Jennifer in MI Posted May 1, 2011 Share Posted May 1, 2011 One of my son's friends is going to the Air Force Academy in June. I am very good friends with his mom and dh is friends with his dad. My other kids are also friends with their other kids. WHAT do you get a child who is going to an Academy and therefore needs NOTHING????!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TechWife Posted May 1, 2011 Share Posted May 1, 2011 Not to be tacky, but I think money is always appreciated at this point in life. It just may help him get home on his first leave. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anne Posted May 1, 2011 Share Posted May 1, 2011 Cash/Gift Cards for when he gets out or is on break? Anne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer in MI Posted May 1, 2011 Author Share Posted May 1, 2011 Not to be tacky, but I think money is always appreciated at this point in life. It just may help him get home on his first leave. Cash/Gift Cards for when he gets out or is on break? Anne Great minds think alike! We usually give money or gift cards. I guess I thought that those kids would use them on things they needed for school. This child will need NOTHING!!! I do like the idea of giving him gift cards for when he gets home on break (his first break is Thanksgiving!!!!). I know my oldest son will be SO excited to see him!!! I'm sure they'll want money to go out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer in MI Posted May 1, 2011 Author Share Posted May 1, 2011 Money! He can't bring anything with him. Also, consider writing once a week or so, though he won't write back. There are very strict rules on the envelope and don't try to send contraband, but they always like to hear from a friend. Might not even open it, due to time constraints, but just having something in that mailbox is priceless. I'm still writing the Mid every day, though she commissioned a year ago... I was hoping you'd answer! What can they use money on when they're there? Or would it be mostly for savings and when he comes home? I actually dated a guy in his second year at West Point and we were able to get out a bit. Can he get out at all his first year? I'll definitely tell my ds to write to him. I will too. My ds has expressed interest in West Point. So, I'm watching his friend VERY carefully and seeing how this all plays out. On the one hand, I'm happy for his friend. On the other, I'm scared for him! People are going to be MEAN to him! YELL at him! ACK!! How do you, as a mom of a cadet, deal with it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaKinVA Posted May 1, 2011 Share Posted May 1, 2011 There are things on the yard they can purchase (snacks, pizza), and they do get to go off yard on weekends too (they have host families who take them places). Well, at least USNA does, I'd imagine USMA isn't much different on that note. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In The Great White North Posted May 6, 2011 Share Posted May 6, 2011 This child will need NOTHING!!! Ahhh. But there are many things he'll want! Let's start with the expensive ones: a printer an external monitor iphone cell and data plan sleeping bag (so they don't have to make their bed every morning :D) Of course, they can't bring anything on the first day, so the cash is probably best. They do have to have a checking account before they arrive, so if you write them a check (which they can deposit in their new account) that would be better than a gift card (I highly dislike the generic Visa giftcards and they won't have access to any regular stores for awhile.) Ds also got a credit card before he left. (They organize this with a local military bank with better rates than most.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In The Great White North Posted May 6, 2011 Share Posted May 6, 2011 I was hoping you'd answer! What can they use money on when they're there? Or would it be mostly for savings and when he comes home? I actually dated a guy in his second year at West Point and we were able to get out a bit. Can he get out at all his first year? I'll definitely tell my ds to write to him. I will too. My ds has expressed interest in West Point. So, I'm watching his friend VERY carefully and seeing how this all plays out. On the one hand, I'm happy for his friend. On the other, I'm scared for him! People are going to be MEAN to him! YELL at him! ACK!! How do you, as a mom of a cadet, deal with it? They get out a lot more than they used too. :tongue_smilie: The Corps has... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In The Great White North Posted May 6, 2011 Share Posted May 6, 2011 Hmmmmm. 1982? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted May 6, 2011 Share Posted May 6, 2011 Hmmmmm. 1982? Well, Navy still had real plebe summers all the way to 1991-4. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted May 6, 2011 Share Posted May 6, 2011 Great minds think alike! We usually give money or gift cards. I guess I thought that those kids would use them on things they needed for school. This child will need NOTHING!!! I do like the idea of giving him gift cards for when he gets home on break (his first break is Thanksgiving!!!!). I know my oldest son will be SO excited to see him!!! I'm sure they'll want money to go out. There are still lots of things that mids/cadets need/want to spend money on. While they are paid as mids/cadets, they use that pay to purchase uniforms, books, and pay for services (daily newspaper, laundry services, barber shop, cobbler, tickets to the football games that you have to attend, etc). I think the monthy amount has improved a lot, but my first semester, all of my pay went into my midshipman account, then went to pay off all of the various things I was charged for, then I was paid a monthy distribution and the rest stayed in the account. I only got $35/month first semester and $70/month second semester. I had liberty every Saturday, but was just able to buy something at Burger King and still have any money for things like sodas during the week. (Mids are dealing with larger dollar amounts now, but to say they lack for nothing is not quite spot on.) So, yeah, money is a huge help. I wanted to buy things like non-school books, equipment for my sport, and food while on liberty. It would have been great to have phone cards for calling home from the pay phones (this might be cell phones now). I bought several books to use for professional reports. (I think I just got rid of my copy of US War Machine before our last move.) And Margaret in CO is right, letters are huge. It doesn't present quite the same way at a graduation party as a tangible gift. But it would mean so much. Mail conveys a sense that a plebe isn't alone in the world, that there are in fact people out there who think he or she is pretty special and not just some incompetent newbie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted May 6, 2011 Share Posted May 6, 2011 And the last REAL Herndon climb was for the class of 2010! Actually, I feel sorry for class of 2013, because they will always be known as the class that didn't really do Herndon--2 minutes because it wasn't greased. In just the blink of an eye, they'll be old grads and the current mids won't be able to relate to half of their experiences. My class broke all the modern records for the climb, getting it done in around 42 minutes. Half the upperclass hadn't even changed for liberty yet. :D And it was especially sweet because one of our upper class years (I think it was our second class) had the record for the longest climb ever (something like 3 hours).:lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In The Great White North Posted May 6, 2011 Share Posted May 6, 2011 DS told me USAFA has no pay phones anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted May 6, 2011 Share Posted May 6, 2011 DS told me USAFA has no pay phones anymore. I don't doubt it. But man the heart felt conversations I had with my parents in those little wooden booths. And standing in line for over an hour, studying while I waited. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamee Posted May 6, 2011 Share Posted May 6, 2011 And it was especially sweet because one of our upper class years (I think it was our second class) had the record for the longest climb ever (something like 3 hours).:lol: Curious what year that would have been?:D Would I have known someone from that year? As far as gift cards go, what about Exchange/AAFES gift cards? Something he could use on base? I think civilians can get them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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