War of Words at West Point

By KATE MOSER

For nearly a century, cadets at the U.S. Military Academy have sung two songs that alternately give them chills and comfort, embodying once and future battles. Some West Point graduates say they wake in the night and mentally recite the lyrics of "Alma Mater" and "The Corps."

So when the head of the academy, Lt. Gen. Franklin L. Hagenbeck,...