Parents of 2022'ers

To the parents of 2022'ers who have officially accepted their appointments, I welcome you to the USAFA family.

You are about to embark on a wonderful, yet stressful, journey. Embrace the months you have remaining until I-Day. You are joining a new and very supportive family. I highly recommend the following

1. Attend I-Day. Yes, it is very emotional but rewarding. Your DD/DS is about to take on probably their biggest challenge thus far. You'll get to attend briefings, breakfast, lunch, meet with leadership, etc. The Academy does a great job taking care of us too. On the next day, wake up early and head to the Academy and claim a spot along the chapel wall. Early is as soon as the gates open. This is where you can witness the new cadets taking their oath of enlistment and your first glimpse of them in uniform. Bring binoculars and personalized signs. I really enjoyed this . You can also stock up on USAFA attire at the tent sale at Doolittle Hall.

2. If you have the means and finances, attend the A-Day Parade. This marks the completion of BCT and your DD/DS being accepted (not recognized) by the cadet wing and when they fall into their new squadrons (Go CS5 Wolfpack). However, you will only have about 2 hours to have lunch with your new C4C (you bring lunch). My wife went out, DS appreciated it. It is a big moment for them. If you can't make it, no worries. There are plenty of fellow parents that will "adopt" your cadet.

3. Parents Weekend. Book early as this is not only a Class of 2022 thing, but the entire cadet wing. Hotels, flights, and rental cars book fast. I already booked this years trip. This is a great time to go. You will get tours of your DD/DS's living quarters (Sijan or Vandy), Mitchell, Arnold, and Fairchild Halls, Jack's Valley, etc. You can also attend the home opener (football). You will have a lot of time with your cadet, both on and off base. Another great part is meeting your new extended family.

Welcome, and I'll see you PW.

PS: Sign up for WebGuy

You can also watch the KAFA Facebook page. Cadet photographers and professional photographers post their photos on a Flickr link there. (I did it last summer) and you get to see some shots that you won’t see on webguy (cadets are able to go where Kelsie and Karina (the webgirls) can’t go (aka in squadrons))
You can also take a look at the USAFA Spirit Facebook page. I have been running that page for my four years at Usafa and it contains a lot of Cadet life things. Unfortunately I am having a hard time passing it down to another Cadet who willingly goes to events like I have done. But please check KAFA and Usafa Spirit out!

Also, if you are hard on money, I would attend I-Day over A-day parade. You only get about 3 hours with your Cadet after the parade as they have to get acclimated with their squadrons before school starts. The upperclassmen are not allowed to have any contact with them prior to a-day parade, so right after the freshmen have to start learning who their upperclassmen are (not entirely in a training way).

A heads up for anyone planning on attending Swearing in Ceremony, A-Day parade, or Parents Weekend. You will want to show up 2-3 hour before the event begins. Parents weekend I would recommend getting in as soon as the gates open. Last year at the sweating in ceremony, parents were lining up on the class wall at 5am, and it was hard for me as a photographer for bct to get a spot on the wall by 730am.

We made a dash to the wall as soon as we got through the gates when they opened. We were lucky enough to get a parking spot at Arnold Hall and still ended up in the second row. It fills up fast. No worries this year though, I can sleep in
 
I already booked my flight for Parents weekend. I did that in November.
Is your DD/DS a 22'er?

Yes she is! She officially got it this morning!! But she was a Falcon Scholar and had been excelling there so I made my reservations knowing she would get one. I am so excited as Gen Kelly had told the Falcons that it would be at the end of March to April when the Falcons would get their appointments! But she got it today!!
 
We have both a USAFA graduate and an applicant for the 2022 class. We went out for I-Day, A-Day and PW, but I have always believed that if from the start, you do what is most comfortable for your family, your journey at USAFA will be the most enjoyable. In retrospect, if there was one thing we did that I would recommend, is to bring all school supplies, printer cartridges, printer, monitor, snacks, OTC medications in a small container, and a sleeping bag (because they often do not want to sleep in their neatly made beds), on A-Day. It was squad specific as to what the cadets could have but by A-Day, they knew what was allowed. We planned to take home anything our cadet could not have. There was plenty of time after lunch to go to their rooms, set things up and go to the student store for any last minute items. On PW we did not need to do any shopping and our cadet was able to start school fully supplied. This worked for our family but again always do what works for yours!
 
^^Yes, this worked very well for our family too. If you are flying in for A-Day, order your big ticket stuff and have it shipped to the local store for pickup once you arrive. Also plan on stopping at Walmart, Walgreens etc to pick up the little stuff. That way, you don't have to travel with everything on the plane.
 
I was booking my hotel today for parents weekend at the end of August and found many of the hotels are already booked out. I got the last room of one hotel that is a few miles away. So those going to parents weekend may want to book the hotel now.
 
I’m not a parent, but I thought maybe I had some good advice to offer regarding hotels/lodging. When I went out to USAFA for my admission tour, me and my family stayed on Buckley AFB in their lodging. It’s right near Denver and not a long drive from the academy. If you are a military family and can stay on base, I would definitely look into it. The room was great and it was INSANELY cheap, and you will probably find a place to stay for parents weekend, etc..., easier than another hotel.
 
I was booking my hotel today for parents weekend at the end of August and found many of the hotels are already booked out. I got the last room of one hotel that is a few miles away. So those going to parents weekend may want to book the hotel now.

It books fast, especially near USAFA. You can find rooms down I25 or by the airport on 24. But, anything near exit 156 sells out. I booked early too so I am right there near the gates again. I-Day we ended out by the airport, the commute got old.
 
We did hotels for PW's then rented a house for graduation week. Having a garage available for storage of dorm stuff after graduation was recommended by a previous poster & worked out for us. They have to be out of their dorms by the afternoon of graduation day! Booked 2 years in advance.

Also plan your drive from Denver Airport to CSprings by NOT using the toll road. It's really easy to figure out although the it took me 3 years to do it (sigh). Check it out on Google Maps.

Just a thought on a different topic-DD was recalling how much she used Excel at the Academy. If your appointee has the opportunity to either brush up or become more confortable in the use of Excel before the start of the academic year, it would be helpful. I don't think one has to go crazy or worry about it if you don't know every feature, but if you could take a class (online?) or watch YouTube videos it will come in very handy. People at work who use it don't even use Word; they do everything on Excel.
 
Back
Top