Looks like I am going to USNA now...

Man2112

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So yesterday i received my letter from USAFA saying that i will NOT be a part of their 2016 class. So now it is time to accept my USNA appointment...

Now comes the interesting part.... I don't really know much about USNA..i spent most of my time reading up about USAFA.

SO i have a couple questions. With AF i could bring my AF boots (that i had already broken in) with me on I-day. Can you do the same thing with USNA? If so, which boots does USNA use? I need to get them pronto.

Also, does anyone know off of the top of their head some other differences between USAFA and USNA?

Thank you!
 
Can't speak for boots. USNA is more into sneakers! :smile:

As I posted in the USAFA forum, each SA is fantastic in its own way. As for differences, you're much closer to sea level.:smile: Your uniforms are better looking (and, as a daughter of a career USAF officer, I can say this). You'll be spending a lot more time on the water -- but there are plenty of pilot/NFO slots upon graduation.

USNA is a much smaller "campus" but it seems larger b/c it borders the water. The academics are first rate. Annapolis is fairly close to B'more and DC.

Read up on USNA -- I think you'll find it fantastic. Not USAFA but nonetheless great!
 
So yesterday i received my letter from USAFA saying that i will NOT be a part of their 2016 class. So now it is time to accept my USNA appointment...

Now comes the interesting part.... I don't really know much about USNA..i spent most of my time reading up about USAFA.

SO i have a couple questions. With AF i could bring my AF boots (that i had already broken in) with me on I-day. Can you do the same thing with USNA? If so, which boots does USNA use? I need to get them pronto.

Also, does anyone know off of the top of their head some other differences between USAFA and USNA?

Thank you!

You sound so pumped. :rolleyes:
 
Smile Man2112!! You get to be in a class with awesome people like me and Hurricane12!! :yllol:
 
Hurricane is a Firstie and will have graduated by the time you arrive. A word of caution -- as a Plebe, upperclass are NOT your friends. You will have a much better chance of surviving Plebe Summer if you do what you are ordered to do, show respect, and not try to buddy up to your detailers.
 
Hurricane is a Firstie and will have graduated by the time you arrive. A word of caution -- as a Plebe, upperclass are NOT your friends. You will have a much better chance of surviving Plebe Summer if you do what you are ordered to do, show respect, and not try to buddy up to your detailers.

A very true statement... and in a little over a month Hurricane12 will transform into someone much more respected than a Firsty Midshipman. She will commission as a Marine Officer.

Ooorah!
 
howacupcake and Hurricane12 will have one common thread to share.....back to the bottom of the pile, though, one can play the collar game!
 
...and when you new Plebes THINK you have it hard this summer, know that 2ndLt Hurricane12 will be working far harder at TBS - by choice. You will be in your nice racks in Bancroft every night. She will be doing night recon and or night-time navigation training, or sleeping on the ground. You will be doing a short Endurance course wearing cammies. Her E-course will be twice as long, done while wearing combat gear. And she will be doing an outstanding job, because she has well and truly earned her selection to be a Marine Corps Officer!

(and no, she's not my Mid!)
 
...and when you new Plebes THINK you have it hard this summer, know that 2ndLt Hurricane12 will be working far harder at TBS - by choice.

Or, more accurately, lounging around DTA as a TAD 2ndLt (i.e., MIDN 0/C) until the Fall....:cool:(Actually, what howacupcake and I do have in common is that we will both be there on I-Day)

Geez, now I'm all embarrassed. jadler has it right; it's really just going back to the bottom of the heap all over again.

To the OP: Look, I don't think there's nothing wrong with going to USNA as a second choice. There aren't that many outright bad reasons for going to a service academy (plus several questionable ones, but that's another story...)

But once you get here, your actions have to 100% be about how much you want to lead Sailors and Marines and serve in the Navy or Marine Corps. Coming into this place with an attitude that it's not really what you want, or that you'd really rather be in the Air Force, is a recipe for mediocrity, if not failure, cynicism, and unhappiness.
If your goal was to be an officer in the Air Force, then don't go to USNA; go off to civilian school and reapply to USAFA/AFROTC/OTS. If your goal was just to serve as an officer in the armed forces, good to go, keep pushing. However, it came across in your post that USNA was a consolation prize and going here was not really that attractive of an option to you. Remember that attitude is everything.

-Because USNA doesn't do any extensive field training during Plebe Summer (where would we go???), they don't recommend bringing boots: you'll be different and that's generally not a good thing.
The issued boots are pretty terrible and chew up your feet a little, but due to the nature of training over the summer (the most you'll ever run in them is like ~3 miles at once and wear them at most a few hours a day) it's not that bad.
 
So yesterday i received my letter from USAFA saying that i will NOT be a part of their 2016 class. So now it is time to accept my USNA appointment...

I know it's hard to let one long-cherished dream go, but please try to do so between now and I-day. Whether it's BCT, Beast, or Plebe Summer, this first summer (and the rest of the Ac year) will have plenty of challenges that will only be harder if your attitude is that you want to be someplace else.

Now comes the interesting part.... I don't really know much about USNA..i spent most of my time reading up about USAFA.

DON'T watch the movie "Annapolis." DO watch movies like Act of Valor (the team is all real SEALs).

SO i have a couple questions. With AF i could bring my AF boots (that i had already broken in) with me on I-day. Can you do the same thing with USNA? If so, which boots does USNA use? I need to get them pronto.

USNA issues boots to incoming Plebes, versus the USMA and USAFA policy of having incoming Basics buy their own. Hurricane12 can tell you the specific model, I'm sure. If you can't find the info before I-day, you could take yours. The worst that will happen is that you'll have to carry them around all day on I-day, and they'll go into storage for the summer.

Also, does anyone know off of the top of their head some other differences between USAFA and USNA?

Thank you!

One big difference between the two is the jargon.
You'll be a Plebe, not a Doolie.
You'll be in a squad -> platoon -> company -> battalion -> regiment -> brigade, (no flights or squadrons or wings)
You will also use Navy jargon for all those things you thought were doors, windows, floors, ceilings, stairways, etc.

You'll be a lot more familiar with your drill rifle (I was told this by several AF Cadets during Navy-AF weekend)

You'll spend a lot more time on and around water, whether it's figuring out how to paddle a raft as a team, or carry one around on shore. You'll spend part of your summer training learning to sail small boats, and other time learning to be drown-proof. You'll start to learn the basics of Damage Control, from fighting fires to patching pipes. You'll become intimately familiar with the Severn River. :)
 
The issued boots are pretty terrible and chew up your feet a little, but due to the nature of training over the summer (the most you'll ever run in them is like ~3 miles at once and wear them at most a few hours a day) it's not that bad.

Are the boots they issue the steel toe leather ones that completely suck? Or are they the hot weather version?
 
It should be the steel-toed, since that is the "required" boot for NWU I.
 
My bad...I didnt realize that Hurricane12 was a firstie. Good luck to you!! And yes I better stop posting on these forums..a detailer may just find out who I am!:eek:
 
No Regrets with US Navy

So yesterday i received my letter from USAFA saying that i will NOT be a part of their 2016 class. So now it is time to accept my USNA appointment...

Now comes the interesting part.... I don't really know much about USNA..i spent most of my time reading up about USAFA.

SO i have a couple questions. With AF i could bring my AF boots (that i had already broken in) with me on I-day. Can you do the same thing with USNA? If so, which boots does USNA use? I need to get them pronto.

Also, does anyone know off of the top of their head some other differences between USAFA and USNA?

Thank you!

Hi Man2112,
Your situation is somewhat similar to mine when I was younger man. I was a junior in college when I decided to pursue my dream of becoming a military pilot. My first choice was USAF and second was USN. I tested, interviewed and applied for both. USAF told me no and to say it was crushing would be an understatement. Then a few weeks later USN gave me the thumbs up. I was very excited for my opportunities with USN and looked forward to what lay ahead. That was about 30 years ago and I can now say, without hesitation, becoming a naval officer is #3 on the list of best things to happen to me, right after marrying my wife and becoming a father. I can't tell you anything about the SAs since I went to college ;-) but I can say a few things about my experiences and some of the differences I saw. And before I do, I want to say I am NOT putting down the USAF in anyway. It just seems to me USAF and USN do things differently.

When I interviewed with USAF I put on a coat and tie and drove to the AFB where I interviewed with a major from the air wing. The basic premise of the interview was "tell us about yourself and why should we accept you into the USAF?" When I interviewed with USN, I wore the same coat and tie and reported to my recruiter, Lt. Frank Burke, USN (after all these years I still remember his name). His initial response was "why the coat and tie?" I told him I was here for my interview and wanted to dress appropriately. He replied "this won't be an interview. We're going to talk about why you want to join the Navy and how much fun you will have." A little different tone, don't you think?

While in flight school, another difference of operational philosophy showed up one day during flight planning. My instructor and I were planning on returning to our home NAS after a short cross country to a nearby AFB. While planning, we saw the weather was very marginal at NAS. So, we decided to file to an airport near our home base and while enroute we would monitor the weather and if the weather at home base improved, we would change our destination and proceed home. Nearby was a USAF crew listening in on us. They asked, "you can do that?" My instructor said, "yeah, why not?" The USAF crew didn't respond but my instructor knew they weren't allowed to change destinations like we did without the approval from the chain of command. Subtle, but noticeable difference.

I bet if you approach USN with an open mind, you too will one day look back with no regrets and with many thanks. I've asked my son many times why he wants to go into USN and he has told me while he was growing up he would listen when I spoke about the Navy. He said I would always say how much fun I had and how the best guys I know were from the Navy. And now you two are about to become classmates. Pretty dang cool if you ask me. Congratulations on your appointment.
Cheers...
 
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Hi Man2112,
Your situation is somewhat similar to mine when I was younger man. I was a junior in college when I decided to pursue my dream of becoming a military pilot. My first choice was USAF and second was USN. I tested, interviewed and applied for both. USAF told me no and to say it was crushing would be an understatement. Then a few weeks later USN gave me the thumbs up. I was very excited for my opportunities with USN and looked forward to what lay ahead. That was about 30 years ago and I can now say, without hesitation, becoming a naval officer is #3 on the list of best things to happen to me, right after marrying my wife and becoming a father. I can't tell you anything about the SAs since I went to college ;-) but I can say a few things about my experiences and some of the differences I saw. And before I do, I want to say I am NOT putting down the USAF in anyway. It just seems to me USAF and USN do things differently.

When I interviewed with USAF I put on a coat and tie and drove to the AFB where I interviewed with a major from the air wing. The basic premise of the interview was "tell us about yourself and why should we accept you into the USAF?" When I interviewed with USN, I wore the same coat and tie and reported to my recruiter, Lt. Frank Burke, USN (after all these years I still remember his name). His initial response was "why the coat and tie?" I told him I was here for my interview and wanted to dress appropriately. He replied "this won't be an interview. We're going to talk about why you want to join the Navy and how much fun you will have." A little different tone, don't you think?

While in flight school, another difference of operational philosophy showed up one day during flight planning. My instructor and I were planning on returning to our home NAS after a short cross country to a nearby AFB. While planning, we saw the weather was very marginal at NAS. So, we decided to file to an airport near our home base and while enroute we would monitor the weather and if the weather at home base improved, we would change our destination and proceed home. Nearby was a USAF crew listening in on us. They asked, "you can do that?" My instructor said, "yeah, why not?" The USAF crew didn't respond but my instructor knew they weren't allowed to change destinations like we did without the approval from the chain of command. Subtle, but noticeable difference.

I bet if you approach USN with an open mind, you too will one day look back with no regrets and with many thanks. I've asked my son many times why he wants to go into USN and he has told me while he was growing up he would listen when I spoke about the Navy. He said I would always say how much fun I had and how the best guys I know were from the Navy. And now you two are about to become classmates. Pretty dang cool if you ask me. Congratulations on your appointment.
Cheers...

Thank you! That is the exact thing that I needed to read. For me, my interviews were opposite. My ALO wore a t-shirt and board shorts and we met at a restaurant at the mall. My Navy interview was much more formal than that, and lasted longer as well.

I am looking forward to the opportunities that await me in the Navy, I just need to get through this transition period first and wrap my mind around the fact that the Navy is where I am going.

Again, thank you for the words of encouragement, it is EXACTLY what I needed!
 
We get steel toes too, but the ones you run/drill/whatever in are the Bates durashocks.

Which Bates durashocks? I looked them up and found several models of black bates durashocks online. Also, which athletic shoes should I buy?
 
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