Your son/daughter goes where???

This is an entertaining thread. I got one.

Yesterday during a military appreciation moment at our HS basketball game half-time, veterans were called to center court along with my DD just receiving her appointment to USCGA::

2 veteran National Guardsmen: "Coast Guard has an academy?"
My DD: points to the USCGA sweatshirt she was wearing. "YES!"
 
ringczar23 said:
Great thread, I find it so interesting that educated folks have such a hard time understanding what USAFA is, for them I always end the conversation with, "It's like Harvard with more prestige and fewer students."
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And apparently all the attitude.
 
katieg said:
DD is a USNA candidate. We try to keep that to ourselves but every once in awhile we will share and get this response: what if she has to go to war? Doesn’t that scare you?
🙄🙄🙄🙄
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It probably should...

When I was applying to the academies and as a mid I think I held a lot of the same opinions as the more enthusiastic parents on here. Some of my older posts probably reflect similar opinions. How could people not know about the Naval Academy and how prestigious it was that I got in/went? How were people so ignorant about something that was so important to me? My own parents, while wonderful people who respected my decision to attend USNA and interest in military life, harbored a lot of doubts and worries about those choices. At time I took this as kind of an affront, but now as someone comfortably established on active duty it makes a lot more sense. To their everlasting credit, despite their legitimate concerns about sending their daughter off to the military, they allowed me to choose my own path and now whenever they visit want to stop by the PX to get all the "Marine Mom/Dad" gear they can carry.

There are wide swaths of America that don't have a ton of people interested in the military. Many people don't know anyone on active duty. Even in San Diego, where there is a HUGE military presence, I talk to a lot of people who don't really interact with the military personnel here or know a lot about military life. There are a lot of people to whom Camp Pendleton is just a stretch of I-5 without houses on it. While maybe not ideal, that is reality. Most of the questions that people respond to in this thread aren't borne from any ill-will, but from ignorance. Reacting with "It's like Harvard....but more selective" Is a good way to have those people shut down or not really learn anything. Patience and understanding go a lot farther.

At the end of the day, this is a career where your children will work very hard, often in difficult and possibly dangerous conditions. They will fail at something, be yelled at, and be physically and mentally miserable at some point or another. That your child could be killed or seriously injured on active duty, even in peacetime, is a simple fact. They will likely know people who will die. I wonder sometimes about the parents on here who express only pride and happiness in their children attending the academies or going on active duty. I am not yet a parent, but have to think that I would have a long conversation with a child of mine that wanted to enter the military about what that really means. Absolutely be proud of your children for wanting to take a different path and that you have prepared a child for the road vs. the road for the child or whatever. Others may not feel the same way, and that's fine.
 
katieg said:
DD is a USNA candidate. We try to keep that to ourselves but every once in awhile we will share and get this response: what if she has to go to war? Doesn’t that scare you?
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+100 to @Hurricane12.

The thought of DD going to war most definitely scares me. She chose her path to USNA and we supported her all the way, but not without considerable trepidation from mother of DD. While only a youngster, DD is already talking about wanting to start her career as a forward-deployed officer. "If I'm going to serve, then I want to serve," she says.

I'm not crazy about any response along the lines of "Just like Harvard, only more selective." While that can certainly make a parent feel satisfied, especially when faced with an unknowing inquirer, it reduces the SAs to just another elite institution that others should "ooh" and "ahh" in admiration.

But, as we all know, it's much more than that. The SAs train war fighters. And should our children ever be called to fight a war, we should all be scared. Supportive and loving, to be sure, but most definitely scared.
 
Hurricane12 said:
It probably should...

When I was applying to the academies and as a mid I think I held a lot of the same opinions as the more enthusiastic parents on here. Some of my older posts probably reflect similar opinions. How could people not know about the Naval Academy and how prestigious it was that I got in/went? How were people so ignorant about something that was so important to me? My own parents, while wonderful people who respected my decision to attend USNA and interest in military life, harbored a lot of doubts and worries about those choices. At time I took this as kind of an affront, but now as someone comfortably established on active duty it makes a lot more sense. To their everlasting credit, despite their legitimate concerns about sending their daughter off to the military, they allowed me to choose my own path and now whenever they visit want to stop by the PX to get all the "Marine Mom/Dad" gear they can carry.

There are wide swaths of America that don't have a ton of people interested in the military. Many people don't know anyone on active duty. Even in San Diego, where there is a HUGE military presence, I talk to a lot of people who don't really interact with the military personnel here or know a lot about military life. There are a lot of people to whom Camp Pendleton is just a stretch of I-5 without houses on it. While maybe not ideal, that is reality. Most of the questions that people respond to in this thread aren't borne from any ill-will, but from ignorance. Reacting with "It's like Harvard....but more selective" Is a good way to have those people shut down or not really learn anything. Patience and understanding go a lot farther.

At the end of the day, this is a career where your children will work very hard, often in difficult and possibly dangerous conditions. They will fail at something, be yelled at, and be physically and mentally miserable at some point or another. That your child could be killed or seriously injured on active duty, even in peacetime, is a simple fact. They will likely know people who will die. I wonder sometimes about the parents on here who express only pride and happiness in their children attending the academies or going on active duty. I am not yet a parent, but have to think that I would have a long conversation with a child of mine that wanted to enter the military about what that really means. Absolutely be proud of your children for wanting to take a different path and that you have prepared a child for the road vs. the road for the child or whatever. Others may not feel the same way, and that's fine.
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Extremely well said.
 
I think 99% of the comments arent malicious and come from ignorance. I dont mean ignorance in a negative way but rather they just dont know. Not the same thing but the same idea. I was born in Argentina and came to the US in the very early 60s, when I was a year old. When I or my family would say we were from Argentina, half the time they would ask us if that was in Brazil. We didnt take it in a wrong way, although we thought they were stupid. People didnt know or had a lack of knowledge about South America. You read articles about how the majority of people who enlist are children or grandchildren of people who served. That number of people isnt very large so can you imagine the number of people who actually spent time in an academy. So if people dont know about the academy, its not a big surprise. My son did Rotc and when I mention that, people think he got a free ride. I tell them he got zero for it and they always looked confused because they assume Rotc = scholarship
 
Perhaps the most interesting one I've gotten was from my friend's mother who thought the academy was just a boot camp, she said: "So how long are you going to be there? Isn't it like 2 months or something?" 🤦‍♂️
 
A fun little newsclip to have handy for those of the USNA persuasion, as to what a daughter or son might be doing down the road. I know this is the USAFA forum, but this thread is very joint forces in nature.

CSG-2 Conducts Change of Command

Rear Adm. Sara A. “Clutch” Joyner relieved Rear Adm. Stephen C. Evans as Commander, Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 2 during a change of ...
www.navy.mil www.navy.mil
 
+1 to @Humey. Ignorance can be annoying, but not usually malicious. Sadly, cultural literacy is not a modern American strength.

My own "Argentina story": When we returned to the U.S. from an expat assignment, we told our new neighbors that we'd come from Switzerland. They said, "Oh, Switzerland, what a wonderful place. Did you learn to speak Swedish?"
 
"I have heard the Coast Guard Academy is a nice place, being in Corpus Christi and all."
 
As a mom, I have trepidation regarding what our son is choosing to sign up for. Yes, it is what he has wanted and he has worked hard to be in a position to accept his appointment to USNA. The risks are inherent with the training and the service. When people ask if he is going to college, I say yes, the Naval Academy. Sometimes I get ooh's and aahh's. Sometimes blank stares, and questions about boot camp. I haven't yet ventured into explaining what it entails. My mom heart is still coming to terms with the fact that unlike 97% (plus or minus) of this year's graduating high school seniors, our DS will be completing next of kin paperwork and life insurance documents. Puts it into perspective. We are proud of his willingness to serve and of those before him.
 
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Heatherg21 said:
unlike 97% (plus or minus) of this year's graduating high school seniors
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Definitely PLUS - only about 1% of the US population are active duty, and the large percentage of those are enlisted. But hey, they get "fun" summer vacations for the next several years, lots of cool clothing, and dozens of instant "besties". What could be better???🧐
 
My DS's 8th grade english teacher recently found out that DS is attending USNA. She said to my wife: "I'm really disappointed in ____. I always thought he was such a smart kid." My wife did not take the bait, but it is indicative of something we've come across in our northern midwest city. DS was the first graduate from his high school to attend an SA since 1992. They made a note in the alumni newsletter that "We had IB diploma graduates from the Class of 2019 attend top schools, including Yale, Northwestern and the West Point Military Academy." Well, they got that wrong in two ways - the name for USMA and the fact that DS has to yell "Beat Army!" every time he squares a corner in Bancroft Hall.
 
ders_dad said:
My DS's 8th grade english teacher recently found out that DS is attending USNA. She said to my wife: "I'm really disappointed in ____. I always thought he was such a smart kid." My wife did not take the bait, but it is indicative of something we've come across in our northern midwest city. DS was the first graduate from his high school to attend an SA since 1992. They made a note in the alumni newsletter that "We had IB diploma graduates from the Class of 2019 attend top schools, including Yale, Northwestern and the West Point Military Academy." Well, they got that wrong in two ways - the name for USMA and the fact that DS has to yell "Beat Army!" every time he squares a corner in Bancroft Hall.
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I will assume that the english teacher knows what USNA or the military academies are. In this case, i have to believe that the teachers problem with being in the military is the issue of giving service to your nation. Ironically enough, the teacher probably has no problem with someone being a police officer or fire fighter but somehow being in the miltary is somehow cheap. I have to imagine that for many folks in this country, the only people who join are minorities, poor and those who have nothing else going on in their lives. I mean if it takes the same effort to go to Havard as it does West Point, wouldnt it make more sense to go to Harvard and make lots of money when you graduate.
 
Okay. Feel free to torch me, but here goes.

This thread started out as a recounting of amusing things said by folks who have little or no understanding of the military in general or the SA's in particular. The most common response I ever got to the news of my DS joining AROTC was laughter or "I didn't see that coming." The inference was always that many of his talents might be going to waste. So what! The world doesn't exactly worship bricklayers and electricians.

The thread has now devolved into a combination of humblebrag and lament that the world doesn't appreciate our young masters of the universe.

Don't worry. There is plenty of praise waiting for them. So much so that it will occasionally embarrass them.
 
Most folks seem to know what USAFA is, but lately we've run into a few "so where is he going to be stationed?" questions.
Along with a few other "I thought he was going to college?"
Explaining it as "West Point for the Air Force" seems to clear it up.

Also a surprising number of people who wonder if we support his decision to be part of the armed forces. Didn't expect that.
 
Lately a lot of people have been asking where basic training is, thinking that I'll go to an Air Force base before going to the Academy. They seem surprised when I tell them it's in Colorado Springs at the Academy.
 
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