A Letter to My Younger Self
What’s up Dunny!
Right now, you’re probably lying in bed dreading R-Day tomorrow. You can’t sleep and are staring at the ceiling thinking about it. I know you are because I remember the feeling like it was yesterday. You’re trying not to show everyone how nervous you are and how sad it is to leave home after a short summer. I won’t lie, tomorrow is going to be a huge wake-up call and is just the start of what will be the toughest challenge you’ve faced by far. But I wanted to check in with you before you go. I have some updates and advice that I would have done anything for when I was in your shoes.
You’re probably wondering if the military training will be tough. You’ll be all right. Learning how to shoot isn’t too bad, and you’ll get the hang of it. You will get lost in the woods a few times and get smoked a good amount during beast. But you will get a lot of help from the boys in your platoon, who will end up being some of your best buddies for the rest of your four years. The rest of the summers will go well too. You will become more confident in speaking up and being a leader. Being a company commander during CFT will teach you so much about leadership, and you’ll even go to an infantry unit in Alaska one summer. And we got Field Artillery at Fort Hood!
You’re also wondering if school will be tough. This is a different league. There will be semesters that you’ll be stuck on post for failing classes, some Army-Navy’s you won’t get to fully experience, and some all-nighter essays along the way.
It will teach you so much about failure and how to bounce back when things aren’t going well.
It’s definitely not your strong suit, so you’ll have to be better in other pillars to make up for it. But getting through it will be the most humbling and rewarding part of this place when it’s all said and done.
And that Sprint football team you heard about a few weeks before Beast? It ends up working out pretty well. You’ll make it as a walk-on this summer. Eventually, you’ll be a two-time first-team all-leaguer and lead the league in a few stats your last two years. The best part is that you’ll be a captain your senior year, and being a leader for the boys will be the biggest honor of your life so far.
So don’t be too intimidated when you show up to tryouts and there’s 120 people. You will be leading that group in three short years, and they will look to you as their role model on and off the field.
There will be times you want to quit and wish you were at another school. But what got me through was thinking of the kid whose dream was to graduate from here. The dream that started in 6th grade at Thayer Academy and got stronger through senior year. Do it for that kid and all the people who you’ve made proud along the way.
You will have the greatest support system while you get through it all. The post office will get sick of how many letters you get during beast from friends and family back home. Mom and Dad won’t miss a single football game, while Cam, Lilly, and Chloe will always be there to see you when you come home. Cathleen will also be there to get you through.
So don’t worry. You’ll make it just fine. This experience will teach you so much about yourself, and you’ll come out on the other side a better son, brother, and friend.
Good luck, proud of you!
-Dunny Mannion, West Point Class of 2023