WASHINGTON–The name “West Point” stirs up emotion in military men and civilians alike. The officers who received their commissions there remain forever bound by the ties of brotherhood, the legacy of Ulysses S. Grant and Dwight D. Eisenhower and the shared experiences forged at the academy. Civilians revere the institution that continues to produce military leaders and sits like a crown on the southern banks of the Hudson.
Now West Pointers can remember their college days and those who never strode its halls can get a feel for life there with a new novel written by graduate Terron Sims II.
“With Honor in Hand” tells the story of two friends and mercenaries hired by the vindictive Col. Drasneb of the Serbian army. The mercenaries, Douglas “Big Mac” Pollard and Amos “Man Killer” Stewart, have serious doubts when Col. Drasneb’s plan reveals itself as the destruction of the West Point Corps of Cadets.
As Mac and Killer suffer through their moral dilemma, one cadet, Milton Aynes “Major” Johnson, a company commander and basketball player, emerges as an unlikely hero.
Sims started writing the book as a freshman at West Point, but had to put it on hold as he gained a better feel for the school.
“Most people don’t know anything about West Point,” Sims said. “With this story, those people who have no idea what West Point is can get a real, honest appreciation for what [the school] is all about.”
The book is Sims’ first published work. He served in Iraq from May 2003 through July 2004, and is now a senior analyst for ASM Research Inc. in Fairfax, Va. He is the company’s main tester for the Army’s Sexual Harassment and Assault Response and Prevention system.