United States Military Academy Appointment Decision

[FamousAJ]

Ever since I was a kid in elementary school and understood some of the things my uncle did at the United States Military Academy at West Point and in the Army as an officer, I looked up to him and aspired to follow in his footsteps. I made life decisions and choices in high school based on what would help me succeed most at West Point if I was offered an appointment. Since last spring, I've been training physically, academically, and mentally and held a number of leadership positions to prove myself a well-rounded candidate. I had to receive a nomination from a Member of Congress, demonstrate excellent grades, show leadership potential, pass a medical exam, and score well on a fitness test just to be qualified to compete for a spot in one of the Nation's most prestigious institute of higher learning.

I knew my work paid off when I received a phone call from Senator Inhofe at school on Thursday. The congratulation was quick (he was needed in the Senate for a vote in less than ten minutes), but I am extremely grateful that he was the one to inform me of my appointment to West Point. Senator Inhofe was very sincere and let me know he would always make himself available if I needed anything regarding my time at West Point and beyond.

Today, I received my official packet in the mail. Unfortunately, USPS tried to shove this in the mailbox before bringing it up to the door, so the sides are smashed and torn.

View attachment 45577

I head to New York for Cadet Basic Training on June 29th.

well done Ryan. I will always remember you being in our COD clan and going 10-20 in TDM.

but seriously, well done and good luck!

 

[SMS]

Congrats.

You've proven worthy of being given an opportunity to earn another opportunity to learn how to lead men.

Don't screw it up, and don't forget that it's never about you, especially if you go into combat arms.

 

[JB Books]

Congratulations and may God protect and bless you during your service.

 

[cody6766]

Oh yeah, when you get out and commission, the pay ain't too bad either. It's not enough to keep you there if you don't love it, but it's good enough to keep you happy if you already like the job. Also, I'm not sure what flying jobs Army officers have, but my biased opinion is that not much beats getting paid to be in the air. Even if you aren't a pilot (I'm not), being in the air is awesome. You have a ton of time to decide, but it deserves some consideration. You should get briefings on the ins and outs of the jobs on the way through, especially in your later years. One thing I like about being an operator is, despite being an officer, I'm still in the 'doing ****' part of the fight. I'm sure the other services offer more 'doing ****' jobs, but AF officers often do more admin than not. Outside of helos, the Army has a few airplanes that are involved in convoy escort and some tactical electronic warfare that offer some cool opportunities to help the guys on the ground. Being in the dirt with a gun lets you directly lead troops and blast bad guys, which is damned admirable. Being in the air, helping those guys on the ground get from A-B safely, and maybe still blasting bad guys (depending on the aircraft) is also really rewarding.

Again, you have a few years to decide, but aviation kicks ass.