USNA Mid Mom & BGO Willing to Answer Questions...Yes, Even That One

Navigating this whole USNA adventure can be a struggle, especially when you aren't familiar with military ways or seemingly lack thereof. I am available for parents, to answer questions from a Mid Mom & BGO perspective. No question is "dumb." I sincerely would like to help with the transition, no condescension; often found via social media avenues. Hit me up!

Hi! maybe this year will be different then in years past, but how does thanksgiving break usually work? specifically, what day do we get off that week?
Thank you guys for doing this!!

usAwesome said:

Hi! maybe this year will be different then in years past, but how does thanksgiving break usually work? specifically, what day do we get off that week?
Thank you guys for doing this!!

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Traditionally Mids are able to leave after all classes & military obligations are completed on Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving. For us, that has always been around 1530. The drawback is, every other Mid is trying to leave at the same time. We are in the Midwest so my son has always flown home early on Thanksgiving Daysince we are close enough that the flights don't eat up that entire day; along with less congestion leaving USNA & getting to the airport, cheaper Ubers due to less demand. He stays with his sponsor family that Wednesday evening. We book his return flight arriving BWI that following Sunday, landing around 1400-1500. Southwest just opened their flights through the first week in January and are the most flexible with changes. Be sure to add your Mids DOD# to their account under Known Traveler Number so they can get TSA Pre-Check, saving time at security. You can also call airlines directly to see if their military discount is cheaper than booking online.

Depending on what state you're from, the parents club might have a Thanksgiving solution for you. The NJ parents club runs busses from USNA on Thankgiving Weds and back on Sunday to/from three locations within the state.

Usually - the caveat being just because it has been done a certain way in previous years, does not mean it cannot change:

- The Wednesday class schedule starts very early, so all 5 class periods get shoved into the morning for a normal class day. Usually flights out of BWI are doable around 2:30 pm. That’s allowing for pre-Thanksgiving security lines. Even the TSA pre-check line can be huge at BWI. I fly out of there regularly for business, and more and more people have the pre-check.

- There is a time they have to be back by on Sunday AND a time their plane has to land by, to allow for delays. If they are late, and their plane landed within the required window, all is well. If they took a risk and booked to arrive too close to reporting in time, and they are late, they are caught in a misconduct offense. I have seen variances in required report time from 6 pm to 10 pm over the years. They have to get a good head count of 4000+ mids, and no one likes to be up until 3 AM trying to get it right, because a roomie signed in for someone who cut it too close and is now delayed. Do not book until your Plebe knows what the leave parameters are; it is his or her responsibility to know and manage these things. I realize the fares only get more expensive as time goes on. Talk with experienced parents in your parents club for insights. Or, book conservatively. As much as your Plebe likes being away from the Yard, he or she knows semester exams and the chaos of Army-Navy week are looming, and schoolwork awaits.

- Plebes figure out how to get to and from BWI - sponsor rides, shared Ubers, kindly upperclass, etc. Let them handle it.

As soon as possible during their mid years, educate and launch your mid into managing their own travel bookings, fare searches, etc. This is a military skill, and there is no better time to learn, even if you are still paying for it. Establishing membership in airline rewards programs where they can start accumulating miles or points will be helpful later on.

“Military fares” may not always be cheaper, but the terms of the fare usually include no fee for changes, recognizing the inherently dynamic elements of military life. Of course, this is never an issue for Southwest, and during this pandemic, airlines have been waiving change fees.

Resist those cheaper fares into and out of Dulles. Navigating the DC Beltway between Annapolis and Dulles over holiday travel windows required an extra generous window of travel time. You just never know how long it’s going to take for that transit.

Washington National Ronald Reagan DC can also be a challenge to get to, transit time wise. One way of doing it is getting to the Metro Station at New Carrollton, and taking the Metro to the DC airport stop.

AMTRAK has a station at BWI, a mile or two from the air terminal with free shuttles to and from. The Northeast Regional trains run throughout the day and are a relatively easy way to get to Philadelphia, Wilmington, Newark, NYC, and points in between. The AD military fares are decent.

TSA PRE-CHECK FOR MIDSHIPMEN

See link below. Their CAC card will have their DOD number on it. Ensure the name on their ID matches the name in the airline profile, airline rewards and ticket name.

OldRetSWO said:

Depending on what state you're from, the parents club might have a Thanksgiving solution for you. The NJ parents club runs busses from USNA on Thankgiving Weds and back on Sunday to/from three locations within the state.

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Can non NJ Mids take this bus? MY P2B has an Aunt and Uncle in Central NJ. We are on the west coast in a small town so looking at other options if flying home is not reasonable.

JmeBeMe said:

Navigating this whole USNA adventure can be a struggle, especially when you aren't familiar with military ways or seemingly lack thereof. I am available for parents, to answer questions from a Mid Mom & BGO perspective. No question is "dumb." I sincerely would like to help with the transition, no condescension; often found via social media avenues. Hit me up!

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Hello! My parents and I are trying to plan a trip for spring break in 2021. Can plebes expect to be able to travel the Friday before break, or should I book my flight on Saturday just to be safe?

Capt MJ said:

Usually - the caveat being just because it has been done a certain way in previous years, does not mean it cannot change:

- The Wednesday class schedule starts very early, so all 5 class periods get shoved into the morning for a normal class day. Usually flights out of BWI are doable around 2:30 pm. That’s allowing for pre-Thanksgiving security lines. Even the TSA pre-check line can be huge at BWI. I fly out of there regularly for business, and more and more people have the pre-check.

- There is a time they have to be back by on Sunday AND a time their plane has to land by, to allow for delays. If they are late, and their plane landed within the required window, all is well. If they took a risk and booked to arrive too close to reporting in time, and they are late, they are caught in a misconduct offense. I have seen variances in required report time from 6 pm to 10 pm over the years. They have to get a good head count of 4000+ mids, and no one likes to be up until 3 AM trying to get it right, because a roomie signed in for someone who cut it too close and is now delayed.

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Just to clarify something I could have written more clearly:

“If they are late, and their plane was scheduled to arrive in the required window of time, all will be well. If they scheduled their arrival outside and after the required window, and they are late reporting in, then they risk a conduct offense.”

The rationale behind this is to get the mids in the habit of understanding it is a major failure to “miss ship’s movement,” and officers are never expected to do so unless something catastrophic has occurred.

Determined said:

Hello! My parents and I are trying to plan a trip for spring break in 2021. Can plebes expect to be able to travel the Friday before break, or should I book my flight on Saturday just to be safe?

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Depends on when the Liberty starts .... this is way too early to be planning a 2021 Spring Break trip.
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Determined said:

Hello! My parents and I are trying to plan a trip for spring break in 2021. Can plebes expect to be able to travel the Friday before break, or should I book my flight on Saturday just to be safe?

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Usually, if past patterns are followed, you are allowed to check out on leave after LMO, your last military obligation. Much will depend on when your last scheduled class is on that day. You won’t have a sports period (varsity athletes in season may), parade, etc. in the afternoon.

Please read my posts above about reporting back on Sunday, about how times have varied over the years for report-back times and the requirement for your plane to be scheduled to arrive X hours before reporting time. Any time the entire Brigade comes back at once, this tends to be the case.

I don’t think I’ve recently seen any reporting times prior to 1800, and as I recall, the planned arrival window might be 4 hours, so your plane would have to have a scheduled arrival NLT 1400. If it’s 2000 return time, it might be 1600 plane arrival time. You’d probably be safe booking an arrival at 1400. No way to tell this far in advance what the requirement will be.

If you’re booking Southwest, not an issue if you have to adjust. You just pay the fare difference, if any, and no additional fee.

Additionally, if you are planning out-of-the-country travel, that takes special leave papers and approval. Military members are subject to government directives restricting personal travel to certain countries for security and other reasons.

Depending on what is going on with COVID-19 at the time, there may be DOD restrictions on travel.

This is an introduction to being flexible with your personal life and plans when it comes to being in the military.

Determined said:

Hello! My parents and I are trying to plan a trip for spring break in 2021. Can plebes expect to be able to travel the Friday before break, or should I book my flight on Saturday just to be safe?

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If planning this far in advance, I would definitely plan to book for a Saturday flight. Without knowing your course schedule at this juncture, I would not assume to know when your class & military obligations would wrap up for a Friday evening departure. My Mid has always left on an early Saturday am flight. Typically Mids don't have to report back until the following Sunday evening & USNA schedules Spring Break offset from "normal" college vacation week so you'll have a lengthy vacation even leaving on Saturday. All of this depends on no conduct or academic violations as well. It is not updated into March 2021 at the moment but a good indicator (although it is not set in stone) is the USNA parent calendar at usna.com/parent-calendar I have found it to be fairly accurate.

CJS68 said:

Can non NJ Mids take this bus? MY P2B has an Aunt and Uncle in Central NJ. We are on the west coast in a small town so looking at other options if flying home is not reasonable.

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I think so as I've seen mids bring friends with them and of course, a ticket must be paid for. I would have the aunt and uncle get in touch with the USNA NJ Parents Club to lay some groundwork for it.

I would definitely hold off on spring break tickets. USNA offers lots of opportunities for mids during spring break. Some are associated with your major, some with ECAs, etc. They are voluntary but they also fun and well attended. I know mids who did mission trips (religion), those who did a week of adventure leadership, those who went to look at the northern lights (or something like that) for oceanography. All sorts of options. Also, many mids want to vacation with each other (not their parents). Keep in mind, USNA is now their life and, in some sense, their home.

Capt MJ said:

“If they are late, and their plane was scheduled to arrive in the required window of time, all will be well. If they scheduled their arrival outside and after the required window, and they are late reporting in, then they risk a conduct offense.”

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I've probably posted the story here before -- but Plebe year I rode with a Firstie (and car full of others) up to Massachusett's to see my GF. We left to come back about 10 pm on Saturday night, but the car broke down at 0100 (in the Bronx !), and we spent most of Sunday trying to get a ride back to Annapolis. (This was way before cell phones, so connecting with classmates, etc, was tough). Long story short, we ended up in Annapolis about after we were supposed to be back.. As the only plebe in the group, I had no control of the situation, and once I told the story to my Company Officer (including the fact that we were scheduled to be back to Annapolis by 0600 Sunday), I never heard any more of it.

If you get delayed ...communicate ! Call Main Office and your Midshipman chain of command, and report the delay. It's got to be a lot easier now than it was before cell phones.

Capt MJ said:

TSA PRE-CHECK FOR MIDSHIPMEN

See link below. Their CAC card will have their DOD number on it. Ensure the name on their ID matches the name in the airline profile, airline rewards and ticket name.

Don’t Stand in Line: TSA Precheck Open to Military, DOD Civilians

Service members are trusted to defend the nation, surely they can be trusted when boarding a plane. This is the thinking of the Transportation Security Administration, which is pushing to ensure that

www.defense.gov

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When will the P2b’s be issued their CAC card?

They will get them during Plebe Summer.

Capt MJ said:

“If they are late, and their plane was scheduled to arrive in the required window of time, all will be well. If they scheduled their arrival outside and after the required window, and they are late reporting in, then they risk a conduct offense.”

The rationale behind this is to get the mids in the habit of understanding it is a major failure to “miss ship’s movement,” and officers are never expected to do so unless something catastrophic has occurred.

Click to expand...

To expand on Capt MJ's comment: Do not schedule a flight that has you landing at BWI with exactly 40 minutes to get to USNA. get in SDBs, and make formation. Your BattO will likely have no remorse if you are playing it this close. I know mids who were fried for this. If you plan well and are delayed, you probably won't get in trouble. Give yourself a reasonable window, ie. plan to be back on the yard 2-3 hours before EOL.

So as an Arizonan I know our son will not be home for Thanksgiving for the next 4 years. That being said, will he likely be with a sponsor? Holed up in Mother B? Thank you in advance.

Is it just distance keeping him from Thanksgiving? He can go home. It’s just a shorter amount of time at home for the west coast Mids. Red eye flights become the usual path for many wear coast Mids. Every sponsor is different. Some would welcome a Mid for the holidays. Some might be packing up and hitting the road to see their own families. He will make friends with classmates from all over. One of them will ask him to tag along I am sure if he has no where to go. They take care of one another. He might be more comfortable at a buddy’s house than his sponsor too. It will all play out fine.