A-Day

MommaFalcon22

MommaFalcon22

Member
Joined
Jul 2, 2018
Messages
41
Hi everyone, can someone tell me what to expect for A-day. There’s obviously a parade and I’ve heard that parents can spend a couple of hours with their cadet. We live in Illinois so it would take quite a bit for us to travel out there. Although we would cherish any opportunity to see him, I don’t know that flying out for just a couple of hours is really workable plan for us. We’re definitely coming out for Parents Weekend. There is also a parent group of Falcon Scholars and we all keep in touch and one of the moms will be going. Our kids are in different squadrons, what are her chances of visiting with my son? Thanks in advance!
 
You would see your DS for about 2 to 3 hours at Max. For us, we decided that our DS will be on his own for I-Day. We traveled on A-Day to see him after the BCT and take some school supplies he needed to start classes. We got to see his room and roommates. Also, we had the chance to see his squadron friends during the trip. It was a very short trip but got the chance to see a changed young man.
 
Our opinion is if it is in your budget, it is worth it. It was my wife's first peak into military life as you get to see your first of many parades, uniforms and military activities. While it is busy, it isn't nearly as busy as PW's. For us, getting to see them (we have two at USAFA 2 years apart) was worth it for us. Getting to see the transformation, hearing the stories, getting the hugs, etc. was worth it for us. However, I would estimate that maybe only 20-25% of parents come for A-Day so it isn't "everyone" is doing it. We got to meet some of their friends they wrote about and we saw on WebGuy (yes - you will get to know many of their friends through searching through many pics and that is how we found our DS/DD many of the times as we would start seeing others in their Element, so we knew to be on the lookout). In many cases, only one parent would come to A-Day. Not sure if this helps, but there really isn't a "right/wrong" way of doing it. It is a personal financial decision.........
 
Hebaragi said:
You would see your DS for about 2 to 3 hours at Max. For us, we decided that our DS will be on his own for I-Day. We traveled on A-Day to see him after the BCT and take some school supplies he needed to start classes. We got to see his room and roommates. Also, we had the chance to see his squadron friends during the trip. It was a very short trip but got the chance to see a changed young man.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the input! I’m now leaning towards making the trip.
 
KTMDad said:
Our opinion is if it is in your budget, it is worth it. It was my wife's first peak into military life as you get to see your first of many parades, uniforms and military activities. While it is busy, it isn't nearly as busy as PW's. For us, getting to see them (we have two at USAFA 2 years apart) was worth it for us. Getting to see the transformation, hearing the stories, getting the hugs, etc. was worth it for us. However, I would estimate that maybe only 20-25% of parents come for A-Day so it isn't "everyone" is doing it. We got to meet some of their friends they wrote about and we saw on WebGuy (yes - you will get to know many of their friends through searching through many pics and that is how we found our DS/DD many of the times as we would start seeing others in their Element, so we knew to be on the lookout). In many cases, only one parent would come to A-Day. Not sure if this helps, but there really isn't a "right/wrong" way of doing it. It is a personal financial decision.........
Click to expand...

Thank you so much for the insight . The feedback from you and another poster has me inclined to make the trip! My DS was in CAP and went to a military prep school so that part won’t be a shocker. But the idea of seeing him right after the beast and taking in the new environment is too compelling to miss. Thanks again!!
 
Do what works for you and your family. If you choose not to travel, someone else will feed him! The best chances of meeting up with your Falcon friend is if 1) they happen to be in the same squadron or are numerically very close or 2) they plan to eat lunch together. The Basics/new Doolies will get their phones back prior to the parade. Just make sure they have contact numbers and know each other's squadron and they can easily meet up.

Following the parade, guests can go out onto the field and join the squadrons. Each squadron has their own shoulder board ceremony. Ask parents in your own squadron to photo or video the shoulder board ceremony for you. Some parents may do this anyway and post it in the facebook group.

Once they finish the ceremony and get a few group pics with the new boards, people start heading off in different directions and to have their picnic lunch. DS could go meet your friend at this point. However, he will likely have multiple invitations to join his own squad mates if he makes it known that his parents aren't coming!

After eating lunch, we had a little over an hour to go to the car, gather the items we brought, and go see his room and around the squad area. And that was it! Short and sweet!
 
2021mom said:
Do what works for you and your family. If you choose not to travel, someone else will feed him! The best chances of meeting up with your Falcon friend is if 1) they happen to be in the same squadron or are numerically very close or 2) they plan to eat lunch together. The Basics/new Doolies will get their phones back prior to the parade. Just make sure they have contact numbers and know each other's squadron and they can easily meet up.

Following the parade, guests can go out onto the field and join the squadrons. Each squadron has their own shoulder board ceremony. Ask parents in your own squadron to photo or video the shoulder board ceremony for you. Some parents may do this anyway and post it in the facebook group.

Once they finish the ceremony and get a few group pics with the new boards, people start heading off in different directions and to have their picnic lunch. DS could go meet your friend at this point. However, he will likely have multiple invitations to join his own squad mates if he makes it known that his parents aren't coming!

After eating lunch, we had a little over an hour to go to the car, gather the items we brought, and go see his room and around the squad area. And that was it! Short and sweet!
Click to expand...

Awesome! Thanks so much for all the info! This is very good to know. I only joined this forum yesterday and it’s you guys have all been so helpful!
 
Another question: we’ve decided to do the trip! Is the commitment dinner something that the parents and family are invited to or is it just the picnic after the parade?
 
MommaFalcon22 said:
Another question: we’ve decided to do the trip! Is the commitment dinner something that the parents and family are invited to or is it just the picnic after the parade?
Click to expand...

The commitment dinner is for the C2Cs (cadets starting their "junior" year) to celebrate their formal commitment to service in the U.S. Air Force. This is a cadet-only function.

As indicated above, there will only be a couple hours of time with your cadet after the parade - let your budget be your guide, but Parents Weekend (PW) is a better time to bring the entire family to the academy.
 
Oh, thanks for the clarification! We’re definitely in for PW. Based on some other sound advice regarding that weekend, we rented a home about 2 miles from SG. Thanks again for your answer, I really appreciate it!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top