Military Discipline at USNA

[TerragTheGreat]

So I attend a Military High School, and while I've been waiting these past few months to hear back from USNA, I've been dissatisfied with the level of discipline at my school. No one has any respect, the officers can't do much to really punish kids, and so the morale of the place has gone way down.

This has made me wonder if this is just a sign of the times, and I will find something similar at the Naval Academy (should I get accepted) and that makes me worried. Call me naive, but I want the Academy to be a real taste at military discipline. My question is, how disciplined is USNA?

 

[AROTC-dad]

What do you define as "military discipline?" What do you consider as appropriate punishment?

Even VMI has had to adjust with modern times.

 

[runner99]

@TerragTheGreat I have the same question. Not that I expected AROTC to be very strict, but I still wish there was more discipline. Discipline is definitely a reason why I like the academies and am considering reapplying.

 

[NavyHoops]

Kinnem asks a great question... what do you consider military discipline? USNA will be much more than what your high school is. Is it like boot camp 24/7 yelling and rigor. No. It can’t be. It shouldn’t be. Plebe year is very structured and therefore lends to a disciplined year. Your next 3 years can be taken as serious or lightly as you want to. It’s your journey.

 

[USNACandidate2022]

The amount of discipline you see in the school, I feel, will be the standard you hold for yourself and others. You will be a leader at some point at school. You can take charge and instill discipline or you can let another and let it be lax. I feel the levels are dependent on such. You can find varying levels of discipline in the military itself as well.

 

[Old Navy BGO]

but I want the Academy to be a real taste at military discipline

Why does this question make me think of Niedermayer in Animal House ? (For those too young to understand, Google it).

You will find either more or less discipline than you want at USNA.. A lot depends upon the particular Company, including the Company Officer. You can rest assured, there will be plenty of Midshipmen who try to get away with things --that's been part of the game since the days of sail. (There used to be a ship in the Yard used solely for restricting the miscreants). Don't be judgmental ...there are a lot of famous Naval Officers that had less than stellar conduct records, and I would suspect that some of the success came from being able to stretch the limits of what is considered the expected activities.

 

[kinnem]

Kinnem asks a great question... what do you consider military discipline? USNA will be much more than what your high school is. Is it like boot camp 24/7 yelling and rigor. No. It can’t be. It shouldn’t be. Plebe year is very structured and therefore lends to a disciplined year. Your next 3 years can be taken as serious or lightly as you want to. It’s your journey.

I asked a question?

 

[Capt MJ]

Self-discipline is paramount. That mirrors what is expected of an officer in the Fleet or Corps.

A mid needs to pass the fitness test and maintain body fat, so he/she hauls himself out of the rack for early runs and sets of push-ups. A mid’s job is to go to class and stay academically sat; they must discipline themselves to get the work done by prioritizing. And so on.

It is up to the midshipmen whether they choose to honor the oath they took to “well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter.” Part of that means abiding by Midshipman Regulations (“MidRegs”). If midshipmen choose otherwise, they risk both punishment and consequences.

There are plenty of slacker mids who do just enough to get by and avoid negative consequences. The lowest man or woman by order of merit in the class still gets called Ensign or 2nd Lieutenant at graduation. Many go on to outstanding careers and make flag rank, to the amazement of classmates. They get to Flight School or their ship and TBS and re-focus their priorities. Many mids who are just a tetch too gung-ho with eyes firmly set on stars, do not thrive in the Fleet or Corps because of their rigidity. They make the mistake of valuing the form of being an officer over the substance.

As an historical aside, flogging in the Navy was stopped in 1850.

 

[AROTC-dad]

I asked a question?

Hoops thinks we look alike, Kinnem.

 

[NavyHoops]

Hahaha! Oops... it’s been a long day of travel!

 

[NTWLF ONE]

[QUOTE As an historical aside, flogging in the Navy was stopped in 1850.[/QUOTE]

The Navy also went dry in 1914....bummer...

 

[Rescue#1]

The OP’s ? Was the first since my son got his TWE that annoyed me. He should’ve been there on I-Day.

 

[OldRetSWO]

but I want the Academy to be a real taste at military discipline

Why does this question make me think of Niedermayer in Animal House ? (For those too young to understand, Google it).

A lot depends upon the particular Company, including the Company Officer.

Boy does it ever! I was going to say this when I read the question yesterday but didn't have the time.
Every USNA company has its own culture and that affects a lot of things including the level of discipline within the Hall. I won't go into a sea story here but there are many if needed.

 

[Just Dad]

"Why does this question make me think of Niedermayer in Animal House ?"

Because you're the kind of man that beats a defenseless animal?-------- Your worthless and weak?

Now, why don't you drop and give me twenty.

Just off the top of my head---------- I git cha

 

[AF6872]

I thing at the end credit roll they said Niedermayer was Fragged in Vietnam.

 

[bopper]

As an historical aside, flogging in the Navy was stopped in 1850.

The Navy also went dry in 1914....bummer...

So would that be "As an historical aside, grogging in the Navy was stopped in 1914"?.

 

[kinnem]

So would that be "As an historical aside, grogging in the Navy was stopped in 1914"?.

Shiver me timbers! I sure do miss me grog!

 

[Jackflerp]

So I attend a Military High School, and while I've been waiting these past few months to hear back from USNA, I've been dissatisfied with the level of discipline at my school. No one has any respect, the officers can't do much to really punish kids, and so the morale of the place has gone way down.

This has made me wonder if this is just a sign of the times, and I will find something similar at the Naval Academy (should I get accepted) and that makes me worried. Call me naive, but I want the Academy to be a real taste at military discipline. My question is, how disciplined is USNA?

Military high schools aren't necessarily full of desirable people. From my experience, most go because they have to. A few go because they want to. USNA isn't like that. Everyone is high enough of a caliber to be in that "9%".

 

[usna1985]

There is discipline and there is discipline. As Hoops points out, at one level, it's being disciplined. USNA enforces that during PS through a very strict schedule and lots of constant attention from the detailers. It decreases in some ways and increases in some ways during plebe Ac Year. After that, it is mostly up to the mid. And as Hoops said, some do it better than others.

Then there is discipline for failure to perform. Whether a conduct offense gets written up depends in part on its seriousness, who discovers it, your company, the "mood" of USNA at the time toward that type of infraction, etc. Does every infraction result in discipline (marching tours, restriction or worse)? No. Do the major ones typically result in seriously punishment? Yes.

It is frustrating to mids to see disparate treatment for what is viewed as the "same" offense. Sometimes, it's really not the same and there are facts not known to everyone that support the disparate approach. And, sometimes, it's not fair. Life isn't always fair. USNA is no exception.