Plebe Summer Letters from Home - IDEAS HERE (post one!)

RockNRoll said:
Our Plebe's letter said he went to church. Claims it's the only place they don't yell at him. Go Navy! Do they or don't they read the mail out loud and or do the detailers inspect the mail? We would like to update our plebe with news on his favorite team but will that give "ammunition" to his "over-sea-ers" ?
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They won’t read them out loud. Write whatever you want.
 
RockNRoll said:
Our Plebe's letter said he went to church. Claims it's the only place they don't yell at him. Go Navy! Do they or don't they read the mail out loud and or do the detailers inspect the mail? We would like to update our plebe with news on his favorite team but will that give "ammunition" to his "over-sea-ers" ?
Click to expand...

I would expect that the Detailers inspect packages, and are standing there when they open them.
The Detailers may open the letters, but I seriously doubt that they read them or make the Plebes read them aloud.
Nothing is to be gained from embarrassing a Plebe, by making them read the lovey-dovey stuff from their dear, sainted, Mother. ;)
If you think about it, the Plebes probably get so many letters from family and friends, that the last thing a Detailer needs to add to his/her already busy schedule is to read dozens of letters.
 
The Detailers don’t have time to open the letters nor do they care. They do a cursory look at packages. Honestly Plebes get so many of those keeping up with mail and checking them is a full time job.
 
Also, everyone needs to realize that Plebe Summer is for the Detailers.
They are the ones getting graded, here. It has to be exhausting for them.
They actually competed with others in the Batt, for these positions.
To even be eligible for these positions, they also had to have a fairly high AOM and good PRT.
It's summer, it's hot, and they WANT to be there. My hat is off to them.
I hope that more than a few Plebes figure that out, and thank them.
 
We received our first letter too yesterday and his P.S. was "We are getting thrashed all the time and it is great!"

Thanks for all the advice and templates from other Plebe parent posts!
 
Just received our first letter from A.J. Squared Away, today.
I laughed when I opened it. It was an entire sheet of USNA letterhead with the four (4) words;

"I love you both"

Yeah. He signed it with his first initial and his last name.
My wife was livid.
"I waited over a week for this???!!!!"

And then she changed gears right before my eyes; "Do you think he hates it?" "Do you think he is alright?"
To which I replied; "He's fine." "He obviously didn't have the time or the inclination to write something longer, but he was being forced to."
"He complied with what the Detailer was telling him to do, and probably enjoyed the free time afterward."

Smart kid. Probably wanted to get the rust off the barrel of his M14.
I saw it in the photos. Awful.
 
Classic ... already learning time management and prioritization. Sorry Mom...

PS ...when you write DS, tell him not to try disassembling the M14 unless he knows how to reassemble. I remember the fear in my roomate's eyes when he got his M1 apart (during finals, First Semester Plebe Year --), and realized he didn't know how to get it back together !
 
omg, these are awesome and making me cry. DS leaves for USAFA prep on 7/16 - getting some great ideas here.. thank you
 
Old Navy BGO said:
Classic ... already learning time management and prioritization. Sorry Mom...

PS ...when you write DS, tell him not to try disassembling the M14 unless he knows how to reassemble. I remember the fear in my roomate's eyes when he got his M1 apart (during finals, First Semester Plebe Year --), and realized he didn't know how to get it back together !
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He has a Garand and a Mini-Thirty at home, so he'll probably be teaching the rest of his squad how to care for them.
 
Old Navy BGO said:
THParent said:
Did you see this guy in the 2022 class last week?
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Classic -- BZ ! This kid will be remembered by his class forever.
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When I was a youngster and visited my new plebe's room at the beginning of First Set, I saw pictures of him and his girlfriend and his hair was as long as this kid's. I saw him a couple of years ago at a football game and he was wearing three stars (warfare specialty redacted to preserve his anonymity).

Obviously, I was a great influence on him :)
 
Just Dad said:
...You might also send off a cool fact-toid or two in your letters. Plebes are called upon randomly to by a detailer to "Tell me something interesting" Good response gets you a nod an a pass. A lame response brings unwanted attention...
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This is a great idea.
I sent my DS 3-pages on one and two-line "interesting facts" that he could use and share with his squad.

Did you know that;

T-shirts were originally marketed to unmarried men who didn't know how to sew buttons back on collared shirts by themselves.

Prior to the 20th century, squirrels were one of America's most popular pets.

All colors of Froot Loops have the same flavor.

April 18, 1930 was such a slow news day that at 6:30 PM, the BBC's radio announcer said, “There is no news."

Before the 1800s, people had a "1st sleep" and a "2nd sleep."
They would sleep 3-4 hours, wake up for 2-3 hours to do some type of activity, then go back to sleep until morning.

Cows have "best friends" and get stressed when separated.

Ketchup was sold as medicine in the 1830s.
 
RockNRoll said:
Our Plebe's letter said he went to church. Claims it's the only place they don't yell at him. Go Navy! Do they or don't they read the mail out loud and or do the detailers inspect the mail? We would like to update our plebe with news on his favorite team but will that give "ammunition" to his "over-sea-ers" ?
Click to expand...
Mine “joined the Protestant choir because they don’t yell.” Main themes of letter: lots of sweating and yelling. Presumably also cleaning... definitely a new priority for her based on the dust bunnies I found in her room!
 
THParent said:
Just received our first letter from A.J. Squared Away, today.
I laughed when I opened it. It was an entire sheet of USNA letterhead with the four (4) words;

"I love you both"

Yeah. He signed it with his first initial and his last name.
My wife was livid.
"I waited over a week for this???!!!!"

And then she changed gears right before my eyes; "Do you think he hates it?" "Do you think he is alright?"
To which I replied; "He's fine." "He obviously didn't have the time or the inclination to write something longer, but he was being forced to."
"He complied with what the Detailer was telling him to do, and probably enjoyed the free time afterward."

Smart kid. Probably wanted to get the rust off the barrel of his M14.
I saw it in the photos. Awful.
Click to expand...
THParent said:
Just received our first letter from A.J. Squared Away, today.
I laughed when I opened it. It was an entire sheet of USNA letterhead with the four (4) words;

"I love you both"

Yeah. He signed it with his first initial and his last name.
My wife was livid.
"I waited over a week for this???!!!!"

And then she changed gears right before my eyes; "Do you think he hates it?" "Do you think he is alright?"
To which I replied; "He's fine." "He obviously didn't have the time or the inclination to write something longer, but he was being forced to."
"He complied with what the Detailer was telling him to do, and probably enjoyed the free time afterward."

Smart kid. Probably wanted to get the rust off the barrel of his M14.
I saw it in the photos. Awful.
Click to expand...

I actually laughed out loud at this! We got our letter yesterday and DS is in good spirits. He apologized for “the parent good byes that were not high quality”. I teared up and hugged my wife. Love our DS!
 
They are Plebes now but they will be Detailers someday. Good Luck to all through the brutal weather.
 
THParent said:
Just received our first letter from A.J. Squared Away, today.
I laughed when I opened it. It was an entire sheet of USNA letterhead with the four (4) words;

"I love you both"

Yeah. He signed it with his first initial and his last name.
My wife was livid.
"I waited over a week for this???!!!!"

And then she changed gears right before my eyes; "Do you think he hates it?" "Do you think he is alright?"
To which I replied; "He's fine." "He obviously didn't have the time or the inclination to write something longer, but he was being forced to."
"He complied with what the Detailer was telling him to do, and probably enjoyed the free time afterward."

Smart kid. Probably wanted to get the rust off the barrel of his M14.
I saw it in the photos. Awful.
Click to expand...

Frame it. Feature it prominently with photos, Dixie cup, A-N game stuff, commissioning certificate, etc., at the display table at the graduation party you will be throwing. Revenge is a dish best served cold, right?
 
Okay reporting back after 1st phone call home. The letter that DS wrote (with only four words "I Love You Both") was mailed on I-Day.
We have written every day since then, and so far the one letter that we sent him on I-Day (in Annapolis) is the only one he has gotten from us, as well.
So, ten (10) days of mail are piling up somewhere and will find their way to him at some point, I assume.

Everything was positive during call. This set Mrs. THParent's mind at ease (hallelujah!). He says it's easy, and lots of fun.
Says he doesn't need us to send anything, as he has everything he needs.
He and roommate made it through an inspection with perfect marks.
I told him that they are sure to fail the next one, and he is ready for that outcome and whatever comes with it.
I think he'd be happy to do six months of this, instead of six weeks.

Ooh Rah.
 
THParent said:
I think he'd be happy to do six months of this, instead of six weeks.
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Of course, he's getting to go to the Range, do a little sailing, a little swimming, a little PT --what's not to like about Plebe Summer ?

Many will look back at Plebe Summer and realize that it really isn't that bad -- it's mostly mental. The stress level picks up a whole lot during the Academic year, and lasts 4 years.
 
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