Doran Posted June 14, 2008 Share Posted June 14, 2008 I'm stumped. We and many of our "pseudo hippy clan" are attending a potluck sendoff for a young man in our community who is bound for the Air Force Academy in a few weeks. His parents are ex-hippy Christians :001_smile:. He is an artistic, athletic young man (big into soccer and skateboading), very bright (goes w/out saying maybe). I believe the young man plans to pursue an engineering degree. Several of us moms are wanting to give him something, collectively. A leather bound journal, maybe? I'm not good at this at all. Maybe the ex-hippy Christian thing is irrelevant, but it came to mind, so I put it in. Ideas please. Please?? :confused: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom2legomaniacs Posted June 14, 2008 Share Posted June 14, 2008 Humor my ignorance about the institution. Is it like going to a college in that he will be in a dorm type thing and taking classes? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom2legomaniacs Posted June 14, 2008 Share Posted June 14, 2008 Okay, I am assuming it is. Would a theme thing be okay? Like a basket of supplies for school -- pen, mechanical pencil, lead, note pads, stamps, batteries, etc. Or maybe a laundry basket with the supplies in that -- detergent, towels, ruck sack, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted June 14, 2008 Share Posted June 14, 2008 I don't know about the AF academy, specifically. However, my hubby attended a military academy (as did several of our friends) and I know that the first year they are frequently limited on what they are allowed to own. Isn't there an AF academy grad on the board? I was thinking there was. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaKinVA Posted June 14, 2008 Share Posted June 14, 2008 Rats, Plebes... don't know what AF guys are called, sorry! They are all *very* limited on what they can bring. They have a laundry service (so they don't do their own), and are pretty much given everything they need during indoc -- uniforms, shoes, covers (hats), underwear!, water bottles, (even a laptop). A journal, pen(s), mechanical pencil, nice wallet, camera, paper, some good books, would be fine. They won't need much in the way of shampoo (no hair!), maybe a nice razor (check to see if they allow electric razors for 4th years). All of the 4th years I know of couldn't have CDs, computer games, radios, or much in the way of civvies. I'm pretty sure they can't have cell phones either. What they can (and can't) do eases up a bit each year -- but 4th year is brutally harsh. Maybe a bottle of advil and Icy Hot (grin... for those painful daily PT sessions!) OR, maybe put together a "cash stash" and send him a VISA gift card each month he could use for pizza or goodies??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
valkett Posted June 14, 2008 Share Posted June 14, 2008 Most personal items are restricted during the first year at the air force academy. I would bet that a cell phone is restricted too. SO.... how about everyone going in on a phone card? What a great opportunity for this young man! That is wonderful. My husband taught at the academy for the last two years of his active duty career. It was his favorite assignment! Val Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doran Posted June 14, 2008 Author Share Posted June 14, 2008 ...even if he doesn't, at present, pursue it creatively...I'm liking the idea of a hand bound or classy journal. Is that way off base? Folks in the know? M2lm -- I'm pretty much clueless, too, and have appreciated the insight already offered here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudoMom Posted June 14, 2008 Share Posted June 14, 2008 It may not be as specific as you'd like, but I would get him a gift card. The phone card would be a nice gift, or one for Walmart (I know you hate it, but there is one near the Academy & I see students in there quite often on Friday nights). From what I understand, the summer months are pretty brutal (think boot camp) for the incoming freshmen and I'd think he'd be very limited on what he could bring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudoMom Posted June 14, 2008 Share Posted June 14, 2008 I'm stumped. We and many of our "pseudo hippy clan" are attending a potluck sendoff for a young man in our community who is bound for the Air Force Academy in a few weeks. His parents are ex-hippy Christians :001_smile:. He is an artistic, athletic young man (big into soccer and skateboading), very bright (goes w/out saying maybe). I believe the young man plans to pursue an engineering degree. Several of us moms are wanting to give him something, collectively. A leather bound journal, maybe? I'm not good at this at all. Maybe the ex-hippy Christian thing is irrelevant, but it came to mind, so I put it in. Ideas please. Please?? :confused: When do you need an idea by? If it can wait until Monday, I can talk to my Sensei (he's retired Air Force and runs something for some of the cadets at his church) to see what he'd recommend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doran Posted June 14, 2008 Author Share Posted June 14, 2008 When do you need an idea by? If it can wait until Monday, I can talk to my Sensei (he's retired Air Force and runs something for some of the cadets at his church) to see what he'd recommend. Unfortunately, the gathering is *tomorrow* night. Yeah, I know, I'm lame for waiting so long. :001_unsure: I just dislike the idea of something so fleeting for something so meaningful, kwim? A Walmart card for something like this - a life transition! - I just had hoped it could be something more special, you know? Bleh. Don't get me wrong. I really appreciate the fact that you're trying to help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AFwife Claire Posted June 14, 2008 Share Posted June 14, 2008 Doolies! Air Force 4th classmen are called doolies! A gift card would certainly be the most useful. Our best friends' son just went to USAFA 2 yers ago, and we got him an iron, of all things (he requested it, LOL). The absolute best gift you could possibly give him is letters each week while he is in basic cadet training--from the end of June until mid-August. They have no contact with anyone outside except for letters, and it is a physically and mentally draining time. Letters, even about boring, mundane stuff, are so encouraging, because they know people are thinking about them. When we were stationed there (my DH was in charge of a squadron of cadets), the ones who had regular support from family and friends back home went throught the tough times with such a better attitude. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted June 14, 2008 Share Posted June 14, 2008 I'm stumped. We and many of our "pseudo hippy clan" are attending a potluck sendoff for a young man in our community who is bound for the Air Force Academy in a few weeks. His parents are ex-hippy Christians :001_smile:. He is an artistic, athletic young man (big into soccer and skateboading), very bright (goes w/out saying maybe). I believe the young man plans to pursue an engineering degree. Several of us moms are wanting to give him something, collectively. A leather bound journal, maybe? I'm not good at this at all. Maybe the ex-hippy Christian thing is irrelevant, but it came to mind, so I put it in. Ideas please. Please?? :confused: I'm a Naval Academy grad. There are a lot of restrictions on possessions, however they also change frequently, so I'm not totally up on what they can and can't have. And as someone else noted, they are issued almost everything that they might need to have, so you are looking for some kind of little luxury. A bound journal might be appreciated, but might not get much use, especially over the summer. I would include a nice pen (maybe a Cross) that would remind him of your group while he was in class once the ac year starts. Another thought is a very loud alarm clock that doesn't have a loud ticking sound. The suggestion to send letters is a fantastic one. When I went in, I had a stack of postcards pre-addressed to my friends. Once I had my address, I sent them out, asking them to write to me. It was so nice to get postcards from home with each mailcall. I would very much encourage you to send notes, even if they are just silly chronicles of your family doings. Mail was so important that at one point as an upper class, I had 13 different magazine subscriptions just so that I would get something more frequently. Something that my parents gave to me at the airport was my dollar. It is tradition that a newly commissioned officer present a dollar to the person who renders the first salute to them. Some grads had fancy silver dollars in presentation boxes. Others had dollar bills signed by each person who'd given them away. My dad gave me a Susan B. Anthony dollar. It was used by at least two other USNA grads after me. You might mention the idea of sending him off with a dollar to his parents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TXMomof4 Posted June 14, 2008 Share Posted June 14, 2008 How about a devotional bible of some sort? I know they have bibles with devotionals specifically written for each branch of the military. I think the journal idea is good, if he gets the chance to write at all it would be something he could treasure to keep the memories when he's through. Of course, he may not really want to remember the first year. A nice monogrammed pen would be great. DH has one his grandfather gave him that he really loves. My sil gave dh an accordian file with cards in it for each holiday and birthday divided into the month it needed to be sent. He's terrible about remembering b-days, anniversaries, etc. so this was great for him to be able to get the cards out on the first and mail them all at one time. Of course, he lost track the first few months, so a lot of those cards didn't get sent, but the idea was great. Have a great time tonight! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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