End of the Line for USNA

Sobering thread here ... just goes to show you how many outstanding young men & women want to not only serve, but serve at the highest levels.
 
NavyHoops said:
The bottom line is for those of us who have gone through this process and lived it know that when we interview a 17 year old and they are adamant a military career is all they will do, we know the chances of that are slim based purely on stats...

All I want to hear from a kid is they will be open to their options and want to serve. I have talked to kids who only ask questions about the education and grad school and don't ask a single military question... That sends warning flags to me. At 17-18 things seem so clear...

I throw these situations out there to show that making that statement at 17 is not the same at 28 and having a family, knowing the good and bad of the military, making all the cuts, and understanding what your future could or could not in the military.
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Navy, this is one of the smartest posts I ever read on this forum.

Been gone for a while. Parent of Army 2LT, commissioned through AROTC in May 2015, six weeks into his deployment in the Middle East.

As parents of DS/DD's who like competition and have shown decent amounts of maturity and good judgment, we forget they are still 17-18 years old. We give them too much credit. There is a reason why they have sky high auto insurance rates and can't buy alcohol.

Even the mature seventeen and eighteen year olds, in most cases, know very little about themselves or about the world that awaits them. Unless they come from military families, they know nothing about the military. If anything the news media and Hollywood have given them a warped view of what awaits them, whether it be in the military bureaucracy or on the battlefield.

I know in the case of my DS, his biggest struggle in those first years of college/ROTC was coming to terms with what he didn't know, couldn't Google and couldn't talk his way out of. His success up to this point is owed to his ability to think on his feet, his ability to be self-critical and an incredible ability to adapt; the last probably being the most important.

I have read your posts in the past. Every SA/xROTC aspirant or parent, especially the young women, should go back an read all your posts. There is much wisdom borne of real experience.

Wishing you and your family all the best!
 
Thanks cb, appreciate the kind words. Good luck to your DS. Hope he is staying safe. The great part of being deployed as an officer, you get to do what you are trained to do (most the time, but the stuff they invent while bored... simply can't be put into words!).
 
If you saw me in EE, you would know that is a possibility in my life. Funny story on that... I ran into my EE prof in line at the chow hall in Iraq. When I saw him the first thing I said... "Sir, I have yet to use anything you taught me in the real world." Little did I know 2 years later in my civilian life I would use it daily in my job.
 
F15DOC said:
Great news today, my DS was given an appointment to USCGA!!
We are so excited for him and he is definitely on top of the world, just had to share the good news!!
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I'm so happy for your family! I think being in the Coast Guard would be very rewarding. I hoped my son would apply for USCGA, but he didn't. I am involved in Search and Rescue, so the mission of the Coast Guard appeals to me.

From what I have heard , your son will have a lot of opportunities to use his training on real missions. I bet he will never look back once he is there. Congratulations!
 
F15DOC said:
Great news today, my DS was given an appointment to USCGA!!
We are so excited for him and he is definitely on top of the world, just had to share the good news!!
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That's outstanding. Congratulations! That is a fantastic option, and I am certain he will count his blessings at how things worked out.

We visited USCGA, and were enormously impressed. Enjoy the holiday.
 
F15DOC said:
Great news today, my DS was given an appointment to USCGA!!
We are so excited for him and he is definitely on top of the world, just had to share the good news!!
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Awesome! Absolutely AWESOME! I have enjoyed reading your post here and I am pleased that you brought your good news back.

"I shall sell life dearly to an enemy of my country, but give it freely to rescue those in peril.
With God’s help, I shall endeavor to be one of His noblest Works..."-------------- NICE!

Just think; in a few years he can drop the HH65 down on the lawn at the rest home to visit Dad.

That another one for Washington State! Please pass on my congratulations
 
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