Elite Souls: Portraits of Valor in Iraq and Afghanistan

The great nineteenth century French military thinker 
Ardant 
du 
Picq, argued that selfless courage is rooted in a higher moral 
purpose, 
and is found among 
"Elite Souls." 
This is a book about five 
such 
"Elite Souls," 
all 
highly decorated young West Point 
graduates 
and 
recipients of 
the 
USMA's 
Ninninger 
Medal. Elite Souls 
outlines 
the 
importance 
of 
building 
and developing 
moral 
character 
in 
military leaders, while arguing that 
a rigorous academic education 
is also essential 
in creating young officers capable of the kind of creative 
and 
critical 
thinking necessary in the complicated 
wars of the twenty-first century. 
Dr. Raymond suggests that 
West Point's servant-leader model 
is critical 
in fostering the kind of intense 
selflessness ideally seen 
between junior officers, their 
NCOs, 
and soldiers. Finally, 
Elite Souls 
makes 
the case 
that 
inspirational commanding officers 
are 
also key. In this book, Dr. Ray Raymond argues that each of the recipients of the 
Ninninger 
Award entered West Point primarily for moral reasons and that the Academy's rigorous academic, military, and developmental methods strengthened those values. 
West Point produced young military leaders who were exceptionally well-educated and 
trained 
to 
deal with the complex challenges of war in Iraq and Afghanistan in the early twenty first century."