We have 2019 and 2020 USMA cadets at West Point, and my husband and I are both in the military (me Air Force and him Army). Now our 2019 cadet is dating a LOVELY 2019 midshipman. We have met her several times, and think she is wonderful - smart, sweet, pretty, well-grounded. The fact that she is also from our hometown is a huge bonus! I hate to bug her to answer my questions, but my son is no help with these (hopefully simple) questions, and I haven't found what I'm looking for on the open-source parent pages. When do firstie midshipmen find out their branch (or Navy equivalent)? When do they find out their post-graduation station? How long is the usual officer's course? Save me some research here, please - if we get her pearl or diamond earrings for graduation, are those authorized in Navy and/or Marine dress uniforms? If not, other gift suggestions? Wish us luck!! Thank you all!
Advice for USMA mom!
- Thread starter mom4boys
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1/C find out their service assignment right before Thanksgiving. What they get will determine the rest of the answers. Ship selection would then occur in January. What assignment is she seeking? That would probably help provide some better answers.
Really the only Mids who know exactly where they will land for their first duty station afte graduation are surface warfare officers. The rest of them have such long training pipeline they find out later. There are a few exceptions to this for some of the smaller communities.
Pearls are great, if she doesn’t have them. Many female Mids already have them for mess dress. My room mate from USNA married a USMA grad and we are all still close to this day. It hasn’t been without their challenges as duty stations don’t exactly match in many cases.
Really the only Mids who know exactly where they will land for their first duty station afte graduation are surface warfare officers. The rest of them have such long training pipeline they find out later. There are a few exceptions to this for some of the smaller communities.
Pearls are great, if she doesn’t have them. Many female Mids already have them for mess dress. My room mate from USNA married a USMA grad and we are all still close to this day. It hasn’t been without their challenges as duty stations don’t exactly match in many cases.
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Everything Navy Hoops says.
If she’s going early select subs, I think she’ll know by now if she’s 2019. That’s a 2-year pipeline starting in Charleston, SC, and going to 1-2 other places before getting assigned to first sub.
Med school folks find out early. Ditto EOD, I believe. I think regular-select subs find out earlier than fall service selection. In general, mids know their service selection and warfare community (“branch” in Armyese) in the fall.
Ship selection/homeport is after winter holiday and before spring break.
Marines pick their TBS school date at that time. Ground folks find out while they are there which community they are going to and where, unless they have an air contract.
She probably already has the pearl studs she can wear with mess dress, but if she doesn’t, nice gift. There is a specified mm size, no larger than. Navy women (men have no equal opportunity for earrings) can wear gold balls, shiny or matte finish, no larger than a certain mm size. I am sure she has those.
For women, a nice suede or leather traveling jewelry roll, with secure compartments, for both civilian jewelry and military insignia. It’s probably in baggies, ziploc containers and zippered pouches in con lockers and drawers right now.
For either sex, a leather “stud box,” again for the organization of collar devices, raincoat devices, extra backs for pins, best ribbon rack. I still have mine from OCS, in Navy leather with my initials.
Amazon and nice jewelry, leather and fine gift stores often have both items above.
Then again, a nice little set of tiny sparkly earrings never falls short of a memorable way to mark an occasion. Any occasion. Any time. Or no occasion...
If she’s going early select subs, I think she’ll know by now if she’s 2019. That’s a 2-year pipeline starting in Charleston, SC, and going to 1-2 other places before getting assigned to first sub.
Med school folks find out early. Ditto EOD, I believe. I think regular-select subs find out earlier than fall service selection. In general, mids know their service selection and warfare community (“branch” in Armyese) in the fall.
Ship selection/homeport is after winter holiday and before spring break.
Marines pick their TBS school date at that time. Ground folks find out while they are there which community they are going to and where, unless they have an air contract.
She probably already has the pearl studs she can wear with mess dress, but if she doesn’t, nice gift. There is a specified mm size, no larger than. Navy women (men have no equal opportunity for earrings) can wear gold balls, shiny or matte finish, no larger than a certain mm size. I am sure she has those.
For women, a nice suede or leather traveling jewelry roll, with secure compartments, for both civilian jewelry and military insignia. It’s probably in baggies, ziploc containers and zippered pouches in con lockers and drawers right now.
For either sex, a leather “stud box,” again for the organization of collar devices, raincoat devices, extra backs for pins, best ribbon rack. I still have mine from OCS, in Navy leather with my initials.
Amazon and nice jewelry, leather and fine gift stores often have both items above.
Then again, a nice little set of tiny sparkly earrings never falls short of a memorable way to mark an occasion. Any occasion. Any time. Or no occasion...
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You’ll know better how to plan in November. At this stage, for many mids, there is a lot of talking out loud, seeing how things feel. If she’s going to Leatherneck this summer, that means she is seriously considering Marine Corps for service selection.
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Aircraft navigator would equate to what is referred to as Naval Flight Officer (NFO). If that is the case she would go to Pensacola upon graduation and have 1-2 years of school depending on how fast the pipeline is moving (probably much closer to 2). If she goes Marine NFO she would go to TBS first in VA for 6 months to TBS. Depending on what service and aircraft she selects would determine her future base locations. She would know her flight school or TBS date in January.
If she goes Marine Ground she would select her TBS date in January. She would get her MOS about 3 months into TBS and then shortly after her duty station assignment. If she hopes to pursue Adjutant General it’s called Adjutant (adj for short) in the USMC. She could pretty much go to any base with that. Adjutant school is on NC and is pretty short, 2-3 months. After that she would go to her unit.
If she goes Marine Ground she would select her TBS date in January. She would get her MOS about 3 months into TBS and then shortly after her duty station assignment. If she hopes to pursue Adjutant General it’s called Adjutant (adj for short) in the USMC. She could pretty much go to any base with that. Adjutant school is on NC and is pretty short, 2-3 months. After that she would go to her unit.
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...but much cooler