None Will Surpass

by Harry Rothmann

This is the story of the four decade service and sacrifice to the Nation of The United States Military Academy Class of 1967. It is told through the experiences of a member of that Class. The Class of 1967- entering West Point just three years after John F. Kennedy’s inaugural call to ask what you can do for your country - bore the burden, met the hardship, and paid the price of JFK’s call. The Class of 1967 has had a unique and important part in the history of the US military in the last forty years. There were 583 graduates in the class in 1967. In Vietnam and Southeast Asia, from 1968 to 1970, it lost 29 killed – among the highest of West Point Class graduates who served in the war. Scores of Class Members were also wounded; many still suffer from those wounds. Members of this class also received over 350 awards for valor, including three Distinguished Service Crosses - the Nation’s second highest award to the Congressional Medal of Honor. In addition, Class members served many years overseas over all parts of the globe. It was instrumental in the rebuilding of the Army in the Post-Vietnam era from 1975 to 1985; and members led the Army that was so successful in the conflicts in Panama and the first Gulf War. The Class of 1967 produced 19 General Officers, held numerous other senior government positions in the aftermath of 9/11 to include a Secretary of the Army, and initially led in the ‘War Against Terror’ in Iraq and Afghanistan. Indeed, the Class motto, “None Will Surpass 67 Class,” became the gauntlet the Class set for itself as a measure of its service to the Nation and its accomplishments as part of the distinguished ‘Long Gray Line’ of academy graduates.

228 pages, Paperback

First published April 23, 2014

About the author

Colonel (Ret) Rothmann served as an active duty Army officer for over twenty-nine years. He is a 1967 graduate of the United States Military Academy. Upon being commissioned in the Infantry, he served in numerous troop duty assignments in airborne, infantry and ranger organizations, both as a commander and staff officer. These included platoon and company command in combat, and company command and battalion/ brigade operations and training staff officer positions in Vietnam, Germany and the United States from 1968 to 1980. In 1985 he assumed command and supervised the reconstitution of the 3rd Battalion, 502d Infantry (Air Assault), which had been decimated in the Gander, Newfoundland air disaster.

Colonel (Ret) Rothmann also served on the Army and Joint Staff. From 1982-1985 he was a principal staff officer for NATO and European war planning on the Army Staff. In that position he made recommendations to the Chief of Staff on war plan development and NATO defense issues. From 1990 to 1993, he served as a Strategic Planner for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS). In that capacity he participated in or led efforts on the development of the National Military Strategy, the Joint Strategic Capabilities Plan, and the Roles and Missions Report. During this time he advised the CJCS on the military strategy for Desert Shield/Desert Storm and other defense issues. As a representative for the CJCS, he traveled extensively to the US Combatant Commands to discuss military strategy and defense policy issues.

Colonel (Ret) Rothmann also taught Military History at West Point from 1976-1979, was the Army Chief of Staff personal representative at the National War College from 1993 to 1994, and lectured and taught strategy and operations there. Upon his retirement in 1996 he held the position of Chairman of the Department of Military Strategy and Operations at the National War College.

Colonel Rothmann currently resides in Florida with his wife Susan Flaherty Rothmann, and has three sons and daughter-in-laws, and nine grandchildren.

Reviews

[Denise Gelberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found None Will Surpass to be a great read. In the most personal terms, the author describes the sense of duty, the skills and knowledge, the camaraderie learned by cadets at West Point. When the Class of 1967 was called to serve in the Vietnam War, they did so with full hearts and clear minds. It was only as they were in country that they experienced the terrible cost borne by those who go to war. After his deployment, the author learned of the betrayal of the civilian leadership, i.e., despite knowing the war was unwinnable, Presidents Johnson and Nixon continued to put our military forces in harm's way for political reasons. As a young war veteran, he was wracked by a deep sense of disillusionment. Colonel Rothmann's story of how both he personally and the US Army recovered is heartening. His description of the preparations for the 1991 Gulf War, which he participated in at a very high level, demonstrate how the military can and should be used to fight and win honorably against international aggressors.