Your son/daughter goes where???

VelveteenR said:
Got this the other day from a young lady in her late twenties who works in one of our offices:

Where does your son go to school?

West Point.

Where is that?

New York.

West Point College?

No, It's the United States Military Academy.

There's a military academy?

Yes, for training officers for the Army.

Is it like a college?

It is a college. He will earn an engineering degree and then he will serve as an officer in the Army.

It doesn't sound like college. Are you sure?

Maybe not. He likes to fool me.

(God help us.)
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I'm not surprised.
 
VelveteenR said:
It doesn't sound like college. Are you sure?
(God help us.)
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This happens all too often ^^. Some people think Stanford is in CT or Washington University is in Washington State. Most people are surprised to learn that MIT has a top ranked business school (Sloan) or that the Mayo Clinic has an extremely selective medical school (2%). For that matter, the guy on the street has never heard of a Rhodes Scholar.

While we are pointing out the ignorance of others, remember that 30% of Americans don't know the year 9/11 happened or what the Holocaust was (30%). For some more gems, see http://thoughtcatalog.com/nico-lang...mericans-dont-know-according-to-poll-numbers/ !

So it should go without saying >>50% of the people are not going to have a clue about USAFA. I bet 90% of Americans have never heard of the Air Force Academy. Hopefully we are all hanging out with more educated people. But even then, I bet I have to explain what it is to 50% of the people. And if they do know something about it, they don't really have a clue about the details. It is what it is and I simply educate as many people who want to learn. :)
 
OK, , my kids are going on four years out of USAFA, but really, the joy just can't seem to end.
Today, at Bible Study:

Nice Lady: Oh, so you have some children? How nice. Did they go to college and what do they do now?
Me: Well, some went to Xyz College and work <here>, and two went to the Air Force Academy.
Nice Lady: I've heard that those who enlist in the Air Force have it really good these days.
Me: I can't really speak to that, since mine went to the Academy.
Nice Lady: Didn't they want to go to college since your other kids did?
Me (after a deep breath): It's like West Point, but for Air Force. My kids are pilots.
Nice Lady: Oh! Pilots! I didn't know they let enlisted be pilots.
Me: I believe some enlisted folks can pilot drones now, but my sons are officers.
Nice Lady (totally confused now): like police officers?
Me: yeah, something like that.
 
Here my answer

"To all my well meaning co-workers, acquaintances and friends of friends, my son is a cadet at the United States Air Force Academy. He did not enlist, he is not going to school on the GI bill, he is in college and has academic, military and fitness requirements to meet. He will graduate in four years as a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Air Force and will give our country between five and eight years or more of his life to keep you and your family living free in the US of A. Please do not say to me, oh so he's just in college and you don't have to pay, so you are lucky. No, my friend, YOU are lucky. You did not have to tell your son what a life insurance beneficiary was or why it was necessary to name one. You did not have to have your son ask whether it should be mom or dad to take possession of his body if he dies in the line of duty. And most of all you are lucky because my son said yes and will go on to lead others and protect this country."
 
abby2015 said:
Here my answer

"To all my well meaning co-workers, acquaintances and friends of friends, my son is a cadet at the United States Air Force Academy. He did not enlist, he is not going to school on the GI bill, he is in college and has academic, military and fitness requirements to meet. He will graduate in four years as a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Air Force and will give our country between five and eight years or more of his life to keep you and your family living free in the US of A. Please do not say to me, oh so he's just in college and you don't have to pay, so you are lucky. No, my friend, YOU are lucky. You did not have to tell your son what a life insurance beneficiary was or why it was necessary to name one. You did not have to have your son ask whether it should be mom or dad to take possession of his body if he dies in the line of duty. And most of all you are lucky because my son said yes and will go on to lead others and protect this country."
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Well said. A lot of people just don't get it...
Thanks Abby
 
My son just got appointed to USNA but I have enjoyed reading this thread. Last Saturday we got a response to the where is your kid going question that left my DH and myself speechless: Verbatim as follows:

"Oh, I could never live with myself if I went into the military and killed people. We just watched that sniper movie last night, I don't know how that guy could live with himself" (They were talking about American Sniper and Chris Kyle)

Of course when we left we thought about a million responses we could have given. I thought about from now on just saying that DS is going to school in Maryland. But NO! He worked so hard to achieve this and we will continue to tell everyone with pride and ignore those that don't get it.
 
fifi5 said:
My son just got appointed to USNA but I have enjoyed reading this thread. Last Saturday we got a response to the where is your kid going question that left my DH and myself speechless: Verbatim as follows:

"Oh, I could never live with myself if I went into the military and killed people. We just watched that sniper movie last night, I don't know how that guy could live with himself" (They were talking about American Sniper and Chris Kyle)

Of course when we left we thought about a million responses we could have given. I thought about from now on just saying that DS is going to school in Maryland. But NO! He worked so hard to achieve this and we will continue to tell everyone with pride and ignore those that don't get it.
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Best that you saved your breath, do you really think anything you could have answered to that inanity would have made one smidgen of an impression?

Here is the laughable part, if you just told them "My son gets paid to go to college" They would be so impressed. Way more than if you told them "My son is going to college to learn to be one of the leaders who will defend our Freedom"

Anyway Folks I'm not a moderator but for my part, I enjoy the fun part of this Thread, it never ends. Just laugh and let it go! Think of this Academy thing as our little insider secret! :)
 
Ok I have a cute one, but you can't make fun of him because it came from my son and he's only 10. In typical little brother fashion, he wanted to offend my oldest, who is at West Point. "Momma, I think I want to go to Navy to make <brother> mad, but I don't know where Indianapolis is". Makes me laugh every time I think of it!
 
Spirit mom said:
Ok I have a cute one, but you can't make fun of him because it came from my son and he's only 10. In typical little brother fashion, he wanted to offend my oldest, who is at West Point. "Momma, I think I want to go to Navy to make <brother> mad, but I don't know where Indianapolis is". Makes me laugh every time I think of it!
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Reminds me of:

 
Spirit and CaptMJ, your posts reminded me of a video I saw, before radio waves were even invented (ha!), that had the Sesame St crew in it... Anyway, Big Bird lived in Ocean View, Illinois.

Sooo off topic, I know. Apologies.
 
Ran into one of DS grade school teachers. She asked where he was going to college. "He is so bright" she said. I told her he was going to the Academy. She frowned and said "he will be able to go to college when he gets out won't he?" I laughed (on the inside)
 
A classmate asked me:
"You're going for a pilot slot right? Why do you need to workout? Why do pilots need to be in shape?"
A question that is ridiculous to us, but for some reason made sense to him
 
Joos said:
A classmate asked me:
"You're going for a pilot slot right? Why do you need to workout? Why do pilots need to be in shape?"
A question that is ridiculous to us, but for some reason made sense to him
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Muahaha. Because the Air Force is nasty and doesn't want dead pilots! Hmm, maybe pilots are still soldiers :)
 
Joos said:
A classmate asked me:
"You're going for a pilot slot right? Why do you need to workout? Why do pilots need to be in shape?"
A question that is ridiculous to us, but for some reason made sense to him
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Take a gander at GEN Breedlove and some of the others in the AF pilot community. The question asked isn't as silly as you like to think.
 
I honestly think it's a shame that the average American doesn't know what young kids sacrifice to go to a service academy. I have the upmost respect for anyone who has completed all four years at USAFA, USMA...etc. People really don't get the whole "it's a college life and a military life mixed into one" idea. I feel if young kids/parents were more informed about these academies, that they would possibly be interested in attending.

Luckily in my area, people know what USAFA is and understand its prestigiousness. I've never felt more proud to be apart of something like I've felt being apart of an academy. Just remember....no matter how ignorant some people are...nobody can ever take away the pride of being admitted, surviving, and graduating from the most prestigious colleges this country (and world) have to offer.

Glad to be apart of this forum!
 
In the sad but sometimes happens category:

A woman whom I have known casually for years was discussing my sons, not knowing I was just beyond her sightline across the room (and I couldn't leave so it wasn't my fault!). I overheard her saying that while "yes, those <insert name> kids are smart enough, their parents were so cheap they refused to send them to college, so they went into the Air Force."

Had it not been for two full inches of plexiglass separating us, I'd have bopped her in the kisser myself.


:hammer:
 
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