Town Liberty

osdad

5-Year Member
Joined
Feb 10, 2010
Messages
740
How far from the Yard can the plebes venture on parents weekend? We have friends near Baltimore and were wondering if crashing there would be OK?
 
That's a bit too far from USNA. You will get info from NAVY re PPW events and limits, but I would anticipate single digit miles from the Yard. You might check with the local Parents' Club, as they tend to have the best and latest word on this type of question.
 
Aren't they allowed to visit DC and baltimore?

I'm also not sure. As a plebe, my parents lived near DC and I know I didn't go home until T-giving.

I will say this . . . plebes are so exhausted that all they really want to do is flop down in a motel room and watch TV, surf the net, listen to music, etc. The two things most do NOT want to do on PPW are: (1) tour/sightsee and (2) visit with a lot of distant friends/relatives.

I can't stress enough how totally exhausted you are and how much you miss simple things like TV, internet, sleeping as long as you want and in the middle of the day, eating food not prepared by USNA, playing in the hotel pool, etc. I really can't see wanting to ride an hour or more each way to/from B'more or DC.

Also, going that far (if allowed) is "dangerous" in that you could miss getting back on time due to accidents, construction, etc. That would be very bad.:eek:
 
liberty ppw

I believe you will get instructions prior to PPW, but my recollection that Baltimore and Washington D.C. were permitted and if they werent I hope no one from USNA looks at facebook because there are an awful lot of pictures of Plebes in front of the Capital building etc. from that weekend.

Our son did want to get away from DTA as he was aware that would be about as far as he would get on most of the Saturdays in the fall. We took him to DC and went through parts of the Smithsonian and watched an IMAX movie as well. Although he indicated he was tired he did not nap one time during his time off and said he did not want to give up on the free time and the ability to do things and spend time with us. The one concession I believe we made is that for dinner that night we ordered room service and ate in the room and relaxed until it was time for him to return to Bancroft.

But your plebe will get orders and they may vary from previous years.
 
I think USNA13DAD has it right regarding last year.

Just never rely on last year's rules and customs too much, things can and do change drastically (30 minute vs 5 minute phone calls come to mind). With a new Commandant...who knows :wink:
 
The traditional limit was 22 nautical miles, which did NOT include Baltimore's Inner Harbor or parts of Washington, DC. For the Class of 2012's PPW, the limit was extended to 25 miles. For the Class of 2013, every Plebe was matched with a sponsor family. Since a number of sponsor parents live between 25-30 miles from USNA, the limit was extended to 30 miles.

As others have said, things change every year, so what was acceptable last year may not be this year, and you probably won't know that until after I-day.

Having close contact with Mids from 2011, 2012, and 2013, let me emphasize the points that USNA1985 made. Even if today your Plebe-to-be says that it will be fine to see friend X or relative Y, he/she may not feel the same way when PPW actually arrives. Try not to make any plans whatsoever for PPW other than to meet the needs of your Plebe.
 
^^^^

What you think you want on Jun 30 may not in any way be related to what you want on Aug 1. Some plebes may very well want to go to DC or B'more and tour museums during PPW. Others will be perfectly happy sitting in an Annapolis hotel room, watching TV, surfing the net, talking to parents, and sleeping!

One thing you'll learn as a military parent is to go w/the flow. Be flexible. Go ahead and arrange for the B'more home but, if your plebe suggests an Annapolis hotel will do just fine . . . be prepared to adapt. One thing that happens at SAs -- little things become huge when they go from accepted routine to privileges.

It's really hard to explain until you've been there. Sorry, but it's true.
 
Staying with relatives over PPW

OK, I'm catching grief from DW about staying with family living in Harwood, MD, well within the 22,25,30 whatever limit. I want my plebe to do what he wants, but without knowing what that is NOW, I'd rather just make plans for a hotel in DTA vs. the daily drive to and from relatives place. DS loves his relatives but in reading these entries, I'm getting the distinct feeling that most plebes would rather be in a hotel,chilling, not having to put on the "happy face" while staying with relatives. Comments? (Especially from current mids)
 
I think that's a wise decision for several reasons:

A) you can still cancel your reservations if you find out from your son that all he wants is to get as far away as possible, can't you?

B) The stress of getting back to the yard in time can be pretty intense and the further you have to drive the more time you need to build in for things that can go wrong.

C) The relatives can always come to Annapolis for a day or a few hours, right?

Congrats and good luck to your son!
 
pbell: Take pachrain's advice. I went alone to PPW, hubby couldn't attend. I got DTA hotel, plebe and I went there daily and he chilled, slept, surfed web, caught up on facebook, etc. We ate in DTA, only got the car out of hotel parking once.....to get an ironing board from Target and eat at the Outback. The traffic was dreadful. I was grateful we weren't fighting it every day. We had a lot of time to just talk while we walked, chilled, etc.

Your plebe's life has been controlled down to the minute during plebe summer. A chance to do nothing is mighty welcome!
 
As a current plebe (almost a youngster!), I can definitively tell you that we are allowed to go anywhere in the Tri-City Area (Washington, D.C., Baltimore, and Annapolis) while on town liberty. This of course means that the boundaries are rather blurry, but as long as you're not excessively outside the limit and you make it back for taps, you're fine. Also, if a plebe's relatives are coming to see them and they want to go slightly outside the Tri-City area, the plebe can put up a special request chit with their CO/SEL to gain permission to go outside the boundaries (however, this will often depend on what company the plebe's in; some are stricter than others).
 
No one knows where you go, and in most companies, no one cares. Just make sure that you are back by the time your plebe needs to be back, and it'll be fine.
 
Honor Code...

I beg to differ...the MID would know...that should be enough! :bang:

GO NAVY!
 
If you are in DC or Baltimore with your family and they are outside the limits, I don't care who see's you. They would not say anything either there or back at the academy afterwords. The reason for those rules is so plebes arn't getting themselfs into trouble and so that they can't use traffic as an excuse to be late.
 
Please take my advice. It will apply to more than just this question.
Do whatever the mid says is allowed. If he gives you the real rules those are the rules. Don't assume that whatever some PAO officer told you is the truth. Whatever the mid is telling you probably came from the mouth of his CO, CC, SEL or squad leader. They know what will or will not get them in to trouble: respect what they say. Also, no matter what the mid says just don't be late.

That being said: last year we were allowed to go wherever we wanted as long as we were back on time. I know people that live in Falls Church, VA that went home no problem. They were actually talking about it with the detailers when they were picked up. The actual distance from the Chapel Dome doesn't matter. The people who give you those rules are the same people who say mids say "up ladder" when they are climbing the stairs to the rotunda. They're feeding you traditions that aren't reality.

Remember: ALWAYS DO WHAT YOUR MID SAYS ABOUT THE ACADEMY FROM NOW UNTIL THEY GRADUATE. NO MATTER WHAT THE PAO OR ANY PARENT'S FORUM TELLS YOU, YOU ARE WRONG THEY ARE RIGHT.
 
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