My West Point son back at the Ranch for Spring Break

[LMT Shooter]

Good for you and your son, you've reason to be proud.

Did you post a thread about the M1A1?

[OH58D]

Is that a joke about Ranger School and the physical test?

For my son, it's more of a realization that if he's not maxing or exceeding 300 points on the APFT, he think's he's not good enough. He knows of a few cadets who exceed 300 all the time. Some are born to be special forces, some are not. I never wanted to be an Infantry Officer, but I did Airborne School at age 18, and Air Assault School at age 23. He'll be fine this Summer as a 19 year old at Air Assault. At the Academy, every Friday he is training for the ruck. He knows what to expect. I did it because I was a new arrival at Fort Campbell, joining my aviation unit, and "everyone" was goaded into doing it. I finished my 12-mile ruck in 2 hours 43 minutes (17 minutes to spare), and towards the end of the group with bleeding blisters on both feet.

[FromMyColdDeadHand]

In your case I'd rather have my helo pilots highly recalcitrant to running- I don't want them having a back-up plan to flying out. Good luck to him.

[Pilot1]

Very cool. I have a USGI Inland M1 Carbine that was manufactured in 1944. Still going strong! I got lucky, and found one in great shape, and not too bad of a price. You did it right though. If I didn't find a good one, I may have gone the Fulton Armory route.

I take it your son is going to fly Rotorcraft also? What is his preference?

[OH58D]

Very cool. I have a USGI Inland M1 Carbine that was manufactured in 1944. Still going strong! I got lucky, and found one in great shape, and not too bad of a price. You did it right though. If I didn't find a good one, I may have gone the Fulton Armory route.

I take it your son is going to fly Rotorcraft also? What is his preference?

No sir. The only thing he has ever flown is on the hurricane deck of wild Texas Cayuse... That's ranch life for some kids. He wants Armor, but he is a brainy kid and Uncle Sam may be grooming him for M.I., and this is why he will commission Regular Army M.I., but Branch Detail Armor. Three years or so of field experience is good for a young Lieutenant. Most USMA graduating Lieutenants get their first choice of branch; he wants two branches, thus the Branch Detail. After his first Freshman semester and half-way thru his second semester, he is in the top 10% of his class - so far.

I wanted Armor, but I got M.I., but that was during my college years when I was a reservist and commissioned my last two years of school, but was not eligible to be deployed, a product of ROTC. On my Accessions Packet, I selected M.I. first, Aviation second, Armor third, FA fourth and so on. Infantry was towards the bottom. I got Aviation. Started out with the OH-6, MH-6, AH-6J and then in the second half of my Army life was the Kiowa Warrior, until I retired in December 1999.

[Honu]

cool post my kids are only 13 and 9 but growing quick so can only imagine the years flew by and looking back its a WOW but from the outside looking in great job !!!!!! cant imagine how proud ya are and well deserved

[OH58D]

cool post my kids are only 13 and 9 but growing quick so can only imagine the years flew by and looking back its a WOW but from the outside looking in great job !!!!!! cant imagine how proud ya are and well deserved

Certainly proud. Over Spring Break we were discussing his return to Fort Campbell for Air Assault School this Summer. It's a return for him because he was born in Blanchfield Army Hospital in March 1999 at Campbell, while I was deployed to Kosovo. That was my last deployment before I retired in December of that year. He was an Army brat for the first 9 months of his life.

[SeriousStudent]

He's back home on the ranch?? Put his ass to work! There are fence lines that need to be rode and repaired, and mineral blocks to put out for the herd!

Make him wish for West Point so he can catch up on his rest, after a few weeks on the ranch.

Seriously, that's a sharp young man. My sincere respects to him and your family. You and Mom did a heck of a job.

[lahunter57]

Congratulations to your son, you should be proud! Good to know we have another good one coming to the officer corps. Too bad he’s not coming aviation

One thing I always find interesting is the “warrior class”, as in the same families offering their service to the nation.

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[OH58D]

One thing I always find interesting is the “warrior class”, as in the same families offering their service to the nation.

You would be surprised about our "warrior class" history. My sons, are generation #11 in the male line here in New Mexico. Our ancestor was a Spanish soldier who accompanied a resupply mission from Mexico to the colony here in 1622. He remained, and his descendants flourished for the next 396 years, obtaining various land grants for service to Spanish Crown. This soldier was from Castile in the old Country. Our family was growing and surviving the hardships here at the same time the English Plymouth Colony on the east coast was spreading roots. Even into the 1760's an ancestor was commanding a group of soldiers brought in from Mexico called Soldato de Cuero, mounted Presidio soldiers in thick leather attire.

By the beginning of the 19th Century, the New Mexico colony was left to fend for itself by Spain and then by Mexico. The relationship had really broke down. By time the US Army under Stephen Watts Kearney rolled into Santa Fe, New Mexico really didn't care. We have a popular saying in my family: "We didn't come to America; America came to us". My ancestors accepted American rule and joined the US Dragoons and later two of my ancestors joined the 3rd US Cavalry after the Civil War, serving here, Arizona and up into Wyoming and Dakota.

I'll share another pic of my son, part of his High School Senior pics a year and a half ago (sans ballcap, shades and carbine) It was taken in a grove of cottonwood trees along the Canadian River on the far northwest edge of our ranch. You would never guess he is the descendant of a Spanish Conquistador. As far back as we can tell, we all have blue or green eyes. Go figure: