Your son/daughter goes where???

Me: "I want to attend the Naval Academy after high school."
Inevitable response: "I thought you wanted to go to college, and then become a marine officer?"
Me: "The Naval Academy is a four year institution that commissions officers into the Navy AND Marine Corps."
Inevitable response: "But it's called the Naval Academy....."
 
I've had a couple people say: "What does it cost to go to West Point?" or "Is it expensive?"
 
While we are still waiting anxiously for appointment...here are the ones that come to mind through this process:
- I thought she got that thing from the Congressman- you mean she's still not in? Then what were all those interviews for?
- my sister (who also has a senior)...."our wait on the A&M decision took forever (2months) "... me "try 4 months, 22 days, 6 hours and we still don't know"
- when people get that hazy look when we say "Air Force Academy" and then we say (pls forgive) "it's the Air Force version of West Point"..... and the light bulb goes off. "Ohhhhh"
-
 
My Plebe Summer squad had been vigorously doing exercise rifle drills and our bodies were screaming for relief in the heat and humidity. The Detailers (USNA version of an AF Cadre) were slowly walking up and down the ranks shouting to exhausted plebes “Why did you come here?” When my turn came I yelled out some gungy Navy reasons but identified the place as “Annapolis”. After a truly ominous pause, the Detailer told me very forcefully, inches from my sweaty nose, that “ANNAPOLIS is a HIGH SCHOOL in a small fishing village on the banks of the Severn River. YOU go to the U.S. NAVAL ACADEMY!!” I then memorized that fact at the top of my lungs doing push-ups, then push-outs with my rifle, and then jogging in place over and over again. Then our entire squad memorized that fact at the top of their voices with rifle held at high port running around and around the field. We were then quizzed on that numerous times en masse at meal formations and we answered in united roars before they let that bone go.

Four months later at Christmas break a sweet little old neighbor lady came up to me with a cup of tea in her hand at my parent’s home (Mom was showing me off) and with the innocence of child said “oh, I hear you go to Annapolis?”

Poor woman…..I hope I was gentle. I think I was anyway.
 
co2020fb said:
Me: "I want to attend the Naval Academy after high school."
Inevitable response: "I thought you wanted to go to college, and then become a marine officer?"
Me: "The Naval Academy is a four year institution that commissions officers into the Navy AND Marine Corps."
Inevitable response: "But it's called the Naval Academy....."
Click to expand...
To which the proper reply is... The Marine Corps is a department of the Navy.... the men's department! :) Just meant in humor folks!

PS - I have to say this thread has some of the funniest posts I've ever seen!
 
Where is that?

So is that like boot camp?

Naval Academy? Thought you wanted to be a Marine?

How do you join?

Me: I'm going to the United States Naval Academy. It's a service academy in which after graduation I will hopefully commission into the Marine Corps.
Them: So...what is it?

Them(know its prestigious school but dont realize military aspect): Naval Academy? Good school! What do you want to do after?
Me: Become a Marine Officer.
Them: Oh...can't you just join?

Why don't you go to the Marine Academy?

Oh, my [relation] went there! It's in Chicago, right? (Referring to Navy boot).

Not really a question but they'll ask how to get in and I'll go into deep response about the preliminary application, then the nomination applications and how a nomination functions, then about the different facets of the actual application, etc.
Their usual response: Oh...
 
Tonight I had a colleague carry on and on about how awesome it was that my son was accepted to a certain private school and wouldn't it be great if he received the local scholarship for this school. I replied that regardless, he was already offered an appointment to USAFA which he has accepted. Her response was, "oh". No praise, no congrats, no excitement, just "oh". Lol
 
Sledge said:
I've had a couple people say: "What does it cost to go to West Point?" or "Is it expensive?"
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I had someone ask the other day "So are you going to USAFA on scholarship?" Um, not quite......

Smalltowngirl said:
My daughter is still waiting, but we hear people say, "Why would you want to do that when you're so pretty?" What the.......o_O
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Haha, better than what I got! My oldest brother dabbled a bit in AFROTC (later deciding it wasn't for him). When I told him I wanted to go to USAFA, he said, "You can't go in the Air Force. They only let cute girls in!" Ah, the joy of older siblings! (Besides I doubt any of us will look very cute drenched in sweat and mud at BCT lol!)
 
As someone who grew up as a "townie" in a bedroom community of a huge military base, where I went to school with military dependents, it was quite a revelation to find how little your average adult knows about the military, much less service academies, just 60 miles down the road.
 
I have already started hearing the comments when people ask about my son's wanting to apply to the Academy. I have heard them sigh and say, "Oh that's too bad. With his grades and accomplishments I thought he'd want to take on more of a challenge."

My favorite comment/ question from another clueless "friend" was "Oh that's wonderful. Will he be flying planes like Maverick from Top Gun?" Oh sigh...bless her heart! I didn't have the time nor the energy to offer a response to that one.
 
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Spoke too soon earlier. At dinner this evening my wife related an encounter she had with the wife of a prominent politician at lunch today." So I here your son is going to the Air Force Academy, well I just want you to to know I talked to my husband about it and he says he won't have any fun and we think he'll regret it."
My wife sat dumbfounded as she rattled on for the entire lunch. It's a good thing I wasn't there, because I might have said something like this: You mean our son who has been crazed by anything to do with flying since he was a child? The kid that loves rockets, explosives, guns,planes, and helicopters? The young man who self financed, and self taught himself to design, build and fly drones? The cadet who will have the opportunity to fly gliders, jump out of planes, and possibly learn to pilot a plane or helicopter. You mean the Falcon who may get to travel around the country in the back of a C17 with his teammates representing the Academy and his country? You mean the officer who after 4 years will be protecting you, your husband, and your own DS whose been partying since middle school?.... No, you're probably right, he won't have any fun at all.
 
HellFromHeaven said:
Spoke too soon earlier. At dinner this evening my wife related an encounter she had with the wife of a prominent politician at lunch today." So I here your son is going to the Air Force Academy, well I just want you to to know I talked to my husband about it and he says he won't have any fun and we think he'll regret it."
My wife sat dumbfounded as she rattled on for the entire lunch. It's a good thing I wasn't there, because I might have said something like this: You mean our son who has been crazed by anything to do with flying since he was a child? The kid that loves rockets, explosives, guns,planes, and helicopters? The young man who self financed, and self taught himself to design, build and fly drones? The cadet who will have the opportunity to fly gliders, jump out of planes, and possibly learn to pilot a plane or helicopter. You mean the Falcon who may get to travel around the country in the back of a C17 with his teammates representing the Academy and his country? You mean the officer who after 4 years will be protecting you, your husband, and your own DS whose been partying since middle school?.... No, you're probably right, he won't have any fun at all.
Click to expand...

lol apparently you wife has been hanging around with the same crowd we have :)
 
I hear you loud and clear skismuggs! I told my wife to just chalk it up to the fact that the politician graduated from the boat school where they have all the crabs... or is it they all have the crabs.

PS You all will be happy to know that the pol's wife did say, "Well if he does somehow manage to get through it, and that's a big IF, he should at least have a decent education." So we got that going for us!
 
Just wait until your DS is mistaken for a doorman or the curbside baggage guy when he is waiting for you to pick him up curbside at your hometown airport when he comes home on Christmas break 4th class year wearing his doolie/plebe uniform and overcoat ...
Happened to me ... :blowup:
 
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