Why choose West Point?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not only is it free, they get paid.

I
It is NOT free. What an idiotic comment and I hear people make it often. If a cadet stays in the academy and receives that degree they are required to serve five year in the military as active duty, they could lose their lives. It most certainly is not free.

Yes. We all understand that. The point is, they don’t have to cough up hundreds of thousands of dollars to go to college, grad, post grad school or take out a lifetime of student loans. That is extremely valuable to many.

Self centered PP would pay any amount not to have to sacrifice or serve their country.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not only is it free, they get paid.

I
It is NOT free. What an idiotic comment and I hear people make it often. If a cadet stays in the academy and receives that degree they are required to serve five year in the military as active duty, they could lose their lives. It most certainly is not free.

Yes. We all understand that. The point is, they don’t have to cough up hundreds of thousands of dollars to go to college, grad, post grad school or take out a lifetime of student loans. That is extremely valuable to many.

Self centered PP would pay any amount not to have to sacrifice or serve their country.

Just look at Vietnam or the GWOT and tell me honestly that you want your kid doing that.

Who provides the political direction to the armed forces? Incompetent politicians.

Who provides the "higher leadership" to the armed forces? Careerist time-servers.

Nobody is ever held accountable for bad decisions or for unnecessary wars that are incompetently fought.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not only is it free, they get paid.

I
It is NOT free. What an idiotic comment and I hear people make it often. If a cadet stays in the academy and receives that degree they are required to serve five year in the military as active duty, they could lose their lives. It most certainly is not free.

Yes. We all understand that. The point is, they don’t have to cough up hundreds of thousands of dollars to go to college, grad, post grad school or take out a lifetime of student loans. That is extremely valuable to many.

Self centered PP would pay any amount not to have to sacrifice or serve their country.

Just look at Vietnam or the GWOT and tell me honestly that you want your kid doing that.

Who provides the political direction to the armed forces? Incompetent politicians.

Who provides the "higher leadership" to the armed forces? Careerist time-servers.

Nobody is ever held accountable for bad decisions or for unnecessary wars that are incompetently fought.

I would be completely stunned if my kid suddenly grew a spine, some balls, and sufficient conscious to attend West Point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not only is it free, they get paid.

I
It is NOT free. What an idiotic comment and I hear people make it often. If a cadet stays in the academy and receives that degree they are required to serve five year in the military as active duty, they could lose their lives. It most certainly is not free.

Yes. We all understand that. The point is, they don’t have to cough up hundreds of thousands of dollars to go to college, grad, post grad school or take out a lifetime of student loans. That is extremely valuable to many.

Self centered PP would pay any amount not to have to sacrifice or serve their country.

Just look at Vietnam or the GWOT and tell me honestly that you want your kid doing that.

Who provides the political direction to the armed forces? Incompetent politicians.

Who provides the "higher leadership" to the armed forces? Careerist time-servers.

Nobody is ever held accountable for bad decisions or for unnecessary wars that are incompetently fought.

I would be completely stunned if my kid suddenly grew a spine, some balls, and sufficient conscious to attend West Point.

In that case it would be your obligation to inform your kid about the tragic history of US foreign policy, and advise your kid not to become cannon fodder for corrupt imbeciles.

And if your kid doesn't have a spine or balls, sounds like you have failed as a parent.

[Anonymous]

I think it’s become a calculated risk among the rich. Assuming your kid doesn’t get killed in battle, he becomes very rich and has a bright political future after he leaves the army.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it’s become a calculated risk among the rich. Assuming your kid doesn’t get killed in battle, he becomes very rich and has a bright political future after he leaves the army.

Name some scions of wealth who joined the army.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not only is it free, they get paid.

I
It is NOT free. What an idiotic comment and I hear people make it often. If a cadet stays in the academy and receives that degree they are required to serve five year in the military as active duty, they could lose their lives. It most certainly is not free.

Yes. We all understand that. The point is, they don’t have to cough up hundreds of thousands of dollars to go to college, grad, post grad school or take out a lifetime of student loans. That is extremely valuable to many.

Self centered PP would pay any amount not to have to sacrifice or serve their country.

Just look at Vietnam or the GWOT and tell me honestly that you want your kid doing that.

Who provides the political direction to the armed forces? Incompetent politicians.

Who provides the "higher leadership" to the armed forces? Careerist time-servers.

Nobody is ever held accountable for bad decisions or for unnecessary wars that are incompetently fought.

I would be completely stunned if my kid suddenly grew a spine, some balls, and sufficient conscious to attend West Point.

In that case it would be your obligation to inform your kid about the tragic history of US foreign policy, and advise your kid not to become cannon fodder for corrupt imbeciles.

And if your kid doesn't have a spine or balls, sounds like you have failed as a parent.

In its 200+ years US foreign policy has had big wins and big losses. Sometimes they make it to the history books and sometimes they do not. That said - maybe you could learn a bit more about how our system of government works before making broad sweeping (and uninformed) statements.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not only is it free, they get paid.

I
It is NOT free. What an idiotic comment and I hear people make it often. If a cadet stays in the academy and receives that degree they are required to serve five year in the military as active duty, they could lose their lives. It most certainly is not free.

Yes. We all understand that. The point is, they don’t have to cough up hundreds of thousands of dollars to go to college, grad, post grad school or take out a lifetime of student loans. That is extremely valuable to many.

Self centered PP would pay any amount not to have to sacrifice or serve their country.

Just look at Vietnam or the GWOT and tell me honestly that you want your kid doing that.

Who provides the political direction to the armed forces? Incompetent politicians.

Who provides the "higher leadership" to the armed forces? Careerist time-servers.

Nobody is ever held accountable for bad decisions or for unnecessary wars that are incompetently fought.

I would be completely stunned if my kid suddenly grew a spine, some balls, and sufficient conscious to attend West Point.

In that case it would be your obligation to inform your kid about the tragic history of US foreign policy, and advise your kid not to become cannon fodder for corrupt imbeciles.

And if your kid doesn't have a spine or balls, sounds like you have failed as a parent.

In its 200+ years US foreign policy has had big wins and big losses. Sometimes they make it to the history books and sometimes they do not. That said - maybe you could learn a bit more about how our system of government works before making broad sweeping (and uninformed) statements.

Tell me which war since 1945 you'd be happy to sacrifice your kids for. Tell me which war was fought for worthy objectives and fought in a competent manner.

Desert Storm is probably the only example, though it was more of a live-fire exercise than a war. Still, I wouldn't trade my kids for the liberation of Kuwait and the continued happiness of the oil companies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not only is it free, they get paid.

I
It is NOT free. What an idiotic comment and I hear people make it often. If a cadet stays in the academy and receives that degree they are required to serve five year in the military as active duty, they could lose their lives. It most certainly is not free.

Yes. We all understand that. The point is, they don’t have to cough up hundreds of thousands of dollars to go to college, grad, post grad school or take out a lifetime of student loans. That is extremely valuable to many.

Self centered PP would pay any amount not to have to sacrifice or serve their country.

Just look at Vietnam or the GWOT and tell me honestly that you want your kid doing that.

Who provides the political direction to the armed forces? Incompetent politicians.

Who provides the "higher leadership" to the armed forces? Careerist time-servers.

Nobody is ever held accountable for bad decisions or for unnecessary wars that are incompetently fought.

I would be completely stunned if my kid suddenly grew a spine, some balls, and sufficient conscious to attend West Point.

In that case it would be your obligation to inform your kid about the tragic history of US foreign policy, and advise your kid not to become cannon fodder for corrupt imbeciles.

And if your kid doesn't have a spine or balls, sounds like you have failed as a parent.

In its 200+ years US foreign policy has had big wins and big losses. Sometimes they make it to the history books and sometimes they do not. That said - maybe you could learn a bit more about how our system of government works before making broad sweeping (and uninformed) statements.

Tell me which war since 1945 you'd be happy to sacrifice your kids for. Tell me which war was fought for worthy objectives and fought in a competent manner.

Desert Storm is probably the only example, though it was more of a live-fire exercise than a war. Still, I wouldn't trade my kids for the liberation of Kuwait and the continued happiness of the oil companies.

OK PP, sounds like you'd prefer we not have a military at all. What do you think your life would look like then?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The young men I've known who went to West Point were all very smart and athletic who had a lot of college choices. But it was also clear to me that it was the parents (mainly dads) pushing the kids into the academy.

This describes my neighbors’s son. He started there this summer at their boot camp. Resigned after 1 month. It just wasn’t in his heart.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it’s become a calculated risk among the rich. Assuming your kid doesn’t get killed in battle, he becomes very rich and has a bright political future after he leaves the army.

Name some scions of wealth who joined the army.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/hayleycuccinello/2020/11/11/americas-richest-living-american-veterans/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There was an excellent letter to the editor the other day about this:

Thank you for Matthew Hennessey’s encouraging story of two young leaders from a small school with appointments to West Point (“From the Western Canon to West Point,” op-ed, May 16). This is only the beginning of their journey. When they both arrive for R-Day (reception day) in July, they will meet 1,200 extraordinary young men and women who have also elected to dedicate themselves to something bigger than themselves.

West Point isn’t the place for shameful protests from the ill-informed. No one takes a knee during the national anthem. When these students graduate, they will be called upon to do the heavy lifting the nation requires and face, with courage and honor, the nation’s biggest challenges.

Frankly, few Americans understand that while much of higher education has lost its way, U.S. service academies are singularly focused on building great leaders and attracting the most talented young men and women in the nation. May it ever be so.

Douglas Doan, USMA ’79
https://www.wsj.com/articles/welcome-to-west-point-where-the-self-comes-second-6424b843?st=0pbbc08tboifgvw&reflink=article_copyURL_share

So the military academies are for brainless racist Fox News bobbleheads?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just found out that arguably the smartest senior I know (very top student at a top 5 private (per Niche) school in the US) is attending West Point over other options. This kid is a math whiz---many years beyond calculus---and also has high EQ. Just total OUTSTANDING total package kind of kid.
Why choose West Point?

Because you don’t choose West Point. West Point chooses YOU.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would be completely stunned if my kid suddenly grew a spine, some balls, and sufficient conscious to attend West Point.

That is the Quote-of-the-Day for today.

[Anonymous]

Any recent admittees here? What should a parent do to prepare for Plebe summer?