"Thank you, we're very proud..."

It doesn't stop once you graduate and receive a commission.

I generally try to be apolitical when associating myself with the military. I also generally doing come right out and tell people what I do, of course I don't think many people do. I'm not ashamed of what I do in the least.

When you tell people you are in a service, it apparently solicits a political question, or some underminded comment. It may catch you off guard the first time, but you almost anticipate it later.
 
Our son is in the application process for 2013. As soon as they ask "Where is your son thinking of going to college?" If we answer USNA, people are full of advice of "how to get in" and most of what they offer is incorrect - everything, from "contact everyone you know who ever graduated from an academy and they can get you in" to "write to the entire US Senate, somebody will get you in".... I hate to answer sometimes, because of all the incorrect, but well-meaning, advice I get. It's almost as bad as when we announced we were going to have a baby.....all the advice....
 
Mom3boys,

West Point? Wow, you must be so Proud! What an amazing young man. I'd like to shake his hand and thank him myself.

You might not get many of those, but hey, he gets to go to West Point. Those who don't know, don't matter. He'll protect their sorry selves anyway.
 
mom3boys said:
I just have to vent. I wonder if anyone else is experiencing what we are. As we are running into friends/aquaintances the question invariably comes up: where is DS going to school? When I proudly answer "West Point!" the answer that comes back is not the "wow!! how great!" that I expect, but more of a mix of "You're going to let him (!!!) do THAT??" or "I'll pray for you!"

When I was in school (albeit long ago...) getting into WP was one BIG accomplishment. I thought it still was...I believe it still is HUGE. Yes, military service is not a risk-free career choice. I get that...I guess I'm very frustrated that the kids who are gaining acceptance into some of the schools my DS turned down (to go to WP) are celebrated, where my kid is looked at like he must have a screw loose for choosing this path. So I ask, "whose kids are supposed to go and be the leaders? Someone not as valuable as my son? Whose son/daughter is that?"

Excuse my rant...I just needed to vent before I blew up at the next person who makes insensitive, stupid comments about my son's choice.:unhappy::mad:
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Venting is always good. You can't control what other folks say or think. But you know that your son got accepted to one of the most selctive schools in the country, with one of the most demanding curricula and is taking up a career where his decisions and abilities will matter immensely. Good soldiers are putting their lives on the line and they require smart and dedicated leaders with them and in front of them. I can't imagine a more important career than the one your son is embarking on. So vent- and be proud !!! And- congratulate your son from me- all the other posters on this site and thousands of others out there who do understand what he is undertaking.
Hooah!
 
Mom3Boys, I posted a message similar to yours when my son was accepted @ NAPS (<-- even more difficult to explain than service academies!). Friends, acquaintances and strangers offered shocking, ignorant and even cruel reactions to his decision.

After a while, my righteous indignation just ran out of steam. Yours probably will, too. It's kind of a relief. But periodically, I also run out of steam when supportive civilian friends ask how he's doing @ USNA now. By the time I explain OOM (Order of Merit), I'm too exhausted to brag on his standing.

I've learned a lot from my son's behavior. He reacts to negative reactions with something like, "It will be an honor to serve," and is embarrassed when thanked ("I'm just in school -- vets deserve the thanks"). Mouths of babes, huh?

Back to being a parent: For an understanding community plus good information, join your local USMA parents' club. Subscribe to a parents' listserv, and lurk here and on other military academy boards. If they don't suit you (and for some of us, they can be a little rigid and political), seek out other parents individually. My son had the greatest roommate imaginable @ NAPS, and his mother has become a treasured friend of mine. She is my lifeline. I am ever grateful for another mother who understands my fears, enthusiasms, and pride.

When I feel lonely in my concerns about the future, I think about the parents who are living that future now.
 
My best friend said "Too bad you don't know any of the congressmen personally, she will have a hard time getting into a service academy. People only get in if they pull strings."
Without any "string pulling" my DD received an LOA to USAFA, a nomination and appointment!
Others have said, after being told that my DD will be attending USAFA, "why isn't she going to college?"
I even had to explain to the Army recruiter that phoned our home what the Air Force Academy was, "Its like West Point but for the Air Force!" :eek: That was the strangest discussion I've had so far. But for the most part DD has received a great deal of support from her school and our community. She has already been asked to talk with some younger students to encourage them to apply to services academies.

If we can't vent here, then where? Go forth and vent!:thumb:
 
It used to bother me when friends or acquaintances would say negative things about my son choosing West Point. Now I just ignore it. It does not happen as much as it did at first because people can tell that I am proud of my son’s choice so they tend to keep their negative comments to themselves.

The thing that bothers me most is that my father-in-law is negative about any of his children or grandchildren choosing to go into the military. It is okay for someone else’s child to die for their country but not his. He does not see it as a worthwhile profession either. Which is ironic because as a young man he lied about his medical history to join the Army; then we the truth came out he was given a medical discharge. My father-in-law had the nerve to tell my son that he needs to get out of the Army before he gets killed! Fortunately for him he did not say this in front of me because I would have had to say something that would not have been very kind.

NorthernCalMother said:
Mom3Boys, I posted a message similar to yours when my son was accepted @ NAPS (<-- even more difficult to explain than service academies!).
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I know exactly what you mean. I ran into this problem when my son chose to take the civil prep option to get into West Point. Most people did not really understand what he was doing.
 
I have utmost respect for anyone, particularly in these days of terrorist uncertainty, to want to serve, whether going through an Academy, ROTC, or enlisting.

I have more concern about those who want to go into the military for its benefits, but get upset when they are deployed. Duh, why would you go into the military and think you wouldn't possibly be deployed?

When I told people that my son wanted to go into the Navy through the USNA or NROTC, many were surprised in this day of uncertainly. But, knowing my son, they could see him as a Navy officer, and were happy for him and his goals. And, of course as a parent, I am concerned for his safety. But, then again, I am always concerned about his safety.

I am proud of my son and his choice to serve his country!

I was told by a mother of a USNA midshipman that some called her "abusive" by "allowing her son" to go to USNA. I just consider people who say that just totally ignorant.

Many forget that their freedoms have been defended over the years by many who have voluntarily gone into the military, knowing that they may be placing themselves in harms' way. My Dad was drafted while in his 30s to serve in WWII in the Navy. He served proudly. His mother, an immigrant, was proud that he and four of his brothers, served to defend their country.

So, for those of you parents who are going into one of the Academies or have a child who will do ROTC, I say "thank you and God bless. . ."
 
Wow... I'm an aspiring academy cadet (C/O '13) and just wanted to say, after reading all the parents responses I'm somewhat shocked at why an American would say something anything partially negative to a parent or kid for wanting to join the military, or attend a very selective college that requires military service. After all, they are the people that will be saving your butt if a military conflict begins... And they'll do it without moans, groans, B******, or complaints.

I got a response from my uncle (who comes from a country where they are conscripted), after telling him that my goal was to join the Air Force after high school, that was almost identical to many of the responses that others have received. But I can understand his logic somewhat. He told me that "the two years I spent in the military were a waste of my life that put me behind in my education, and I can't get them back." I don't think that a person who believes should be blamed personally for believing this. But this idea came from growing up in place where the military is an evil that cannot be escaped. There is very little pride, patriotism, and self-reward within that military.

I'm not stating that EVERYONE thinks the way I mentioned above, but I thought that it was peculiar with the way two people from two completely different countries could think with a very similiar mindset.
 
SemperExcelsius said:
I got a response from my uncle (who comes from a country where they are conscripted), after telling him that my goal was to join the Air Force after high school, that was almost identical to many of the responses that others have received. But I can understand his logic somewhat. He told me that "the two years I spent in the military were a waste of my life that put me behind in my education, and I can't get them back." I don't think that a person who believes should be blamed personally for believing this. But this idea came from growing up in place where the military is an evil that cannot be escaped. There is very little pride, patriotism, and self-reward within that military.

I'm not stating that EVERYONE thinks the way I mentioned above, but I thought that it was peculiar with the way two people from two completely different countries could think with a very similiar mindset.
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same here. my family is also immigrants. and they have this cheap immigrant mentality. i've heard too many times how awful the military is. i've even heard how the nrotc scholarship i've applied for is "blood money". :eek: no one in the family supports my idea of becoming a naval officer. they all think success = becoming a doctor and making $$$. and to become a naval officer is a pitiful occupation for failures. :mad: i have to just ignore all this garbage i am fed, and i really thought it was because of my family's immigrant roots, but i now see from reading this thread that it is like a cancer in american society. how will this country last another 100 years with ppl that spew garbage about the military like that? :blowup:
 
VMINROTChopeful said:
success = becoming a doctor and making $$$
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^^ Haha, yes. Almost exactly how it is.

VMINROTChopeful said:
it is like a cancer in american society. how will this country last another 100 years with ppl that spew garbage about the military like that?
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^^ Now, I don't think that is entirely correct. Yes, there are many people that do not appreciate the military and all the sacrifice and work that goes in to it, to keep this country safe. But I think that a broad generalization such as "cancer in American society" is incorrect. There are so many people that believe that the armed forces are a great asset to this country and have extreme patriotism within themselves, they perhaps to not demonstrate it nearly as much as the people who are against the war (the media seems to concentrate their focus on the negative aspect more than the positive aspect).
 
SemperExcelsius said:
I'm somewhat shocked at why an American would say something anything partially negative to a parent or kid for wanting to join the military, or attend a very selective college that requires military service.
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Don't be. It's a sad fact that too many people in this country are "Americans" simply because they happen to live here rather than because they actually BELIEVE in the heritage, culture, greatness, and inherent goodness of this nation.

These are the same people who love to run their mouths off about freedom but are unwilling to defend it. You find them marching in front of recruiting stations hurling accusations of the most horrid kind toward the people who VOLUNTEER to defend those freedoms with their very lives, but then act shocked and outraged when you dare to question their patriotism.

HYPOCRITES! COWARDS! TRAITORS! ALL OF THEM! :mad:

Still, when one raises their hand and takes the Oath, one swears to uphold and defend the Constitution. That wonderful document, for better or worse, allows the most ignorant, base, and despicable creatures to roam free on our streets running their mouths off. It's better than the alternatives...

Just remember that there are millions..... MILLIONS, mind you.... of REAL Americans who appreciate and value your service and your sacrifices, but who are too busy making this country work to be out grabbing headlines alongside the bottom-feeding hippies that infest the headlines. They are the ones who will be smiling at you when you walk through an airport in uniform, and may even buy you lunch if they see you in a McDonalds.

Serve for them if for no one else. :smile:
 
Zaphod said:
Just remember that there are millions..... MILLIONS, mind you.... of REAL Americans who appreciate and value your service and your sacrifices, but who are too busy making this country work to be out grabbing headlines alongside the bottom-feeding hippies that infest the headlines. They are the ones who will be smiling at you when you walk through an airport in uniform, and may even buy you lunch if they see you in a McDonalds.

Serve for them if for no one else. :smile:
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Semper E: Zaphod has it right!! You serve because you know that it is the right thing to do- because it's necessary and because you learn to love the soldiers you serve with. There are always naysayers and second guessers out there- going back as far as the American Revolution but there are also millions out there who do know and do understnad and do support what you are serving for- so don't sweat the press. They will be on to some other cause soon enough.
Hooah!
 
ZAPHOD

Don't hold back next time. Let us know how you really feel. By the way, I agree.
 
If I didn't hold back, I'd have to ban myself. :wink:
 
Some people are idiots...

Others simply do not understand how the military works. They do not need such understanding to perform their perceived roles in society. They leave the military stuff to the military.

Who takes the most meaning from this quote?
"People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf."
George Orwell
I say it is the military. After all, military members are the ones standing guard and doing violence so that others can sleep peacefully. The military does the military's work, and sheeple don't worry about it. The whole concept does have its drawbacks though, as you might wind up with a disconnected military and unknowing civil population.
 
I actually get alot of "You're going to the Naval Academy? I thought you said you were going to college?"

People are just ignorrant.
 
mom3boys, i know i am only seventeen and haven't been through a fraction of what these other guys are saying, buuuut.....i have discovered that sometimes only your fellow comrades truly understand who you are and what you have really accomplished. i learned that through four years of football. other kids in my school not on the team would sometimes critizise me for doing my job (they just couldn't tell) and then exalt me for doing something wrong (they couldn't tell either). remember, i was a lineman so its a bit harder to tell if you did a great job or not so good a job. i learned through those experiences that sometimes only your teammates appreciate what you have put in, and that in the end, that's the part that truly matters.
 
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