<p>I think deep down inside, “most” people who apply to the academy are courageous and they DO have something to fear. And deep down inside, they KNOW about these fears.</p>
<p>First fear is obviously the fear of not being accepted. Then there’s the fear of failure. For many; especially the 85% +/- who have had very competitive lives prior to the academy, “Failure” is not something many of these people accept very well. As we move on, there is the fear of not fitting in. Deep down inside you know you are know going to be around thousands of people where most of which don’t share your background, culture, school, past, etc…</p>
<p>Once you get past the initial social fears, there’s there fear that you are going to lose so much of your past and who you are. There is so much truth to this and I believe that most applicants recognize this when they apply. They’ve read the stories and seen the movies. You are NOT going to be the same person that you were when you came in. The change you will go through that first semester will be more profound than what most of your friends will go through in their entire 4 years of college. If they even go to college. There is the fear of losing you friends back home, not having common ground even with your parents. The fear that the only thing you will have in common with anyone back home is the “PAST”. (Which has a lot of truth to it).</p>
<p>Then, once you’ve dealt with your entire social, personal, and private life and the change that you know you will go through, there then comes the fears of the future. Will I graduate? If I do, can I live up to my commitment. The fear of what past friends and family will think of you if you don’t make it through. Those are all concerns and yes fears. People have to feel that they belong. Until you’ve gotten through most of that first year, you don’t really know if you truly belong. If you don’t belong to a group, you will be afraid. The group is your support. Prior to accepting the appointment, your group was family and friends. Most of which you have known your whole life. There is a lot of fear there.</p>
<p>Finally, there is the fear that because you are going to be going into the military, that you could have to go to a war or battle some place. That you might have to KILL someone. That someone else might try to kill you. That movies like “Saving Private Ryan”, “Behind enemy lines”, etc… may actually have a lot of truth to it and that maybe you might be in that position.</p>
<p>Yes, applying and accepting a nomination to the academy; as well as the subsequent service on active duty, does require quite a bit of courage. There are plenty of things to be fear. However, it is how you handle that fear that makes you deserving of your country’s pride and respect. Being afraid is good. It forces you to think logically as well as tactically. It makes you view more than one choice or option. Then again, that is what the academy is designed to do. Make you a leader. Teach you to think on your feet and to learn from each other. I definitely think that it takes a lot of courage to accept an appointment to the academy or join the military in general. Having many in our country disagree strongly with what you do and what you represent. Yet; they say all this standing in front of the freedoms that you have vowed to defend. There is a lot of courage inside of every appointee and cadet; as well as the enlisted forces who volunteer to serve in our military forces.</p>