Open letter to all concerned...

Those who expect to reap the blessing of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it.
--Thomas Paine
December 1, 2004
I feel as though you don't understand or accept my decision to enlist. I can understand how this may come as a shock to you, an unexpected surprise, but understand this is something I've always wanted to do.
When I found out my father had been in the military, it was then that the desire to do so myself developed. A child looks up first to her parents as role models. They also learn early on the symbolic nature of military personnel. Needless to say, the seed had been planted.
But I had an obstacle. I was physically incapable of joining the military after high school. I was obese. My whole life I spent being fat, so dreams of joining the military were just that - dreams. Reality soon displaced military aspirations. I had to focus on something feasible for me to do. I am blessed to have parents that fostered both an environment and an attitude with which I was able to flourish academically. The world lays open for me to accomplish what I want. After much consideration, I decided on law school and becoming a great corporate lawyer. Then something happened. I lost weight. And an offhand comment by a friend of mine reignited the military flame that my weight had extinguished long ago. Combined with an interest in military intelligence that school projects had sparked, my military aspirations glowed bright again. I researched and researched and couldn't find any obstacles that would stand in my way. My parents have always aid that I could be whatever I wanted to be. This is what I want. I want to do something good with my life. Perhaps I've bought too far into the "serve my country" rhetoric, but the military would allow me to serve a cause greater than myself. As a political science student, I understand the importance of democracy and I understand that it needs to be protected. I want to help protect it. I want to be a better person. Every branch touts different core values, but they are values today's society neglects to instill in its youth. I've basically lived a sheltered life. My parents have shielded me from things others have had to face. While that provided me with a happy childhood, I feel it has stunted my growth as an adult. Military life would provide me with values that would help me grow and succeed. Courage. Leadership. Honor. Dedication. Respect. I want to do something I'm actually interested in. The military has always intrigued me. Early in my college years, I ended up doing a couple projects on military intelligence. The more research I did, the more exciting and interesting this field became. But they don't really teach that stuff in college. To accomplish career goals that I have (being an intel analyst for the CIA or at least working in the intel field), military life and training are not just helpful experiences, but necessary ones. This is the stuff I read about in my spare time, the military and intelligence subjects. Not law. And I know you may wonder about law school. I've come to realize law school was my cop-out for being fat, for being unable to do what I've always wnated to do. It was my way to achieve selfish and materialistic goals. What good could I contribute being a corporate lawyer? Who would I help? What value would my life have? You see, the military would do many things for me, things that would benefit me. Sure, there are dangers to a military life, but life is about risks. Every time I get in a car, I take a risk. That's what life is about. Risk-taking. Being able to handle the risks and overcome them is a beneficial lesson. I'm not asking you to understand. Personal bias or a sense of protection seems to prevent you from doing so. I only ask that you accept my decision and stop questioning it. Support me as your daughter, sister, and friend, and just understand that the military will allow me further succeed and reach my goals.