<p>Well, I'm not going to lie, I want to go to West Point and be commisioned as a Marine Corps officer. I wanted USNA, but they're not smart enough to give me a medical waiver, in my opinion. So now I have my choice of USAFA, USMA, AROTC, and AFROTC. I'll probably take WP and not really tell anyone until I'm a senior that I want to inter-service transfer. Even if I go Army for 5 years, I'll end up a Marine, regardless if I'm a 2 LT twice.</p>
<p>The other reason in the back of my mind is somewhat of a tradition. My grandfather on my dad's side was born in 1892, served a few years in the Army during WWI. My grandfather on my mom's side served in the Army in WWII. I have an uncle who was in the Army, one previously in the Navy, one currently in the Air Force, and my dad retired August 06 after 29yrs USMC. (And just so I represent all the services my cousin's husband was in the Coast Guard for a while) As for my father's commisioning, he started out on the yellow footprints, went through CWO program, and retired a Major. Doesn't even have a degree. I have nothing but respect for him.</p>
<p>Granted, I might not love the idea of being an Army officer, but I'm willing to accept that going to West Point it's a slim chance of getting to go USMC straight out of it. Regardless, I plan on serving my country any way I can. Grown up military, love every aspect of it. And if I end up an Army officer, I'm going to make the most of it. I've actually thought of wearing a USMC t-shirt on R-Day, volunteering to be the ****screen, just so I can milk the academy experience for all its worth. But, I feel I'm strong-willed, but not entirely sure I could take a year of pure hell.</p>
<p>Sorry if any of this seemed irrelevant, I kinda got to rambling.</p>
<p>Assuming your post is real, you may be a little misguided here. It's not that easy to cross-commission. If the Army needs officers, they won't let you commission with the Marine Corps. Also, don't you think there's a chance that USMA admissions people read CC. How many kids from your hometown that you've listed got into USMA?</p>
<p>Erbium,
A good friend of my son's spend two tours in Iraq as an enlisted Marine in a mortar platoon. He is now at West Point and will be commissioned as an Army officer in 2010.</p>
<p>I know it's pretty much impossible to cross-commission, but I'm gonna try. First priority is to become an officer, second is to get the service I want. Regardless of which service I end up in I'm going to make the most of it. And talking with my USNA BGO, he told me the few cadets who wanted to get USMC commisions this past year were all denied, I'm just hoping by 2011 I can get the commision I want the most.</p>
<p>As for if USMA admissions is reading this, I'm not that concerned, I doubt they'll take away my appointment just because they weren't my first choice. I'm hesistant to go ahead and send the post card accepting my appointment, but when I do I'm going to commit to 4 years, and hope they don't find out I want a USMC commission until my senior year (wont let anyone know during CBT of course).</p>
<p>And I love the USMA campus. It's beautiful and the hills have to be a great running workout. Academically, it's perfect for me, I plan on majoring in math.</p>
<p>BigGreen, I have no idea how many people from my town have gotten appointments. I know a few others from my school went to USNA SS, but I think I was the only who went to USMA SLS. And from my BGO, there was only me and one other from my school in the candidate pool still. In the class below me one of my friends is applying to USNA and USMA for football and another is applying to USNA. The one applying to USNA's father is USMC senior enlisted, he told me one of his COs commisioned from WP, so Im keeping hope.</p>
<p>I was going to say I'm going because I want to run over watermelons in a tank like the guy on Mail Call, but I see this thread has gotten too serious for that...</p>
<p>I feel the same as SLS2P7S- I want to do something that is important and concrete. It also seems like a great opportunity (excuse the brainwashing) to be all that I can be and really see what I'm capable of. Like a guy from the class of '66 told me, "If you've led men in combat, there's really nothing you can't do."
And regardless of whether or not USMA makes better officers (I get it, it doesn't), for somebody who wants a job after the Army, I don't think the education (and reputation) can be beat.</p>
<p>bzzzt- you're a soldier so you're more in the know about this... but it seems to me, given our current flair for diplomacy, that there will most definitely be somebody for the class of 2011 to fight</p>
<p>I, too, wanted to make that Mail Call reference. Harri-San beat me to it though. Sly dog.</p>
<p>I want to go to West Point to see if I've got what it takes. I want to serve in the Army to use it. I've always liked working with my hands, focusing on just a few things at once - I see the Army as my way of doing both. In the Army, I'll be able to do something evident and visible, something that I know got something else <em>done.</em> My job will be plain and simple, and I know that it'll be part of a larger scheme of something inherently good, and that is the United States. Like I tell my friends when they ask why I want to go West Point - "I was born in Russia, and I was raised on stories you don't really want to hear. I know what here is like, and I know what not here is like. I like here. I'd like to make sure it sticks around."</p>
<p>"And regardless of whether or not USMA makes better officers (I get it, it doesn't), for somebody who wants a job after the Army, I don't think the education (and reputation) can be beat."</p>
<p>I chose West Point because, out of all the military options available to a kid coming out of high school, West Point offered the best infantry-style(organic?) training. Certainly there are deeper reasons than that, but I believe that those apply to the military as a whole, to anyone who serves. But on a practical level, I just looked at the time and intensity of the training and compared it to my other options. I considered enlistment in the Marine Corps or the Army, an ROTC(Army or Marine) scholarship, and USNA with a USMC commission, but out of all these, I decided that West Point would offer the best infantry training program.</p>
<p>Edit: I'm going to draw some heat for this, aren't I?=)</p>
<p>My MALO told me that they don't do interservice-commissioning anymore at West Point. He told me they used to, but that was only for prior enlisteds in those service. Whether or not this is certainly true, I don't know. Any second opinions, hopefully from a current cadet?</p>
<p>Oh and I know because I asked him about it too, seeing that USNA did it so I wondered if USMA did it. I really want to be a Naval officer but I want to go to West Point because they offer the major that I like (Military History).</p>
<p>Oh and on a side note, does anyone know if you can complete your service obligation of 5 years active, 3 years reserve in another service (i.e. the Navy)? It got me thinking because two of the Blue Angel pilots are West Pointers, but if they graduated at 22, and served their 8 years in the Army, they would be too old for Naval aviator training (their cut off is 29). But they could've graduated at 21 too. Darn those youngin's!</p>
<p>Hi. I am a high school junior who has been contacted multiple times by USMA to attend the academy. I am greatly accepting the offer. I want to study molecular biology. But I am also a dancer. I have 15yrs of expierence. I know there is no dance team but a cheer team. Can you send me the must know of tumbling and jumps? This would be so helpful. Lastly, can freshman be on the team? Thanks for all your help</p>