If you worship the feckless Sue Fulton's of the world, there is a chasm of understanding
Not sure how I derailed this thread. Oh wait, I know, this is what I do
Ahh, yes. The new generation is soft. I think they found something to this effect on a monument in Rome. Some of the Roman Legion Gaul vets were complaining about the new legionnaires fighting in Palestine and how the standards had fallen. Before that I'm sure Spartan veterans of the 1st Peloponnesian War complained that the Hoplites of the 2nd Peloponnesian War were soft. Whatever.
The truth is, none of the service academies have ever been perfect. They strive to turn out the best LTs they can, but many fall short. A few are stellar, a few are very weak, most fall somewhere between. If you'd like we can have a history lesson on the failures of past graduates. Again, it's not to say West Point is a failure, just that you will never have 100% success in selecting and training future leaders.
But that has little to do with this incident. This was a case of a Cadet pushing the boundaries and making a mistake. It's an old tale at all the academies and in the military in general. It is not indicative of a problem. It's a pendulum that swings back and forth between Cadets pushing the boundaries and the Cadre cracking down and it will continue long after we are dead and buried.