The head of the U.S. Military Academy thinks it’s time to replace the “men” and “sons” in West Point’s two most beloved songs with more gender-neutral lyrics.

Lt. Gen. Franklin “Buster” Hagenbeck, superintendent of the nation’s oldest military academy, told a congressional oversight committee Wednesday that with more than 3,000 women graduating from West Point since 1976, the change is long overdue.

During a presentation Wednesday to the academy’s Board of Visitors meeting in Washington, Hagenbeck said he wants to change the words to the military academy’s alma mater and its companion piece, “The Corps.” Both songs date back about a century.

In “The Corps,” the proposals include changing “The men” to “The ranks,” and “We sons” to “The Corps.”

The superintendent said the changes aren’t being pushed by female cadets, but it’s a commonsense move considering the role women play in today’s military.

“When are they going to be recognized for what they’re doing?” he said.

Hagenbeck said he got the idea for the revision two years ago at a ceremony commemorating the 30th anniversary of women being admitted to West Point. He listened as the female alums sang lyrics from the songs that included, “We sons of today, we salute you.”

Hagenbeck has spent the last few months discussing the possible changes with alumni, Army brass and cadets. He said he’ll make the final decision, possibly after graduation ceremonies on May 31 and before the Class of 2012 arrives this summer.

The academy’s Board of Visitors, made up of presidential appointees and members of Congress, voted unanimously to back whatever decision he makes. Three New York congressman — John McHugh, Maurice Hinchey and John Hall — are board members.

Francis Marion Military Academy is looking for a few good teenagers – specifically, boys and girls who will enter ninth and 10th grades in August.
The students must be drug-free if they hope to enroll at the new charter school, which opens Aug. 18. Monday marked the first day of enrollment for the academy, which will be the second of its kind – behind Sarasota Military Academy – in Florida. Officials hope to have 100 ninth- and 10th-graders when school opens.

The school is the brainchild of members of the Ocala-Silver Springs Rotary Club, who spent nearly three years seeking a charter. Morrey Deen, a former Ocala police chief, and Skip Archibald, a former superintendent of schools, spearheaded the quest.

This video shows people what to prepare for when they join the army, either through enlistment or by attending a military school. This is just the basic training part…..

Enrolling in this “quasi-military” school, where the tagline is “We support second chances” and the modus operandi is strict discipline, has helped him overcome his bad habits. The academy helped curb his smoking and chewing tobacco addictions and more importantly, his discipline problems, including recent run-ins with the law because of thefts.

The academy calls itself quasi-military. It borrows heavily from the discipline and physical training of the military. But the academy is voluntary and doesn’t require cadets to enlist after graduation.

There is no room for goofing off at this school. The teens wake up at 6 a.m. daily and are in bed by 10 p.m. They eat three balanced meals, and in addition to marching and drills, they spend more than an hour on physical training each night.

They’re never left alone. The military training staff, or cadre, stays with each group and enforces the rules — and there are plenty of rules.

Girls and boys don’t interact. There’s no television, no e-mail, no smoking, no chewing gum, no cursing. They get one 10-minute call home each Sunday.

Students don’t get kicked out of class here. They do push-ups to refocus that energy.

Just to get into the academy, which is free to students and funded by the state and federal governments, the teen has to have fallen off track.

Some are parents. Some have been expelled. Some lack discipline. Many have just given up.

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