The General’s Daughter is a novel that is set in a military camp setting. The story is about the death of a powerful general’s daughter, who is a military woman herself. At first, the idea that the young woman was raped and killed was the general belief, but as the story unfolds and snippets of the life of the young woman came into view, it became that the young woman caused her own ruin.

The General’s Daughter is a tale that is carefully woven into something that intricately delves into the gender issues within the military, as well as the supremacy of military positions over family ties.

Because this novel by Nelson De Mille was adapted through film, the General’s Daughter gained more popularity and prominence. Most probably, how the military life was depicted through the film is part and parcel of the publics’ perception of the military now.

With the end of their high school days approaching, the two teens - who live down the street from each other - now will attend West Point Military Academy together this fall.

Longfellow, 18, will graduate from Polytechnic School and Lowe, 19, from Flintridge Prep. They met at Chandler School in kindergarten and have been friends ever since.

“It’s going to be great for moral support,” Lowe said of them attending West Point together. “Just to have someone you’ve known for a long time there … it’s kind of difficult to relate to if you have not been through it.”

Both say they want to serve their country.

“There is something I need to give back,” Longfellow said.

In preparation for basic training camp, which begins at the end of June, the teens are following a strict workout regimen - running and doing push-ups, sit-ups and pull-ups. Several times a week, they train with a former Marine in La Crescenta, who tries to instill discipline and give an early introduction to what military life will be like.

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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.

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.

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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