Your Son/Daughter is Going Where?? Round 2

My DS is applying to USNA this fall, and we are waiting only for a nomination. We were telling this to family at a funeral yesterday, and I was definitely not expecting: "But why the Naval Academy? Why wouldn't he just go to the Virginia Military Institute?" This was a family member who lives in DC, close to USNA and college-educated. I was so surprised I just babbled, and completely forgot, "Um, because it's free?"
 
So far I've received many of the expected "oh I was offered a spot there once; not my cup of tea." Ahem, sir, no one simply gets "offered" an appointment because they are the paper boy to a retired colonel. However, the unexpected part was my being appointed the "crown jewel" of the family by my aunts whose father was a Navy captain.
 
Thanksgiving 2022 - serving a hot thanksgiving meal at a VA inpatient wing that has a dial-a-code pad to exit.

Them: Does your son know where he'll serve after graduation?
Me: Just found out - He'll be a Navy Pilot, eventually heading to Pensacola for training. Living his dream.
Them: "I was offered a pilot slot out of (USNA, USMA, USAFA, ROTC, enlistment), but turned it down because: 1. pilots got paid less back then 2. the training was too long, and they wanted to see action in Korea/ 'Nam. 3. it was more prestigious to serve on a ship 4. I didn't want to fly helicopters. 5. I really wanted to drive tanks instead in Germany (USMA).

Hey they've earned the right for me to be reverent/ respectful and listen along, even if the BS meter in my pocket kept sounding off. I don't care if they peeled potato(e)s - it's just interesting when people imply they were offered the role of SEAL or PILOT but turned it down for something else. I'm guessing it's a 90/10 BS to what really happened outcome.
 
Thanksgiving 2022 - serving a hot thanksgiving meal at a VA inpatient wing that has a dial-a-code pad to exit.

Them: Does your son know where he'll serve after graduation?
Me: Just found out - He'll be a Navy Pilot, eventually heading to Pensacola for training. Living his dream.
Them: "I was offered a pilot slot out of (USNA, USMA, USAFA, ROTC, enlistment), but turned it down because: 1. pilots got paid less back then 2. the training was too long, and they wanted to see action in Korea/ 'Nam. 3. it was more prestigious to serve on a ship 4. I didn't want to fly helicopters. 5. I really wanted to drive tanks instead in Germany (USMA).

Hey they've earned the right for me to be reverent/ respectful and listen along, even if the BS meter in my pocket kept sounding off. I don't care if they peeled potato(e)s - it's just interesting when people imply they were offered the role of SEAL or PILOT but turned it down for something else. I'm guessing it's a 90/10 BS to what really happened outcome.
Well....not everyone wants to be a pilot. My daughter is currently trying to decide if she'd like to go flight or not. Right now, she is leaning toward not requesting flight school for her billet because there are other missions that spark her interest more. Time will tell I guess.
 
Well....not everyone wants to be a pilot. My daughter is currently trying to decide if she'd like to go flight or not. Right now, she is leaning toward not requesting flight school for her billet because there are other missions that spark her interest more. Time will tell I guess.
sure but pilots dont get paid less. Air Force academy gets about 500-550 spots every year and the class is about 1000. They typically have a hard time filling all of the spots. That means half the class either doesn't qualify or doesn't want to be a pilot. Which is 100% perfectly fine. It's the reverse of those who claim to be Navy Seals. If you were to count the number of people who claimed to be retired Navy Seals (lets ignore those who claim they are current Seals) you would up wind up with a number that is 10 times the number of Seals that ever existed. The funnier comments are those who claimed they were offered a spot without ever applying
 
Well....not everyone wants to be a pilot. My daughter is currently trying to decide if she'd like to go flight or not. Right now, she is leaning toward not requesting flight school for her billet because there are other missions that spark her interest more. Time will tell I guess.
sure but pilots dont get paid less. Air Force academy gets about 500-550 spots every year and the class is about 1000. They typically have a hard time filling all of the spots. That means half the class either doesn't qualify or doesn't want to be a pilot. Which is 100% perfectly fine. It's the reverse of those who claim to be Navy Seals. If you were to count the number of people who claimed to be retired Navy Seals (lets ignore those who claim they are current Seals) you would up wind up with a number that is 10 times the number of Seals that ever existed. The funnier comments are those who claimed they were offered a spot without ever applying

Thanks @Humey for eloquently providing the context I was trying to think about how to do that without getting off-track.

@ProudMom7, to quote the late, great Gary Coleman, What'chu talkin' about, Willis? I simply did not state everyone wants to be a pilot. No need to lawn mower parent engage for your adult daughter on this one - no basis of fact.

Your daughter should be secure and comfortable in whatever choices she puts down in her prioritized list of where your daughter would like to serve. That's half the service selection equation. Ultimately though the service will decide which of those choices she will serve in and inform her of that result - needs of the service come first. Any ROTC/ SA vet who says they were selected to be a pilot but turned them down given this, ends up looking a little more like the host of enlisted seamen who said they were a SEAL when they simply weren't.

I'll add for context that in speaking further with the daughter of one of these "offered pilot but turned it down" vets during Thanksgiving dessert, she informed me her Dad (Robert) was ROTC at Cornell, and taught quantity cooking at Kadena Air Force Base in Okinawa, Japan after going to hotel school as an undergrad. She smiled and shook her head at his "memory" of almost being a pilot but declining on "wanting to get in on the action in Korea." Again, I don't care if they peeled potato(e)s in the service - I still respect their sacrifice and contribution.
 
Best response for cadets to use when thanked for their service: "Thank you for paying for my education."
My DS is a Yuk at West Point. He is embarrassed when people thank him for his service. He said to me: How do I respond--Thank you, I am defending America one math test at a time?

Perhaps this response will help him out next time.
 
My DS is a Yuk at West Point. He is embarrassed when people thank him for his service. He said to me: How do I respond--Thank you, I am defending America one math test at a time?

Perhaps this response will help him out next time.
I was including a hint of sarcasm, but I'm glad if it helps.
 
Old school, love it. You can never go wrong with Please, Thank You & You're Welcome.
In advanced management training at a Fortune 10 Company one of the skills taught was how to reply to that difficult person that verbally throws some hand grandes in a meeting. Response: "Thank you Bill". It can be very powerful. Don't take the bait.
 
My DS is a Yuk at West Point. He is embarrassed when people thank him for his service. He said to me: How do I respond--Thank you, I am defending America one math test at a time?

Perhaps this response will help him out next time.
Our Firstie accepts one perk for her service. Boarding her United flights in the first group when active duty military are called. Other than that not many others know.
 
I don’t think anyone should look at the service academies as “free” and “paid by the taxpayers.” The cadets/mids must pay back their tuition with service time. That hardly seems free to me (except from the parents’ standpoint).

FWIW, I have never had one of these types of conversations (regarding my son going to USMA).
 
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