Today the Army officially announced that the Commandant, Brigadier General Mike Linnington, was being reassigned to critical new duties in Afghanistan. This news is the definition of bittersweet for my wife Joan and me. We know that General Linnington is needed in this crucial new position in the toughest fight our Army is facing, and we know that his leadership, dedication, and caring for Soldiers will help ensure success. That said, we will miss him and his wife Brenda tremendously. He has been an amazing Commandant, with many significant accomplishments that all helped West Point and the Corps in a relatively short time. General Linnington has been a staunch supporter of the academic program and a proponent for its key role in developing leaders – and I’ve never seen a more mutually beneficial, cooperative relationship between the offices of the Dean and the Commandant, and between us personally, in the time I’ve been at West Point. The Linningtons care deeply about cadets and it shows in everything they do. More than all that, they have become great friends of ours – trusted confidants, wonderful partners, terrific neighbors. West Point won’t be the same without Mike and Brenda Linnington, and Joan and I will miss them very much. We thank them for all they’ve done for cadets, staff and faculty, and the West Point community, but most of all for their abiding friendship.
