I am sorry if I have "riled up" some members. I was just stating my personal experience and reading over a lot of the profiles on these forums. And I am sorry if it works out that there are a lot of 3rd and 4th generation Academy appointments that are talked about on here, but as I said earlier, there are a ton of very highly qualified candidates who get passed over "in order to fill our diversity in a class". This is fine by all standards if those appointed are also very highly qualified candidates. But no one here will tell me that being a "Legacy" candidate does not help with any academy! I know personally three members (one each on each of the MOC Panels) and to a one they say they try and keep politics out of the process, but that it sometimes occurs where a candidate's parents or grandparents will know one or two of the retired or former military members of the panel. And I know the "system", I experienced it while serving that if you have a "Hook" it gets you places in the military. If you have a "Godfather" you can get assignments and promotions to certain fields easier than if you are "joe no body". I am not naïve enough (I watched some of it last year) to think that if mom or dad is a retired O-6 and knows three friends at the Academy son/daughter wants to attend, that those "friends" don't watch out for the application and try and help out. I advanced VERY rapidly, got almost every assignment I desired, and I truly believe it was because I had a senior officer (who let me know he was watching my career with interest) who thought I had something special and looked after me. The ONLY reason I left the service was the opportunity to advance my career in a field I came to be passionate about. There were still quasi political games (even in Civil Service) and it paid to know people higher up, and it is that way in life.
And just for info, the three young people I mentioned earlier were as qualified as anyone, but knew no one in the military, had no relatives who were vets or AD, and two didn't make it. If you look at members here, I am sure they are skewed because non military people don't know about these forums as readily as military people so I admit I could be wrong, but I see a whole lot of senior military people whose family members seem to have a higher rate of acceptance than a no body who applies.
I am not accusing anyone of "playing the system" or "applying undo influence", the military is all about performance and networking, and I am sure those candidates that come from military families do very well, having grown up in that environment, and to a one deserve to be where they are. My only point was to just say IMHO, there is sometimes outside influences in the selection processes and in the military world in general that sometimes gives one candidate a slight edge over another with exactly the same qualifications. There is not much difference in getting a promotion for Civil Service, Military, or Civilian positions, someone has to pick you out of the pack, or ask for you, so our sons and daughters have to live and work in that environment just as we did.
I am sorry for rambling, and I do not mean to irritate anyone, maybe certain MOC panels and Academies have safeguards or policies to limit outside influence, but my personal knowledge (although limited) tells me otherwise. Again, Sorry, but it is just my opinion, I am not saying anyone on these forums has done, is doing, or will do anything not above board and those candidates that get appointed deserve those appointments.
....If you’ve lived the life as a military child, you have seen the impact of numerous deployments, moved way too many times and attended numerous schools. The challenges are quite different for a child of career military. Yet some still want to commit to that life, still want to serve their country knowing all that they know. They know what to expect since they have lived it and nothing will deter them. Perhaps, in some small way, this is appealing to some SAs? When I asked my DS if he doesn’t get in to the SA will he still want to go into the military? “100%, without a doubt. Will go the ROTC way to achieve my goals.” Love his determination and drive to go after his dream.
