Saturday mornings may have training for the plebes, or a platoon run, or some other required evolution that the plebes are responsible for (I’ll say the word “boards” but won’t expand) that builds class esprit d’corps and teaches teamwork, discipline and time management. Plebes rate the least number of privileges, and earn more each year or as they achieve certain other things; among those privileges is liberty. The immersion model of military training mimics the 24/7 workstyle of operational Fleet or Corps environments. Hence, they stand watch in the Hall, an introduction to the concept of standing watch on a ship, sub or other duty location. It’s all about learning and suffering as a group, learning to rely on each other and getting things accomplished as a team. Military people miss a lot, I repeat, a lot of family events, due to operational needs. Most of the time, there is an effort to honor family commitments. It’s a challenge at USNA, because if you let 1 Plebe go, that sets a precedent for all other plebes requesting non-emergency weekend chits.
At least it’s not a football weekend, which is a mandatory evolution for mids not otherwise excused.
Plebes will be in AD status in the military as of I-Day. The training to military norms comes in many forms. Your DS will be so unimaginably busy by then with looming academics, Plebe duties, watch-standing, trying to get his PT in, 101 minor mandatory things, that the weekends just blur by. He won’t be lounging around a college campus.
I have to tell a small sea story from my BattO time at USNA. The Commandant constantly coached us that the 6 Battalions should be enforcing MidRegs roughly the same way, ditto exceptions, as we were “1 ship, not 6.” Easter was coming up, and it’s not a Federal holiday. Liberty expired at the normal time at that time at 6 pm on Sunday. I had said no to several chits asking for a later return, as it was a school night, and was not exceptional enough to say yes. Five of the six of us sailed in formation on that. I called around to a few of the others to ensure I was in sync. But - one BattO said “yes” to a chit saying the mid’s family tradition on Easter was an evening dinner, and he wanted to return at 11 pm. Astonishingly, chits started flooding in to all of us, with the tradition of an evening family dinner being the reason - pretty darn pervasive traditions. Mids are no dummies - they exploited the crack in the leadership cohesiveness. That BattO had to stand tall in front of the Dant. The Dant gave everyone 1.5 extra hours and used it as a leadership training moment, which he talked about at a Brigade all hands call. Any of us who served know you have to “keep ‘em equally happy, or equally unhappy.” The point of this is precedent. Out of 4200-ish mids, how many are likely to have siblings marrying over a 4-year period?
I don’t know which way this will go. He can only try.