Originally Posted by
Chiefttp
I served and flew alongside many Academy Grads, everyone was a top performer. In order to get accepted to the Academy, one must have excellent grades and scores on College admissions tests as well as a clean record and be of high moral fiber. It’s extremely difficult to make the grade in order to get accepted to the Academy. I went to OTS, which is a 3 month program for applicants who have already graduated college. I always felt a little guilty being the same rank, after my short 3 month course, than my Academy counterparts who spent 4 years plus to attain the same rank. They do have a very strong “espirit de corps” and having an Academy lineage definitely helps as far as promotions and assignments to a certain degree. All the yelling and intimidation ends soon, and is just a tactic used to cull the herd.
Well, “soon” is a subjective term. It lasts the entire doolie year (or used to), with particularly extreme occasions. The only relief is in the classroom and in chapel Sunday mornings. Not to say there are not fun and humorous times also, but the “benefits” of such treatment for the sake of esprit de corps, etc., are highly exaggerated and used to justify abuse. The record of sexual abuse at the academy is horrendous. Not exactly what one hopes for at a “premier” leadership forming institution. No need to “feel guilty” at missing the experience. Many graduates, not all, believe academy graduation entitles them to preferential treatment during their career. You should not feel guilty about how you earned your commission, only how you fail to live up to your solemn oath of service to the country.