West Point question

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Imtheflash1977

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Our cadet is in his second semester at West Point and has been offered AIAD trip to Africa but also found out he was slotted for Air Assault 2. We are curious which one you would recommend and why? Appreciate your feedback.
 
I would take the trip to Africa. There will be other opportunities to take air assault. DS is a Yuk at West Point And has not yet taken air assault. In fact, at the All Academy Ball in December some Old Grads offered advice to take air assault after becoming an officer in that you are treated better and if injured you are in the Army so it does not affect being able to complete schooling at West Point.

But I am only a parent. Perhaps others with Army experience will chime in.
 
Allectus said:
I would take the trip to Africa. There will be other opportunities to take air assault. DS is a Yuk at West Point And has not yet taken air assault. In fact, at the All Academy Ball in December some Old Grads offered advice to take air assault after becoming an officer in that you are treated better and if injured you are in the Army so it does not affect being able to complete schooling at West Point.

But I am only a parent. Perhaps others with Army experience will chime in.
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Thank you for your feedback.
 
BeastBarracks2024USMA said:
I HIGHLY recommend taking the Africa AIAD if your DS is even remotely interested in it! He'll have plenty of opportunities to do air assault later
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He is very interested in going to Africa and one less requirement he needs to complete for graduation. What stirred the pot was getting an email right before spring break that he was also slotted for air assault on the same date he would be gone. Maybe they will make an exception and put him in prior or after returning to do both this summer. I believe they offer three different dates over the summer but not sure if that’s a possibility. Thanks for your feedback.
 
I also got an AIAD abroad this summer, I’m taking the aiad. It was pretty hard to land an aiad, let alone one abroad as a plebe, plus it’s still a grad requirement. Also, there’s no guarantee that he’ll be able to get on that trip again if he decides to only do AA this summer, but I would say it’s nearly a guarantee at USMA to get an AA slot another summer.
 
If there is a conflict, DS says Army may require the air assault over the AIAD unless he can trade with someone on the air assault to remove the conflict.
 
Allectus said:
If there is a conflict, DS says Army may require the air assault over the AIAD unless he can trade with someone on the air assault to remove the conflict.
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Very true... And trades DO NOT come easy.
 
MidCakePa said:
Foreign travel: The gift that keeps on giving! Take every chance you can.
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Our son was happily able to avoid it until that five-month all expenses paid trip to Qatar last year. It was his first time out of the continental U.S. Not everyone enjoys travel. He’d choose air assault every time. In fact, he’d probably choose walking hours over travel.
 
I have no doubt that the Africa trip would be incredible. However, I believe completion of a MIAD (i.e. Air Assault, Airborne, etc.) is a graduation requirement. Air Assault is a very difficult school, no matter what anyone says, and it has a high failure rate. Your son would be much better served to get Air Assault out of the way this summer if possible. That gives him more margin for error if he does not complete the school this summer. If he graduates Air Assault this summer, that would then give him more flexibility for AIADs in his major later.
 
Take the Africa trip.
You never know as an officer where you will need up. Air Assault? You can do that when ever. But exposure to foreign countries at no cost? That’s rare.
As an O-3 I found myself assigned to West Africa for eight months in an assignment that wasn’t covered in ROTC.
No one told “Vinegar” Joe Stilwell when he was a Cadet that he would be fighting the Japanese in China. But he went to China as a military attaché, then commanded units there as a general.
In the words of Buckaroo Banzai, the famed astro physicist, test pilot, and defender of the US from invading aliens, “No matter where you go, there you are.”
 
Imtheflash1977 said:
Our cadet is in his second semester at West Point and has been offered AIAD trip to Africa but also found out he was slotted for Air Assault 2. We are curious which one you would recommend and why? Appreciate your feedback.
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Like others have said, Africa sounds great. However, MIADs take precedent so unless he is able to convince the scheduler to trade AA for a later slot, he will have to do AA and give up the AIAD.
 
If the AIAD and Air Assault overlap in his schedule, it is unlikely that West Point will allow him to do the AIAD. He should absolutely take the AIAD if he can, but it will take some serious luck and working with TACs/administrative side to get there. Cadets being forced to do Air Assault over an AIAD is a very common occurrence.
 
Unless you get someone to take AA, your son will not be going to Africa this summer. Air Assault takes preference.
 
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