Okay as I posted to flymom, soccer and salj posted ( iam such a slow typer
)
Anyway, lets all take a breather here...nice cleansing breaths...now let me respond to salj pt by pt.
Point 1
Just don't ditch the academy while trying to prove that point.
I never ever have ditched the AFA or any other SA. I think all SA's are a world class education, and we should support every cadet/plebe/mid etc for being there and dedicating their young life to the military....show me one post that I have stated take ROTC over the AFA b/c the AFA s*cks.
What I have said is think long and hard, it is not an easy life...don't go for a free education, b/c nothing in life is free...including the SA's.
Point 2
Oh no….ouch. My child is definitely not an engineering major. She is, however studying what she wants at the AFA. Did you know they have a scholars program at USAFA that focuses on the humanities? Did you know that room and board is not affordable for many families at one of those top universities???? Actually, there are traditionally more pre-med slots (percentage) for Academy graduates than for ROTC graduates? Much more than the ACADEMY EDUCATION factored into our daughter choosing to attend the AFA
There are core courses and it does not matter what your major is...
YOU WILL TAKE THEM...again end of subject ...period...dot. I can't find the link in the bowels of the AFA site to show when, but here is a snippet from the site
The core curriculum will arm you with the knowledge you need to succeed in today's world with more than 30 courses covering:
biology
chemistry
computer science
mathematics
physics
aeronautical engineering
astronautical engineering
civil engineering
electrical engineering
engineering mechanics
behavioral sciences
economics
law
management
political science
English
foreign languages
history
philosophy
KEY WORD CORE ...that means you take it! I see a heck of a lot of math science courses compared to humanities. Go to any university for a LA and they are not going to require civil engineering.
You have not been associated with the AF, but ask your DD...ask flieger, CC, ds, and any other person that has known somebody from the AFA...thay do call it the little engineering school in the rockies...it use to be the little all boys engineering school in the rockies
Point 3
Some might be…so are you saying don’t try because you might not make it? WHY IS THIS UNDER THE PRO LIST….PRO WHAT PRO DON’T GO TO THE ACADEMY???? However, that is why you will succeed as an AF officer. You will get it from a young age the cliche Service before Self You will be extremely equipped to get through UPT, b/c for some of you it will seem like a cake walk Oh now I see….pro because you might want to throw in the towel because it is so crazy ridiculous there that it will make you equipped to get through UPT( whatever that is) What about all the officers that don’t go to the academy. Anyway, I took this as another dig
UPT= Undergrad Pilot Training
No dig at all to ROTC...Remember my DS is a ROTC cadet...what I was stating is it is hard, and you will learn to put the service before yourself. Be honest and be real... ROTC will not place your through the same rigors, thus it is a pro.
Point 4
"Only your camrades will be able to decipher what you are saying...TDY for SERES is not something your friends behind will understand. Great TDY's as a cadet. Experiences that make the yr worth it, or at least that is what most people say."
Actually, with all the abbreviations, I have no idea what you are saying…not sure your point...maybe that is your point...?
I'll leave that to everybody else to explain..I guess I proved my pt.
Point 5
"Can one day make 4 digs endure the pain, while you laugh at night about them."
What? Did you actually say that? No, I did not take that as a joke.
Welcome to AD life, you're family, just like siblings that beat up on each other, it is a bonding experience...ask the cadets, none of want to see major pain, but it feels good to be on the other side.
BTW it is even common place in the AD world... on another thread we talked about how FNG's are treated.
Point 6
THE SA's are the absolute best education for somebody who is ready now to give 24/7/365. If you still want to be a kid and experience college than maybe and I stress maybe you should think about ROTC."
Come on , 24/7/365. Not hardly. My kids were just home for several weeks and trust me, they are still kids. At AF, my 4 degree has more passes than she could possible need
WOW....quick question, when your DD gets a speeding ticket or in an accident when she is at home on leave...will her 1st thought be fear of folks or fear of getting kicked out...mine is the 1st, yours is probably the latter. Heck as a spouse I was afraid of getting speeding tickets b/c I knew Bullet would be standing at attention even as an LTC in front of a commander.
Come summer how many weeks will your 4 dig be home? When your child returns to school are they in uniform or casual dress...i.e 24/7/365
Point 7
I have met great officers that were ROTC grad, including my husband. I have also met crappy ones. At our last base the Vice Wing and the OG were ROTC grads, not AFA."
Again, and your point? I bet there is a Vice Wing and or OG (I don’t even know what that means), at some base who graduated from the AFA…so what? There are probably a lot more non- AFA officers period. Defensive. An example of a post that I read as trying to defend ROTC. Is the point of this Pro/Con thread to decide between a military or civilian career or to decide between a Service Academy and ROTC?
OG=Operation Group...They are the person in charge of Flyers...i.e Operations. Vice Wing is the person that is like the VP.
Actually in he flyers world it really doesn't come down to AFA vs ROTC, it comes down to patch wearer vs non-patch.
Can't figure out te military or civilian part, b/c civilian has no ability to ever be a Vice or an OG
Point 8
"In the end, we all should stand up and clap for each incoming class at any SA, they are willing to dedicate their lives 24/7 to the AF at a young age. We also need to understand that ROTC cadets care just as much about the AF. Some AFROTC cadets will go that route b/c they did not get an appt. Some will go the route b/c like our son, make a determination that they want to be an AF career officer and their college yrs are their last hurrah! It doesn't mean that they are less committed or they are only going to a traditional college to party."
To me all very defensive
My apologies to you for reading it as something more than it was...so I will try again.
To every SA cadet...I am proud of you for dedicating your life at such a young age to defend our country.
To every ROTC cadet...thank you in advance for coming up to the table when you graduate and defending us.
I think it is wonderful your DD is at the AFA. G Bless, but what I hope you see is that Bullet nad I want to make sure these kids get the big picture...it is not all roses for everybody...there is a 25% attrition rate, that means at least somebody on this thread will not graduate. Is that harsh...yes...is it real...yes. Our DS not going meant that somebody else who wanted to truly be there got in. You only go b/c it is the only thing you ever wanted to do...and not for any other reason, which includes becoming a pilot or for a free education.