Few figures loom larger in the story of the United States Military Academy at West Point—or in US military history in general—than Douglas MacArthur. In this wide-ranging book, acclaimed military historian Sherman L. Fleek explores the mutual influence between the United States Military Academy and General of the Army Douglas MacArthur. More than a simple narration of MacArthur's time at the academy—both as a cadet and as superintendent—this book examines how MacArthur and the institution that he regarded as a second home shaped each of them, along with the subsequent impacts both entities had on history and the conduct of the US military.
Perhaps the preeminent figure among the handful of those who have guided and changed the direction of the academy at West Point and the "long gray line" of those who have passed through its halls, MacArthur frequently referred to the institution in letters, speeches, official documents, and personal contacts...