agagles said:
Why do you think she is incorrect? Are you getting feedback from current cadets at USAFA? What is the current suicide rate at the USAFA vs civilian colleges or other SAs? If not the "atmosphere" then what is the cause?
A. She had no problem posting the names of the dead, why not say the names of the cadets, or at the very least a C2C speaking on anonymity said... she didn't.
~~~ Maybe the grumblings she heard was overhearing as a ski instructor at Winter Park?
B. Civilian colleges these days rarely guarantee on campus housing for all 4 yrs. If a student takes their life living off campus, or is a commuter student that skews the number.
C. If we are going to live in fear...let's address the murder rate at any SA compared to traditional colleges.
~~~ VT shooting 6 yrs ago this April 16th, where 32 were taken from this world, and 17 were wounded.
~~~ Yeardly Love a UVA student killed off campus by another UVA student
~~~ Eve Carson at UNCCH was murdered off campus.
~~~ UMDCP this week where a student living off campus with 2 other students killed 1, wounded another and took his own life.
The world is big and bad. However, to go down this rabbit whole IMPO is wrong.
agagles said:
No - neither I nor any other parent have to trust the AF. [b[Perhaps our children should....after all they are in the military.[/b] IMHO - my job as a parent, taxpayer and veteran is to question what is going on at USAFA, USNA and every other federal program...and not to just blindly trust. Particularly when the problem seems to be getting worse.
That''s the thing...it is their life now, not ours. As a parent we need to trust them.
Sure, as a taxpayer you have a right to question. Not sure how as a veteran you have a right, seeing as veteran's served, are not serving or will serve in the future.
Yet, that is not how we got here, we got here because a poster asked as a parent. Not a taxpayer, nor a vet.
Do we need to address it? Yes, but let's also be honest, in this current DoD budget environment, where will you take the money from to study the issue?
The AF, nor the AFA has a 1.83 BN, yes BILLION endowment like PSU. They are so short on funds that if sequestration occurs 203,000 flight hours will be cut for ADAF training. There is no BILLION dollar endowment to do a study.
I am not being heartless, but please tell me where they will find the money to address this issue from a study perspective, which let's be honest that is the only way any answer will be found....hundreds or thousands of manpower hrs for surveys, studying the results, and changing the system.
agagles said:
That said, you can't convince me that the AF wants my son to succeed as much as I do and that I should just trust them. JMPO
I respect and admire you a lot, but for me this is where you and I part. 20 yrs as an AF spouse, and now an O1 ADAF Mom, I still believe that, BUT, I also realize that I am emotionally involved, and if the short end of the stick happens I would probably jump to think poorly of them in that respect. However, with time, that short end was because this was not their area to succeed, and they cared enough to say it.
Their position was never to risk their lives if it meant they were not ready. Our position as a parent is to be that cheerleader, telling them they can do it. We risk their lives by ignoring the experts.
So, yes, if DS at UPT doesn't wing, I will still believe that the AF cared about our DS more than just a student at UPT, and probably will save their life. They want him to succeed in life, and are honest enough to say this isn't it.
It is all about how you see "succeeding" when it comes to your child.