USMMA midshipman going ARMY
- Thread starter Excited
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Congratulations on the appointment. Very few mids commission Army from USMMA, so you may not find too many resources you are looking for for information. If your son has his heart set on only Army, I imagine it would be difficult to spend four years studying everything to do with the sea services. I am acquainted with one USMMA graduate who went active duty Army and has excelled with a career in logistics. Is there a particular Army career field your son is interested in?
Anonymous121
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Yes, definitely a strange decision. He's going to learn everything in naval terminology, naval customs and courtesies, naval history and rank structure then turn around and go Army. He will have to relearn everything.
My mid tells me that the class of 2022 has about 10 or so midshipmen going active duty Army. Your son would not be the only one. I would contact the admissions office to see if they could get you in touch with either a midshipman going Army, or the Army liaison.
He wants to be a helicopter pilot I believe
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Navy and USMC both have rotary craft.
I know a first classman this year that is going army helicopters. He was deciding between Navy Submarines and Army Helicopters. I wouldn't say coming here just to go Army is a dumb decision. I know a lot of people change their minds about what they want to do during their time here and I would much rather realize I don't want to go Army while at Kings Point than at West Point.
Just my thoughts though.
Just my thoughts though.
Yes that’s kind of his hang up with West Point- it’s Army only and we know once he gets there it’s very possible he could change his mind… I think he feels like he has more choices out of USMMA he really never expected an appointment from them and it came in the first round so he’s had a good amount of time to stress about a decision lol
My friends that are also plebes at West Point love West Point. I really don't think there's a wrong choice here but the two schools are definitely super different from one another. The day-to-day lifestyles are so different that they are almost incomparable. If he really wants to fly specifically army, maybe West Point. If he wants to fly in and is impartial to the branch and platform, he would probably benefit more from KP or Navy than he would at Army. KP does a pretty good job of letting us explore our options
We are not a military family so I’m not familiar with all the pros and cons.. we are taking him on a visit this month so hoping that will provide some clarity.
Anonymous121
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My reason for making the comment of a strange decision is this: I was enlisted Marines and then went Army and am now a commissioned officer in the Army. It was a rough transition going from years using naval terminology, customs and courtesies, etc and then going Army where nothing even has the same name. The processes are different. Ranks are different. Drill and ceremonies are different. Going from a year at sea, training to be on a ship to a service where you will most likely never step foot on a ship again. Therefore spending four years at a naval-centric academy and then commissioning into the Army is a little strange to me. Not wrong, just different.
And. . even with the regiment at KP, the training is largely for a civilian career. . ., or at least that is the intention. That said, I do know of a few that have gone active duty Army and Air Force.
A college professor with a vested interest, monetary and CV thickness, comes to a high school board espousing his "new" method of teaching a subject. His study, during which he gave the pre-test, he did the teaching to the test, and he gave the final exam, "proves" the excellence of his method. The question here is whether or not KP adequately prepares one for the Army, Air Force, etc. We do know KPers do well at Leatherneck and jump school. We know the Marines no longer require KPers to go to OCS. DD's class includes at least 4 Rangers and 3 SEALS. But to really get answers to these questions one needs to ask the regular college students if the "old" way prepared them. And to ask the KPers who went military how they are doing 1, 5, 10 years later. Did the discipline, work ethic, experience, navigation skills, communications, technology, etc. developed at KP prepare them. That is the real question.
Slightly over thirty percent of Kings Point students go active duty every year. I belive last year it was around thirty-four percent. Mids going active duty went Army, Marine Corp. Air Force, Navy, and Coast Guard. Your son should speak with upperclassmen who are going the active duty route when completes Indoc. He can also join their private FB pages to get information. There are also representatives from the different branches that are assigned to the academy that he can speak with.
If your son has recieved his appointment, I would suggest that you join the USMMA Class of 2026 Parents-KP Official fb page and start connecting with other plebe candidate parents. The parents pages have admins, and ambassadors (parents of recent grads or upperclassmen) who are on the page to help new parents navigate everything you will be encountering the next few months prior to Indoc and after. That, the National Parents Association, and your local Parents Association Chapter page is the best place to receive updated and accurate information.
My daughter has the same plan
Where is your daughter from? What does she want to do in Army