While I have grown out of the habit of pretending,
Aw, pretending is fun...
I have never lost my desire to fight for the ones I love and demonstrate bravery and courage. Ultimately, it was that desire thatwhich first sparked my interest in the military.
That's pretty cool, you get to the point--it is your passion and this is what you want
The military has been in the back of my mind as a career choice for years. Recently however, it has taken an increased presence in the foreground of my mind
Hm that made me think the military wasn't really a serious consideration for you...maybe if you rewrote with something like "Although the military has always been one of many career choices, it gradually but surely asserted itself to the the foreground..." Basically something that shows how you evolved into your desire for a military career
The leadership, selflessness, and integrity taught at the Academy cannot be substituted by any other values taught at any other institution.
Hm I don't know what it is about this sentence. I mean, it's nice, but it can be better. Maybe if you compare your values to those of the Academy?
Just some thoughts.
This is good, you mentioned specifics of the Academy that interested you and your concrete plans for the future!