Stationery/Letters During Beast

Ohh. Wow, do not want to meet those guys.

The funny thing about TIs is they are so good at their jobs that us enlisted guys ALWAYS sharpen our appearance when we hear foot taps. I have even seen MSgts lock it up. If you see a smokey bear hat it is too late.
 
lol. TIs are the most bipolar ppl on the planet. it's quite entertaining to be joking with them, watch them rip a trainee a new one, then start joking and having a good time again.

after working with one for 6 weeks, i have LOADS of respect for them. i don't know how they do that for 3-4 years
 
I was stationed at Lackland so I got to know a few of them - they are very dedicated people. I agree; I know I wouldn't want to do that for one tour, let alone multiple like the blue ropes.
 
Thought I'd bump this thread up and get it going again as 2014 parents/friends get ready to send mail to the incoming basics. Christcorp's post towards the beginning has lots of good info.
One of the biggest things for parents to remember is each squadron is different in what they allow/confiscate/do with letters. Your child will let you know if something is a no-no when they write to you. Our son wanted us to send jokes - his cadre liked hearing jokes at mealtime. If it was a good joke the meal went a lot better.
BUT -- write them often. I wrote my son every day - not long letters but everyday. Eventually I started typing them so I could remember what I wrote the day before and not repeat myself. I'd also cut and paste some ESPN articles on his favorite teams -- they got through to him; newspaper clippings were confiscated. I'd number the back of the envelope so he'd know which letter was written before another as he sometimes got 2-3 letters at one time.
They don't get to the mail room everyday during BCT - they have to march everywhere and marching the squad or flight to the mail room doesn't always fit in. But he knew there would be a letter there for him anytime he went. Even now as a 3* he tell me "it was SO good to get those letters during BCT; they really helped me".
Be prepared to get the this place is horrible letter; encourage them as much as you can. Tell them others feel the same way; others are messing up all the little details too; you're not alone in how you feel. Oh, and should you get a phone call saying they want to leave - listen to them, but ask them a few questions -- like, what is their plan if they come home; was today a good day or bad day - they shouldn't make those type decisions on bad days - each day brings different things and they need to take it one day at a time.
There is a yahoo group out there for fellow 2014 parents. http://dir.groups.yahoo.com/group/usafa2014parents/?v=1&t=directory&ch=web&pub=groups&sec=dir&slk=9
All classes have yahoo groups and they share great info with one another. You might want to join to check it out. WebGuy on the AOG site will have forums too - they are good for info and commiseration also
Good luck -- enjoy this wild, fun ride. And thank you to your children for answering the call to serve our nation.
 
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Thanks, greentrees, good info. I, too am proud of all the Appointees for taking that call to service, there is nothing more important that we can do for our country. Now off to address and stamp envelopes!
 
don't forget to pass out stamped and addressed envelopes
("Basic Cadet _____") to your son/ daughter friends

even if he/she doesn't want you to

my son REALLY APPRECIATED it after the fact

he has saved them to this day
 
I got a stack printed up to bring to graduation on Sunday! :wink:

One question my son is worried about is whether they'll get paper/envelopes/stamps. We had originally had people tell us to just include a smaller SASE inside the letters we sent so he would have it all available to just return a letter easily, but now others are telling us that it would be one of those "not allowed or confiscated" things. Even if it was a plain white envelope with plain white paper inside? Or should he not be worrying about this and they'll make sure he has stuff to write? I don't think he's worried about us as much as the GF, but still! :rolleyes:
 
I got a stack printed up to bring to graduation on Sunday! :wink:

One question my son is worried about is whether they'll get paper/envelopes/stamps. We had originally had people tell us to just include a smaller SASE inside the letters we sent so he would have it all available to just return a letter easily, but now others are telling us that it would be one of those "not allowed or confiscated" things. Even if it was a plain white envelope with plain white paper inside? Or should he not be worrying about this and they'll make sure he has stuff to write? I don't think he's worried about us as much as the GF, but still! :rolleyes:

You get a pad of USAFA stationary and envelopes and stamps as part of the initial issue.
 
We sent DS with a book of stamps, a bunch of envelopes, 10 or so pieces of paper and a short list of addresses. In a letter to him later I sent him some labels for sending postcards / letters to his grandparents. Nothing of that was confiscated. He often wrote on the USAFA paper but used the envelopes he took with him.
 
In each letter I sent my son, I included a smaller stamped envelope already addressed and I included a small sheet of folded paper in that envelope. All he needed to write back was a pen. This was fast and convenient for him.

I mailed the first letter to him on Induction Day when we were in Colorado Springs. I wanted him to have a letter the first time they got to go to the post office.
 
If we have their addresses already, should we send something out the day or two before I Day just in case? We won't be going out with him and I was thinking of sending the first one the day before he leaves (Tue - he leaves Wed and they start Thu) just in case they checked mail Saturday or Sunday. No clue how long it takes to get from WI to CO but figured better safe than sorry!
 
Mail

We sent our 1st letter from COS on I-day that way when she went the 1st time she had mail....and plain letters plain envelopes nothing fancy....the plainer the better...:rolleyes:
 
well, yeah, my son had the paper, envelope and stamps (in his room) but "forgot" to take it with him to Beast, so until he borrowed some from someone else, we didn't get a letter (getting ready for Beast can be disorganized, rushed, etc)

Best to send along a SASE and piece of paper with your letters to them
in case this happens
 
Just remember also that not all Basics will get to go to the Post Office on the same schedule. Last year, our daughter's squadron (Jaguars) went irregularly before Jack's Valley. The Basics have to be taken to the Post Office by their cadre and it is wholly dependent on their schedule for that day; her cadre did not take them on a regular basis. Our daughter got mail more regularly (pretty much daily) at Jack's because cadre went back to the Academy daily and picked up mail. Trips to the Post Office were also made more regularly after Jack's Valley. Just be patient -- the idea of sending pre-addressed, stamped envelopes is a good one. Also, suggest that your Basic keep summer their mail -- they can send the mail to you after Basic or give it to you on Parents' Weekend. Either you or they (over a vacation) can assemble the letters, post cards, etc. into a notebook or other keepsake box, etc. A year later, it's hard to believe how fast this first year has passed. Our daughter is at CST (Cadet Survival Training) this week when a year ago right now we were counting the days to Basic. What a year!

Dolly Dean
C3C Carrigan Dean
CS 28 (fall squadron)
Boulder, Co.
 
Letters were a HUGE comfort to our son last summer during basic. We mailed the first letter on I-Day and mailed one every day for the whole summer. Many of the letters were quite short but still gave us a chance to tell him about our day and keep him up to speed on what was happening at home. We also numbered the outside of the envelopes and typed all letters to help him (and us!) keep them organized. His squadron did not go to the post office very often so it really helped that we did these things. Do keep the envelopes and stationary simple - plain white. Some squadrons confiscated any all pictures including those that were printed on regular printer paper so our son asked us not to send any pictures at all just to be on the safe side. He didn't want any unnecessary attention either.

Parents, do not try to be clever and send the daily schedule for basic training to your cadet...This will definately earn him/her extra attention. (The schedule was readily available on various discussion boards last summer.)

Best wishes Class of 2014!!! Very proud of you!!!
 
Thanks for all the information. I admit that I love reading the forums, but don't post often. (I see my role as the one who obsessively worries in silence. :wink:)

I was able to make good use of your tips, though, and supplied my daughter with pre-addressed, stamped envelopes (to make it easier for her friends to send her letters) that she distributed to friends her last week of school. The envelopes were packed inside a larger one that had "suggestions" about mail on the outside: dates of BCT, DO use only plain white envelopes, DO NOT include gifts/photos/etc in letters, and so forth. I also enclosed a mini (7 pages!) photo album (9 cent prints from Wal-Mart -- gotta love it!) with a few photos of our daughter. I chose the photos to illustrate some suggestions from our area Parents Club for what to write ("Be positive and supportive," "Remind her to focus on short-term goals, like surviving until lunchtime," etc) and added the suggestions as captions. The photos were silly for the most part -- something I thought her friends would enjoy -- and something to help them write (because many folks find a blank sheet of paper intimidating). We'll see how well those ideas worked.

I had not even considered what to do to help her write back. Thanks for the great suggestions here!
 
Envelopes

I'm going to use the idea of having pre-addressed envelopes at my son's grad/going away party and have a question. What is the safest way to address them? I mean should it read "John Doe" or "Basic Cadet John Doe" or something else? I don't want the address to get him any extra attention...
 
Everyone I asked in our parents' group said "Basic Cadet John Doe" for during the summer until A Day. I'm guessing John Doe would get to him as well. NOT "Cadet John Doe"!
 
According to the 2014 Appointee packet, letters during basic should be addressed to:

Basic Cadet _________________ (first and last name)
P O Box ________ (insert your PO Box Number)
USAF Academy CO 80841

:thumb:
 
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