Cadet Goals

[EarlyRetirement]

This coming from a new poster who suggested an incoming swab set a goal of memorizing the names of the Supe's children rather than getting through Swab Summer.

Brilliant.

@Fred'sMom. Please direct me to where I Posted "memorizing the names of the Supe's children rather than getting through Swab Summer."

I've already shown your backhanded comment as a reply. Also, show me your constructive advice to the poster.

 

[EarlyRetirement]

Follow your own advice and get to know the people posting here.

I didn't realize this was some sort of cult. I just wanted to know what the food was like at the Academy.

 

[EarlyRetirement]

To scoff at what they saying and insist only YOU have the answers is narcissistic at best and idiotic at worst.

If I was trolling, I would correct your grammar. For example "worst" is a superlative noun. You meant to say "worse", the comparative.

 

[LineInTheSand]

I suspect ADD and no ritalin was partially to blame for my lack of focus….

Is this a serious statement or is this a joke? If this is a joke, its not funny. ADD is a serious issue for some children, and ritalin is a powerful stimulant. If its not a joke, you probably shouldn't have been at the USCGA to begin with, so you may be unqualified to be dispensing advice (let alone ritalin).

It's a serious statement, and the interesting thing about ADD and ritalin is, if you can perform well off of it, it can be waived. And you are correct, not only can I not dispense ritalin, to do so, with a C2 drug, would be highly illegal. Luckily, I, unlike you, am qualified to dispense advice on the Coast Guard Academy.

LITS, seems like you have some serious PTSD happening. I'm not sure being on this site is helpful to those have not formed an opinion to read yours.

I have multiple children serving in the CG, this is the first one going to the Academy.

It's clear to me you don't understand PTSD, but thank you for your concern. PTSD wouldn't be a factor here.

You have accused someone where of backhanded statements, so let me be very direct with mine.

1. I don't care how many kids you have in the Coast Guard. You have none who have gone through the Coast Guard Academy. Experiences at TRACEN Cape May and Officer Candidate School are not CGA, they don't come close to CGA, and any kind of statement to the contrary is just another example of how ignorant you are in this area.

2. You are not a Coast Guard Academy cadet. You are not a Coast Guard Academy graduate. You are not a Coast Guard officer. You are a parent. You are a parent without a single Coast Guard Academy connection, except that your kid got in. You will be next to the last stop for any kind of information on CGA. Heck, you don't even know about the food or Parents' Weekend. What exactly do you think you add here?

3. Because of #2, you're probably not qualified to dispense advice on "cadet goals." I take that back, you are CERTAINLY not qualified to dispense advice on cadet goals. You are better served (and your kid is better served), sitting back, taking notes, and shutting up.

4. Based on what I've seen here, from you, I would suggest you stop offering advice to your child. It will only make his time at CGA more difficult. Your advice is uninformed, and general ignorant of the realities of CGA. Unfortunately for your child, it's clear you're not aware of how far off you are.

5. The stresses of Swab Summer are VERY different from the people problems of a cutter (or any other unit). For you to suggest otherwise, is, again, ignorant of reality. But have no fear Early, I've done that whole "swab summer" thing and dealt with people problems on cutters.


I honestly look forward to your next comment. But before you decide to provide us with another opportunity to scratch our heads, reread #3…. and please consider sitting back, taking notes and shutting up. And please provide your child without someone beside yourself, to give advice. I don't think he's served well listening to you (as it relates to the Coast Guard Academy). Maybe he should be on here…. asking his own questions.

 

[EarlyRetirement]

I honestly look forward to your next comment.

OK, I guess I could write a laundry list of insults, like the one you just directed at me, but it would be unproductive. You can deal with your own personal failures how you like, and I guess that's posting on "serviceacademyforums".

I guess that list answers my question about why you did 5 and out. But please don't disrespect the other Cadets that graduated with you below the "average cadet", by classifying them as a below average officer.

 

[Freda'sMom]

Early: no matter how qualified you are (or think you are), most of your posts are written in an insulting and condescending manner. Offer informed answers and provide opinions without attacking others. Personal attacks are against Forum policy.

Follow your own advice and get to know the people posting here.

+1

No, make that +100

I still call "troll" as he has done nothing but post insults and bad advice in some vain attempt to stir up trouble.

 

[LineInTheSand]

OK, I guess I could write a laundry list of insults, like the one you just directed at me, but it would be unproductive. You can deal with your own personal failures how you like, and I guess that's posting on "serviceacademyforums".

I guess that list answers my question about why you did 5 and out. But please don't disrespect the other Cadets that graduated with you below the "average cadet", but classifying them as a below average officer.

I'm guessing you'll want to wait until your child actually does anything at CGA before we talk about service time.


And my classmates, across the board and independent of CGA gpa, made excellent officers.

 

[EarlyRetirement]

I'm guessing you'll want to wait until you child actually does anything at CGA before we talk about service time.

My advice to him was not to go there, his dream not mine, but please don't involve him. He would have went in enlisted if he wasn't accepted.

If you'd like to compare my life success to yours, I'll be happy to. Send me a private message.

 

[LineInTheSand]

My advice to him was not to go there, his dream not mine, but please don't involve him. He would have went in enlisted if he wasn't accepted.

If you'd like to compare my life success to yours, I'll be happy to. Send me a private message.

No need. We're here to talk about service academies... Something you're clearly not well versed in. That's OK, you're just out of your depth here.

 

[rjb]

If you'd like to compare my life success to yours, I'll be happy to.

It would appear that your 'life success' is of no value on this forum. One does not seek legal advice from a medical doctor, nor medical advice from a lawyer, and certainly not service academy advice from a 'life success' individual such as you!

I wish your son success at the academy. Hopefully he will find shipmates that provide better support for his decision than you do.

 

[NavyHoops]

Wow this went downhill.

Couple of thoughts.

Earlyretirement - I wish your DS the best at the CGA and the best to your children currently serving the CG. I also thank your children for serving. Like most parents who join this forum they do to learn and educated themselves on the process, what their children will face and a place to express worry, concern, nerves with likeminded parents. I hope you can find that on this forum. I think tons of parents have. I think folks have jumped on some things as you have provided advice to a young future Cadet and in an area you have no experience. LITS and the poster right below provided some excellent guidance to the OP before this went sideways. In fact that guidance is spot on for any future Cadet/Midshipmen at any SA. If a future Midshipmen asked me the same question I would point them to this post in fact as the guidance is spot on.

LITS has been very open and honest about his adventures at the CGA and in the CG. His accounts while in the CG and his success and areas that he did not succeed are probably more accurate of what its like to be a JO than I could put into words. He has also been very honest about his diagnosis with ADD and how he dealt with that during DODMERB and while at the CGA. If you follow this forum for any length of time you will see ADD comes up frequently. I think you would be very surprised to see the number of Cadets/Mids at SAs who have ADD. There is a process that DODMERB uses to evaluate it and grant DQs. So I wouldn't be so quick to make comments about his diagnosis.

For those of us who attended SAs we all have stellar resumes. We were all big fish in small ponds. The SAs are a big shock for many when they arrive and they are just average. I have been very open in my posts about how even to this day I am in awe of some of my friends, classmates and shipmates and some of their accomplishments. My room mate had a PhD at 24, my best friend was a Blue Angel, a great friend of mine is an Astronaut, I have had close friends serve as Presidential and Vice Presidential Aides. That is just part of the list. Some of them did very well at USNA, others were average. Our top grad was five and dive and washed out of BUDS. Our anchor man is still on active and doing very well. One of the biggest dirt bags I knew at USNA is now a CO and the top Marine Infantry grad. You never know who will thrive when they get to the fleet. Great performance at a SA does not equal great performance as an officer and vice versa. I hope your DS thrives at the CGA and does very well. Even if he isn't top of his class, it doesn't mean he will be less of an officer an any way.

Ok and now one that hits close to home. Please never ever comment on PTSD in a joking manner on this forum. I, along with many folks on this forum, are combat vets. Please do not throw that around in a joking or derogatory manner. I have watched friends and my fellow Marines struggle with this greatly. I had a touch of it, but was able to work through it. I was lucky. I have had friends end their lives with this struggle.

Ok, off soap box. Hopefully everyone can take a step back from their keyboards, take a deep breath and remember we are here to help young men/women and parents learn about the SAs and ROTC. I get folks are defending themselves, as I would too.

 

[AlexT]

Downhill, indeed.

I just want to say something for the benefit of the many forum members who may be relatively new to this forum and may not be familiar with the histories of certain valued members of this forum. I especially want to single out LITS. Among those posting here, I give great respect for LITS and the advice he posts. He was attacked and smeared on this thread for reasons that are beyond my comprehension. His views were honest and even self-deprecating. In the course of my time on this forum, LITS has chronicled many of his experiences, positive and negative, at the CGA and also in the fleet, including the circumstances surrounding his eventual separation from the CG and his experiences transitioning into the private sector. He doesn't hide the warts, either his own or those of the CG and the CGA. There have numerous posts he's made that are beyond value because of his earnestness. I can't tell you how many of his posts I have saved and passed on to my own cadet.

As for Earlyretirement, I don't know what to say. The beauty of the internet is that you can pretend to be pretty much anything you want to be. But you can be sure that I give his "advice" the weight and consideration it deserves. He claims his bona fides is having multiple children serving in the Coast Guard. Despite this, he continues to spread the old canard of lowly pay of "36k" for graduates. Why does he ignore BAH and BAS? It makes me wonder.

 

[LineInTheSand]

Thanks for the support folks. Certainly didn't want this to be a thread defending me, but I appreciate the nice words.

I wasn't a perfect cadet. I wasn't a perfect officer. I'm not a perfect person, and I'm pretty sure I'll never be perfect.

My hope is to provide lessons I've learned from my successes and failures, for the benefit of current or future cadets/officers. My experiences weren't unique. Certainly the Coast Guard Academy has changed in the nine years since I graduated (today's the nine year anniversary of my class's graduation).

Of course, in your future, you will have people tell you things about your school or service who know little or nothing about either subject. That's what we've seen here today, from Earlyretirement. It will happen again, but on SAF and out in the real world.

Again, thanks for the kind words folks!

To the original poster, there's some good advice above, about your time as a swab and cadets (and even as an officer).

 

[EarlyRetirement]

Well...where to start. OK, some kid had a question about goals, and I put forth some general advice you would probably get before you start kindergarten. Be nice and make friends. Immediately I was mocked by Freda'sMom with a backhanded comment. Her comment was "liked" by LITS and rjb. Why? Maybe you should ask them. I was just being positive and not trying to scare the kid. (read it). I thought it was benign, guess I was out of line.

So, I thought I'd look at LITS posts, where he says he was a 'below average Cadet" with "below average grades". I thought it was strange for such a prolific commenter, so I said it. Then he announces he as ADD and needed ritalin during his time in the CGA. We've adopted a child with special needs, one of which is ADHD, who really needs Ritalin. This kid will never go to the CGA let alone be in the CG. Just trying to get this kid through 7th grade will require an act of god. This is the thing that lite my fuse. Would LITS make a "Special Olympics" joke also? Let's ask him. I guess PTSD is off limits, but ADHD isn't on this site. ADHD is still funny, must have missed that memo. No illness should be the butt of a joke. I think we can all agree on that.

@AlexT. Pay? O-1 pay is 36k. BAH? another 16k a year? That's not a "old canard", it's a fact. Facts are stubborn things (Ronald Reagan). A degree in Chemical, Petroleum, or Aerospace engineering will start you at 80k-120k. Fact. DS wants to go to the CGA. Good, I'll support his decision. Did I want him to attend a top engineering school, then decide on OCS? Yes, but it wasn't my decision to make.

This site is almost cultist to me. If someone disagrees with the conventional wisdom or chain of command, they're punished and ridiculed, which I was. When I question the Authority, I was attacked relentlessly. I am not in the military, and there is a reason. Graduated High School is 1975. No Draft Number, HA! My dad served in Korea and Vietnam, retired 1968. I was dragged around from Philly, Norfolk, Great Mistakes, to who remembers. No one wanted to go in the SA's in 1975, unless you were hardcore military(a Niedermier) or a freaking moron. Then Carter really farked things up, but I digress.

So, If you'all want an echo chamber..... Here goes it. "Deepblu, set only one goal, make it through swab."

 

[AlexT]

Well...where to start. OK, some kid had a question about goals, and I put forth some general advice you would probably get before you start kindergarten. Be nice and make friends. Immediately I was mocked by Freda'sMom with a backhanded comment. Her comment was "liked" by LITS and rjb. Why? Maybe you should ask them. I was just being positive and not trying to scare the kid. (read it). I thought it was benign, guess I was out of line.

No, not quite. It's interesting how you remember and present things. Your first post here "giving advice" began with an insult..."TennisDad, why don't you set the bar a little lower? Maybe, making it "to" R-Day." It just went downhill from there. Maybe you should take your own advice from above that " you would probably get before you start kindergarten. Be nice and make friends."

 

[rjb]

it wasn't my decision to make

This is the only thing you have said that is factual, Early Retirement.

 

[usna1985]

Folks,

This thread has gone seriously off track despite valiant efforts of NavyHoops and others to bring it back to the OP's legitimate question. Thus, it is being closed.

Posters have every right to offer an opinion, provided they do so in keeping with the goals and values of this site. That means posting in a tone that is respectful of the military in general and of other posters in particular. Disagree with opinion but don't insult other posters.

If anyone wants to return to the discussion of goals for entering cadets, please start another thread.

Your friendly mod