What kind of kid does it take to first meet and then maintain these exacting standards? How often do they think about the upcoming service their country will require of them? How often do they consider the reality of what they are preparing for? These are fascinating questions—questions no major film has ever explored.
I’m sure more than a few blue-collar plebes are doing push-ups as we speak at West Point and I’m sure their stories are a lot more interesting, not to mention inspiring, than the fictional Jake Huard’s.
There’s a great movie to be made about the inner workings of America’s service academies and the kind of young men and women they produce. Too bad Annapolis isn’t interested in being a great movie.