<p>In the continuing saga of GOOD NEWS our son received official notification in the mail last week from the Naval Service Training Command in Pensacola, FL that he was accepted for a 4-year Navy ROTC scholarship. Apparently the first Navy ROTC selection board met in August for those entering college during the fall of 2009, and theyre in the process of notifying those accepted.</p>
<p>He applied to Army ROTC as well, but was told their first selection board would convene in September, with results to follow later this month. I had mentioned in an earlier post on another thread that Army beat Navy virtually every step of the way during the academy and ROTC application process. However, credit where credit is due: Navy beat Army to the punch on the first ROTC selection board. </p>
<p>Our son received a very nice note from the USMA admissions office after returning his signed Appointment acceptance card. The Navy ROTC package contains a response letter with several choices. One of those choices is, I decline my NROTC scholarship nomination for the following reason, with several additional selections that follow, including Appointment to the U.S. Military Academy. Hes placed a check in those two blocks. He has until 30 OCT to return the Navy letter.</p>
<p>As an aside, Ive been dumbfounded by some of the recent comments Ive heard regarding our son applying to the service academies and ROTC. A few of my wifes acquaintanances have actually said, Id send my son to Canada before Id let him join the military! These are generally the same moms who are doing all the calling to various college admissions offices for their kids. Im always inclined to ask such folks just exactly how they thought this country had remained free for the past 230 plus years. Or what George Washington or Franklin Roosevelt mightve said regarding such a statement. </p>
<p>Heck, maybe I just need to go watch the new film "An American Carol."</p>
<p>The dumb/insensitive/illogical/____________(fill in the blank) comments have only just begun. Here is a link to the parents forum where you can read a plethora of stupidity:</p>
<p>I agree that you'll hear more stupid comments. I recall a mom asking what was missing with my parental influence that I couldn't talk my daughter out of attending WP. </p>
<p>I can't understand a comment from a parent who wouldn't "allow" their son/daughter to make their own choice. Let's see, your 18 year old kid isn't grown up enough to make a decision to serve our country with honor, so you'll forbid them to do so and shuffle the ignorant child off to another country first. That's some great parenting...</p>
<p>And then there's my friend's mom who told her son she would rather have him in prison than in the military. And whaddya know...she got her wish...</p>
<p>What I have found - most of the folks who have raised an eyebrow about my daughter being a cadet have limited or no military background, experience or knowledge. To many Americans, they can't remember having a family member serve, so they really don't have a frame of reference.
The mother of a friend of my daughter - asked me a year ago - "how could you let her....." yeah, lol. I saw her recently and she asked me how she was doing, was excited to hear she was doing well and amazed at her ambition. It was really neat to see her come around and feel some pride, too.</p>
<p>OK3-Wire - The Army has changed their scholarship process this year. Two years ago my daughter got a verbal offer in Oct during an interview. The Professor of Military Science doesn't make the offers anymore they are coming from Cadet Command now. He may not hear until Nov - unless of course he pulled his application.
Some may disagree but I think he should keep his AROTC application open as well as acceptance to a back-up school, mostly in case a medical situation arises.</p>
<p>Maybe I'm unique - but when people make negative comments about ROTC or SAs I try never to use that as an opportunity to vent or respond in kind. In my experience most people just don't understand the process or what the SAs actually are. I see it as a good opportunity for an educational moment.</p>
<p>I'm not hopeful that much is accomplished but I realize that a few may judge ROTC or the SAs by how I react.</p>
<p>The most disturbing experience I had recently was a USNA alum BGO whom I ran into at my child's sporting event (not USNA69) who just trashed NROTC and USMA. That I truly don't get. </p>
<p>The trailer for "American Carol" looks funny. Anyone seen it?</p>
<p>I saw it...don't recommend. Basically I thought it was dumb movie with a few funny lines. It was a stretch to make it last 1 hr 23 min. Maybe its one of those movies you have to see a couple of times to see the humor.</p>
<p>Well, it continued “pouring” yesterday. Our son received a 4-year full tuition scholarship from Army ROTC in the mail yesterday, about a week after he'd received his Navy ROTC 4-year full tuition scholarship. The Army ROTC package is quite different from his Navy ROTC package in that it allows him to choose from amongst his top five school choices. Navy ROTC provided only his top school choice, with a caveat that he could request another school at a later date, but approval would be on a “space available” basis.</p>
<p>In any event it’s all good and we’re proud of him for receiving three full-tuition scholarships, not the least of which an appointment to West Point!</p>
<p>From my observation point, not only has the number of parents who do not want their sons/daughters to serve in our armed forces grown, there is growing objection to any one's son/daughter volunteering to serve. The welling-intended, but misguided anti-military supporters not only dont want their kids in combat, they dont want any U.S. troops in combat. </p>
<p>I think their motivation is a genuine belief that most of the U.S.'s military engagements of the last 50 years were unnecessary and ill-advised. They believe that a minimal, defensive capable-only US military force will keep our country from entering most, if not all, future military conflicts by the U.S.. </p>
<p>I disagree with their logic but I feel that I have been fighting a losing battle against the media, educational and religious groups that subscribe to what I call the "We're sorry America's been a self-serving bully and we just need to sit down and talk it over' approach to global diplomacy. These groups have succeeded by constantly promoting the admittedly significant costs/negatives of our country's military activities while ignoring or minimizing the benefits derived. I doubt they feel our military forces provide much deterrence to potentially aggressive countries. Counter arguments to this philosophy have pretty much been kept out of our schools' history/civics books and portrayed by the media as government propaganda and war-monger rantings.</p>
<p>Hope I'm wrong, but I believe that, ironically, this passivist approach to our country's military forces will likely result in far more military aggression by competing nations seeking hegemony not harmony. It will also result in a continued erosion of our country's global status.</p>
<p>Amen!!! No matter what our kids choose -- ROTC or any service academy, or the enlisted ranks -- they deserve kudos for their choice.</p>
<p>From today's Wall Street Journal - a book review by Mark Moyer on p. A-15 about "Baghdad at Sunrise" by Peter Mansoor. </p>
<p>Moyer writes:
"Baghdad at Sunrise" ends with a Manhattan cocktail party that Col. Mansoor attended after returning from Iraq. Upon learning that the hostess's teenage son had a strong interest in military affairs, Col. Mansoor suggested that he apply to West Point. "No, no, no!" the hostess replied. "He has much more important things planned for his life." Col. Mansoor aptly warns that if America's elites persist in that attitude, we may well lose our current wars -- and, in the longer term, our very civilization. </p>