Like many SA grads you'll find, I just sort of fell into the whole thing. It was never a dream of mine as a boy to be in the Army. I found that a lot of the folks I met who were like that (or claimed to have been) were not always the most "normally socialized" individuals. I went to WP because it was, I thought, the best opportunity that was presented to me. I am glad I didn't attend U. Chicago or Yale, as I think my life would have taken a totally different direction. Sometimes we make the right choices for reasons we only discover later.
My grandfather and his brother were in 1st Ranger Co. in Korea. My grandfather was inducted into the Ranger Hall of Fame, so the Army seemed like a decent legacy to carry on.
As a young man of 18 (a boy, really) standing in formation in Beast, I found myself thinking that I didn't know about this whole Army thing, but at least no one would be dumb enough to start a war with us, so I figured I'd probably be ok and learn some interesting things. Now, ten years and three deployments later, I guess I have a slightly more informed perspective about the realities of combat, death, and the prices that are paid.
In the end, when you finally decide that the Academy is for you and that you'll stick it out (which at this point you honestly cannot know), it's a good idea to come to grips with the fact that you may someday find yourself in the valley of the shadow of death. That being the case, do everything you can to be the meanest mother****** in the valley.