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I understand your parent's perspective. They want to protect you and are worried about your safety, not your financial well-being. As a retired infantry officer, I didn't want my kids to join the military. But guess what? It's who they are and trying to stop them from being themselves is...

And I worried I "helicopter parented" too much and didn't let DSs fall on their faces more. EMBRACE THE SUCK AND DRIVE ON! We have all experienced times when we felt unjustly maligned or singled out. Life.

This was several years ago so no clue on prices. We just did the bridge, the gondola, and took a helicopter ride. The bridge by itself is a little adventurous. The zip line looked super intense!

Royal Gorge is about a 45 minute drive away. It is absolutely amazing.

Another route is to enlist in the Reserves or National Guard, ideally in a cyber slot. Different branches of service may have different opportunities or programs. --Advantages: o GI Bill or Tuition Assistance. A pocket full of cash from basic and advanced training and cash from drill...

I point you to an article by a Marine selection board member. Google SandGram Marine option scholarship. If your kid isn't enthusiastic about being a Marine (and that means awesome PT scores which is a non-negotiable part of the culture) then it's unlikely the Marines will have much interest...

This Thanksgiving I had 2 USMA cadets, a USNA Midshipman, an AF ROTC, and a Marine ROTC crash in my basement. You will be mixed at VMI as well. Don't confuse good-natured, team-building rivalries with real life. It's a fun game and that's all. I doubt your dad cares what ROTC you do...

If you are just looking for a "military experience" without actually serving, it shouldn't be a big deal to do Army ROTC versus NROTC. The VMI experience would be the same regardless. And who knows you may really like it and want to give active duty a try or just National Guard/reserves...

DS attended NSI iteration #3 in 2023. Things change so plan accordingly. These are from a stream of consciousness and are not organized in any manner. This also is not pulling back the curtain and giving away any surprises or giving any survival TTPs to incoming NSI students. Instructions...

I'll stick with my definition that being surrounded by like-minded, vetted, committed, and talented individuals all striving for the same goal whom USN/USMC has committed funding and resources to commission as active-duty officers as sufficient to qualify for the "Major Leagues". You could...

My kid will graduate from NSI in two days. Prior to NSI, he was the best at everything. Number One. There wasn't an award or recognition he didn't get. Many out of the blue. Now he is in a pool of exceptional kids who achieved as much as he did, many achieving much more. I hope he can...

Terrible answer. No one is going to award a scholarship to someone who "just passes" the PFT. They are looking for motivated achievers, not "barely did the minimum".

Get ready for Round Two with the scum who ran into North Korea. How much time, money, and political capital will we waste on him? He'll probably get a Rose Garden ceremony, too.

So what you're saying is in spite of her introversion and shyness she put herself out there and became a confident leader of large groups and teams? That's exactly what I meant by "fixing" it. Maybe "overcoming to be comfortable as a leader" would have been a better word choice.

The fact that you arrived at a desire to serve without any outside prompting can be a strength. Tell that story. Sometimes people with military families, etc go in for the wrong reasons. They feel pressured or it's just tradition. Sounds like you have the right reasons. And try to find a...

You should fill out a travel voucher (your NROTC unit should assist in this). It might be travel pay is what your peers received. Ask the unit if there is regular pay associated with NSI as well but every indicator I've seen is there is not. Travel pay (known as Per Diem) will only be about...

"Of course her gender matters". Your quote. If you are in a supervisory position I wish I could provide this quote to your male subordinates if they are ever dissatisfied with their ratings or promotions. What "firsts" are worth extolling for a CNO at the POTUS level? Let's see: Black...

What is actually shocking is that you don't see the damage "historic" politically motivated dog and pony shows do when someone gets paraded in front of the media like a new ideological trophy. Optics matter. Or do they? What is predictable is that this trend will unfortunately continue and...

Her qualifications are irrelevant to my point. The fact that a politician used her as an identity politics prop is. He harmed her reputation, females and other minorities in the service, and the service itself by making it about something that should not be relevant in 2023. This is...

Her gender was front and center in President Biden's announcement. Convince me to put my kids' lives in her hands as well as the security of our country when her qualifications are contaminated by identity politics. Too late. As soon as Biden talked about gender you lost me. Hard to imagine...