New Parents, THIS is what it's all about

USMC_Ordie

5-Year Member
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Dec 5, 2013
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So, if you're a new service academy parent, welcome to the club!

So here's my little "This was awesome moment".

DS came home for Spring Break, and we were all sitting down and having dinner at a local restaurant. Conversation was going well, and we're getting all caught up on what the life of a newly 'recognized cadet' is like.

The food was on the way. I could see them putting it on the trays....Then he pauses....and says "Thanks Mom & Dad. All those times you yelled at me about the room, or home work, wakingup, or whatever it was..... I now understand that you weren't just being grumpy, you were getting me ready. And I wouldn't be here with out you. So...thanks."

I swear he did that just to see me tear up in public. And I am a Marine! Marines don't do that!!! (If you believe that one, I have some beach front property to sell you)

So, if you have a newly appointed appointee (they're truly not kids anymore), congratulations!
 
Wow! Thanks for sharing such a special moment. I am both excited and terrified about this next roller coaster ride. I will admit I cry easily and hate that, but I already tear up about once a day. Hoping I get better before He leaves lol!!
 
Great story.

I'll be bringing tissues with me for R day - in case the sun gets in my eyes. ;)

A dear friend had a very challenging time raising her oldest son. The teen years were esp difficult. He ended up enlisting and while he was at basic training, she got a letter from him. In it he thanked her up one side and down the other for all that she'd done for him. You can bet she will never part with that letter!
 
USMC_Ordie, congratulations to you and your DS. I feel your pride. And yes, it's OK to tear up, even if you are a Marine, when your chest is filled up with pride and affection for your child. Way to go raising a fine young man. And, thank you for your service :)
 
Congratulations!
 
New in a different way. My younger son is 3/C at USCGA. My older son got a BS, but has watched his younger brother's journey. Older son enlisted in the CG. Last Friday he graduated from Cape May Basic Training. My younger son got leave to come down and present his graduation certificate. I have a picture of them saluting each other.
 
Yeah that was a shocker watching a twenty year Marine in Dress salute my Daughter. As a company commander at Parris Island they still do. It still doesn't sink in!!!! Funny story: TBS graduation and we went out to dinner with another marine from USNA who had delayed graduation from TBS. Guy walks by the table and thanks him for his service. Daughter says why do I have all this silver on my uniform and he gets the congratulations? We all laughed.
 
I like what someone else wrote on another thread about tears just being pride leaking out of your eyes. Yeah, I'll go with that.

I had a moment like that the other day when I came across a paper DS wrote in an English class this year about his choice to apply to a service academy when others see their education as a way to escape the military. He wrote:

“It isn’t that my education saves me from such a burden, but rather that it calls me to it.”

There's that darn pride staining my tee-shirt again.
 
The tears do come and as a father I have no problem crying at USNA Graduation. "Pride Leaking Out Of Your Eyes" is a great quote. As a USAF Sgt it was a great experience to see DD graduate and for me to be able to pin her Bars on her shoulders.
 
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I need to relate a "Pride Leakage" story from the other day. Last Friday we were planning on leaving Miami early in the morning to head home from visiting our son. Son was flying at 0900 so he had to be up and to the squadron very early, so we thought that we would leave then. Son and my wife were talking in the morning when wife decided we should stay and watch him take off before we left. So, we followed him onto base and sat at the coffee shop for a couple hours waiting while they did pre-flight briefs. He texted for us to come to the squadron building where we met the other three pilots for his flight and got to watch their ops desk briefing. No one really took any notice of us and it was business as usual. Then one of the other Lieutenants asked us if we wanted to go outside and watch the take off. So we followed him out and found that they had arranged a van to take us all the way out to the edge of the runway. We sat in the van listening to the air radio traffic when we heard the tower call our son's flight with "special instructions". He would be the last of the 4 to take off and was granted full AB take off and unlimited climb to 20,000 ft due to "distinguished visitors" being present. We got to watch our son come down the runway in full afterburner and pull up to straight vertical climb and then disappear in a few seconds. Maybe it was the Miami sun that caused it, but there was a lot of pride leaking from both of our eyes. It doesn't stop after they graduate.

Stealth_81
 
Stealth!! Pride leaking from my eyes as I read this. Possibly a new contagious epidemic. Congratulations to you and yours. What a moment.
 
Parental Pride Leakage (PPL?) knows no age limit. As I assumed major command in full dress uniform with sword, on a beautiful day with the sea breeze snapping the dress ship pennants, full Navy Band playing, in my 40's, I could see my mom in the front row, tears streaming down her face, in her late 70's. At the reception later, she whispered,"this is a big deal, isn't it?"
 
Sorry to resurrect an old thread . . . but thought it was appropriate . . . had my little "This is awesome" moment too recently . . . got an unsolicited email last night from my DS who is a Rat at VMI. It was a short, positive email about the rigors at school and how he is doing that included the phrase below:

". . ., I didn't like it when you guys would punish me but now I'm starting to see how it has helped me and made me who I am."

I have now had my own bout with PPL . . . perhaps it is contagious ;-)
 
Awesome moment this morning. Shortly after sending us a pic of snowflakes against the gray stone of the fort, son sent us a pic of him in his new India Whites -- my favorite uniform so far. Very dashing but a bit ironic on a snowy morning. Which of your cadet's/mid's uniforms is your favorite?
 
OH----------how I wish I could see her first Alpha inspection!

BWAAA-HA-ha
 
I am sure my parents would of said summer whites. My preference was PT gear, much more comfortable.
 
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