Dealing with "How can you let him do xROTC?"

singaporemom said:
When it's a family member in my own home, I inform them that this is not a free speech zone. Either shut up or leave. Haven't had a visit from my mother in law or sister in law in years!
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Now that's an approach I can get behind! :biggrin:
 
In all honesty...who cares? You can whip every idiot and detractor you meet, and at the end of the day you'll have bloody knuckles and the world will still be full of idiots.

I came from a smaller town, and was top in my high school. I had numerous scholarships and plenty of paths to take. Sure, people poo-poo'ed my choice and even denegrated it. Other parents "took pity" (while looking down their noses) at mine for my choice.

The best answer is a life well-lived. As a cadet at USMA, I had experiences that my peers at State U, Bible State Jesus College, and Stereotypical Liberal Arts College & Music Conservatory could only dream about. As an officer, those opportunities have only increased.

It's fun to go back to that little town. It's fun to see how fantastically exciting and challening my professional life has been and hear tales of the children of those same condescending parents who graduated from State U and moved home to live on said parents' couch (my mother recounts these tales with glee).

I had the chance to provide armed overwatch for a high school buddy in Iraq. He was a direct commissionee who ran route clearance missions from Baghdad to Hillah. It was great to be able to have his back while he plied a dangerous trade.

After the deployment, we met up at the small town bar our grandfathers drank at in their younger days. We swapped stories and recounted our near misses together. No one else in the bar, including all those folks who thought we were fools for ever serving, had anything to say. They just listened.

So tell your kids to live well and serve well. It's a better answer than you'll ever give those fools.
 
scoutpilot said:
In all honesty...who cares? You can whip every idiot and detractor you meet, and at the end of the day you'll have bloody knuckles and the world will still be full of idiots.

I came from a smaller town, and was top in my high school. I had numerous scholarships and plenty of paths to take. Sure, people poo-poo'ed my choice and even denegrated it. Other parents "took pity" (while looking down their noses) at mine for my choice.

The best answer is a life well-lived. As a cadet at USMA, I had experiences that my peers at State U, Bible State Jesus College, and Stereotypical Liberal Arts College & Music Conservatory could only dream about. As an officer, those opportunities have only increased.

It's fun to go back to that little town. It's fun to see how fantastically exciting and challening my professional life has been and hear tales of the children of those same condescending parents who graduated from State U and moved home to live on said parents' couch (my mother recounts these tales with glee).

I had the chance to provide armed overwatch for a high school buddy in Iraq. He was a direct commissionee who ran route clearance missions from Baghdad to Hillah. It was great to be able to have his back while he plied a dangerous trade.

After the deployment, we met up at the small town bar our grandfathers drank at in their younger days. We swapped stories and recounted our near misses together. No one else in the bar, including all those folks who thought we were fools for ever serving, had anything to say. They just listened.

So tell your kids to live well and serve well. It's a better answer than you'll ever give those fools.
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Great story.

But...Hey...a lot of good officers come out of State U, I'm with you regarding the Music Conservatory.

I bet their jaws were dropped listening to the stories.
 
Jcleppe said:
Great story.

But...Hey...a lot of good officers come out of State U, I'm with you regarding the Music Conservatory.

I bet their jaws were dropped listening to the stories.
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Yes, many good officers do come from State U...including my buddy. I made that point as an example of the difference between being part of a commissioning program and serving, and those kids who choose not to and would look down upon the choice to do so.
 
Scoutpilot, it's been a year since I've visited the SA forum, and your post was my reward. I guess I need to stick around...when I first saw the quote below your signature, my mind read "Helicopter PARENTS......". I had to go back and re-read!
 
scoutpilot said:
Yes, many good officers do come from State U...including my buddy. I made that point as an example of the difference between being part of a commissioning program and serving, and those kids who choose not to and would look down upon the choice to do so.
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I know, I was just needling you a bit.

My son was home for Christmas, when he went to a party there were a lot of his old High School friends there. They got to talking about what they were going to do after college, My son said when it got to his turn everyone stopped talking, he said the most commen response was "Wow, Really", a lot of the kids who discounted his choices right after high school had changed their tune.

I think your post summed it up perfectly.
 
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