PPW 2024

Plebe2be said:

I was a lone plebe on Iday PPW and not because my parents don't care, they just couldn't (could not, not would not) come. My squadmates and their parents took care of me like I was their own! I had more offers to join a family for a day than I could accept. There are definitely going to be plebes whose 'rents can't come for whatever reasons. In fact, this, USNA, is the first time I've met other real people who grew up really poor, I mean REALLY poor, and their parents are still living in those circumstances where $400 for a plane ticket is out of reach. One of my squadmates sends most of his monthly salary home every month (we take care of him when we go to Chipotle or what have you.) If your kid tells you that you're adopting one of their squadmates for the day, I can tell you that it will be a highlight of plebe summer and pretty much all of plebe year for that kid. I was fed, I napped while the sun was up (!!), I lounged poolside at a hotel one day and a rental the next, I played video games, I watched movies. I called my own parents both days and told them I was taken care of. Please consider offering to let someone like me tag along for the day, if it is within your means!

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Capt MJ said:

This, this is the true spirit of military comradeship and the Navy’s core meaning of “shipmate.” The military is a great leveler, where performance, integrity and leadership are the traits that differentiate people.

This post brought tears to my eyes, and memories of the many mids we sponsored over the years whose families lived on very little. One mid’s family made the trip to Annapolis just once, drove up the day before Commissioning, drove all night to get home after the ceremony and dinner with us. They never saw him perform in his varsity sport at home or away, set records that still stand, or got to go see him in the Olympic Trials. He went home by Greyhound bus or else stayed with us for leave periods. USNA was his ticket to an open door of opportunity. He brought other members of his team over and always kept an eye out for those who didn’t have the benefit of mom or dad’s credit card or an externally fattened ATM checking account. He served honorably, made several combat deployments and is now a successful executive earning in the mid-six figures - looking after younger members of his family and raising his own. We went and got him for PPW (the sponsors are assigned the weekend before). I had called his mom and made all his favorite foods with her recipes. Mom was in tears - she worked two hourly wage housekeeping jobs, Dad was disabled, 3 younger kids at home (trailer). I also taught him to cook while he was a mid, so he could save money after graduation. (We welcome them in the kitchen to learn and assist). He also was interested in how we managed the household budget and everyday finances and investing for the long haul. We love and cherish him as part of our family today - we have both gained much from this relationship.

Any ‘28 family reading this, in your PS scheduled phone calls, add this item to your topic list - tell your plebe to gather up those who have no families coming to see them. It is a lesson in quickly growing out of the teen self-absorption phase we all went through.

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Capt MJ said:

This, this is the true spirit of military comradeship and the Navy’s core meaning of “shipmate.” The military is a great leveler, where performance, integrity and leadership are the traits that differentiate people.

This post brought tears to my eyes, and memories of the many mids we sponsored over the years whose families lived on very little. One mid’s family made the trip to Annapolis just once, drove up the day before Commissioning, drove all night to get home after the ceremony and dinner with us. They never saw him perform in his varsity sport at home or away, set records that still stand, or got to go see him in the Olympic Trials. He went home by Greyhound bus or else stayed with us for leave periods. USNA was his ticket to an open door of opportunity. He brought other members of his team over and always kept an eye out for those who didn’t have the benefit of mom or dad’s credit card or an externally fattened ATM checking account. He served honorably, made several combat deployments and is now a successful executive earning in the mid-six figures - looking after younger members of his family and raising his own. We went and got him for PPW (the sponsors are assigned the weekend before). I had called his mom and made all his favorite foods with her recipes. Mom was in tears - she worked two hourly wage housekeeping jobs, Dad was disabled, 3 younger kids at home (trailer). I also taught him to cook while he was a mid, so he could save money after graduation. (We welcome them in the kitchen to learn and assist). He also was interested in how we managed the household budget and everyday finances and investing for the long haul. We love and cherish him as part of our family today - we have both gained much from this relationship.

Any ‘28 family reading this, in your PS scheduled phone calls, add this item to your topic list - tell your plebe to gather up those who have no families coming to see them. It is a lesson in quickly growing out of the teen self-absorption phase we all went through.

Click to expand...

Capt MJ said:

This, this is the true spirit of military comradeship and the Navy’s core meaning of “shipmate.” The military is a great leveler, where performance, integrity and leadership are the traits that differentiate people.

This post brought tears to my eyes, and memories of the many mids we sponsored over the years whose families lived on very little. One mid’s family made the trip to Annapolis just once, drove up the day before Commissioning, drove all night to get home after the ceremony and dinner with us. They never saw him perform in his varsity sport at home or away, set records that still stand, or got to go see him in the Olympic Trials. He went home by Greyhound bus or else stayed with us for leave periods. USNA was his ticket to an open door of opportunity. He brought other members of his team over and always kept an eye out for those who didn’t have the benefit of mom or dad’s credit card or an externally fattened ATM checking account. He served honorably, made several combat deployments and is now a successful executive earning in the mid-six figures - looking after younger members of his family and raising his own. We went and got him for PPW (the sponsors are assigned the weekend before). I had called his mom and made all his favorite foods with her recipes. Mom was in tears - she worked two hourly wage housekeeping jobs, Dad was disabled, 3 younger kids at home (trailer). I also taught him to cook while he was a mid, so he could save money after graduation. (We welcome them in the kitchen to learn and assist). He also was interested in how we managed the household budget and everyday finances and investing for the long haul. We love and cherish him as part of our family today - we have both gained much from this relationship.

Any ‘28 family reading this, in your PS scheduled phone calls, add this item to your topic list - tell your plebe to gather up those who have no families coming to see them. It is a lesson in quickly growing out of the teen self-absorption phase we all went through.

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USMCfam said:

Yes!! This is absolutely the USNA/USMC way! I’ve been a part of it for almost 50 years now. Your family is whomever you’re with- the ones that have your back, and you theirs. The bonds formed go deep fast and will last forever. The military takes care of making sure your paths continue to cross!

Whenever we are in Annapolis we ask who needs a ride, a meal, a homemade treat, a place to get away, a favor, a holiday home, etc. Everyone is welcome. As we moved around the world, our holiday tables were full of “framily”, very rarely our actual blood family. And when things got hard in life, no matter what, we never had to ask. Help was always at our doorstep through wars, illnesses, births, deaths, deployments, etc. No favor is too big an ask. The bonds are very real. To this day my dad’s USNA company mates are “aunt and uncle”, our active duty neighbors are our closest friends, and the mids we sponsored are still like family. And now we are following the same pattern with the next generation.

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