Duty First: A Year in the Life of West Point and the Making of American Leaders

DUTY FIRST follows a dozen cadets and instructors during one academic year at the United States Military Academy at West Point, detailing the struggles of the young men and women who will lead the American soldiers of the future. Ruggero chronicles the gruelling training, the intense classroom work, and the interaction between the lowly first-year plebes and the upper-class cadets. By taking a close, critical look at the Academy's standards and traditions, Ruggero examines the controversial changes in West Point's approach to leadership training. Ruggero combines objective reporting with the emotional perspective to take readers on a guided tour through the overwhelming yet inspiring leadership school that is West Point.