I bet this cadet would like to re-think this statement:

WEST POINT, N.Y. - At a time when many other seniors are considering job offers or grad school, Matt Miller already knows where his career path leads.

To Iraq.

Proficient in Arabic, steeped in international relations, and adept with an M-16 rifle, Miller, 21, of Wayne, will graduate this month from the U.S. Military Academy, a newly minted second lieutenant in the infantry.

After more training as a paratrooper and Army Ranger, he expects to be sent to Iraq to lead three dozen soldiers who probably will know more about fighting there than he does.

"The platoon will have already been there. They'll train me," Miller said last week during a break between classes.

For him and for the rest of the Class of 2004, Iraq looms as a destination none of them expected when they arrived here four years ago. Then, the nation was at peace, 9/11 was just another date, and warfare was a theoretical exercise.

"I came to play basketball and get an education," said Matt Knox, 22, of St. Clairsville, Ohio. "I would have never in a million years expected to do this." (Emphasis mine)

Uh, dude, you accepted the offer to attend a prestigious school at tax payer expense, did you not think that the strings that are attached just may be pulled some day? When I joined the military, I didn't want to see anything military happen either. I knew the possibility was there and accepted it when it happened.