if he could leave (he too reapplied to USNA that year).
I immediately understood, the goal he had worked for, for so many years, he had found at VMI - to him same prize, just found in different location than he thought.
I like this, and I'm glad to see this post on this forum.
Too often, I think some of the posts I read on this forum are fatalistic, with the idea being that if you don't get the acceptance letter to one of the SAs, then your hopes of a commission are done (or that one of the other commissioning sources is a poor substitute). As the SAs reject 85-90% of their applicants, I can see that a lot of the rejected candidates might lose hope by reading some of the stuff on the forums.
Service Academies are great, and should be the number one goal for those who want to commission in the Armed Forces, especially those who want to make a career out of the service. For most applicants, however, the thin letter is coming, and those who get one should know that it's not the end of the world. Also, you should know that you can have a military career and be from ROTC. I had three Wing Commanders at Minot AFB who all went on to become Generals. Of the three, one was OTS, one was ROTC, and one was USAFA. It takes all kinds.
I got a TWE from West Point in 1994. I was a strong candidate (so I thought), had all the qualifications (3Qd or whatever the kids call it these days) and had the nomination, but it wasn't to be. I went to VMI and decided that the Air Force was something of interest to me, and I pursued AFROTC there. I had toyed with trying an application for USAFA during Rat year (which is tough), but eventually I just couldn't imagine myself anywhere but VMI. As a cadet you become part of the Institute, and its traditions and culture form a part of who you are. That's a hard thing to leave, and I decided that the only way I was going to be done with VMI was when I walked across the stage to receive my degree. I was a Distinguished Graduate in 1999 and was commissioned in the Air Force, so it worked out for me. I have since separated from service, gone to law school, and now work as an attorney with the federal government. I just turned 33 years old, and I know that VMI is a huge part of what I am today. I will forever be grateful to the place.
Being a Rat is tough, but it gets better. There are things I did at VMI which were truly amazing, and I wouldn't trade them. For instance, I got to study at St. Anne's College at the University of Oxford (UK) one summer, which is an experience I treasure. There are also things about the place that suck the soul out of you, with Rat year being at the top of the list. All that said, everything there makes you a stronger person, and if you see the big picture, I think your son will realize it's a great place to be (or if you're a cynic, to be from). Nothing worth having comes without sacrifices, and thus after experiencing some of the bad at VMI, you'll really appreciate it when you
earn the good.