New ROTC cadet needs

EDelahanty said:
We dropped off Cadet Delahanty with two key items: A bag of quarters for laundry and advice to use his time wisely.

His insight was not to waste precious time doing laundry. Instead he converted the advance on his inheritance into several spray cans of anti-bacterial Febreze and a jar of overpowering eau-de-cologne.

This technique also comes in handy if you do not have time for a girlfriend.
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LOL, now that's funny!! But I can so see that from a college freshman! Good tip about the quarters, thanks!
 
clarksonarmy said:
If your Cadet hasn't figured out foot care yet, they will. Socks, moleskin, and even a little duct tape are all techniques to keep the puppies happy. They will learn, and a blister or two will be a right of passage for them. Don't lose any sleep obsessing over which brand of moleskin to buy. There are different brands for taking care of existing blisters vs covering a hot spot to avoid a blister. Add into the mix boots that may not fit right, feet that haven't toughened up to road marching, and lack of experience and your Cadet will have some stories to tell about the learning experience some day. It's all part of the game.
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Duct tape...check. Got it on the list! Thanks.
 
NCmom23 said:
Is there a particular multitool you would recommend? We have looked at all sorts (Leatherman, Gerber 600, etc), but I don't know what type might be most useful to a cadet. Any input is appreciated.:smile:
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NCmom23, I'm just guessing, but I doubt a active duty officer want's to endorse a commercial product...

There are multitools that are built for military use and have some additional tools for weapons adjustment and maintenance;
LEATHERMAN MUT (but not the MUT EOD, its for the bomb squad)
GERBER MP600-ST
SOG POWER ASSIST B66

I'm sure there are many others, I would pick the Leatherman, it has replaceable parts, a good warranty and additional accessories as needed.
 
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The first thing our daughter needed were new boots. The boots that the battalion gave her caused a lot of blisters. She bought a better pair and has had no problems since. Lesson learned -- invest in your feet.

As a backpacker I will also give a thumbs up to duct tape. When hiking it works much better than moleskin. Some backpackers prefer Gorilla Tape; it's a stronger version of duct tape. I think duct tape works great.
 
New AROTC reimbursements-deposits

This thread is really helpful so not sure if I can include this question here? DS will be a freshman next month. He has his own account/ checking etc through credit union. My husband and I have oversight and will be paying for his tuition up front and for R &B.
Once contracted I 'm guessing that stipends can be directed to his accounts and tuition reimbursements can be directed to the parents?
Does he get all this info when he has the AROTC meeting/orientation @ school?

As always thanks in advance
 
Roxymom - is your ds a 4 year scholarship winner? If so, you will most likely not need to pay for his tuition up front, provided he is capable of passing a PT test and contracting at the beginning of the semester.

The ROTC dept, in our experience, is very good about coordinating with the bursar's office about scholarship tuition payments, but your son will need to take the lead and inquire with both departments to make sure everyone is on the same page. You would still need to pay R&B up front of course.

If he's a 3 year scholarship winner, you will pay R&B and tuition this year, and provided he contracts at the beginning of his sophomore year, only room and board from that point forward.
 
Jcc123 said:
Roxymom - is your ds a 4 year scholarship winner? If so, you will most likely not need to pay for his tuition up front, provided he is capable of passing a PT test and contracting at the beginning of the semester.

He is a 4 yr. He has school orientation next week where he will get his classes. I thought we would have to start bill paying then. PT test earliest wont be till Aug 24th. Freshman arrive 8/19.

His future Captain said she would be sending info but I thought I had seen on this site before that we would be paying first tuition bill up front.
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It really depends on the school. We have never paid a tuition bill. One semester my son did have to sign a "promissory note" at the bursar's office because the payment deadline passed before the Army had paid. A quick call to the bursar's office on Monday should let you know how your son's school handles this.
 
Roxymom said:
This thread is really helpful so not sure if I can include this question here? DS will be a freshman next month. He has his own account/ checking etc through credit union. My husband and I have oversight and will be paying for his tuition up front and for R &B.
Once contracted I 'm guessing that stipends can be directed to his accounts and tuition reimbursements can be directed to the parents?
Does he get all this info when he has the AROTC meeting/orientation @ school?

As always thanks in advance
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Tuition payments (or R&B if your situation makes that a better deal) are ALWAYS directed to the Bursar's office. The Bursar's office refunds excess payments to the student. The parent is only along for the ride. Stipends and book allowances are also credited to the student.
 
Jcc123 said:
It really depends on the school. We have never paid a tuition bill. One semester my son did have to sign a "promissory note" at the bursar's office because the payment deadline passed before the Army had paid. A quick call to the bursar's office on Monday should let you know how your son's school handles this.
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We had a similar situation. Right before school our daughter injured her leg and could not take the APFT until November. We had to pay the first quarter tuition and were reimbursed by the school after ROTC paid.
 
Roxymom, I would call the school's Bursar. Your DS isn't the first and won't be the last incoming Freshman in ROTC. They will tell you how things should go.

My experience (and reflections on the collected experience of this forum) is that the Bursar's office will have a process and it probably depends upon the school. Some want payment ahead of the US Government's check, the others will graciously wait.

And yes, there will probably be a briefing on the subject at your son's orientation.

Biggest hurdle is passing that initial physical fitness test upon arrival. Everything depends upon that.

Enjoy the ride!
 
One more comment on the moleskin issue. My DS did have some last year, but he found that the best thing of all was keeping his feet dry. When they went on marches he took extra pairs of socks. And when they took breaks, he changed socks. He never had a single issue, when cadets all around him were getting nasty blisters. That's not to say that that's the only precaution, but that's the one that worked the best for him. Just a thought! :thumb:
 
Goarmymom said:
One more comment on the moleskin issue. My DS did have some last year, but he found that the best thing of all was keeping his feet dry. When they went on marches he took extra pairs of socks. And when they took breaks, he changed socks. He never had a single issue, when cadets all around him were getting nasty blisters. That's not to say that that's the only precaution, but that's the one that worked the best for him. Just a thought! :thumb:
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Probably the best advice ever. My Battalion Cadre were hawks about this. It seemed every FTX and STX involved at least a few hours of rain, so extra socks were mandatory in the packing list.

Best memory was Spring FTX, we changed our socks 4 times that day in between lanes while pulling security. Our MS1 class cadre instructor would gather all of us and watch us while we were supposed to be pulling security. It was a huge pain, but saved a lot of people who weren't quite used to getting their feet abused like that.
 
^ re knife, two issues:

1) if taking to LDAC, the blade cannot exceed 3"
2) small knives can get lost. Spending $200 on a Benchmade brand knife can be a real bummer if it gets lost on your first FTX when you're still learning how to be organized.

Beyond that, if you want to spend the bucks, Spyderco makes a folding Military 4" blade (no good for LDAC) made in the USA folding knife with s30v steel. It's about $130 on ebay or $156 on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Spyderco-C36GPSBK-Military-Lockback-Knife/dp/B000BT1G9Y/ref=pd_sim_sbs_sg_2. The s30v steel keeps its edge longer than other steels like VG10, other than zip-189 or (limited use) s90v, but is easier to resharpen than zdp-189 knives.

If you just want a serviceable first folding knife in the 3" size, Gerber has discontinued a nice little $45 made in China knife with ordinary steel that is $15 on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Gerber-30-000...F8&qid=1373730948&sr=1-1&keywords=gerber+void or this one for $16 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000G0JI34/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER or this one for $28 if you want to spend a little more. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000G0JI34/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER
 
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