<p>geoff,</p>
<p>I appreciate your thoughtful and insightful posts. You seem to have come to your decision, not as a knee-jerk reaction to a difficult situation, but as a logical conclusion for yourself. However, I would like to point out that at times, I sensed that you may have set unrealistic expectations about the West Point experience. </p>
<p>Because of your background, you think you should have known what to expect. But we have heard so many times, from our own cadets, their friends, and the cadets who post here that no one other than a cadet can really understand WP.</p>
<p>If a WP alum fails out of Ranger School, it is not a reflection on West Point and their leadership training model. The individual could not pass. And surely there are Ranger candidates entering the selection process from other sources who fail.</p>
<p>Businesses around the world are looking for talented leaders. Each and every day I hear about individuals who " just don’t have the leadership skills" to move on to a higher level at work. Each time we go to the marketplace to search for a managerdirector/vice president, we want somebody with “proven leadership skills”. Then, these brilliant people can’t really tell me what they mean by it. So much has been written about leadership over the years. I won’t try to define it here, but I think that an analytical, logical, sensitive individual who understands that leadership isn’t about yelling, is the same person who will develop into an excellent leader someday. And the military needs leaders who have learned to be at their best when the circumstances are the worst.</p>
<p>Geoff, for purely selfish reasons I hope that you reconsider. I’d love to see our military leaders be as thoughtful as you are. I wish you all the best as you finalize your decision. Please keep us up to date as the discussion you have generated resonates with many here. Good luck!</p>