<p>pyoo, I think we’ve all been through what you’re going through to some extent. I cant preach to you about what the right choice is, but I think in this day and age, as a current platoon leader in the army, the only thing that should really matter is if you WANT to lead troops in combat. The soldiers in this Army deserve that from their leaders, you owe it to them. Put yourself in downtown Baghdad in a few short years–trust me, it will go by fast–and think of what you would do if an EFP tears through one of your 1114s and four 18-20 year old kids from Dallas, Ohio, Montana, or wherever, get torn to pieces, never to live again. Some may have a wife and kids, the others just their proud parents back home. Or picture yourself shot through the neck on a rooftop by a sniper, paralyzed for the rest of your life, as happened to one of my friends last year. That is the type of stress you will be under, and if that’s not what you want, there is nothing wrong with that, in fact, you are a better person for recognizing that and coming to terms with who you are. This is not the Army of the 90s; it is an Army involved in a brutal war, perhaps the most frustratingly deadly conflict we’ve been in. People die, and if you stay in this business, you will know some who end up sacrificing it all, I guarantee it. </p>
<p>I know West Point sucks man, and I know what you are going through is hard as hell, but I plead with you to sit back for a second, imagine yourself a few years down the road as an Old Grad, fighting in Iraq, and really look inside and ask “is that what I want?” If it is, and I hope that’s the case, more power to you, because the Army needs leaders. But if you realize that the Army is not what you want, you want the education, please dont stay at West Point. Dont do that to these kids out here. I know it’s hard man, I know it is, but please sit back and look at the endstate and the biger picture for a little while. Hit me up on PM if you want to talk outside the forum, I understand. Best of luck.</p>