You know, it sure sounds like there is a severe lack of leadership at KP. This isn't the school down the street where some parent complains about Anne Franke's Diary because it discusses sex so the school takes if off the shelf. Every parent has a right to call the school, but the leadership at the school needs to be able to explain to the parent why something is done, if only to say it's a part of the training process. This takes leadership.
In the same respect, upperclassmen cannot be given uncontrolled control over plebes. If you expect to have that, you are dreaming. There has to be responsibility for your actions up the chain of command and the chain of command has to provide the propper oversight. In my opinion this starts with the company officer. Leadership. He's got to be visible throughout the company and exhibit an direct interest in the going on's within his company.
We parents should be cheerleaders for our DD/DS. Let them sound off on us, cry on our shoulder as the case may be, give them the appropriate pep talk and push them on. We've got to remember we're only hearing one side of the story. Those of us who've been through this, one of the service academies or even boot camp, should understand this.
Unfortunately, one of the problems in today's electronic world is the ease of communications, specifically Skype or Facebook, which allows us to communicate daily (IM) with our DD/DS's. Dating myself, what would have been at the front of the brain today, would have been completely forgotten about at the end of the week, if we were that lucky, after standing in line at the payphones to finally make a call home.
Ready for incoming!