WEST POINT, N.Y. — Geryah White, fresh from a 15-mile overnight march over rocks and gullies, stretches her legs and pronounces herself ready for more.

The challenge before her is four years of academic and military training at the U.S. Military Academy, followed by five years of active duty in the Army.

"It's more mentally tough than physically tough," White, 19, says after her first six weeks at West Point. "It's just a matter of going one step further than you thought you could. I'm ready for the challenge. I'm ready for more."

White and the 1,200 other members of the West Point Class of 2009 have the grades and test scores to get into almost any top school — one that wouldn't bring compulsory military service after graduation. Instead, they accepted this challenge, their eyes wide open to the dangers as American soldiers return home in flag-draped caskets or maimed by roadside bombs.

The Army and Army National Guard are expected to miss their 2005 recruiting goals by several thousand new soldiers, but interest in West Point hasn't flagged. Applications reached 12,692 in 2003. They're down to 10,733 this year but still high by historical standards, says Lt. Gen. William Lennox, West Point's superintendent.

"These kids are volunteers," says Lennox, who refers to the new class as the first of the post-9/11 generation. "They know about Iraq, Afghanistan, the war on terror."

The news of casualties in Iraq is unavoidable, and Kristina Dionne, 18, of Raymond, N.H., pays attention to it.

News of the death of the first female graduate of the academy since 9/11 reached the young cadets just days after they were formally admitted. First Lt. Laura Walker was killed with another soldier in Afghanistan when their Humvee struck a land mine Aug. 18.

"It's always something to think about," says Dionne, who hopes to study Arabic and Russian and specialize in military intelligence. "But West Point trains you to handle it better than anywhere, and you have to be prepared to accept the risks."

Alumni say the cadets' attitude is patriotism mixed with a thirst for adventure and a youthful feeling of invincibility.

Family influence can sway a decision to attend West Point. Jeffrey Caslen, 19, has watched his father climb the ranks to brigadier general.

"I've been an Army brat my whole life," says Jeffrey, who plans to study engineering. "This seems like a natural choice. There won't be the distractions here that there are at other colleges."

Brig. Gen. Robert Caslen, class of '75, deputy director for the War on Terrorism at the Pentagon, beams a smile at his son.

"As a dad in the Army, I'm humbled that he chose to follow the same path," the general says. "I'm anxious, too. There are huge demands and incredible sacrifices. His mom is tremendously nervous, too. It's one thing for her to see me off to combat and another with her son. She knows up close and personal the sacrifices."

Gerald and Ann White recall signs at an early age of the woman that their daughter Geryah would become.

Gerald White remembers a take-charge little girl pulling herself up as a toddler and taking her first steps unaided. Ann White says Geryah tugged on a basket of laundry at age 2, insisting on carrying the load.

"She wanted everything in the right place," Ann White says. "She's always had that inner drive to succeed."

Gerald White has seen a photo of his daughter emerging from a room filled with noxious gas during her training this summer. She is grimacing, but she got through it.

"When I saw that, I thought, 'She can hang. She can hang,' " he says. "She's a strong, determined, tough young lady. She's going to serve her country well. She's a soldier."