There is nothing like a lard-slimed, sweaty, stinky, wet (if it's hot enough, they will have hoses there spraying them down), muddy, 4/c (no longer plebe) midshipman who has been packed inside a heaving mass of bodies for an hour or two. They usually have shower stations set up outside Bancroft Hall so they can get most of the muck off before going inside to get cleaned up and going on liberty. They do not go from Herndon direct to family.
For parents attending, it can be a long time standing in the sun. Wear comfortable, casual clothes, sunscreen, sunglasses, bring water.
If your DS is a big man, he will likely be one of the stalwarts locked arm in arm around the base of the monument, as the bottom layer of the human pyramid, being climbed over non-stop.
Here's a clip, one of many on YouTube. This class was lucky enough to not have to build the final top human layer because of a great throw. What the goofy soundtrack replaces is the very real sounds of grunting, groaning, cheering and collective "ahhhhh" as a pyramid collapses.
I do miss the hailstorm of over 2000 running shoes that used to be thrown as the plebes charged the momument, with the aim of knocking off lard. Too many spectators got beaned, so that was stopped. Visually, though, it was hilarious.
This one has the right sound track. The trick is to get the lard off so a solid base is built and mids have a chance to stabilize a few layers, and someone agile with long arms can get to the top and throw or place the midshipman cover on top. The plebe dixie cup would have been knocked off earlier.
Finally, there are plenty of corpsmen and safety observers there to deal with anything that might happen.