back to national ranking.

The middle portion of "A Return to Glory" deals with events
surrounding the last battle for Pork Chop Hill three weeks before
the Korean War ended and the actions of West Point graduates from
1950 through 1953. The war had become trench warfare of World War
I revisited.

This is an engrossing and riveting work. You get more than a hint of
the pressure a football coach is under.

The Honor Code at West Point worked and still does, albeit in ways,
not necessarily to everyone's liking. I should know, I have a son and
daughter currently enrolled as upperclass Cadets.

"A Return to Glory" has lessons for today not necessarily limited to
football and the military. While many changes have occurred at West
Point in the last half-century, the important fundamentals haven't.

"A Return to Glory" is 1115 pages.

Excellent coverage of a variety of issues relating to the Glory Days of Army Football - pre, during and post. Well told story but I found the extensive, play-by-play details of far too many football games somewhat distracting. Still, if you love the Academy, this is a fascinating period to read about.

The work is meticulous. One must like details. And if one takes the time which is well spent, it is a great book. The Academy was under critical fire for this difficult period where a lot of things were breaking down, from a Cheating Scandal to conflicts between the academic and athletic departments, the Korean War rages on and is always in the foreground, a nationally ranked football is descimated with resignations. The title says it best. A great read and wonderful historical review and analysis of a very difficult time.

I bought and read the book "A Return to Glory: The Untold Story of Honor, Dishonor and Triumph at the United States Military Academy, 1950-53" after hearing about it from other West Point graduates. It is a hefty tome, weighing in at over 1000 pages--a little intimidating when I first lifted it out of the shipping box.

However, as soon as I started reading, this book captured my full attention. I found it quite readable and very interesting. It is a thorough, detailed, and almost scholarly work.

What I find particularly interesting is how the author interweaves a number of contemporary story lines which, naturally, impacted on one another:
-- stories of West Pointers in the on-going combat of the Korea
War, including the story of First Lieutenant Dick Shea and other West Point graduates at the battle of Pork Chop Hill
-- the discovery, investigation, and resolution of the cheating scandal
-- the year of activities which celebrated the Sesquicentennial Anniversary of the founding of West Point
-- the story of the glory days of Army football, its fall due to the scandal, and its incredible re-building under the legendary Army football coach, Col. Earl "Red" Blaik
-- a fascinating look at an interesting period in college
football in general, for example, the differences between "Iron Man" football, where the same team played both offense and defense, and the platoon system, then a new idea, which allowed separate offensive and defensive squads
-- the debate about what place of competitive football should occupy in collegiate life, if any at all, a debate which raged not only at West Point but at many top-notch civilian colleges of the time.
-- and, finally, what everyday life as a cadet was like during these tumultuous times, as seen through the eyes of the author, Bill McWilliams, who entered West Point the summer the scandal was breaking news.

I would offer one word of caution. If you saw the very abbreviated story as told in the TV show, "CodeBreakers," which was based on "Return to Glory," you may be surprised to discover how much more involved this book is and how much longer it is. However, the reader will find the book version all the more interesting because it delves much more deeply into every aspect of the 1951 cheating scandal than any movie could ever do.

For any reader with an interest in West Point, history, football, the Korean War, sports, or leadership topics, or any combination of the above, "Return to Glory" would be a great gift.

Bill does an excellent (and amazing) job of research in documeting the cheating scandal and the recovery of the football program.