Thanksgiving break

LST271

LST271

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Jan 12, 2022
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Is it worth the hassle and expense to fly home for the Thanksgiving break? If a Midshipman decides to stay on the Yard will they have town liberty?
 
Varies by family and year. We are in AZ and it has not been doable for us. They may not get released from their last academic or military obligation until mid-afternoon on Wednesday and in the past have to be back by 1800 on Sunday.

Considering that they will have exams, travel to the Army-Navy game, and then close up their rooms for Christmas break, it's a lot to manage in a short window.

For us, it hasn't been worth it. He has spent the holiday with local friends/sponsors. I can't speak to liberty since it can change and varies by mid based on restriction and or watches.
 
I was going back and forth on this question myself this year for Thanksgiving, except with our DD at USAFA.

One thought for our family was that we know we can have Thanksgiving with her while she is a cadet at USAFA. It's costly with flights and the time is not long. However, once she graduates, who know where she will be assigned and if she'll be able to get to visit for the holidays.

In addition, DD also have 2 younger siblings and an active duty parent, so it adds to the calculation of how many more holidays we'll have as a complete family. I think the answer is different for each family depending on the circumstances. That being said, either at home or staying, I'm sure they will not be alone for the holiday.
 
I think it depends on where you live with reference to a large airport. We live about 1,000 miles away but we are 15 minutes from driveway to gate arrival at a large international airport with direct service to/from BWI. Thanksgiving has been very doable. And with TSA Pre, our mid literally has walked into BWI as his plane was boarding and made it.

FWIW, our favorite visits home by our mid have been Thanksgiving - especially Plebe year, when they have to travel in uniform. As soon as they can travel in civies (or figure out they can change out of uniform in the BWI bathrooms) you probably won't get that opportunity to see your mid coming down the escalator from arrival gates in their SDBs. That first Thanksgiving home was very special.

Also - don't count on Thanksgivings after Plebe year. Stuff happens - sports teams, new friends, semesters abroad.
 
We did it last year, USAFA to the East Coast. Expensive, but doable. Still not sure about this year. DS may want to go skiing with friends which I understand. It is completely family dependent and year-to-year dependent.
 
Our DS has submitted for several trips with USNA for next Spring Break and Summer. Any trip will obviously limit his time to come home if he makes the cut for any or all of them. So bringing him home for as many Thanksgiving’s as possible is what we plan to keep on doing while he is still within reach and hasn’t made alternative plans with his buddies.
 
Also, depends on your child. Ours has friends that live locally, and prefers to stay with them and avoid wasting two days traveling for such a short break.

One year, we traveled out to them (when we had two there).

With traveling such a crapshoot this year, and the price of tickets to our market? It’s probably a no for sure.

But, to answer your question, years that mine have been there, a really good thanksgiving dinner was served. And liberty granted.

Talk to your Mid. Look at flight schedules and prices. Make decisions (usually Wednesday night fly home and back on an early flight Sunday). Always changeable tickets. But know that lots DO stay home, and he/she can most likely get absorbed into someone else’s plans, if they want. Staying and sleeping is also good!!
 
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The weather is cool-crisp and clear here in the DMV today …

I’m thinking about a warm bowl of 🦃 Chili right now …. Melt some big slabs of Cheddar on top with some tortilla chips on the side.

Yummy …

How-about Corn Bread too … ?
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So our DS really likes to stay with his sponsor. He came home plebe and youngster year. The last year and this year, he wants to stay with them. The airline travel is insane, especially on the Sunday back. I think it was nice to have him home plebe year, but each kids is different.
 
Midshipmen will be in a leave status, able to stay overnight off the Yard, departing after LMO and returning the same time as anyone else.

They can also stay on the Yard, but I am sure they have to coordinate within their company.

Sponsors are accustomed to having mids stay with them, plus “adoptees,” on occasion, if they can support them. We almost always have mids and occasional tagalongs. Our Peruvian Navy sponsor daughter stayed with us all 4 Thanksgivings, becoming completely enamored of the concept of leftovers, eating crispy turkey skin in the kitchen with the head chef after helping, pecan pie for breakfast and other holiday fun.

I have known the senior officers on the Yard to coordinate a Thanksgiving dinner at one of the on-Yard houses for the restrictees. Mids get looked after.

We have seen our West Coast and more difficult non-hub airport mids do things like meet their families at East Coast relatives for the holiday or coordinate the mids going to closer family, or meet halfway in a hub city for a mini-family vacation for a shared Thanksgiving adventure, etc.
 
Here's a note from the Dant that they just sent out today: https://intranet.usna.edu/Commandant/_files/2022_MIDSHIPMEN_THANKSGIVING_LEAVE_LIBERTY_POLICY.pdf

Personally I don't think it's worth it to fly back home (obviously that depends on where you live) since the earliest you can get home is probably late Wednesday night/early Thursday morning. Then you have to fly back to the Yard on Saturday or Sunday, meaning you really only have 2 to 3 days max at home. However, if you're planning on staying in the area, I wouldn't recommend staying on the Yard since you'll have to attend musters and sign taps every night which is just a pain when you want to relax a bit. I'm personally just staying at my sponsor's and going home for Christmas break but again it can depend on where you leave (I'm not allowed to go back home for Thanksgiving at all so my opinion might be biased but you get the point).
 
noco said:
The airline travel is insane, especially on the Sunday back.
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That's one of my concerns and getting out of BWI on Wednesday will be crazy too. Since they'll have liberty I'm thinking of driving to Annapolis and then maybe spending the holiday weekend nearby. It'd be awful to have to spend a lot of precious time stuck in traffic or an airport. Thanks to all for your responses.
 
Imo, Thanksgiving is the worst for traveling. It’s a compressed holiday, with pretty set travel times (including non-usna travelers). Flights are packed. Expensive. And there is always the chance of weather issues. Add to that staffing issues that still are prevelant and just YUCK.

@dav1y cannot open that link
 
justdoit19 said:
Imo, Thanksgiving is the worst for traveling. It’s a compressed holiday, with pretty set travel times (including non-usna travelers). Flights are packed. Expensive. And there is always the chance of weather issues. Add to that staffing issues that still are prevelant and just YUCK.
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Yep
 
justdoit19 said:
Imo, Thanksgiving is the worst for traveling. It’s a compressed holiday, with pretty set travel times (including non-usna travelers). Flights are packed. Expensive. And there is always the chance of weather issues. Add to that staffing issues that still are prevelant and just YUCK.

@dav1y cannot open that link
Click to expand...

Apologies, forgot it was an intranet link :rolleyes: This one should work
 

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If one doesn't travel home, then I would still take leave and fine alternate plans. Residing in Bancroft is not the best. You will be standing watch along with mustering/signing Taps like what @dav1y said. Bancroft becomes a ghost town during leave periods, so binging Netflix will get old soon. A lot of people go to their sponsors or tag along with a friend/teammate/companymate who lives within a reasonable distance.
 
Usnavy2019 said:
If one doesn't travel home, then I would still take leave and fine alternate plans. Residing in Bancroft is not the best. You will be standing watch along with mustering/signing Taps like what @dav1y said. Bancroft becomes a ghost town during leave periods, so binging Netflix will get old soon. A lot of people go to their sponsors or tag along with a friend/teammate/companymate who lives within a reasonable distance.
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Last year we had a sponsor plebe and a company mate.
 
2025 hopeful said:
I was going back and forth on this question myself this year for Thanksgiving, except with our DD at USAFA.

One thought for our family was that we know we can have Thanksgiving with her while she is a cadet at USAFA. It's costly with flights and the time is not long. However, once she graduates, who know where she will be assigned and if she'll be able to get to visit for the holidays.

In addition, DD also have 2 younger siblings and an active duty parent, so it adds to the calculation of how many more holidays we'll have as a complete family. I think the answer is different for each family depending on the circumstances. That being said, either at home or staying, I'm sure they will not be alone for the holiday.
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I never thought of this in this way.
 
If you can afford it, do it. For new Plebe Parents, I know it was just a few months ago they were sleeping in your house nightly and eating more food than imaginable. It won’t be long until they say… my buddies and I are going on an adventure. In just 4 years it will change to I have duty, I have flights the day after, I am deployed, I want to spend it with my fiancé. Thanksgiving was always prime basketball time, so we were always on the road. Then I was in training and then deployed. I didn’t make it home for Thanksgiving from Plebe Year until after I got out of the Marine Corps due to basketball, training and deployments. That was 9 years I missed before I attended Thanksgiving dinner again. It’s a long trip for a short period of time, but in not too long of period you will jump at the chance for 3 days with them. If you on the other side of the country and are financially capable, then come see them, as an alternate option. Get an Air BnB, make reso for dinner, be a tourist. I know not everyone can do that. If not, they will get a hot meal from someone and enjoy the day somewhere, it’s the military way of holidays. In just 5-6 years, they may have a house full of single Sailors or Marines eating Thanksgiving at their houses.
 
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