Need some prayers for DS in Class of 2020

D

Daretodream

5-Year Member
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Sep 17, 2014
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I had a great conversation with my DS on DDO on Saturday. He is loving the Academy. He said BCT is hard and everyone fails, but they have learned to cope with the failure. His squadron is great and they are ranked #1 at the moment. My DS has always been healthy and I can count on one hand the number of times he has had to go to the doctor in his life for non-routine visits. However, throughout his life he will occasionally get a nose bleed (his maternal grandfather has the same issue and even my wife would get the occasional nose bleed). Well since BCT started just over 3 weeks ago he has had 21 nose bleeds and lost 6 pounds. This has meant several trips to sick bay, an EKG, and heart holster. He has not been placed on any restrictions, but his heart rate is averaging 120 per minute. They have diagnosed him with Inappropriate Sinus Tachycardia which is a diagnosis of exclusion from other symptoms. He is supposed to make an appointment with a Cardiologist at Ft. Carson this week. The condition is not life threatening or life shortening, but it could disqualify him from flying in the military which has always been his dream. We are hopeful it is the dry air, altitude, stress and blood loss that has led to the heart rate and that it will correct itself with time. Please keep him in your prayers and let's hope he can continue to pursue his dream of flying for the USAF.
 
I'll be praying and thinking super positive thoughts for your son! Nose bleeds are tricky when they start.
 
Daretodream - I would not call it "...everyone fails". It is misleading. It's more like "everyone gets YELLED at". My DS is Class 2020 as well. Yes, BCT is hard and it is meant to be. BCT main point is to de-construct these smart Basics and turn point them into team players with the idea that "no sqadmates get left behind" attitude. They want these Basics to help each other. During Doolie Day Out, my DS was yelled at with spits inches from his face because he was near a couple of Basics taking selfies. Reason? Cardre said my DS "should have warned them squadmates not to do that". My DS is questioning a lot of the things the Carde does and making them do, but my reassurance was always "there's a method to this madness" and he just has to ride it out, survive, grow and he will see the reasons at the end.

Anyways, I hope your DS gets through this BCT period. I believe they are in good hands with top notch supporting staffs. They are under a lot of stress with little sleep, long days and everyone is showing some kind of symptoms. My DS is breaking out with acne... Yike!

My prayers for your DS and to all of them Basic Cadets. It was so nice seeing them smiling on Doolie Day Out....and in them blue uniform. Sharp!
 
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Daretodream :
Praying for your son's health! Don't worry too much about the weight loss, though. My DD lost 10lbs which pushed her into the underweight category - that's when the Boost is introduced into her diet.

DS4Duty:
I'll disagree a bit with your assessment that not everyone fails. The cadre WILL make them fail to force them to learn how to work as a team. I forget who told the story of a marine prior who went to USAFA - one of the regulars on here. Anyway, if I remember the story correctly, they couldn't get this guy to fail at anything, so they asked him to teach the other basics how to make their beds. If they didn't do it properly - he failed. So, I guess it depends on your definition of "failing".
 
USAFA83GradWif - perhaps you are correct. My only experience is from my DS's stories/adventures. He said the Cardre has great lungs and stamina but at the end of the day, they are "pretty cool bunch". He did not see any Cardre single out a Basic to make him/her fail....just lots of yelling and verbal forces to get the Basic(s) going. Definitely no slacking for any of the Basics.

Perhaps it's different time, different methods....?
 
DS4Duty said:
USAFA83GradWif - perhaps you are correct. My only experience is from my DS's stories/adventures. He said the Cardre has great lungs and stamina but at the end of the day, they are "pretty cool bunch". He did not see any Cardre single out a Basic to make him/her fail....just lots of yelling and verbal forces to get the Basic(s) going. Definitely no slacking for any of the Basics.

Perhaps it's different time, different methods....?
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They do have more rules in place than when 2018 went through it from what DD told me. In general, these "kids" have never really failed at anything, so I know that they have to learn what that feels like & how to deal with it. Its a pretty tough lesson.

However, now that they're in 2nd BCT, it focuses much more on the team building aspect and less of the tearing down the individual. How the cadre achieve their goals is also very squadron dependent.
 
Cardiologist is a good call, but I would also bring up to the doctor the idea of being evaluated by an Otolaryngologist, an ear, nose, & throat doctor. DW has a nosebleed condition which requires a 3-day hospital stay. The Otolaryngologist stated that after the next occurrence, he would cauterize the blood vessels responsible so that the bleeds would never happen again. Also best to take a memo pad to doctor's office pre-filled out with questions you, and DS want answers for. In my experience, as soon as the Dr. starts talking, the discussion goes off on a tangent, and I forget to ask some questions. Also as DS is in military and part of Tricare now, any operations would be done by them. Good Luck!
 
Thanks to everyone. A few things... he has had the nose cauterized in the past. In fact, my wife told him he should get it done again before BCT. He didn't so the nose bleeds weren't totally unexpected knowing the climate. We thought they would cauterize it when he went to the sick bay but they decided to do test which showed the fast heart rate and new diagnosis. We are really in the dark except in letters and from our conversation with him on DDO. We are hoping the heart rate eventually returns to normal. It doesn't look like a condition that would require him to leave, but it could keep him from flying according to what he told us.

As for basics failing, let me explain myself better. Failing is working Cadets to understand how to be told they fail and how to react and become stronger. My son has been yelled at for helping other Cadets. He understands the process and spoke very highly of his Cadre. He stated what most parents have seen and heard from their Cadets - it is hard but they are dealing with BCT and surviving it. My DS spoke of it as a rewarding and positive experience so far. He did say all of them thought of quitting at some point but they help each other through it. His thought was when he was given the diagnosis, but after giving it more thought understood this was his dream and where he wanted to be. I was proud of his maturity.
 
Remember, that Our Lord and Savior is holding your entire family in the palm of his hand. My thoughts and prayers are with all of you. Keep us updated.

God Bless,


RGK
 
Dare, if you are from a low-land hi-humidity area, the thin dry air in Colorado can and often does lead to nosebleeds of unexplained origin. I will pray for your DS.

Lots of kids lose considerable weight during BCT. Don't worry about that at all!

Hard for parents, with their adult children so far away.
 
Daretodream...We are praying for your DS. That must be very worrisome, since there's only so much (practically nothing) you can do to help or intervene. I really feel confident, though, that, if your son was healthy enough to get where he is, this may just be a fleeting concern. Best wishes!!
 
Daretodream...I am curious as to what Squadron/flight your DS is in. Also, how is it that he knows their ranking?
 
falconfan said:
Daretodream...I am curious as to what Squadron/flight your DS is in. Also, how is it that he knows their ranking?
Click to expand...

The cadre get updates on the rankings of their squadrons and can choose to share that with their basics or not.
 
He is in Guts, Flight B. He said they get updates weekly on the ranking and that it is very fluid. It is hard as a parent because this is your child's first endeavor as an adult and it is done with little communication. However, you have to trust the people in whose hands you placed your child. He is getting great healthcare and seems to be making logical decisions on the treatment. He speaks highly of the Cadre.Most 2020 parents are hearing the same thing from our basics - it is very hard, but they fight through each day and appreciate the opportunity they are given. The few that leave outside of medical turnbacks do so because they didn't really understand the seriousness of the obligation. Overall, I have been very pleased with how the Academy has handled everything.
 
Daretodream : thanks for the update

PS
My DS is cadre for Guts. I know your DS is in good hands with people who care.
 
My DS is also Guts, Flight C. Looking at WebGuy's blogs and pictures, it appears the Basic Cadets are doing well. They all smiled and stroke poses for the pictures and lots of smiles in group pictures. Good sign. I believe the Academies are learning and making more effort to transition the new cadets. Personally, I don't believe the Academy is making BCT impossible or overly miserable. Firm, hard but fair. My DS did not have bad opinion of the BCT1 Cardre. I hope for the same in BCT2.
 
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