<p>I have the chance to be near Annapolis tomorrow and could be on the yard for noon formation. I want to catch a glimpse of my daughter…but am torn. I wonder if it would help or make things worse. I wonder if I could hang back and watch from afar, not let her see me, as it were she doesnt know I’m in the area and would be preoccupied. Shouldnt be hard. Could take a few photos… </p>
<p>Dont know, any thoughts?</p>
<p>I’d be there in a heartbeat. But I’d hold back and take a lot of pictures. Actually, I’m a little jealous. Sure wish I could be at Buckner.</p>
<p>Ooh, I’d be there in a minute,too…covertly. You can always claim you were just there to take pix for Peskemom!</p>
<p>Sistersunnie…</p>
<p>I’ve been down there 3 times now and believe me…they are pretty focused on what their doing, so don’t worry. There is a white line your suppose to stay behind, but to the left and right there is a nice grassy area that I’ve walked right up to the wall and took pictures…no problems at all. Everyone there knows how important it is to NOT get a plebe noticed, so no one yells out names or anything…nice and quiet. I plan on being there tomorrow as well watching good old G-14 march by…the last Platoon to enter the building. Have fun…</p>
<p>DAD</p>
<p>Snuck in and stood with a large group behind the white line. Watched the formation, saw my daughter. Breathed a sigh of relief, she looked fine. Thats all I needed. Mostly everyone else’s plebe did also, but there were a few on crutches and limping. </p>
<p>Had lunch at Dry Dock and left. Visit less than an hour. Didnt take photos, have a crappy camera and to get any shots worth viewing I would have had to get closer.</p>
<p>Take some of the money you are saving on tuition and by a good camera . . .you will need it in the next few months.
That’s the attitude I take re: airfares for Son, having just changed his return to Annapolis for the third time with resultant fare increases of over $300. [Airline, however, has waived the change fee because of active duty status.]</p>
<p>Go For It !!! I would love to see my son at the AFA but it is not in the cards. Visit’s to the AFA during BCT are frowned upon by some. Parent’s Weekend is designed especially for bonding with your cadet and getting a feel of their daily routine. I will just have to wait for August 31st at PW. </p>
<p>I got lucky coming home from our vacation before our son left. Our flights home started in Ft. Lauderdale with a 1 hour layover in Cleveland, OH. Our flight to Columbus, OH was overbooked. A woman and young child REALLY NEEDED to get to Columbus. My 13 year old and I gave up our seats in exchange for three $300 flight vouchers. Since Cleveland is only two hours by car, I got a one way rental for $124 + $12 to top off the gas tank. My husband and older boys flew home. The other lucky part was, I didn’t have to deal with unloading the 6 heavy pieces of luggage. 
</p>
<p>The three flight vouchers can be used for our cadet’s flights home at Thanksgiving, Christmas and Spring break !</p>
<p>For what it’s worth, the owner of this travel agency has a cadet at WP. He makes sure to get military discounts when the cadets/mids travel and when plans change we have not had to incur additional costs. </p>
<p><a href=“http://www.hillsdaletravel.com/[/url]”>http://www.hillsdaletravel.com/</a></p>
<p>I don’t know about the other academies but at WP, it is HIGHLY frowned on visiting while the cadets are in CBT. </p>
<p>Do you hear yourselves? I’ve seen the words “snuck” “you could always claim”; words to me that go against the academies ideals. Anyway it all suggests breaking the rules. What kind of example are parents setting for their sons and daughters at the service academies? I live close enough to West Point that I could visit there every day. I could certainly attend Mass there on Sundays and I could have gone for their summer concert and fireworks display and seen my cadet. I didn’t go because I’m not supposed to go. I need to let my cadet grow up and trust that West Point is taking good care of them. I am just as curious and I miss my New Cadet. I write every day and I am counting down the days until I am allowed to get a peak. When they come marching out of Buckner, I’ll be there. I’ll also be there for Acceptance Day, but not before I’m supposed to be there.</p>
<p>Duly noted M of BTT’s 10.</p>
<p>as the kids would say: burnnnn…ha just kidding a bit we all would love to see the kids at their summer training but something inside holds us back…you gotta let em breathe a little!</p>
<p>We had the option of visiting Annapolis this week to observe the parade. Virginia Beach is only a 3 1/2 hour drive away. We asked DD if she wanted us to come. Her reply, “Sure, if you feel like it. But I won’t be able to see you!” Hubby decided it would be too hard for him to see her from a distance but not talk to her, so we are spending the afternoon at the beach instead. </p>
<p>Like everything else: do what works for you and your mid.</p>
<p>M of BTT’s ‘10, I’m sure you are right but we’re talking more “spying” than visitin’. 
</p>
<p>I’d never suggest anyone violate any academy’s policy or interfere with the intent of the rule…however… if I could do something perfectly legal, (like be on the Yard at USNA, without being seen by my kid I would. </p>
<p>Hehe, I can remember Spider in swim lessons at age 4. The swim instructors wisely wouldn’t let the parents anywhere near the pool area. We all took turns peering through a knothole in the fence. Picture 10-12 grown people on their hands and knees! Yeahyeah, he’s not four any more but the temptation is still strong. I’d only do it once, promise. ;}</p>
<p>BTW, I was teasing sistersunnie and peskemom because their daughters are roomies. All in good fun.</p>
<p>Sistersunnie: My wife and I had an almost opposite situation last summer when our son was in Beast Barracks at WP. Per a request we received by letter from our son we brought his lacrosse stick to be dropped off at the Guard Room. We parked our car and walked around post a little bit and by Trophy Point. There were about 150 plebes in camo with their rifles. They were all over the place and were in a prone position practicing pulling the trigger on their rifles (no ammo) without disturbing a penny they had balanced on the rifle. We looked at all of the cadets we could see to find our son. No Luck. He told us at the end of Beast that we had been about 8 feet from him, had looked right at him, and we didn’t recognize him in his camo. He, of course, wasn’t allowed to say anything or even signal to us.</p>
<p>As a plebe parent who lives across the country and doesn’t have the opportunity to visit the Yard regularly, I am grateful to the local parents who are going on the Yard daily and sending out photos of the plebes. They are really looking out for us and giving us a view we don’t have a chance to get. There is nothing wrong with what they are doing - heck, there are tourists there doing the same thing.</p>
<p>Let me say one more thing on this subject: the plebes like having their photos taken! The first words out of our son’s mouth on the phone call Sunday were, “hey have you seen the pictures?” He really wanted us to know what he was doing.</p>
<p>So I say go on the Yard as much as you want if you feel comfortable. As long as you are quiet and stay behind the line, it doesn’t make a difference.</p>
<p>Agree completely w/ Sacto. At USNA, tourists are encouraged to visit. You are just another tourists watching the “monkees” perform. [Son thinks that much of what they do is for PR purposes, hence the performing monkee analogy.] Visit, visit, visit . . .just don’t interfere.</p>
<p>^^^ could not agree with you more.</p>
<p>Can’t get there- but sure do appreciate the photos that appear almost daily- have not spotted our “waldo” but somehow feel that I am keeping pace with what they are going through- to the extent that any photo can allow that- a picture IS worth a thousand words!</p>
<p>Maybe USNA is more lenient. USMA specifically asks that parents do NOT attempt to visit West Point during CBT. A parent got a serious tongue-lashing for admitting to going there to see the concert band and catching a glimpse of their plebe.</p>
<p>Based on my observations at AFA, USNA is definitely more interested in having the public interact with mids, i.e. during the school year. Plebe summer is a bit different but that’s not to say there are not plenty of tourists walking around the yard at any given time.</p>
<p>A tongue lashing? Who, exactly, administered this tongue lashing and how would they even know the parent had been there? Unless, of course, that parent stepped out of bounds, which would not surprise me.</p>
<p>Sacto Mom…</p>
<p>I’m from Sacto! Went to Burbank High and joined the Army in Stockton in 82. Send me anything you need, either here or in a private message and I’ll do what I can to make things easier for you and your family. As for walking around the yard…Having been here for 7 years I know for a fact that the USNA fully supports visitors on the yard, and you cannot help but stay out of the way and leave them alone. Believe me, as I see a Platoon of plebes marching down the walkways and there are a group of tourists kind of gathered around in their way, my first instinct is to tell them to move…but everytime they realize it and move off the path and give them NOTHING but respect. It’s a pleasure to watch and hopefully you can make it out a few time to share the experience.</p>
<p>As for those OLD SCHOOL folks out there…I’m one of you, and I don’t know what I would have done if I seen my mom poking her head around a tree at Ft. Dix, NJ… Didn’t happen then, and in the regular military basic training it still doesn’t…but this is a 4 year journey, for ALL the family…and I will keep tabs every chance I get. BUT, I do know I got alot of cookies sent my way…and paid the price a few times with the Drill SGTS…but it was well worth it. So if anyone that can’t be here, send me your plebe’s Platoon and I’ll take as many shots as possible with my little digital and send them all to you in hopes of getting one waldo shot.</p>
<p>Got the 3rd letter today…She lost a friend somehow, but didn’t say the reason…someone in G-14.</p>
<p>Hope all is well…</p>
<p>Dad</p>