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Told with great precision and keen insight, A Return to Glory fuses the intertwined struggles for officers and cadets to maintain honorable conduct on the athletic field with the challenges to officers and enlisted men on the battlefields of Korea, the Cold War’s first frustrating and deadly "limited war." The parallels and corollaries are astounding and often profound.

The book also tells one of the great, never-before-told collegiate football stories of the twentieth century, namely the inspiring true story of how the vaunted Army football team—nationally dominant during much of the decade preceding the incident—recovered from losing almost 40 players in the devastating cheating scandal of 1951.

Timeless and compelling, A Return to Glory is as surprising and meaningful for today's readers as it will be for those who lived the events of a half century ago. Both a period history and lively true story, the book tells of authentic and unsung heroes and young men attempting to live up to the extraordinarily high standards demanded by the Academy and its Honor Code.

While the work accurately portrays the joys, rewards, and tragedies of life in the military, it also tells thought-provoking, often humorous, uplifting stories about people and institutions, "warts and all," woven into a larger story and theme, with deliberately broad appeal intended to reach the general public.

Most importantly, in a new age of desperate battles that challenge the integrity of military leaders on and off today’s battlefields, A Return to Glory tells the inspirational story of some of their Army forebears who selflessly chose the harder right over the easier wrong...and prevailed.

Average Customer Rating:

Review by a 1973 West Point Graduate

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I bought and read the book "A Return to Glory: The Untold Story of Honor, Dishonor and Triumph at the United States Military Academy, 1950-53" after hearing about it from other West Point graduates. It is a hefty tome, weighing in at over 1000 pages--a little intimidating when I first lifted it out of the shipping box. However, as soon as I started reading, this book captured my full attention. I found it quite readable and very interesting. It is a thorough, detailed, and almost scholarly work. What I find particularly interesting is how the author interweaves a number of contemporary story lines which, naturally, impacted on one another: -- stories of West Pointers in the on-going combat of the Korea War, including the story of First Lieutenant Dick Shea and other West Point graduates at the battle of Pork Chop Hill -- the discovery, investigation, and resolution of the cheating scandal -- the year of activities which celebrated the Sesquicentennial Anniversary of the founding of West Point -- the story of the glory days of Army football, its fall due to the scandal, and its incredible re-building under the legendary Army football coach, Col. Earl "Red" Blaik -- a fascinating look at an interesting period in college football in general, for example, the differences between "Iron Man" football, where the same team played both offense and defense, and the platoon system, then a new idea, which allowed separate offensive and defensive squads -- the debate about what place of competitive football should occupy in collegiate life, if any at all, a debate which raged not only at West Point but at many top-notch civilian colleges of the time. -- and, finally, what everyday life as a cadet was like during these tumultuous times, as seen through the eyes of the author, Bill McWilliams, who entered West Point the summer the scandal was breaking news. I would offer one word of caution. If you saw the very abbreviated story as told in the TV show, "CodeBreakers," which was based on "Return to Glory," you may be surprised to discover how much more involved this book is and how much longer it is. However, the reader will find the book version all the more interesting because it delves much more deeply into every aspect of the 1951 cheating scandal than any movie could ever do. For any reader with an interest in West Point, history, football, the Korean War, sports, or leadership topics, or any combination of the above, "Return to Glory" would be a great gift.

How an institution recovered and perservered!

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"A Return to Glory" by Bill McWilliams is 3 books in one. It is the story of West Point's tragic 1951 cheating scandal; Academy graduates in the Korean War, including a condensed version of the last battle for Pork Chop Hill; and the restoration of the Academy's honor system and football program/team in the years immediately following the 1951 incident. Weaved into the work is the story of Army coach Earl "Red" Blaik and all he went through following the cheating incident, in personal efforts to retain the Cadets ultimately discharged. The book has numerous examples of the extensive correspondence between Blaik and General Douglas MacArthur that demonstrates their close friendship and Blaik's relentless pursuit of the cadets' retention. This also went to the highest levels in the Pentagon and all the way to President Harry S. Truman. The 1951 cribbing incident, as some refer to it, occurred during the first year of the Korean War. The 1951 Army football team was the pre-season pick for the number one college football team in the country. Even Army's second-string team was rated better than the other top-10 teams of that era, which included Southern Cal and Notre Dame. A total of 83 Cadets resigned. Among them was Coach Blaik's son Bob, Army's starting quarterback. Earl Blaik nearly resigned following the 1951 disclosures, but at General MacArthur's urging, didn't, and in the 1953 season, brought his Army team back to national ranking. The middle portion of "A Return to Glory" deals with events surrounding the last battle for Pork Chop Hill three weeks before the Korean War ended and the actions of West Point graduates from 1950 through 1953. The war had become trench warfare of World War I revisited. This is an engrossing and riveting work. You get more than a hint of the pressure a football coach is under. The Honor Code at West Point worked and still does, albeit in ways, not necessarily to everyone's liking. I should know, I have a son and daughter currently enrolled as upperclass Cadets. "A Return to Glory" has lessons for today not necessarily limited to football and the military. While many changes have occurred at West Point in the last half-century, the important fundamentals haven't. "A Return to Glory" is 1115 pages.

Duty, Honor, Country

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The work is meticulous. One must like details. And if one takes the time which is well spent, it is a great book. The Academy was under critical fire for this difficult period where a lot of things were breaking down, from a Cheating Scandal to conflicts between the academic and athletic departments, the Korean War rages on and is always in the foreground, a nationally ranked football is descimated with resignations. The title says it best. A great read and wonderful historical review and analysis of a very difficult time.

But you have to love football (especially details)...	Customer Rating:
Excellent coverage of a variety of issues relating to the Glory Days of Army Football - pre, during and post. Well told story but I found the extensive, play-by-play details of far too many football games somewhat distracting. Still, if you love the Academy, this is a fascinating period to read about.