I was impressed by the
fact that you were thinking beyond West Point in choosing a school, and
it seemed that your probing inquiries were related to the ultimate
question, "Is this what I really want to do?"
If you will allow me, I would like to supplement some words of others to you
with my own experience and insight.
At 18 I was in no way as introspective as you are now. When I chose a
school it was, at that time, more related to going to a place that had
the glamorous aura that my soldier father had presented to me since I
was a little boy,
However, I realize now that West Point was the best thing that I could
have ever done. I'm confident that I would probably not have been
unsuccessful if I went to the Stanford and majored in engineering as was
my and most of my high school friends' plan back in the mid-60s.
But by some stroke of good fortune, I went to West Point and I have
spent the rest of my life telling myself how wise I was when I was 18.
For West Point not only gave me great adventure, unequaled experiences,
leadership training that allowed me to lead a recon platoon in combat,
and a first-rate education, it also made me a member of a group of
people who are honest, dedicated, persevering - a group that knows
patriotism and service.
I attach an old picture of my Ranger School Class - almost all of them
my West Point classmates. When I look at that picture of a group of
sorry-looking, emaciated young men who have just shared 60+ days and
nights of pure hell, I look up and down the rows and realized that this
is the band of brothers that I belong to. We all started out as
soldiers. But, there are doctors, engineers, lawyers in this group. A
veterinarian, executives, a minister. One of them runs a gas station in
Idaho (after deciding that his Stanford MBA and Wall Street was not for
him). There are even a few generals: The present commander of the
ground forces in Iraq, LTG William S. Wallace is among us.
This is the difference between West Point and any other institution
(even including our sister academies). This is a group of people who
have led lives as warriors and public servants, and who are proud of
each other's accomplishments. This is a band of people that I was most
fortunate to join when I was 18.
Sometimes it's hard to communicate this difference between West Point
and any other institution because comparisons of academic programs and
lifestyles are relatively easy, but comparisons of honor and duty and
brotherhood are more visceral. Looking at my Ranger School graduation
picture made me realize that West Point made this group of people
different from others of our generation and inculcated into us the
notions of service and selflessness which we carried on to whatever we
ultimately chose to do.
Whatever your decision, I know it will be the one for you. I know that
ultimately you will choose the path that is right for you and I thank
you for giving my alma mater your due consideration. I do hope, though,
that you will decide that West Point is for you, because you have the
profile that is like that of my classmates and schoolmates. And,
perhaps, you will want to be with like people.
