They will tell you when you get your "permit to report" package exactly what to bring. Bring it. If they take away sox and undies until after plebe summer, so what. Part of the military is following orders. All the agonizing over whether to bring X pairs of sox and undies is pretty silly. My son's company did not take the sox and undies away. Considering what they do over plebe summer and the extreme amount of physical activity, those "fresh" sox and undies taken away earlier might be quite welcome at the end of plebe summer.
More items for care packages in the summer:
- "Tiger Balm" for sore muscles (I found it at Wal-Mart, learned about it on this website. Used it myself for a pulled muscle at work and it was amazing)
-Powdered gatorade in single serve packets. Looked all over for these, bought a bunch when I finally found them.
-Tide white sticks or stain sticks for getting nasty spots off the whiteworks (uniforms!) (When you visit PPW, take a few along for you to have. Then when plebe spills something as you are eating out, etc, you will be ready. Your plebe will be wearing his summer white uniforms, not the plebe summer "popeye" suit which is also white, for the first time during PPW. You want to be ready as those uniforms are sparkling white.)
-Photos. My plebe's company allowed three to be up on display during summer. I sent photos of all kinds of things: his friends, his childhood, funny moments, recent wedding photos, etc. He rotated them around.
-Funny, inspiring, silly, etc cards. I sent one every day. Started "collecting" them as soon as he was notified of appointment.
- Healthy snacks: nuts, trail mix, clif bars, power bars, etc. Single serve portions. No more than fits in the rubbermaid type shoebox size container.
I would limit the "candy" like stuff. These kids are working out and running like you can't believe. My son shuns soda, candy now like it is the plague.
-Son requested several hundred safety pins a couple of weeks into plebe summer. He and his room mates pinned their sheet to the bunk nice and tight and slept on top, thus saving the hassle of making the bed.
-"Body Glide".....it is anti-chafing stuff. Found it at Academy.
- Sports Beans.....jelly beans with electrolytes. Also at Academy.
For now, if your son/daughter has an appointment, the single very best thing you can do for them is encourage them to RUN. And then run some more.
Plebe summer is grueling, mentally and physically. If the physical part is overwhelming for your plebe, they will break down mentally. If the physical part is challenging, but do-able, the entire summer will go much more smoothly. My son said all the kids who struggled during plebe summer were struggling physically, then mentally. Imagine being overwhelmed, challenged and busier than you ever imagined. And then being behind the curve when you run (daily, often more than once) and work out.........
Enjoy every moment with them (guess you could start running, too!). For when they are gone, it is much more "gone" than traditional college. I have a son at USNA and another in vet school. The lack of contact as compared to son at traditional college is easier because our son likes USNA, and has from the very beginning. He reported in good physical condition and was very grateful for every run and workout he did at home in the weeks leading up to I-Day.
It is an exciting time......and folks, it only gets better!