The U.S. Army Secretary, Dan Driscoll, has ordered the U.S. Military Academy at West Point to restore the historic academy crest on the Bibles in the Cadet Chapel, reversing a previous decision to remove it. Driscoll criticized the previous administration for introducing far-left political influences into the military and emphasized the importance of traditional symbols like the crest in representing the institution’s mission and values. The move reflects renewed efforts to align military institutions with what some describe as traditional values, following concerns about the removal of references to ‘Duty, Honor, Country’ and other long-standing elements of the academy’s identity.
Driscoll’s statement comes after Fox News Digital first reported that a conservative judicial and government watchdog group had filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against the Department of Defense over documents regarding why the crest was absent from the new Bibles. A spokesperson for West Point declined to provide comment to Fox News Digital on Friday. Judicial Watch first submitted a FOIA request in December 2024 seeking records related to the Bibles, after the MacArthur Society, a group for West Point graduates concerned about potential politicization at the military academy, notified them of the removal of the crest from the Bibles.
The removal of the crest has sparked broader debates about the role of traditional symbols in military institutions. Combining religious content with military material has faced backlash historically. In 2012, all four branches of the military pulled approval for a military series of Holman Christian Standard Bibles that had been sold in military exchanges amid concerns that the series indicated that the Bible served as the official religious text of the military services, according to the Military Religious Freedom Foundation. The West Point crest has undergone several iterations but historically has included an eagle above the school’s mascot, the Black Knights. West Point is one of several U.S. military academies that train students to become military officers.