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The podcast that is all things regarding U.S. Service Academy admission. Whether it is West Point, the Naval Academy (Annapolis) or the Air Force Academy- admission is as much about the process as it is the attributes of the candidate. It is complex—and involves several qualifications which make it far more rigorous than the traditional college application. This podcast helps the listener understand and navigate the process in order to gain a coveted appointment.
Episodes
Tuesday Feb 24, 2026
Tuesday Feb 24, 2026
Military values like honor, integrity, and courage don’t matter much when everything is calm, supervised, and low-risk.
They matter when you’re tired, frustrated, authority is real, and nobody’s watching.
Today LTC Kirkland breaks down why military values only hold under pressure if they’ve been trained as habits, using Aristotle’s practical ethics as the framework. Aristotle didn’t treat virtue as a personal identity or something you “believe in.” He treated it like training: repetition, discipline, and practiced reps that show up automatically when stress hits.
We’ll also look at what military history shows happens when ethical discipline erodes over time—and why leaders don’t “rise to the occasion,” they default to habit.
What you’ll learn today:
- Why knowing the values ≠ living the values
- Aristotle’s “virtue as habit” (and why it’s deeply practical)
- How small decisions become “training reps” for character
- What command climate really means (what you correct vs. ignore)
- Why ethical failure creates strategic damage, not just personal consequences
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