I always find it amazing that people in this country...

DevilDog

15-Year Member
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Aug 25, 2008
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I was at an apartment complex this afternoon in Orlando because we are moving. I was talking to the rental agent and I was telling her that next year I will have 4 children in college, but that one of them is going for free and he is actually getting paid to attend the Air Force Academy. She said to me "Does he have a scholarship or something?" I asked her if she knew about the Air Force Academy? She gave a blank stare. Then I asked her if she ever heard of Annapolis and she continued to give me the blank stare. I finally asked if she ever heard of West Point and finally, she said that she had heard of it. I told her the Air Force Academy is like West Point except it produces Officers for the Air Force.
How can people that live in this country not know about Annapolis or Air Force? Where have these people been all their lives? I knew of the academies when I was 12 years old when my parents took us to see Annapolis and West Point.
I still can't get over that.
Also, does anyone know of a parent's club in the Orlando or Central Florida area?
 
Now that you mention it I have also been to all three academies, although it was only West Point as a child. USAFA I managed when I was at Navy Intel Officer School at Denver, and USNA after I had a Mid spend a summer cruise with me in DC.

On to your overall topic though. If you think that's bad watch this: http://videolicious.tv/2009/06/the-best-of-jaywalking-final-jay-leno-tonight-show/. Despite the hilarity of the presentation the lack of knowledge displayed about our history and culture really is sad, but probably not all that uncommon. The young people we see earning admissions to the SAs are exceptional in comparison.
 
Now that you mention it I have also been to all three academies, although it was only West Point as a child. USAFA I managed when I was at Navy Intel Officer School at Denver, and USNA after I had a Mid spend a summer cruise with me in DC.

On to your overall topic though. If you think that's bad watch this: http://videolicious.tv/2009/06/the-best-of-jaywalking-final-jay-leno-tonight-show/. Despite the hilarity of the presentation the lack of knowledge displayed about our history and culture really is sad, but probably not all that uncommon. The young people we see earning admissions to the SAs are exceptional in comparison.

It is really sad.
 
My husband and I are MALO's for West Point and get the same thing here, even for West Point. Did a college fair a couple weeks ago and I was wearing my black & gold ARMY sweatshirt and standing in front of a WP display and had someone ask me "Where is the Army display?" Had another parent (whose kid had just told me they had been interested in WP for years) ask "Oh, so is WP a military thing?" :frown:

When we told people our son was going to USAFA last year, we had several people say something along the lines of "well, he can always go to college later." :rolleyes:
 
It was surprising to me to learn that West Point is not all that well known west of the Mississippi - except for Texas where it seems as though half of the USCC is from Texas. WP has specific marketing pushes for areas west of the Mississippi. Even guidance counselors in some of those areas have never heard of West Point.
 
When we told people our son was going to USAFA last year, we had several people say something along the lines of "well, he can always go to college later." :rolleyes:

Yea, have to say that's the reaction I've gotten from a lot of people when they ask what I'm doing next year. Its too bad, but not something I'm going to sweat over. Watching my mom try to explain to the lady at Macy's though when I was picking out a watch what West Point was though was actually pretty hilarious. I'm pretty sure by the time we walked away, the lady still was under the impression I was enlisting this summer and to her, throwing away my future despite my mom's best efforts. And that's from explanations coming from a women who used to be in the Army and us being an Army family...there are some people in our country who just don't have any connections to the military and its hard to explain some things to them.
 
It is kinda sad, when I told people that I was going into the Air Force, they were confused. I had to explain that the Air Force was the military. They were all like, oh, so you are going into the Army? *facepalm* I have had to come to terms with people saying that I am "away with the Army". It is also kind of sad how few people in the Active Duty Air Force know what the Air Force Academy is. When I was putting in my application for the LEAD program, the program for enlisted folks to go to USAFA, people asked why I was going to the NCO Academy as an E-3. Haha.
 
Girl in my class: Oh you are a senior, where are you going to school?
Me: the Naval Academy.
Girl: Oh, did you even apply to any colleges?
Me: ...
 
People in the Midwest have NO clue where West Point is... I've gotten "So you're not going to college?" to "What is West Point?" to "Isn't that the Naval Academy?":cool:
 
Girl in my class: Oh you are a senior, where are you going to school?
Me: the Naval Academy.
Girl: Oh, did you even apply to any colleges?
Me: ...
this lol
"I'm going to the Air Force Academy next year"
"But you're doing so well! If you can't finish college, I don't know who could!"
Um................
 
To a certain extent I do agree that there's a disparity when it comes to what people know about the Service Academies. I have received a colorful variety of reactions to my appointment to USAFA. Ones who know offer heartfelt congratulations. And on the other side, I get things like "You shouldn't waste your time in the military, go get a college education instead". During the latter, I do my best to explain the service academies. But people generally still have misconceptions.

I do agree that it won't hurt for the SAs to "advertise", not necessarily because we don't have enough quality in the SAs but rather to educate the masses of the importance that the Academies offer to the country. :smile:
 
People in the Midwest have NO clue where West Point is... I've gotten "So you're not going to college?" to "What is West Point?" to "Isn't that the Naval Academy?":cool:

If it makes you feel better, a lot of people in the Midwest have NO clue on a lot of colleges. Son #2 got accepted to MIT this year. You cannot believe the number of people in the last month who when he's told that have asked "So what does that stand for?" :rolleyes: Then, AFTER he's answered that question, the number who follow up with "So where is that?" He's started telling clueless people that MIT stands for "Montana School of Theology" just to see how many believe him! :shake: (Although then he gets asked "What's theology?" so it kind of loses the effect!).
 
Now that you mention it I have also been to all three academies, although it was only West Point as a child. USAFA I managed when I was at Navy Intel Officer School at Denver, and USNA after I had a Mid spend a summer cruise with me in DC.

Sorry, have to laugh. We're in a "can't believe people haven't heard of it thread" and someone forgets the other two academies :biggrin:

So, here's a big shout out to the best:wink: academy: Kings Point and the almost as good Coast Guard Academy :thumb:

You think telling people about AFA/USMA/USNA is bad just try to explain that you are going to the Merchant Marine Academy :shake:
 
Sorry, have to laugh. We're in a "can't believe people haven't heard of it thread" and someone forgets the other two academies :biggrin:

So, here's a big shout out to the best:wink: academy: Kings Point and the almost as good Coast Guard Academy :thumb:

You think telling people about AFA/USMA/USNA is bad just try to explain that you are going to the Merchant Marine Academy :shake:

I'd have to agree our civil maritime component is something that most Americans have little knowledge of at all. I did think of the other two SAs but I had never been to either and the OP only mentioned the three. Having been born and raised on Long Island it is sad that I never did end up seeing KP. Not to mention that my last AD tour was in civil maritime intel (which when I was first there was referred to as merchant shipping), and I rolled right into a Desert Shield/Storm recall at the same DC command ten weeks after leaving AD.

After that I worked two years for an oil company doing business intel related to crude oil tankers. Then I came back east and and immediately ended up at First CG District HQ in Boston for the summer, on ACDUTRA. There I compiled info on capabilities of civvie companies to provide/develop hardware for satellite tracking of scallop fishers.

Some time after that I did interview for a position at Maine Maritime, but because my AD deployments were with landbased avaition squadrons I didn't have relevant shipboard experience. That is if I don't count the reserve two weeks aboard USS Vicksburg where we spent a total of three days at sea. What I did get to do there was have a very interesting conversation with the CO on the bridge about how to integrate/berth female enlisted personnel, but that opens up another whole tangent.
 
Me: I'm actually going to the air force academy..

Them: Why wouldn't you go to college, it seems as if you did well in school.

Me: I am going to college...

Them: Oh really?! Where?

Me: Ugh..
 
Girl in class: So where are you going to school next year?
Me: The Air Force Academy!
Girl: So you're enlisting?
 
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