Hangout: USNA Induction Day / I-Day Class of 2028: Thursday 27 June 2024

Question - when do they have to take their first PFE as a plebe? Is it right away? Or do thry have some time there first?
 
Capt MJ said:
Created this as a place for appointees (Plebes To Be, P2B) and their parents to come with the inevitable questions that pop up every year.

Note NAPSters report in the day before I-Day to complete their transition.

Some handy links:

The USNA calendars:
www.usna.edu

USNA Calendars

USNA Calendars page for Public Affairs Office at USNA.edu. Updated Fri Jul 14 13:14:14 EDT 2023.
www.usna.edu

Plebe Summer Home on usna.edu. Browse all pages and links. The Class of 2027 info will be updated for Class of 2028 in late spring. The basics usually do not change. The Permit to Report serves as the reporting-in directive.
www.usna.edu

Plebe Summer Home

Plebe Summer Home page for Plebe Summer at USNA.edu. Updated Fri Jun 16 11:08:37 EDT 2023.
www.usna.edu


USNA Parents Clubs info and locator. These are supported by the independent non-profit USNA Alumni Assn (www.usna.com). Local parents’ clubs often host appointee meet and greet events in the month or two before I-Day. Contact them. You will be welcomed. USNA does not distribute appointee names to them.


A look back at Class of 2027 I-Day!


First Tips:
- Go back and browse previous years’ I-Day threads, AFTER you have browsed Plebe Summer Home.
- Book hotels now. You and 1100-ish families are converging in a small town.
- Apply for tourist passport now. NOT required for I-Day, but a lot easier to get done now than while a plebe. Interesting opportunities will abound. Parents can bring/send after Plebe Summer.
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How many guests/family members can a plebe have at induction day. thanks in advance
 
cynkov said:
How many guests/family members can a plebe have at induction day. thanks in advance
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As many as they want. Just remember it is a very long day, emotionally charged, and lots of walking and time outside in typically hot, humid June weather. They are dropped off at Alumni Hall at their report time. They take the oath in T Court (there is limited space to actually be able to see, you will be able to hear). It is streamed live on USNA’s YouTube channel.

Then they are released to find their families and have 30min to say their goodbyes (drink, have a snack) before they line up to March in. Expect to see lots of shell-shocked faces and definitely some tears. Even the most prepared are shaken after what they just experienced at the start of being inducted and broken down to begin the process of becoming midshipmen. The deer in the headlights look is normal and they are already feeling the pressure of their detailers in their every move.

Plebe Parents Weekend in August has many more family events, is much more celebratory, spans several days, and gives lots of time for being together.
 
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There's no limit, except the one imposed by the P2B. And that consideration should be taken seriously. I-Day can be a very emotional event, fraught with a mixed bag of highs and lows and ups and downs. There's a set of emotions that goes with the initial separation, and another set that goes with the last goodbye after the swearing-in oath. It's hard to say just how the P2B will be feeling. It's not your typical college drop-off, and even the most level-headed P2B who's watched every YouTube video about I-Day can lose their bearings a bit.

I'm in the camp of "the fewer, the better." Parents and siblings only. Plebe Parents Weekend is the better time to bring others. It's a celebratory time, full of stories and smiles. The now-plebe is in better shape to handle more people. As always, YMMV.

P.S. Cross-posted with @USMCfam. Good advice reinforced.
 
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cynkov said:
How many guests/family members can a plebe have at induction day. thanks in advance
Click to expand...
This comes up every year - essentially unlimited. Some bring entire entourages.

But - the Plebe-To-Be should have the final say.

Unlike civilian school freshman drop-off days, this is not an exciting, happy day of meeting new friends, seeing the roomies you’ve been texting with, setting up the dorm room with cool stuff, touring campus together. They go into Alumni Hall after maybe not having slept well, stomach in knots, maybe just ate a bite at breakfast, immediately surrounded by people in white uniforms addressing them professionally but not warmly and personally. They are herded from station to station, learning basic orders, saluting, Navy language as they go - standing at the end of the fire hose with pressurized info pouring in. A 4-year grind has begun, and it looks and feels nothing like the videos and fancy promo materials. It’s hot and humid. Some 10-12 hours later they appear, already much changed by the day (by design), to take their oath, and then have a half hour or so with family. The emotions can be unexpected, upsetting, heartbreaking and very private. They may just want mom and dad. They may not want younger siblings, already upset by the big change, to see them. That normally sunny, nothing rattles me kid of yours could be a doubting mess. It is a long, hard, hot, exhausting day for everyone. Some may even say, “This is not for me. I am going to request to go home today.”

The general advice here is have a big send-off party at home, with people writing notes of encouragement that can be tucked into care packages and letters.

Many report in solo and do just fine. That was the norm for many decades. DH took a train from Philly to Baltimore and a taxi to Gate 1, small bag and paperwork in hand. None of the other stuff for parents. Different, not wrong, than today’s extended parenting practices. There will be Alumni there to offer phones and a cool bottle of water during the after-oath period. Or a new friend will take a solo plebe in tow to their family.

Plebe Parents Weekend - totally different vibe. They’ve just about completed Plebe Summer. Again, let the now-plebe determine who he or she wants. They may need decompression time alone with their music, social media or a bed.

Here’s a video of 2027 I-Day. Note the big doors banging shut at the end. Your kiddo is now on active duty in the Navy, considered an adult.

 
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I hope my DS hears some good news soon, and we are booking flights for I-Day!

Go Navy⚓🇺🇸
 
Make Iday drop off immediate family only. Even if your person is so excited now and wants everyone to come…don’t do it. Put them only with their parents so they can melt down, or be nervous (if that’s what ends up happening…and most likely will) with their parents. Instead of having to be ‘on’ for grandparents, etc.

Y’all cannot imagine the emotions. We didn’t even take siblings. Didn’t want the young one to see mom and dad upset. It happens. Most emotional time I can remember that ebbs and flows.

Parents weekend is a WHOLE different vibe!! Bring the whole gang. It’s the best. Celebratory all around.

Congrats. It’s an emotional roller coaster for sure!

Edit: make that 4!! From an ‘been there, done that, twice’ perspective. Agree with above posts.
 
Attention, varsity sport recruit parents:

Coaches of varsity spots often host an I-Day Eve ice breaker/bbq/picnic/social. Check ahead on that so you can adjust travel if needed.

And, for football recruit parents, I always get a kick out of this dedicated group:

www.motherhoodofthebrotherhood.org

HOME | Motherhood of the Brotherhood

Established in 2015 as a Navy Football cheer mom group, Motherhood of the Brotherhood, Inc. (MOTB) evolved into a non-profit organization dedicated to service, advocacy and community development. MOTB was born completely out of dreams and aspirations to support our children and community at large.
www.motherhoodofthebrotherhood.org www.motherhoodofthebrotherhood.org
 
Capt MJ said:
This comes up every year - essentially unlimited. Some bring entire entourages.

But - the Plebe-To-Be should have the final say.

Unlike civilian school freshman drop-off days, this is not an exciting, happy day of meeting new friends, seeing the roomies you’ve been texting with, setting up the dorm room with cool stuff, touring campus together. They go into Alumni Hall after maybe not having slept well, stomach in knots, maybe just ate a bite at breakfast, immediately surrounded by people in white uniforms addressing them professionally but not warmly and personally. They are herded from station to station, learning basic orders, saluting, Navy language as they go - standing at the end of the fire hose with pressurized info pouring in. A 4-year grind has begun, and it looks and feels nothing like the videos and fancy promo materials. It’s hot and humid. Some 10-12 hours later they appear, already much changed by the day (by design), to take their oath, and then have a half hour or so with family. The emotions can be unexpected, upsetting, heartbreaking and very private. They may just want mom and dad. They may not want younger siblings, already upset by the big change, to see them. That normally sunny, nothing rattles me kid of yours could be a doubting mess. It is a long, hard, hot, exhausting day for everyone. Some may even say, “This is not for me. I am going to request to go home today.”

The general advice here is have a big send-off party at home, with people writing notes of encouragement that can be tucked into care packages and letters.

Many report in solo and do just fine. That was the norm for many decades. DH took a train from Philly to Baltimore and a taxi to Gate 1, small bag and paperwork in hand. None of the other stuff for parents. Different, not wrong, than today’s extended parenting practices. There will be Alumni there to offer phones and a cool bottle of water during the after-oath period. Or a new friend will take a solo plebe in tow to their family.

Plebe Parents Weekend - totally different vibe. They’ve just about completed Plebe Summer. Again, let the now-plebe determine who he or she wants. They may need decompression time alone with their music, social media or a bed.

Here’s a video of 2027 I-Day. Note the big doors banging shut at the end. Your kiddo is now on active duty in the Navy, considered an adult.

Click to expand...
Great video - I recognized several familiar faces both in the video and in background shots.
 
Hey all, long time no posty posty. Reading all the Iday inquiries from this year's plebes to-be is downright spooky. Last year on this day I was sitting in my BC Calc class when I got my appointment. Just freaky how far we 27s have come, we're now 24 days and a wakeup away from PLEBES NO MORE!

Anyway, I decided to post here to really strongly echo the limited entourage for Iday. Y'all know your families better than I ever will, and that said: I did Iday on my own and I am so glad I did. I thought I would be lonely, or everybody else would be looking at me with pity, but this way I had no one to impress or reassure (and I was one giant knot that evening). The only people who cared how I looked were the really amazingly kind alumni ready with the most delicious bottles of cold water, and a cell phone ready for me to call the 'rents. Plebes-to-be: MEMORIZE THE PHONE NUMBER. I'm sure y'all have heard about or will hear about the Bancroft Beatdown waiting for you when you march in that night, but strangely -- it was okay. I'm not even being the least bit coy. It meant I belonged there. I had to earn it, sure, but I belonged there now and they'd have to go to A LOT of trouble to get rid of me, so I was "all in". Still am.

I might stop back in from time to time as finals wind up and down and we get ready for Sea Trials and summer training with packing and briefs and suchlike. Mostly though, plebes to be: show up with your paperwork, don't get injured, PASS ON THE JOINT OR THE BONG, start thinking about your world like the sailor you are dying to become. Have a blast these last few weeks of childhood, I'm totally sincere!
 
Plebe2be said:
Hey all, long time no posty posty. Reading all the Iday inquiries from this year's plebes to-be is downright spooky. Last year on this day I was sitting in my BC Calc class when I got my appointment. Just freaky how far we 27s have come, we're now 24 days and a wakeup away from PLEBES NO MORE!

Anyway, I decided to post here to really strongly echo the limited entourage for Iday. Y'all know your families better than I ever will, and that said: I did Iday on my own and I am so glad I did. I thought I would be lonely, or everybody else would be looking at me with pity, but this way I had no one to impress or reassure (and I was one giant knot that evening). The only people who cared how I looked were the really amazingly kind alumni ready with the most delicious bottles of cold water, and a cell phone ready for me to call the 'rents. Plebes-to-be: MEMORIZE THE PHONE NUMBER. I'm sure y'all have heard about or will hear about the Bancroft Beatdown waiting for you when you march in that night, but strangely -- it was okay. I'm not even being the least bit coy. It meant I belonged there. I had to earn it, sure, but I belonged there now and they'd have to go to A LOT of trouble to get rid of me, so I was "all in". Still am.

I might stop back in from time to time as finals wind up and down and we get ready for Sea Trials and summer training with packing and briefs and suchlike. Mostly though, plebes to be: show up with your paperwork, don't get injured, PASS ON THE JOINT OR THE BONG, start thinking about your world like the sailor you are dying to become. Have a blast these last few weeks of childhood, I'm totally sincere!
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Brilliant Almost-Plebe-No-More advice! So glad you came by. Deckplate wisdom at its finest.
 
Plebe2be said:
Hey all, long time no posty posty. Reading all the Iday inquiries from this year's plebes to-be is downright spooky. Last year on this day I was sitting in my BC Calc class when I got my appointment. Just freaky how far we 27s have come, we're now 24 days and a wakeup away from PLEBES NO MORE!

Anyway, I decided to post here to really strongly echo the limited entourage for Iday. Y'all know your families better than I ever will, and that said: I did Iday on my own and I am so glad I did. I thought I would be lonely, or everybody else would be looking at me with pity, but this way I had no one to impress or reassure (and I was one giant knot that evening). The only people who cared how I looked were the really amazingly kind alumni ready with the most delicious bottles of cold water, and a cell phone ready for me to call the 'rents. Plebes-to-be: MEMORIZE THE PHONE NUMBER. I'm sure y'all have heard about or will hear about the Bancroft Beatdown waiting for you when you march in that night, but strangely -- it was okay. I'm not even being the least bit coy. It meant I belonged there. I had to earn it, sure, but I belonged there now and they'd have to go to A LOT of trouble to get rid of me, so I was "all in". Still am.

I might stop back in from time to time as finals wind up and down and we get ready for Sea Trials and summer training with packing and briefs and suchlike. Mostly though, plebes to be: show up with your paperwork, don't get injured, PASS ON THE JOINT OR THE BONG, start thinking about your world like the sailor you are dying to become. Have a blast these last few weeks of childhood, I'm totally sincere!
Click to expand...
THIS! For parents with plebes who are reporting solo (out of necessity or choice), this is the beginning of them never being truly alone. They will be fully embraced on I-Day- when they report by the USNA officers, during their head shaves by the beloved barbershop staff, by their detailers (well, that’s a different kind of tough love!), by the USNA brass as they take their oaths, and during their break before lining up the MD Parents Club and alums are set up at the monument in the middle of T-Court with hugs, cold water, Chick-fil-A sandwiches, charged cell phones, and love. Then they march into Bancroft, those giant doors slam, and Mother B holds them close till you see them again.
 
USMCfam said:
THIS! For parents with plebes who are reporting solo (out of necessity or choice), this is the beginning of them never being truly alone. They will be fully embraced on I-Day- when they report by the USNA officers, during their head shaves by the beloved barbershop staff, by their detailers (well, that’s a different kind of tough love!), by the USNA brass as they take their oaths, and during their break before lining up the MD Parents Club and alums are set up at the monument in the middle of T-Court with hugs, cold water, Chick-fil-A sandwiches, charged cell phones, and love. Then they march into Bancroft, those giant doors slam, and Mother B holds them close till you see them again.
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I will be copping a Chick-fil-A sandwich 😋
 
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