Dreams do come true

[patentesq]

The scholarships are a recruiting tool not a reward for performance. At least that is my belief.

Packer, that's my belief as well! dunninla raises a very good point, too, about needs of the Army.

 

[Pima]

Congrats to your DS Bugn3boys.

I do believe dreams come true, but I believe more in fate. In your DS's case his fate was his dream.

As everyone on this board has said forever, if it is meant to be, it will be, and you will be there. SA appointment, scholarship, or not, you will not stop until you have exhausted the last opportunity. Even at that time many will find some loophole and continue.

If it doesn't happen after exhausting every path, do not beat the crap out of yourself, and wonder what if? Instead, embrace the path you are on, because that was the path you were always intended to be on. People plan, God laughs, life happens.

Dunninla,
That is why the military's adage is:

Service before self.

This will become the mantra of every member when they are deployed 3 days before the birth of their 1st child. It will be their mantra when they PCS them to S Korea for a yr as a remote.

For posters that are GFs or cadets. Bullet served 21 yrs, we were married 20 yrs when he retired, together for 26 yr (ROTC and UNT). People laughed at me because I always said the AF was his wife, I was his mistress.

I didn't have a voice if he would be with me for holidays, birthdays, anniversaries. She called and he went to her without hesitation. She said move, and we moved, no questions asked, no argument.

Service before self.

I have no regret, never did. Just want to explain since we are talking about AD life and the military's needs determining it, that if you accept fate and that adage, life will grace you with things you could never imagine. Honestly, they will be better because many things that you never thought of will be in your life.

 

[sprog]

You beat me to it.

Not sure injustice is the right word, Tight budget, high degree of competition, a list a mile long of cadets looking for scholarships with very few to go around might be a better term.

The word was put in quotes. In context, I don't think the poster feels it to be an actual injustice.

And as I read further along, I see that my above point is confirmed.

 

[basilrathbone]

Four years ago, DS applied to USNA and NROTC. He did not receive an appointment and was devastated as his dream since about age 4 was to attend Annapolis and become a Navy Pilot. He did receive a full 4 year NROTC scholarship. His Plan B, however, was not without a hiccup. He was assigned to a school he really did not want to attend. After an agonizing week, he decided to give up the scholarship and join the NROTC unit at his first choice school as a college programmer. The CO at the unit tried from day 1 to get the scholarship transferred. When that didn't work, he tried to get him a 3 year scholarship, and then a 2 year scholarship. All the while, DS kept working hard, taking out student loans to pay for school. Finally, at the end of his junior year, he was given advanced standing in the unit...still no scholarship, but he was able to go out on summer cruise. He was sent to San Diego for 5 weeks and got to actually fly a helicopter! We were on pins and needles waiting for Service Selections to come out. Would DS get a pilot slot? I am happy to report that he did, indeed, get a pilot slot and will report to Pensacola next summer. His journey to this point is absolutely not what he had envisioned, but he is proof positive that dreams do come true!

This is wonderful. What a great example of perseverance. It makes me want to watch "Rudy" again.