Induction Day - wish i had remembered.....

[SecondTime]

All the above is well-written.
I have a great photo, taken around the back side of Alumni Hall, where our older [now LT] mid was descending the stairs before haircuts. Two kids ahead is a [soon to be] friend who lived across the hall [same company] for four years; they attended TBS together, traveled overseas together, and, now, are in pilot training together. You never know where the photo op. will come.

I-day is a BUSY, HOT, HUMID, EMOTIONAL day. If you THINK you live in a hot, humid area [Atlanta, Houston, etc.], you do not know hot and humid. [Maybe Miami is comparable.] Prepare accordingly.

LOTS of people milling about. Make a plan to meet your new mid. The time goes by quickly.

Its all good though.

 

[usna1985]

After the Mids form back up to march into Bancroft Hall, don't leave to soon as one of the most poignant moments is yet to come. There is a very somber drum beat as all of the companies march into Bancroft and then it happens.... after the last plebe marches into Bancroft Hall, the huge wooden doors are slammed shut and it is like the exclamation point on the end of the day, on the end of childhood, on the end of our roles as parents....

Glad to see some things haven't changed.

 

[USNA13DAD]

Yes, when those doors close it is the punctation mark on that day! On the other hand I actually find the Christmas Carols that are played out the windows of Bancroft by the firsties at the final formation of PPW an amusing tradition. I purposely waited around for that formation to hear them.

 

[MIDNDAD]

Found a post I made last year on the same topic. My now 2nd LT will still laugh when she is reminded of this event.

Your countdown clock is starting to race forward now. Advice for what it is worth;

Try and spend a lot of time together as a family. Time will become a very precious commodity after I-Day. Leave time will be measured in days not weeks or months and summer leave will be measured in summer blocks. Enjoy these last few weeks of freedom.

At the end of I-Day you will have about 60 minutes to say goodbye on Stribling walk. At the end do not be a weeping mom hanging on to your child as they form up to head off to Bancroft. Above all do not say anything about the detailers as they are listening.

Last summer my Mid was Company XO and as the detailers were forming the plebes to march off, one weeping mom in particular was hanging onto her son and for whatever reason blurted out "OH baby, be careful of the detailers, especially the female ones as I hear they can be really mean".

Well that was sauce for the goose. She promptly marched up beside that plebe, brought all the plebes to attention and bellowed out " Your time being mommies little precious just ended and it's time for all you F###### little girls to start growing up because as of this moment your F###### Asses belong to Us!" She told me the look of horror on that moms face was classic and she still laughs about it today.

So don't be that mom.

 

[Team Mom]

Team Mom - Talk to everyone involved, starting with Plebe-to-be. I-day was good for DS to have Grandma there. The mobility issue makes either one pretty tough with the schedule we chose. PPW would be easier for Grandma depending on what activities you choose. Bang for your buck - easy call - PPW. You and Grandma will get to see more of your plebe. We talked with DS and based on his desires decided that PPW would be just parents, possibly brothers, and lots of down time, catch a movie. How often you think you might get to visit USNA will certainly be a factor. We have about a seven hour drive so it is not frequent but better than going coast to coast. Some of the nicest visits were for football games and weekends when there were no "special" events. (Any visit to USNA is special) Grandma wants to go back for a visit as well, she loved I-day. I think that for us the key was we really talked it through with all the family members who went. They understood that the time they would get to spend with DS would be a tiny portion of the experience. They were also well aware that we (parents) would have a different agenda and were prepared to be on their own at times.

IMHO - I-Day is about the significance of what is happening in their life, the beginning of a journey they have chosen. PPW is celebrating the first major milestone in their journey. It is a tough choice if you can't do both, but based on our experience and much advice here on the forum, PPW is the don't miss event. We were lucky to be able to do both, and thankful we did.

Spanky-Thanks for your advice. Grandma is going to PPW with us! We (Mom and Dad) will be attending both I-day and PPW.
Reserved our airline tickets using mileage now (acutally United did not give us good choice when using mileage). Made a reservation of the hotel when DS accepted his appointment. We will be flying from CA! Clock is ticking!

 

[1964BGO]

Parents: While you are in the vicinity of Alumni Hall hoping to catch a fleeting glimpse of your plebe, take the time to meet and talk with the members of the Class of 1966 who will be present as representatives of the Another Link In The Chain (ALITC) program. This is a relatively new program at NAVY which has become very popular and successful in forging a legacy link between classes separated by 50 years. They will have a series of events with 2016 to provide support, mentorship, and professional linkage with the newest of NAVY's charges. Among other efforts of support: typically they attend the Swearing-In ceremony and will be on the lookout for new plebes whose parents have not been able to attend the I-Day events. I would expect to find them in the Alumni tent on Worden Field during the morning of I-Day; look them up.