I have wondered as to why this thread has not been locked yet and then it dawned on me that alot of the conversation going on here is going on by many of the moderators themselves.
I am going to be honest here and go out on a limb. Please know that I say this with a heavy heart.
This is starting to sound like a bunch of upset baseball parents complaining about the system. For many and for most, you are operating on very little true knowledge about how the Armed Services work.
There are chains of command. The chains of command are in charge of our nations armed services and they make the decisions. You can balk about the policies all you want, but you really have no say and are in no position to change things. You may not agree with the Armed Forces policies and because you live in a free country, please feel free to take your complaints up with our fellow politicians.
This is a basebal site.
If parents of future Academy athletes have questions,...I would tell them to ask the chain of command about the policies in place. I guarantee commanders have volumnes and volumnes of regulations and standards that will gladly recite to them. These policies are not made up as they go. There is a military judicial system in place and there are boards set aside to handle specific issues.
Its always very easy to assume, to complain, to be upset, and to doubt when one has not TRUELY been a part of a system.
I will probably be steam rolled over, but can we please leave politics off of this baseball site?
The soldiers are not complaining. Why is everyone else?
Please have confidence in our military leaders. I send my husband, my 19 year old son, and many friends out to war under these commanders. I trust them to make a solid decision in the best interest of America whether or not Academy students should or should not be allowed to persue a professional athletic career. Decisions are based on needs of the military, and who would know better about those needs, than the commanders & soldiers themselves?
Lets end this, and get back to baseball. Whatta ya say?