Supplies issue

A definite "yes" for mailing compression shorts during plebe summer. Mine also asked for good smelling body spray/deodorant - he said everyone was quite smelly throughout PS. During PS I wrote letters and placed in plain white envelopes (no stickers or cutesy things written on the outside - plebe wanted all PS mail to be sent "under the radar." During the school year, DS asked not to send long letters because he didn't have time to read long letters, but he liked receiving mail; so I sent a postcard 5-6 times a week. I asked my co-workers/friends to pick up post cards when they traveled and for DS's entire plebe year I was able to send postcards from all over the world (places I have never been). I think half the fun was seeing the exotic/beautiful places on the cards. I also went through an "animal" phase where I sent zoo post cards of all sorts of animals (especially monkeys, apes, chimps, etc. - because it's kind of a family joke to give a monkey card for every occasion).
 
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Capt MJ said:
Over the years, one of the more clever ideas I have seen involved equipping your plebe with stamped, pre-addressed letters or postcards, with variations of fill-in-the-blank sentences along the lines of:

Dear mom and dad,

This week was great/good/bad/don't ask.

Funniest thing that happened this week was ______________________.

Best thing I ate this week was _____.

I am healthy except for a little______.

Please send _______.

Don't send _________.

Tell ________________ I said hi.

Overall, I feel ________.

Love,



Have fun with this, customize to your family, stick them in the first package you mail.
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I sent a "mad Lib" letter, prestamped and addressed, in each care package. DS gave them back to me at PPW, not a single one had been filled out. I told him the size of his Christmas present would be proportional to the amount of letters we had received from him.
 
THS said:
Don't forget the Midstore - there's quite a bit of stuff there. Not sure if plebes will have access to the Midstore during PS, but we found it easier to add $ to DS' yard card for purchases made during the AC ...
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I'm pretty sure last year the plebes went at least once to the mid-store to see what it looked like and to get the chance to restock basic toiletries if needed. I think their first visit was about 2-3 weeks into PS. For new 2021 parents, plan on a minimum of 3 hours in the mid-store when you visit for the first time.
 
If a Plebe runs out of something like deodorant they tell their detailer and it will be taken care of. Yes they get at least one mid store trip PS to restock things like that. Detailers are hard, but it's their job to take care of their Plebes and ensure they have the essentials. Plebes smell bad. No amount of body spray, soap or deodorant can cover that. A mass of 40 people who are sweating non-stop all using the exact same toiletries and laundry soap makes for the worst smell. Writing this I swear I can smell a Plebe! It's part of the gig, academic year it goes away.

Ladies bring extra sports bras. Compression shorts for all. Extra socks and underwear. Mom and Dad can mail it when you leave for I Day so it comes within the first few days so you don't have to carry it. Wear your broken in running shoes to I Day.
 
And yes letters! My parents both wrote. It was the most mundane things that I loved. They told me about the weather, what mom cooked for dinner what they did that day. At first made me slightly home sick but I loved hearing the normal things about life. They sent me articles from the local paper in stuff I would like. Anything even to say hi, thinking of you and you can do it, will make their day.
 
The things mine asked for last summer: pictures, a good razor (because he was dry shaving), and peanut butter. He really didn't care about other food care package items. I did send him a letter every day of plebe summer with a Calvin and Hobbes strip, a joke, some inspirational quote, and a short note about inane things at home. Pictures were his number one request- I sent a few collages of his pictures from instagram and twitter.
 
Can only family members write to you over PS or can friends write too? How do you know what address to write too? Are you told beforehand?
 
Send drink mix powder. It gets hoarded by a lot of plebes who take more than their share and then many get absolutely none. So be prepared to send it. Same with food during AC Year. There is never enough. Our plebe has survived on care packages and side-dishes. They have a few who take more than their share. Traditionally the sports teams take too much and leave little that then gets hoarded.
 
NavyHoops said:
Ladies bring extra sports bras. Compression shorts for all. Extra socks and underwear. Mom and Dad can mail it when you leave for I Day so it comes within the first few days so you don't have to carry it. Wear your broken in running shoes to I Day.
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How would we know what underwear and socks are allowed? I had to do the same for my DS in the Corps at college but I knew exactly what to buy.
 
Wow. Seeing some of this stuff worries me. Some of this is really old advice from an old parents club website

They give the Plebes an air tight container with their issued gear on Iday. You don't need to send one in the first package.

Don't worry about sending anything until they get there and then let your plebe ask for what they need. That being said, compression shorts and for female Plebes. Sports bras.
 
PTR package will have the info. If your DS or DD needs something they will ask for it.
 
Thanks for letting me know about the airtight container. There were a couple of parents sites for USNA on social media-one piece of advice for the class of 2020 parents seriously recommended that parents read all the mid regs. (SERIOUSLY????!!! WHY???!!!!???) It got so we didn't know what to believe, so we now have our own different site.
 
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Dad2020 said:
Send drink mix powder. It gets hoarded by a lot of plebes who take more than their share and then many get absolutely none. So be prepared to send it. Same with food during AC Year. There is never enough. Our plebe has survived on care packages and side-dishes. They have a few who take more than their share. Traditionally the sports teams take too much and leave little that then gets hoarded.
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I've never heard any of this from my plebe. And he is not on one of the major sports teams, so I'm sure he's not getting "extra" or more than his share. He has never said there was too little of anything, but he has said some of the meals aren't that great, so he eats cereal for dinner sometimes or orders a pizza from Papa Johns (there's a special 50% off code for mids).
 
Dad2020 said:
Send drink mix powder. It gets hoarded by a lot of plebes who take more than their share and then many get absolutely none. So be prepared to send it. Same with food during AC Year. There is never enough. Our plebe has survived on care packages and side-dishes. They have a few who take more than their share. Traditionally the sports teams take too much and leave little that then gets hoarded.
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I think that shows the differences in experiences-my DS said to stop sending drink powders as they had more gatorade than they knew what to do with-it was apparently taking all of the space in their closets?? And other than treat foods, which I didn't send until after PS due to the no junk food rules, he said to stop sending food because they had too much. He did request cereal and peanut butter as back ups for times he missed meals due to duties, but he actually gained weight at the start of Plebe Summer because of how much food was pushed on them. He said the quality of food is very much "cafeteria" but there is always plenty although they do often order pizza now, just like I did on late nights in the dorm in traditional college.
 
I'm looking at a Class of 2019 budget book and I'm surprised there is so much stuff. How can they possibly fit all that in a dorm room with 2 or 3 other people. Amazing, but good. As I peruse through the list, if Class of 2021 is anything like it, they won't want for much except letters from home. 22 pairs of athletic socks - I don't think he's ever owned that many socks at one time in his life. :)
 
I guess back to my original question... do plebes receive that entire list of supplies at the beginning of PS or in spurts throughout PS? The only things I can think of that I would actually send him is the razor and deodorant that he really likes even though they supply a different brand. That list is amazingly complete.
 
The only thing that I would say I immediately got use out of as a Plebe was the extra compression shorts. My parents sent care packages later, and I appreciated them, but compression shorts are the one thing that I made use of right away besides the running shoes I brought. If I'm not mistaken you only get around 8 pairs to start out, which doesn't actually last that long given the amount of sweating that happens.

It would be helpful to send a few white colored pairs in addition to any black compression shorts you send as they are good to wear under summer whites.

Also, males are issued briefs in addition to compression shorts, so if you're more comfortable in boxers/boxer briefs, then that might be something to have sent to you

As mentioned above, plebes will visit the mid store once around the middle of plebe summer.

Dad2020 said:
Send drink mix powder. It gets hoarded by a lot of plebes who take more than their share and then many get absolutely none. So be prepared to send it. Same with food during AC Year. There is never enough. Our plebe has survived on care packages and side-dishes. They have a few who take more than their share. Traditionally the sports teams take too much and leave little that then gets hoarded.
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Sports teams have their own tables at most meals during the academic year, so I'm confused as to how they hoard food from your plebe. In fact, at most meals you can ask for an extra food tray for your table if everything gets eaten. Or you can ask around other tables for extra food, most people are pretty receptive to that. I can understand if your plebe didn't feel comfortable as a 4/C speaking up to get more food, but usually there is enough for everyone as long as you are proactive about asking for it.
 
anne99 said:
I guess back to my original question... do plebes receive that entire list of supplies at the beginning of PS or in spurts throughout PS? The only things I can think of that I would actually send him is the razor and deodorant that he really likes even though they supply a different brand. That list is amazingly complete.
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They receive everything they need to live immediately and then the rest comes in spurts. It's designed so that one could literally show up with only his or her clothes and the appropriate paperwork and need nothing else for the rest of their time at the Academy
 
They get the majority on I Day. They will receive all their PT gear, White works, t shirts, socks, underwear, sneakers on I day. There is more than that. That will mostly be that giant white bag they fill up at Alumni. When they get to their room on I Day there will be serveral large boxes of cleaning supplies, shampoo, deodorant, toothpaste, toothbrush, razor, shaving cream, soap, other toiletries, stationary, pens, stamps, professional books, bed linens, towels, laundry bags, shoes polish, etc. So not everything on day 1, but it's a ton and everything they need at that point of time. For females there are boxes with things such as female toiletries and feminine products. So they have everything they could possibly need to care for themselves, their rooms and and be just fine. They could honestly show up with the clothes on their back, required papers and their wallet and be fine. Not kidding on that part. If they go to Chapel the first Sunday they will even give them a Bible.

They continue to get more and more uniforms throughout the summer as they are needed. Actually uniform issue and fittings continue through early Plebe Year.
 
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