2012 New Years Update

Ohio2015Parent

5-Year Member
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Dec 2, 2010
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Hello, I hope this finds everyone safe and enjoying New Years Day with family and friends. The 2015 group of ROTC/SA cadets should all have finished the first grading period and have gotten their grades - hope everyone did well and feels good to head back at PT and school soon.(DS leaves tomorrow, been home since Thanksgiving - I'm ready to have my refrigerator back:biggrin:). Just wanted to check in - I've been lurking more than posting and prayers are with all of you applicants and families as the upcoming ROTC boards begin again.

Take care.:smile:
 
Hope your son has a safe trip back after a successful first semester. I'm sure your refrigerator will miss him. :biggrin:

DS heads back in a few days. He plans on hitting the PX at Lejuene to pick up some PT gear before making the return trip. He far exceeded my expectations for him both physically and academically. Hoping he can keep it up. All his classes in the upcoming semester are MWF except Navy Lab. That's going to make for some long, hard days I'm afraid.

Hope everyone has a happy, healthy, safe, and prosperous 2012.
 
Wishing everyone a great New Year.

Both boys are heading back to school in just a little over a week to start the next Semester. It was great having them home, funny how you miss the noise around the house.

Younger son finished strong, Deans List and a 317 APFT, well see how that holds up after all the holiday food, he is still waiting to find out about CULP, hopefully will know before he heads back to school. He seems to have settled into school and the routine of ROTC, he is hoping for good things next semester.

Older son will be starting his final semester, time sure flys, he is starting to realize the college will soon be over and it will be time to move on to the next adventure. It was a busy year for him with LDAC, CTLT, Bone Marrow Donation, and the long twisting wait for his Branch (That is a story in itself). He is hoping for a couple months break before he heads off to Ft. Rucker to start Flight School. Aviation is the only branch that classifies the school as a Permanent Change of Station which is nice because the Army will pay to move him to Alabama where he'll be for nearly 2 years before getting his first permanent Duty Station. Looks like we now have a reason to visit the Gulf Coast.

Best wishes to all the parents and cadets in 2012, there are a lot of great kids and families represented on this board.
 
Happy New Year to all!

Older DS is about to start his final semester with AROTC, just ordered his uniform for commissioning. <insert crying mom emoticon>
It was amazing to see his expression on the last Christmas present he opened: Branch insignia pins <insert crying dad emoticon>

Follow up Christmas with a top secret clearance interview and it seems like we celebrated the holidays like the average family.:biggrin: He'll graduate with honors in May and is awaiting his posting.

Younger DS is heading back to USNA to complete his youngster year, is in badly need of a haircut, and just got in from kayaking and fishing. On the Sup's list and is actually enjoying the academy. :smile:

As I stare at my Christmas tree, wishing I could shrink wrap it and store it, fully decorated, in the garage....the boys and their friends are playing a board game in the front room. There is an annoying timer that won't stop beeping as they yell out words and phrases...... Next week I will miss that incessant beeping. :smile:
 
Another 2012 New Years Update,

After his first semester away, DS returned home for the holidays safe and sound, was mumbling something about maybe not going back because his grades were so bad... Mom got pretty upset, and then he showed her his 'A's' on his report card. He went there still a little unsure about the Army, he came back totally Gung-Ho, did the Ranger challenge (4AM - 5 days a week) and now worrying only about getting an active duty slot. Quite a change. Now the phrase "the Colonel said..." is injected somewhere in every conversation.
BTW; he now wishes he had went SMP, can't get enough I guess., and getting tattoo's ... 'that's just so enlisted' :smile:

Happy New Year Y'all
 
Happy New Year to all! Great to read such wonderful and exciting news from the posters.

May 2012 be the best year ever!
 
Good to hear so many of you are having a great time with your kiddos home!! DS is dragging his feet a little about getting out of here today (the hometown girlfriend and my refrigerator are tempting him:wink:). The grades were good here too, he's still more afraid of me than the cadre and APFT/workouts were going well until he came home...he will pay for that tomorrow morning at PT. This was our last long time together until really next Christmas since he won't be home this summer - 2 days after final exams he heads to BCT in lovely Columbia, SC(Ft. Jackson) and he will graduate 4 days before classes begin in the fall. He knew the deal when he signed the contract - its just hard to believe he really won't be home more than a few days at a time until next year. Good practice for when/if he serves active duty.

Hope everyone travels safely back to school and gets into the swing of the new classes easily.

Take care.
 
I feel for him because SC in the summer is not fun compared to Cincy. The humidity is unbearable for many, add in 100 degree days and being outdoors, all I can say is play that mind game...you know the one you did when you were in labor with him :shake:...this won't kill me...it will only last a short while and the results will be worth it in the end!

That is what I told our DS when he went to SFT in Maxwell Alabama in July/Aug for a month.

So funny that so many of you have kids going back already, our DD goes back to VT on Sat., but our DS's college will not be back until Jan 23rd. I love him, and even though he leaves for UPT in May, and this is his last vacay at home, I am not sure I will be able to stand him raiding my fridge, making dishes and leaving them in my sink after midnight for 3 more weeks....maybe it is jealousy...the kid drinks only calorie soda, eats a family size bag of chips at 10 p.m., and only weighs 150 lbs at 5'10! If I drank only one non-diet soda a day, any time of the day, I would be 200 lbs, let alone the other stuff!

singapore,

Aren't you glad to have the TS clearance done? The day DS got notified he had he called us, it was the last hurdle left for commissioning. Just wait a few weeks, they actually send you, at least the AF did, rate the agent and customer satisfaction card...that was comical to me...like the kid who doesn't get TS is going to give good marks, and the kid who does is going to give poor marks for the agent? Not trying to make this political, but what a waste of time and money on the taxpayer dime. Just imagine, they have people there who print these questionnaires up, read them and compile stats, add in the paper and mailing, and how much does that cost? I guess that is the cynic in me.

I know what you mean about the uniform and rank. I haven't cried yet, because we are not buying his Lt bars yet, when Bullet retired he placed one aside instead of putting both in his shadow box. It will be for his flight cap, so when I see him put that on I don't know who will cry more, Bullet out of pride or me out of remembering 25 yrs earlier it was the bar I pinned on him. Yes, DS is graduating/commissioning almost 25 yrs to the day after Bullet, AND he is graduating from Bullet's alma mater. Talk about deja vu!

My New Year's resolution.to remember to order the flag for his commissioning present, and not to complain about the dishes in the sink when I wake up in the morning!
 
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after final exams he heads to BCT in lovely Columbia

Columbia is a great city to visit, especially capitol area and University campus, if he gets a chance (he typed while watching the Gamecocks wup up on Nebraska). He can cool off kyacking on the river.
 
I love reading all of these stories.... I actually choke up when I read everybody else's experiences....

Pima...are you ordering flag from congressman, in honor of commissioning, or to have the flag fly on commissioning date? We did the same for Eagle Scout, hadn't thought about it for commissioning.....
 
DS must report to TX within 4 days after commissioning (we live in VA, he goes to school in MD), so we ordered it to be flown for in honor of his commissioning. We will present it to him on his graduation/commissioning day (both the same) as his present. He did not want a college ring, so this seemed to be a better gift.

We did it this way because, as you know they do attach letters if you submit the reason why you want it flown. We are having it flown on his birthday, but in honor of commissioning so it gives us enough time to shadow box and frame, plus the date will be his birthday.

We did debate about having it flown on the commissioning date, and would have had he not already been given his RNLTD. If he had a few months at home that would have been my 1st choice, but he doesn't. He will most likely be packed up by TMO with us as his POA due to the fact that he has such a short lag time for reporting. It just does not seem possible to have TMO come in and move him out while he is preparing for finals, plus he will be in the Q's at Laughlin, so it is best to let him go with what he really only needs for Q's...clothing. They can come in later and pack it up for storage (bed, furniture, kitchen,etc)

Kill me now because we also have a HS graduation this yr for DS2, (@2-3 weeks later) a DD at VT we need to move out during the same time (10 days prior to his commissioning). Add that with the fact he will move out before his roommates(all guys), I may be up at his college doing the bleach cleaning myself to get the deposit back!
 
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LOL....I didn't understand half of what you wrote!! I am a newby military mom that only knows computer slang acronyms.... ROFL, LOL, PIR, etc etc :biggrin:

I got the jist of it though!! Looks like your summer will be with a cleaning crew and moving van.

I'm going to look into the flag.....congressman now is the same one that nominated both sons for academies and came to his Eagle ceremony....
 
Cadet Delahanty is home making up for not taking an X-box to school. This morning he demonstrated to the family how to prepare an MRE. This particular one was mislabeled Chicken Pesto - dreadful stuff, but five years of waiting in a plastic bag to be consumed may take a toll.

Fall grades are in. I noted that he hadn't received straight A's since the first term of ninth grade. Some of the courses, however, don't strike me as particularly rigorous (e.g., From Brioches to Scones: An Introduction to European Breakfast Pastries; The Physiology of Naps: A Practicum with Lab).

I mentioned to him my incredulity at reading on another SAF thread that some cadets shoot for the lower 50% of the OML. He patiently assured me that this is accurate, explaining that the military doesn't want an imbalance with some branches chock full of 4.0 GPA/300 APFTs and others loaded with 2.0/180s and that knowing this, people are leery of the OML dead zone.

We are waiting for news of his CULP assignment. He claims to be indifferent as to whether it's Iberia or Ruritania. I actually believe him since he didn't gripe when I pulled a bait and switch: we will be visiting grandparents in Florida this week rather than cavorting on some topless beach at a Caribbean resort.
 
singapore.

TMO = Transportation Moving Office...moving vans

RNLTD = Report No Later Than Date...in DS's case 4 days after graduation he must report in at Laughlin AFB.

When they PCS you in the military they also calculate it out to 8 hrs of driving per day, or @ 400 miles, as if it was a duty day. In essence, for DS he must leave the next morning.

Ed,

I laughed at your MRE comment. When we lived in AK, Bullet always made me keep in the Jeep MRE's, and he was always in shock when he would look to see they were cut open. Reason why is the only thing in an MRE edible after 5 yrs IMPO is the candy! Our kids by 5 yo knew that there would be candy in it.

I am sure your DS didn't have the classes you spoke about, but my niece in a college that charges 47K a yr actually took Chocolate 101. or maybe it was intro to chocolate.:confused:

Good luck with CULP selection for him, I really do hope that 2012 is just the beginning of the best yet to come.
 
Happy New Year all! Thought I'd chime in with an update as my DS is home now too. He completed his first semester as a rook at Norwich. He stayed with a rook buddy over Thanksgiving so we had not seen him since family weekend in September. He is succeeding in all areas and loves being one of only 2 rooks on the ranger challenge team. Hopefully he will get a CULP deployment too. Columbia SC is beautiful right now but indeed it will be hot this summer. Although we live in SC, my son chose to go to Norwich! He loves it miserably!!:smile:
 
I feel for him because SC in the summer is not fun compared to Cincy. The humidity is unbearable for many, add in 100 degree days and being outdoors, all I can say is play that mind game...you know the one you did when you were in labor with him :shake:...this won't kill me...it will only last a short while and the results will be worth it in the end!

That is what I told our DS when he went to SFT in Maxwell Alabama in July/Aug for a month.

So funny that so many of you have kids going back already, our DD goes back to VT on Sat., but our DS's college will not be back until Jan 23rd. I love him, and even though he leaves for UPT in May, and this is his last vacay at home, I am not sure I will be able to stand him raiding my fridge, making dishes and leaving them in my sink after midnight for 3 more weeks....maybe it is jealousy...the kid drinks only calorie soda, eats a family size bag of chips at 10 p.m., and only weighs 150 lbs at 5'10! If I drank only one non-diet soda a day, any time of the day, I would be 200 lbs, let alone the other stuff!

Pima,

Yep, it's such a shame they can eat all they want of anything at anytime...DS is at his top weight of 170 on a 5' 11" frame -- PT was very good to him, but not running for 4 weeks is gonna hurt in the morning:biggrin:

The humity/heat of the south is something he's used to, DS has been a civil war re-enactor since grade school. He's a Confederate Marine artillery unit member. Yep, the South will rise again and all that:wink: Most events were VA, PA, SC, NC and GA - in the summer, in wool and no running water or A/C. Not my idea of a good time, but he and his grandparents think this is a great time. BCT will test him and he knows its no picnic, but he's happy not to be at Benning. The joke in his Guard unit is 'relaxin' in Jackson' is the way to go....

Oh, and BTW, I love the new tag line(I remember seeing the thread you took it from).

Columbia is a great city to visit, especially capitol area and University campus, if he gets a chance (he typed while watching the Gamecocks wup up on Nebraska). He can cool off kyacking on the river.

Thanks for the tip, Kinnem, we will be going down for his graduation/family day. The ride home won't leave much time, but we'll be there a few days ahead so maybe DH and I can see some of the tourist sites.

I love reading all of these stories.... I actually choke up when I read everybody else's experiences....

Pima...are you ordering flag from congressman, in honor of commissioning, or to have the flag fly on commissioning date? We did the same for Eagle Scout, hadn't thought about it for commissioning.....

Singaporemom,

Reading everyone's stories has kept me lurking here even tho DS's path didn't include the scholarship. I still feel a great deal of support just knowing we're all on the ride together:thumb:

We did a flag for DS's Eagle also, will have to file this idea away for 2015 - it will be here before I know it.
 
Greetings, Ohio!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! DS is leaving for school tomorrow. :-(
 
Hello, I hope this finds everyone safe and enjoying New Years Day with family and friends. The 2015 group of ROTC/SA cadets should all have finished the first grading period and have gotten their grades - hope everyone did well and feels good to head back at PT and school soon.(DS leaves tomorrow, been home since Thanksgiving - I'm ready to have my refrigerator back:biggrin:). Just wanted to check in - I've been lurking more than posting and prayers are with all of you applicants and families as the upcoming ROTC boards begin again.

Take care.:smile:

Good to hear from you again Ohio:smile:. Glad things are going well for your DS. I have mine and Brother Rat for one more week. Brother Rat saw the first real snow this evening..funny. (doesn't snow in Taiwan) Mine are enjoying their last week of relaxation, yet they are sort of anxious to get back and get the next few weeks over with. They aren't counting on it but they think they have an idea of when they may Break out of the Rat Line and hopefully it will only be a few more weeks. They sleep 12 hours a day EVERY day and the rest of the time is spent on Skype with family or saving the universe on xbox. Glad everyone seems to have enjoyed the holiday break with their DD/DS.
Patent:frown:...sorry. Taking them back is not fun at all. I hope you have a safe trip.
 
An update on my DS: By all measures he has had a very successful first semester. He is an AROTC MSI who acquired that elusive full 4-year campus-based scholarship in October. He was a member of his school's team that placed in the top 3 at Ranger Challenge. He was notified in December that he has a CULP slot to Malaysia next summer, and he got a 4.0 for fall semester!

He has only been home for about one week of Christmas break, as he competes in a sport outside of school, and has been traveling to competitions. He left the middle of last week, will be back in town on the 9th and leaves for school again on the 11th!

I miss him, but I'm so proud of what he's accomplished so far.
 
philmont, kinnem, JCleppe, gojack, Pima, bjkuds, EDelahanty, singaporemore, Ohio2015Parent, and Jcc123, congrats to all of you on the tremendous success of your DS/DDs!

Happy New Year!

philmont: Your "loves it miserably" comment made me laugh. :smile:
 
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