"The function of combat is not merely to perpetrate violence, but to perpetrate violence on command, instantaneously and reflexively. The function of the service academies is to prepare men for leadership positions where they may someday exercise that command."
- Jim WebbFormer Virginia U.S. Senator Jim Webb wrote a great deal about military institutions and how they affect society. He examined the goals and instructional strategies of military academies such as West Point in one of his works. From Webb's point of view, these establishments teach a deeper skill than…