Class of 2016-Mailbox Stalkers Club

I told DS. I couldn't not tell him. He was OK - not because he doesn't want it - but because he said there is still the national pool. Amazing young man I tell you.

His portal under nomination just has the MOC listed and I can't find that postcard we received. How do you get a presidential nom? My DH has 18+ years in (20 month break in service while doing his college via ROTC he received from the SOAR program - we were already married with two kids by this point :wink:). I thought you needed 20 years AD service to get presidential?

How many are in the National Pool? How many are appointed from the Nat'l pool?

Thanks all - your support today has been great. I really appreciate it. But at least i'm not longer an official mailbox stalker... not much to look forward to anymore.
 
CristalLee said:
I thought you needed 20 years AD service to get presidential?
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Interesting question! I thought the same thing. I had 10 years AD AF. But DS is my stepson. I didn't adopt him legally when I married my wife (she was a widow). If it's possible to get a presidential I need to talk to somebody. I'm sure one of the "wise ones" will chime in.
 
Greetings fellow stalkers.

I have something on my mind to share about this stressful AFA candidate process. I have been reading this thread every single day for the last month and I must say that it was truly an honor to interact with ALOs, candidates and parents of candidates. Even if I get a TWE I have learned so much from this candidacy experience and had the pleasure of speaking with many a wonderful people. I have learned so much about the Air Force and what it really means to be part of this great team. The fact that I have been part of a group of successful people who seek to serve their country with honor and integrity by taking on the Academy challenge is a priceless experience. A TWE will not stop any candidate from ultimately becoming a United States Air Force officer.

Fellow stalkers, I salute you. Happy stalking.
 
Correct me if I am wrong but I believe the requirement is retired or be on active duty and have served continuously on active duty for at least 8 years. My DH is retired (flew the same plane as your avatar!) and had to submit DD Form 214. If still on active duty, attach a statement of service dated and signed by current personnel officer. I am not sure about timeframe though. My DS turned in paperwork for the Presidential this summer. It never hurts to ask though. Good luck!
 
It looks as though the answer is - 8 years active duty service to be eligible for a Presidential. That being said, we didn't even apply to the President, previously believing it was 20 years. So sad.
 
CristalLee said:
It looks as though the answer is - 8 years active duty service to be eligible for a Presidential. That being said, we didn't even apply to the President, previously believing it was 20 years. So sad.
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Contact his Counselor and see if anything can be done, after all your husband has EARNED that perk....

Keeping my fingers crossed for you...

:eek:
 
CristalLee said:
It looks as though the answer is - 8 years active duty service to be eligible for a Presidential. That being said, we didn't even apply to the President, previously believing it was 20 years. So sad.
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Here is the word on Presidential noms from the Academy 2012 catalog:

Military Affiliated
To request a nomination in the Presidential, Children of Deceased or Disabled Veterans, Military or Civilian Personnel in a
Missing Status, or Children of Medal of Honor Recipients categories, follow the sample military-affiliated format included in
this section. Mail the letter to the Admissions Office, HQ USAFA/RRS, 2304 Cadet Drive, Suite 2400, USAF Academy, CO
80840-5025. If you are eligible to apply in one of the other military-affiliated categories, follow the specific instructions for
that category.
Presidential
We may have up to 100 appointments in the Presidential category. This category is reserved for children of career military
personnel. To qualify, the parent must meet one of the following criteria:
• be on active duty and have served continuously on active duty for at least eight years or,
• have retired with pay or have been granted retired or retainer pay or,
• children of reservists may also be eligible (see Section 12733 Title 10 U.S.C for details) or,
• have died after being retired with pay or being granted retired or retainer pay
NOTE: for adopted children, proceedings must have begun before the child’s 15th birthday

Note:I did not see a deadline, so it may not be too late. Check with your contact at USAFA ASAP.
 
CristalLee said:
I told DS. I couldn't not tell him. He was OK - not because he doesn't want it - but because he said there is still the national pool. Amazing young man I tell you.

His portal under nomination just has the MOC listed and I can't find that postcard we received. How do you get a presidential nom? My DH has 18+ years in (20 month break in service while doing his college via ROTC he received from the SOAR program - we were already married with two kids by this point :wink:). I thought you needed 20 years AD service to get presidential?

How many are in the National Pool? How many are appointed from the Nat'l pool?

Thanks all - your support today has been great. I really appreciate it. But at least i'm not longer an official mailbox stalker... not much to look forward to anymore.
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The postcard you received back in Nov/Dec was probably the same as the one my DS received stating that he was a "candidate".
 
CristalLee said:
It looks as though the answer is - 8 years active duty service to be eligible for a Presidential. That being said, we didn't even apply to the President, previously believing it was 20 years. So sad.
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I am surprised that they didn't notify you. When DS was trying to get his paperwork together for the Presidential nomination we had to send it in twice. Maybe we confused them as both myself and DH are retired AF. I on the Reserve side, he on the Active side. Anyway about a month after we sent the first set of paperwork in, June or July, they sent us a postcard saying "you may be eligible for a Presidential nomination" please forward paperwork. So we sent it in again with delivery confirmation, about a week later it was updated. Whether we got the postcard because DD was already there and the address or some other piece of information coincided and kicked out the postcard, I will never know. I believe it is worth the shot to call your counselor. The President, I believe has unlimited nominations, and up to 100 appointments.
 
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Presidential nominations

This is from our RD at the Academy...

Thanks for asking the question. *It always good to go right to the source for the answers. *The law reads that Children of Active Duty with at least 8 years and still acting without a break in service; Reservist with at least 2880 points for retirement; or Reservists who have a "Letter of Eligibility for Retired Pay at age 60" are qualified for a Presidential Nomination. *It also states that stepchildren or adopted children whose adoption proceeding began before age 15 are eligible to apply.
 
DS's ALO has been contacted, she is looking into it. And the postcard that was received - I specifically remember it saying something about the President sine I remember telling my husband.
 
profsparrow said:
This is from our RD at the Academy...
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How do you find RD? Is it listed as a contact on DS portal? Man I wish he was home more often - always at school, soccer, UIL, spanish, tutoring or something. I never see the kid before 8 at night. He probably has more answers.
 
I believe I read that all noms including presidental had to be process, and received before jan 31. My son has 2 noms including a presidental and we did that back in July. Worth a call but being that it is the military and deadlines are deadlines I would be suprised if they made an acception. Worth a try though! :thumb:
 
I'm a professinal stalker from last year. I posted the below "story" on this thread a few weeks ago but I think it may be time to re-post with all of the new additions to the thread. Hang in there!

Hi everyone. I was right where you now this time last year. DS had applied to only two programs...USAFA and Virginia Tech Corp of Cadets/AFROTC. Unlike many on this forum who are very familiar with the application process, nomination process etc., we were totally in the dark. So much so that DS only applied for one nomination! However, he did receive a nom from that Congressman. This congressman selects a principal and then the other 9 are "alternates". This congressman also always selects a principal nom who is currently IN ROTC and a freshman in college. So DS only had a chance at being the prin nom if there were no current ROTC college freshmen in the mix. Of course that did not happen, and the prin nom was a college freshman, ROTC student. As DS had not applied for a nom from any other source, he was pretty much out of the running for a slot at USAFA. But we held out hope, until the day arrived that brought the QNV letter to our home. DS was disappointed to not have been selected but was VERY excited about his admission to VT and into the Aerospace Engineering program there. Then, a funny thing happened. We learned that the prin nom had been REJECTED by the USAFA on academic grounds. It seems that his first semester grades were WAY below par and he was out. So we thought "maybe" for DS. As luck would have it, there was one other candidate who received a nom from our Congressman who was ALSO a college freshman in ROTC, so that individual took the prin nom place of the disqualified prin nom. Oh well! However, DS was told that he was next in line and that if he reapplied his freshman year, as a member of the Corp and AFROTC, that there was a STRONG possibility that he would be the prin nom. And that became the plan for DS.

Well, a funny thing has happened. DS became infatuated with VT, the Corp and loves his AFROTC detachment at VT. He busted his butt, made the Commandants List for Academic Excellence taking 18 hours, was appointed to the AFROTC Community Liaison Committee and excelled in PT. He knew after a month or so that he would not be reapplying to the USAFA, even though his chances of being the prin nom were VERY high. Instead, he was put in the "rack and stack" nomination list by the AFROTC detachment for an in-college AFROTC scholarship. He just learned this week that he was selected by the USAFROTC HQ to receive a Type 2 AFROTC scholarship, which will cover him for the next three years...tuition, books and a monthly stipend.

When DS received the QNV letter, I will admit that I was WAY more upset than he. I thought "excellent SAT, Eagle Scout, numerous awards, a NASA Internship, etc.....are these people crazy?". However, as cliche as it sounds, things really DO happen for a reason. I know that DS is THRIVING in his current situation, and is enjoying the normalcy of a large, "normal" college situation while still being able to pursue his goal of serving his country and qualifying for Pilot.

I know that this is VERY long post, but I want to encourage the Stalker/Reapply Club to think about all of the wonderful options that exist outside of the academy. Our son chose not to pursue that path again, even with an "almost" guaranteed prin nom because he found his calling elsewhere.

I got through my range of emotions last year with the help of a very savvy member of this group, PIMA. What a blessing and voice of reason she was and I see still continues to be. I made a promise to her that I would return to this site this year and share my "story" so that others might benefit from our experience. I hope that I have honored that commitment. If anyone has any questions that I can answer, feel free to ask on this site or in a PM. I don't know a lot about the process of reapplying since DS did not choose that path, but I know a LOT about how embracing other options can and do turn out to be the best outcome. My final word of advice? LISTEN TO PIMA and heed her messages and advice. She knows of what she speaks. And good luck to all of you as you stalk, reapply or follow another path.
 
RD

Candidates RD's are listed on the application status page as "USAFA Counselor."
 
BFE arrive today!

My son doesn't even know yet that the BFE arrived today in the mail. He should be home from practice in a while. The only problem is that he has not yet heard the official ok about his medical waiver. We still need the medical waiver to really be happy! Please continue to pray for the medical waiver. We still have your sons and daughters in our prayers daily too!
Thanks for your support1
 
Just about had a heart attack this PM. Checked my e-mail to discover that DS's MoC office wanted his cell phone number so they could call him. The e-mail was sent early this morning, but I was so busy reading the forum between taking care of work tasks I didn't check my e-mail until about 4:50 PM. To add insult to injury he's out of town competing in a robotics competition, so probably won't be able to answer the phone even if they do call...This is just SOOO wrong. I ALWAYS check my e-mail, except today. Guess we'll have to await word until tomorrow...:unhappy:
 
profsparrow said:
Just about had a heart attack this PM. Checked my e-mail to discover that DS's MoC office wanted his cell phone number so they could call him. The e-mail was sent early this morning, but I was so busy reading the forum between taking care of work tasks I didn't check my e-mail until about 4:50 PM. To add insult to injury he's out of town competing in a robotics competition, so probably won't be able to answer the phone even if they do call...This is just SOOO wrong. I ALWAYS check my e-mail, except today. Guess we'll have to await word until tomorrow...:unhappy:
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These are exciting times for you. A day later is better than no call at all. Sounds like good things are happening. Best wishes! :thumb:
 
batmom said:
My son doesn't even know yet that the BFE arrived today in the mail. He should be home from practice in a while. The only problem is that he has not yet heard the official ok about his medical waiver. We still need the medical waiver to really be happy! Please continue to pray for the medical waiver. We still have your sons and daughters in our prayers daily too!
Thanks for your support1
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Someone correct me if I'm wrong but I have believed that a person may not receive a BFE unless he/she are triple qualified- that includes being medically cleared. Since you have received the BFE, I would be led to think that you have been medically cleared with a waiver.
 
They do offer conditional appointments for those in the process of getting a medical waiver. I'm not sure if it comes in the form of a BFE though.
 
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