- Joined
- Oct 21, 2016
- Messages
- 368
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