Commissioning Gift

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Bluepit

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Jun 7, 2017
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I am not from a military family and not even a US citizen but my son is commissioning into the US Army in May and is branching Aviation. He is living his dream. Sadly, due to travel restrictions I don’t think we will be able to attend his commissioning ceremony, if indeed there is one. What I would like to know is if there is anything I need to be doing / buying to make his commissioning ceremony memorable and special. I have already bought him his uniform as a Christmas gift but do I need to do anything else? Is it customary to buy a gift, if so, any suggestions? He is also graduating from College at the same time. Any insight would be appreciated. Thanks
 
Bluepit said:
I am not from a military family and not even a US citizen but my son is commissioning into the US Army in May and is branching Aviation. He is living his dream. Sadly, due to travel restrictions I don’t think we will be able to attend his commissioning ceremony, if indeed there is one. What I would like to know is if there is anything I need to be doing / buying to make his commissioning ceremony memorable and special. I have already bought him his uniform as a Christmas gift but do I need to do anything else? Is it customary to buy a gift, if so, any suggestions? He is also graduating from College at the same time. Any insight would be appreciated. Thanks
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@Bluepit - I agree with @FastFood44 - a watch or sunglasses sounds great.

I'm sorry that you won't be able to attend his commissioning ceremony. I still remember mine.

Hopefully - you're able to attend his graduation from flight school. I'm sure he would like that.
 
Hopefully you will be able to attend the commissioning. My son commissions and graduates in May and if all goes as planned, I'm hoping it will be in person. When my older DS commissioned, I bought his uniforms and a laptop. Plan on doing the same for my younger DS. After 4 years of college a new laptop was a necessity and useful for studying in flight school.
 
Thank you for suggestions - I think the watch and the sunglasses are a great idea. I will research both. Thank you
 
Just a quick follow-up tip to recommend if these will be used when flying that he pursue non-polarized sunglasses vs. polarized (which are great for everything - except flying).

In simple terms, polarized lenses are not recommended for use in the aviation environment. While useful for blocking reflected light from horizontal surfaces such as water or snow, polarization can reduce or eliminate visibility of instruments that incorporate anti- glare filters. Also could avoid glare off of other aircraft or other shiny objects.

If said sunglasses are just to look cool while on terra firma and hitting on which ever consenting adults your DS wants to hit on in a Pensacola/ other branch flight school area bar at night, a la the movie Top Gun, then of course lens polarization doesn't matter.
 

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A wise person on this forum suggested these two watches as gifts for our son. He loves them both. In our case they were for a birthday gift.

Amazon.com: Invicta Pro Diver Unisex Wrist Watch Stainless Steel Automatic Black Dial - 8926OB : Invicta: Clothing, Shoes & Jewelry

Buy Invicta Pro Diver Unisex Wrist Watch Stainless Steel Automatic Black Dial - 8926OB and other Clothing, Shoes & Jewelry at Amazon.com. Our wide selection is eligible for free shipping and free returns.
smile.amazon.com

Amazon.com: Casio Men's W735H-1AVCF Super Illuminator Watch With Black Resin Band: Casio: Watches

Buy Casio Men's W735H-1AVCF Super Illuminator Watch With Black Resin Band and other Wrist Watches at Amazon.com. Our wide selection is eligible for free shipping and free returns.
smile.amazon.com

Neither are pricey. I believe you can upgrade to more expensive versions. One more for dress, the other more utilitarian.
Congratulations to your son.
 
I second the Marlow and White uniform set. It is the best supplier and paying for it helps your new officer start off with more money in the bank.
 
Another idea is a quality pocket knife or a nice wallet that will last a long time. For a watch depending on how much you are willing to spend Seiko 5 watches are quality automatics for affordable prices. In particular this one for an affordable pilot's watch.
 
We got our daughter a US Army Officer's saber, custom engraved. It was on the pricey side, and we had to customer order it because she needed a shorter saber than the standard.
 
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