West Point...Grrrr....
Today, Travis got a letter from the Director of Admissions at West Point, inviting him to apply. Travis called, and with his permission, I opened the letter and read it to him. He was unimpressed and uninterested.
I'm pretty sure these letters aren't sent to every young man in the country, right?
He has to choose his own destiny, I reckon. I just hope he doesn't end up regretting some of his choices.
I'm pretty sure these letters aren't sent to every young man in the country, right?
He has to choose his own destiny, I reckon. I just hope he doesn't end up regretting some of his choices.
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Give him some time - maybe a week or so - but don't press it. But I would tell him that if he's unimpressed with the Army leadership in any way or is dissatisfied with the military in any way right now, that this is the opportunity to change it from the inside.
Lord knows the military needs smart, motivated people in its officer corps right now and if Travis doesn't fit the bill, then we're in more trouble than I thought...0 -
Time. He's fresh out of the combat theatre. His brain is scrambled-eggs. Mine was. He'll settle down.
And why does an enlisted man need a "prep"? Equivalent to a year of boot camp? Beast barracks is only ten weeks long. Surely a snot-nosed cadet directly off the street needs it more than a disciplined soldier. There's got to be more to this "green to gold" than that. Joe0 -
If he's planning on an Army career the USMA would be a good move. Otherwise, no. He's got about a year in the Army now. Four years USMA would make it five plus the five to eight year obligation upon graduation would be ten to thirteen years. That's a pretty big obligation for a young man who doesn't know what he's going to do yet. He might just want to finish his enlistment and try something else. Either way I'm sure he will be successful. General Nunn does sound pretty cool though. 0 -
Givette...Don't misunderstand what the "Prep Schools" for West Point and Annapolis are. They are an intensive ACADEMIC preparation for the rigors of an intense technical education at two of the most difficult universities in the country. At no other universities in the country do you you earn a Bachelor of SCIENCE degree majoring in English, PoliSci or History. Many of those who attend Prep School are superb Division 1 athletes who while capable of earning a BA in English, Sociology, Spanish, or French would possibly fall on their swords taking classes in Calculus(basic and advanced), Electrical Engineering(one of the more difficult classes at West Point), Thermodynamics(just cut your wrists for this one), or finally the infamous Inorganic Chemistry(not sure if this is still required... it certainly isn't like most blow off chemistry classes....it has a much higher suicide rate[:D]). The point is that if you consider Prep School as a difficult 13th year of high school to get certain students up to the incredibly high academic standards of those schools you will understand why. Any enlisted service member who scored a 35 on the ACT or a 1590 on the SAT would not even be considered for Prep School they would go straight to West Point. But if you scored a 26 on the ACT and had just spend the last three years learning how to stay alive in Iraq...then Prep School makes sense to get your mind back into academic mode before you are thrown in with a bunch of kids who are academically way ahead of you....Oh yeah VERY VERY low probability that some kid right out of high school would make it to West Point with a 26 on the ACT....he might make it if he was a state champion wrestler or had a 4.4 in the 40 yard dash as a state first team linebacker....but then you would see him at Prep School getting PREPPED. All the best, Beach. 0 -
I showed Travis your responses. He was still unimpressed and unmoved.
I will let the subject drop. It is his life and his decision.
At his age, I too probably would have turned it down. I remember that Dad tried to get me an appointment to Annapolis, and my attitude toward that was about the same as Travis' toward the notion of going to West Point. I don't regret my decision, but I do sometimes wonder how my life might have been if I had made other choices.0 -
When I was 18 I turned down a OCS and a free college degree. Went in as an enlisted man for 8 years.
To tell the truth I wanted to get out and live, I was sick of school and did not want anything to do with it.
Then when I was 36 I started college. Just took me a while to get in the mood for it. Four and a half years later I have a bachelor degree and a master degree. Worked my ass off and finished in half the time, even graduated with honors and all that hoopla. The point I am making is that if I had gone when I was young it would have just been a drunken orgy and I would probably have not graduated anyway. Sometimes young folk do know what is best for them.0 -
How many opportunities for advancement are there in infantry? few.
Can a person transfer out of infantry? no.
Where he is at now, how many friends does he have of similar intelligence? few.
Don't mean to be rude, but these are some observations the dad has made in the past. This sounds like an opportunity.
Somebody has to be the manager. The best are those who started at the bottom.0 -
I'm going to shoot the young man an email later...this is one of those once in a lifetime moments... 0 -
Has he read "Starship Troopers"? 0 -
quote:Originally posted by mrseatle
Has he read "Starship Troopers"?
I saw the movie. -d.0 -
While powered armor is Starship Troopers' most famous legacy, its influence extends deep into contemporary warfare. Almost half a century after its publication, Starship Troopers is on the reading lists of the United States Army,[30] the United States Marine Corps,[31][32][33] and the United States Navy.[34] It is the only science fiction novel on the reading list at four of the five United States military academies. When Heinlein wrote Starship Troopers the United States military was a largely conscripted force, with conscripts serving two year hitches. Today the U.S. military has incorporated many ideas similar to Heinlein's concept of an all-volunteer, high-tech strike force. In addition, references to the book keep appearing in military culture. In 2002 a Marine general described the future of Marine Corps clothing and equipment as needing to emulate the Mobile Infantry.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starship_troopers0 -
quote:Originally posted by Doug Wilson
Just last week, Son Doug II, mentioned that he regretted ignoring one piece of advice that I had given him and his siblings. This was after 10 years as a combat soldier.
The advice ?? "Become an officer".
Advice I've given all my Kids, which none have yet heeded.
Doug
When I was in college, I talked to my brother, who was a USMC sergeant. He gave me the same advice. I took it. I accepted my commission in the USMC in 2003. I would not change the last 5 years for anything.
That being said, whenever one of my Marines comes to me and says, "Sir, I'm getting out." I talk him through his plans and make sure he has a plan he is happy with. Staying in the military or becoming an officer is not for everybody.0 -
Few of us followed the path others wanted for us, keep supporting him as he follows his. He is already a step ahead of many young men his age, do your thing Travis. 
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