For a concise (and pretty humorous) history of the original training program, I would recommend the film, "The Men who Stare at Goats."
This was a real program and produced not only real results, but produced a different kind of soldier, one as interested in developing the mind and spirit as much as the body.
It is the belief of the signers of this petition that the 21st century demands an ultra-modern, highly responsive standing Army, prepared not for the open warfare of yesterday, but for the ever-changing landscape of tomorrow.