To get back to the OP's initial intent:
Jeff, we all admire and salute your drive and unstoppable desire to become a SEAL. It IS an admirable quality. And in the end, we are ALL here hoping just as hard for you that you will someday achieve your dream. We ALL agree: keep up the great attitude, keep up that awesome drive to make this dream a reality, and GO FOR IT!
Now, here comes the part that sometimes drags threads like this into the proverbial "rabbit hole" between some of the posters on supporting 1000% or trying to get you to also think about the "what if that dream somehow comes up short?" situation.
Here's my take on it. Like I said, we ALL support your dream and admire your determination to get there. But you continually give the impression that this is an ALL or NOTHING prospect for you: you'll only consider ways to become a SEAL, and nothing else. I (and many other parents on this site) feel that if this is what you want, then fine. But wouldn't it also be prudent to at least look at other options if some unforeseen circumstance or issue pops up that de-rails that plan? You've chosen one of the most competitive and selective career paths in the world for your dream. We WANT you to get it, but we also want you to understand that if, somehow, you can't get to it, would you be willing to consider something else that perhaps isn't as "operational" or as "cool" as being a SEAL, but is still kinda close?
I guess I can sum up my parent's perspective with: don't put all your eggs in one basket. Perhaps you may also want to purchase a couple of Eggos as well, in case that plan for an omelet falls through when you trip on the way home and end up with a scrambled and dirty mess instead.
If I went to BUDS (or any other difficult training), I would much rather be in a class where everyone was absolutely positive that they "have what it takes" than in one where the attitude is "look to those on both sides of you and only one will make it". And I would bet that the graduation rates reflect the dichotomy in these attitudes.
Absolutely. Once they get to that point I hope (and expect) all the candidates to have that attitude. But how many others, who had the same hopes, dreams, and level of desire as the OP, fell by the wayside for one reason or another either before or during the BUDS selection process and didn't make it to that point? I'm sure for everyone standing there looking out into the surf on Day 1, there are probably dozens who didn't get that far. And who is to say their dreams weren't just as strong, or their desire just as great?
To not acknowledge the difficulty in getting there and to at least LOOK at other options as a plan B is to do these young men and women a dis-service.
Personally, one of MY biggest hopes and desires growing up was to live to at least 100 years old. I REALLY, REALLY, REALLY wanted that (and still do!
), more than almost ANYTHING! I bet you had/have similar hopes and a similar level of desire to live to a ripe old age as well.
But I still brought Life Insurance, on that very small chance that I may not get that dream, even though I wanted it really, really, badly. Having a Plan B for my family, even though the odds were small and my desire was huge, just seemed the prudent thing to do. I bet you got Life Insurance as well, for pretty much the same reason; you thought a Plan B was just the smart thing to do.
I want to be around a bunch of people who will do everything humanly possible, and then some, to take action to alter that course of events as they see fit. One of the attributes of a good young military person, I think. They can be tempered later.
So do I. I also want them SMART. Smart people know that the course of events can and most likely will alter, and make back up plans for it. An even better attribute for a young military person. And I really can't stand those who simply stare dumbfounded out into space when the plans they made fail to work out and cry, "What do I do now! I didn't plan for this!" I prefer those who dust themselves off and move right away onto Plan B.
Rotary-wing pilots > fixed-wing pilots seven days a week and twice on Sunday.
You're an Army guy, so I can understand your confusion and don't mind having to explain this to you again: the duck's bill (or alligator's mouth, however you were taught) faces toward the GREATER of the two things you're comparing (it wants the bigger piece of food). You obviously had this concept backwards!
If you get your kicks furiously beating the air into submission so you can get only a couple of dozen feet off the ground, who am I to judge??
We also fly low, we just like to do it a speeds that will get us there sometime that day!