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Molon Labe, the important thing for you to take away from this is a realization that you simply don't know what you don't know. As a cadet, I would have given my left nut to attend SFAS, because it is a great challenge and let's a cadet 'put the 'M' in USMA' after a long, demanding academic year. I now realize that while it would have been good for me, it would not have been good for the Army as a whole, and the bottom line is that your service is not for you, but the Army; don't ever forget that. Do cadets still have the opportunity to attend the Sapper Leader Course? That's a great small unit leader training course that would actually benefit both you (from the leadership and SUT skills you'd learn) and your future soldiers (due to the leadership and self-awareness you'd gain). How about the Mountain Warfare Course run by the VTARNG? That's an excellent introductory course to the military application of mountaineering, and if you didn't notice, there are a few significant terrain features in Afghanistan. As a vast majority of the regular Army has little to no mountaineering training, the skills you could learn there would make you a valuable asset to your unit. If you are truly concerned about learning to be a good combat leader, are you a member of the Infantry Tactics Club? The Orienteering Club? Are you on your company's Sandhurst team every year? There are many, many opportunities at USMA to learn skills to make you a better leader without needing to attend a specialized assessment and selection course for a unit to which you can't even begin to apply for at least four years from now. This is of course assuming you even decide to apply, and that your packet is accepted (given the number of officer applicants, your acceptance is far from a sure thing). A great deal can change in four years, to include the decision to allow your SFAS to count. Don't be too presumptuous about what will be reality in four years.
In short, be glad you were able to attend SFAS, assume that it was a good training experience for when you'll have to do it again (if you're even afforded the opportunity), and stop to consider exactly who you're lecturing here before you get carried away in youthful exuberance. This is an excellent lesson in knowing your audience; if you remember it, it will serve you well in your military career.
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