- April 2010
23.90 Euro
2010. 320 Pages, Hardcover
ISBN-10: 0-470-04637-6
ISBN-13: 978-0-470-04637-1 - John Wiley & Sons






Sample Chapter

Detailed description
A former New York Times reporter's year behind the scenes at the scandal-ridden Air Force Academy

Diana Jean Schemo covered the Air Force Academy's sexual assault scandal in 2003, one of a series of academy embarrassments that have included drug use, rape complaints, and charges of evangelical officers pushing Christianity on cadets of all faiths. Today, the institution is in flux--a fascinating time to look at the changes being made and the experience of today's cadets.

Schemo followed a handful of academy cadets through the school year. From the admissions process and punishing weeks of basic training to graduation, she shares the triumphs and tribulations of the cadets and the struggle of the academy's leaders to set their embattled alma mater on a straighter path.
* Follows cadets in all grades, with insights on day-to-day academy life and training
* Written by a veteran reporter, two-time foreign correspondent and Pulitzer Prize nominee, with excellent contacts at the academy
* Includes 38 black-and-white photographs

Like David Lipsky's successful Absolutely American: Four Years at West Point, this book offers a fascinating window on the training of our military today. But Schemo's book updates the story: the seniors were the first class to sign up after the attacks of 9/11, and the road to graduation, this time, leads to an America at war.

From the contents
Acknowledgments.

Introduction.

Part One ON THE HILL.

1 Light Travelers.

2 Th e Ordeal of a Meal.

3 In the Running.

4 A New Road Map.

5 Broken but Still Standing.

6 Th e Meaning of Knowledge.

7 Th e Long Jump.

8 Th e Seesaw.

Part Two SECOND BEAST.

9 Into the Beast.

10 Of Love and Demons.

11 The Family Line.

Part Three JOINING THE FOLD.

12 Surviving Second Beast.

13 Parting the River.

14 Bernard's Knock.

15 Meeker's Fall.

16 Back from the Pit.

17 Barrett's Roar.

18 Wars Distant and Near.

19 (Almost) All Roads Lead to Jesus.

20 No Excuses.

Part Four THE DARK AGES.

21 Flyboy.

22 Reaching High and Scaling Back.

23 Running Man.

24 Taylor's Walk.

25 The Four-Dig Slide.

26 Of Love and Pain.

Part Five INTO THE LIGHT.

27 On the Runway.

28 Doolies Rising.

29 Harrison's Moment.

30 Closing the Circle.

31 Th e Beast Rears Again.

32 Urban's Honor.

33 Human Once More.

34 Hearing the Silence.

35 Taking Off.

Epilogue.

Index.