What Did Schofield Really Say About Discipline?
Contrails, 1990-1991, Volume 36, pp 132-133 Introduction In the unfortunate age of COVID19, I've heard government officials, martial artists, and even my yoga instructor talk about the value of discipline. As a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy class of 1994, "discipline" is a word which triggers memories of a specific quote from my fourth class year, the infamous "Schofield's quote." The Air Force Academy Version I Memorized in 1990 This quote, as it appeared in the issue of the cadet handbook "Contrails," issued to my class in the summer of 1990 and preserved at Archive.org as the 1990-1991 edition, features the following text: "'The discipline which makes the soldiers of a free country reliable in battle is not to be gained by harsh or tyrannical treatment. On the contrary, such treatment is far more likely to destroy than to make an army. It is possible to impart instruction and give commands in such a man...