Parents of 2022'ers

RickD_USAF

RickD_USAF

Air Force Veteran
5-Year Member
Joined
Oct 21, 2016
Messages
368
To the parents of 2022'ers who have officially accepted their appointments, I welcome you to the USAFA family.

You are about to embark on a wonderful, yet stressful, journey. Embrace the months you have remaining until I-Day. You are joining a new and very supportive family. I highly recommend the following

1. Attend I-Day. Yes, it is very emotional but rewarding. Your DD/DS is about to take on probably their biggest challenge thus far. You'll get to attend briefings, breakfast, lunch, meet with leadership, etc. The Academy does a great job taking care of us too. On the next day, wake up early and head to the Academy and claim a spot along the chapel wall. Early is as soon as the gates open. This is where you can witness the new cadets taking their oath of enlistment and your first glimpse of them in uniform. Bring binoculars and personalized signs. I really enjoyed this . You can also stock up on USAFA attire at the tent sale at Doolittle Hall.

2. If you have the means and finances, attend the A-Day Parade. This marks the completion of BCT and your DD/DS being accepted (not recognized) by the cadet wing and when they fall into their new squadrons (Go CS5 Wolfpack). However, you will only have about 2 hours to have lunch with your new C4C (you bring lunch). My wife went out, DS appreciated it. It is a big moment for them. If you can't make it, no worries. There are plenty of fellow parents that will "adopt" your cadet.

3. Parents Weekend. Book early as this is not only a Class of 2022 thing, but the entire cadet wing. Hotels, flights, and rental cars book fast. I already booked this years trip. This is a great time to go. You will get tours of your DD/DS's living quarters (Sijan or Vandy), Mitchell, Arnold, and Fairchild Halls, Jack's Valley, etc. You can also attend the home opener (football). You will have a lot of time with your cadet, both on and off base. Another great part is meeting your new extended family.

Welcome, and I'll see you PW.

PS: Sign up for WebGuy
 
Excellent advice. I would also add that you join the Facebook groups that will pop up for your Class of 2022. This will let you get to know your new family and, trust me, you will lean on the other parents like you've never leaned on someone before. We have developed lifelong relationships with people across this great nation and I wouldn't trade them for the world. (Example : I'm headed to USAFA this coming weekend to see my Doolie along with another Doolie mom. I have orders from other moms to hug their DS/DD when I'm at the Academy, which I will gladly and proudly give as they have done the same for me.) Buckle up! Your adventure is just beginning! And I second RickD_USAF...see you at PW :)
 
usafadad2022 said:
Very sweet! Are you taking new orders if we couldnt make it to the A-Day?
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Unfortunately, I won't be there for Class of 2022 A-Day. But I remember giving hugs to Class of 2021 cadets whose parents were unable to attend. After the shoulder board ceremony, the parents that were there hugged everybody!! And took pictures etc. Your cadet's squadron is his/her family and you will feel like you are the parent for every single one of them. As will the other parents for your DS/DD.
 
charlestonmom5 said:
Q: do y'all make hotel reservations in Colorado Spring or Denver?
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It all depends on the event and how long you are staying. Our DS wanted to go to I-Day on his own and so we didn't travel until A-Day. We flew into Denver the day before, stayed at a hotel there and then drove to USAFA the next morning for the A-Day events. Then drove back to Denver for the night and flew out the next morning. PW is a completely different type of event. Some stay close to USAFA so they can do the activities that are going on all weekend. Others get the "heck out of dodge" and drive a few hours or more (but only after the football game, every cadet has to attend). Word of advice...your Doolie will want to stay pretty low key that first PW. He/she will have to be in full service dress EVERY TIME you leave your hotel/air bnb/etc and will probably just want to sleep and relax.
 
If you do go to I Day the Colorado Parents Club puts on a picnic welcoming the new parents. You can write a letter to your basic which will be hand delivered that night.
In addition to Webguy, Writetothem.org is a great tool during basic.
 
For A-Day, bring your Doolie & their friends some Chic-fil-a, it will be well appreciated by all! You will be amazed by how organized the restaurant is in getting parents in & out quickly.
 
I did not attend I-Day per request from my DS. He wanted to get used to being along and getting used to the altitude. But, the whole family went to the A-Day and did facebook live for all cadets parents that could not make the trip. This was for his squadron. Took pictures, lots of hugs, and some tears of joy all around. This is also the time the parents could take up things the cadet will need to start class and for his room. DS wanted whiteboards, clear plastic containers, binder notebooks, and more (Can't remember all the stuff). But, it was a great day.
 
I-Day is June 28th. A-Day is not officially scheduled yet, but experienced parents suggest it will likely be August 7th. Parents Weekend is August 31 - Sept 3.
 
Thanks for posting this. I just checked out the WebGuy photos from the last Summer Seminar. Hundreds of pictures each day. This will be a great way to keep up on the DS as he moves through his new life in BCT. We already have reservations for I-Day and PW. One of the benefits of the LOA/early appointment - we can beat the rush to book our travel.
 
t-bo said:
Thanks for posting this. I just checked out the WebGuy photos from the last Summer Seminar. Hundreds of pictures each day. This will be a great way to keep up on the DS as he moves through his new life in BCT. We already have reservations for I-Day and PW. One of the benefits of the LOA/early appointment - we can beat the rush to book our travel.
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Get ready to spend countless hours on WebGuy when DS is in BCT. I never realized my DS had dopplegangers before until BCT. I-Day is a flash, depending on what his check-in time is. My DS was with the Aggressor Squadron, so it started around 0630 for us. We stayed on base until 1500 wandering. We did get a glimpse of them marching on the Tzo, already with spiffy new haircuts and in ABU's. You're going to love this new family. Find the group's on Facebook too and look to join your state's Parent Club. PW is the best.
 
RickD_USAF said:
Get ready to spend countless hours on WebGuy when DS is in BCT. I never realized my DS had dopplegangers before until BCT. I-Day is a flash, depending on what his check-in time is. My DS was with the Aggressor Squadron, so it started around 0630 for us. We stayed on base until 1500 wandering. We did get a glimpse of them marching on the Tzo, already with spiffy new haircuts and in ABU's. You're going to love this new family. Find the group's on Facebook too and look to join your state's Parent Club. PW is the best.
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Thank you, RickD_USAFA! As another c/o 2021 Aggressor parent, I've appreciated your sage advice (in both SAF and FB).

Parents - you see your daughters and sons grow up so much during their doolie year. It can be hard, but let go and let her/him set their own course. Yes, they will stumble from time to time, but learning how to overcome their struggles is a core component to the academy experience. USAFA has a long history of producing leaders and providing cadets the support that they need to succeed.
 
RickD_USAF said:
To the parents of 2022'ers who have officially accepted their appointments, I welcome you to the USAFA family.

You are about to embark on a wonderful, yet stressful, journey. Embrace the months you have remaining until I-Day. You are joining a new and very supportive family. I highly recommend the following

1. Attend I-Day. Yes, it is very emotional but rewarding. Your DD/DS is about to take on probably their biggest challenge thus far. You'll get to attend briefings, breakfast, lunch, meet with leadership, etc. The Academy does a great job taking care of us too. On the next day, wake up early and head to the Academy and claim a spot along the chapel wall. Early is as soon as the gates open. This is where you can witness the new cadets taking their oath of enlistment and your first glimpse of them in uniform. Bring binoculars and personalized signs. I really enjoyed this . You can also stock up on USAFA attire at the tent sale at Doolittle Hall.

2. If you have the means and finances, attend the A-Day Parade. This marks the completion of BCT and your DD/DS being accepted (not recognized) by the cadet wing and when they fall into their new squadrons (Go CS5 Wolfpack). However, you will only have about 2 hours to have lunch with your new C4C (you bring lunch). My wife went out, DS appreciated it. It is a big moment for them. If you can't make it, no worries. There are plenty of fellow parents that will "adopt" your cadet.

3. Parents Weekend. Book early as this is not only a Class of 2022 thing, but the entire cadet wing. Hotels, flights, and rental cars book fast. I already booked this years trip. This is a great time to go. You will get tours of your DD/DS's living quarters (Sijan or Vandy), Mitchell, Arnold, and Fairchild Halls, Jack's Valley, etc. You can also attend the home opener (football). You will have a lot of time with your cadet, both on and off base. Another great part is meeting your new extended family.

Welcome, and I'll see you PW.

PS: Sign up for WebGuy
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You can also watch the KAFA Facebook page. Cadet photographers and professional photographers post their photos on a Flickr link there. (I did it last summer) and you get to see some shots that you won’t see on webguy (cadets are able to go where Kelsie and Karina (the webgirls) can’t go (aka in squadrons))
You can also take a look at the USAFA Spirit Facebook page. I have been running that page for my four years at Usafa and it contains a lot of Cadet life things. Unfortunately I am having a hard time passing it down to another Cadet who willingly goes to events like I have done. But please check KAFA and Usafa Spirit out!

Also, if you are hard on money, I would attend I-Day over A-day parade. You only get about 3 hours with your Cadet after the parade as they have to get acclimated with their squadrons before school starts. The upperclassmen are not allowed to have any contact with them prior to a-day parade, so right after the freshmen have to start learning who their upperclassmen are (not entirely in a training way).

A heads up for anyone planning on attending Swearing in Ceremony, A-Day parade, or Parents Weekend. You will want to show up 2-3 hour before the event begins. Parents weekend I would recommend getting in as soon as the gates open. Last year at the sweating in ceremony, parents were lining up on the class wall at 5am, and it was hard for me as a photographer for bct to get a spot on the wall by 730am.
 
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