Thanks, everyone, for your concern about my man-child. I'm still
a little leary, but less than before. In my own military experience, as
a non-officer, many decades ago, any medical complaint was viewed
with skepticism by the higher ups. On the other hand, my son
is known for his admiration of Spartan tolerance of pain. Once he
wrestled a whole season with a torn shoulder labrum and only
went to the doc when the arm was almost torn off. I still feel
guilty about this, knowing that I should have stepped in much
sooner and TOLD him to have the shoulder checked out.
What I've done is to have mention the cough to his coach and ask him
to evaluate it. (As a parent whose only contact is a 10 min.phn
call, I know that I don't truly know what is happening.) I know
that my son would listen to the coach, and I think the coach would
make the right decision to suggest he go to a doc, if need be.
(After all, it's off season -- no competitions for a few months.)
But, reading your emails, I do have more confidence in
the detailers, too. And I also will concede that he might
have the PS Hack, not bronchitis or the like. Next time I
see him during PPW, I will bring a book
on opera singing that I have stashed away in my basement. No joke.
Although I'm not a singer (actually, drummer) I know that
the book teaches singer how to use the diaphram, not
the vocal chords. Who would have ever guessed that
this technique for opera signers who have to be able to
project their voices without destroying them, would be
applicable to USNA plebes, who have to shout all the
time. I guess that the ability to shout would have been a great
advantage during sea battles, when your orders have to
be heard over the noise and tumult. I guess I just figured out why
yelling is the order of the day at the Naval Academy.