<p>As far as I can tell the class of 2011 has to report on 5 July for indoc. We plan to drive our son to MMA for indoc. How many days should I reserve the hotel? After we drop him off on the 5th will we get another chance to see him again, or should we plan to leave the 5th or 6th?</p>
<p>Thanks for any input.</p>
<p>Suzanne, after you drop him off, you might be lucky to see him on the "grinder" in from of Delano Hall a few hours later, where they usually assemble the entire class by their respective company. Of course, it might be difficult to pick him out since they will be without hair and relatively indistinguishable from each other. They will not know which company they are assigned in until they arrive. After that, you might as well leave or tour the area relax or have a quiet dinner alone and not worry (too much). The next time you see him might be when you are looking through indoc pictures that some mid posted on the MMA parents web site etc.</p>
<p>you wont be able to see your son but what ever you do send a ton of mail durring indoc... it really helps out. at my graduation party my mom passed arround cards to have signed and then durring indoc mailed them. It was really nice to get a letter from home...</p>
<p>i agree with KP10. mail is huge.
even now, there's virtually nothing that makes you feel better than getting some sort of mail. even if it's junk. just to remind you that you're not totally forgotten.</p>
<p>Suzannegra, the big drop off will go by in the blinding blink of an eye. Plan on hanging around after the kids leave parents that morning. When they form up for the noon meal formation, you'll be asked to depart the campus. Write that first letter & put it in the nearest mailbox in Great Neck before you leave town. I wrote mine while crying over an egg salad sandwich in Deli on the Green which still cracks the hubby up when he thinks about it resulting in a whack to his shin.</p>
<p>Depending on where you are from and how much time you have spent in New York, you might want to use the opportunity to enjoy the City over the weekend. We stayed in Great Neck the day before and in Manhattan the next couple of nights.</p>
<p>As everybody has said, mail is important, we had a party before LFWB left and had envelopes pre-addressed and pre-stamped for folks to send mail. And make sure that its addressed to "Plebe-Candidate".</p>
<p>From one that just went through it - get ready...it's tough. I won't pull any punches. When I dropped is2day off he smiled, said, "Love ya Pop!" and walked in. I was able to get a great photo of that moment (it's on my desk now).</p>
<p>He walked in - it was rainy that day...I stood bewildered as to what to do next. I met a few folks, exchanged pleasantries - went and bought some KP stuff to take home. I stood around outside the gym watching as each new "group" came out - looking, looking, but not finding him. After what seemed to be hours (actually - it was probably more like 30 minutes), he emerged with a new USMMA cap, buttoned collar, marching and squaring corners. He was in a group of about 5 others...they squared, and disappeared again.</p>
<p>I made my way to the "grinder", as I was told that's where he would emerge. Waiting, waiting, waiting - THERE HE IS!!!! He lined up and started getting yelled at ;) - the DIs made sure to make them know what was what, that's for sure. After learning to stand in line, he was led to his barracks - which I found out was one of only 2 that were air conditioned...that made me feel better.</p>
<p>I then went to Ackerman Auditorium to listen to a great presentation from the staff and Regimental leadership about what to expect, etc. It was great. We were then directed back to the grinder to get our last glimpse of the Candidates....</p>
<p>You could hear them in unison - and every single one of them looked IDENTICAL!!! There was no way I could pick out my boy - regardless of how hard I tried. VADM Stewart gave a speech, then told us to leave - he would ensure that our kids were taken care of....</p>
<p>As I was leaving the campus, I actually walked with Admiral Stewart. I guess he could see the concern on my face. He looked me in the eye and said that his dad had done the same thing in 1964 when he dropped him off at Annapolis - and it turned out ok.</p>
<p>So - I went home. It's a long plane ride from LGA to Denver...I spent a lot of time thinking about what an amazing opportunity this is for everyone, how fortunate he is to be getting such an education, etc - but to be honest, it really didn't make me feel any better.</p>
<p>I got home, cried on my wife's shoulder for a little bit, and then "cowboy'd up" as they say. We didn't hear from him for quite some time - a couple of weeks I seem to remember, and then only for about 2 minutes on the phone. He assured us that he was fine....</p>
<p>The letters - we sent a bunch, and received a few. The one thing that made it bearable was the photos that were posted of Indoc. We'd scour them every day, picking out the ones of "our boy". Sure did seem to erase some of the miles...</p>
<p>And then they got computers - what a day. Email could flow as often as we wanted...and IMs, etc. Ahh...technology.</p>
<p>This is a little longer than I had imagined, but I just wanted to make sure you aren't alone- it's tough, but it's doable. And, if I can give you just one piece of advice - GO TO PARENT'S WEEKEND....don't miss it for the world.</p>
<p>Hang in there - we're a big giant family (sometimes a bit dysfunctional) :) You can lean on us. I've made ton of friends, and i've never actually met any of them face to face...imagine that.</p>
<p>I'm going to throw my 2 cents in here:</p>
<p>Don't go at all to I Day!!! :)</p>
<p>(I know I'm in the minority on this one)</p>
<p>Okay, now that I've said it, I grant a pass to those who live close enough to drive. :) I flew alone the day before I Day and it really made the night prior and the day of that much easier. I didn't have to worry about if my parents would see me, what they would think etc. I also got a nice long time with my parents to say goodbye the day I flew out instead of the hurried rush at Kings Point. I also got to relax and meet a few of my classmates the night before at a hotel and didn't worry about mom (or dad for that matter) crying the next day.</p>
<p>Thanks JRH. Well done. I would add that after ADM Stuart's speech on the Grinder, before he dismissed us, he told the Plebe's to turn and wave good bye. That was the most difficult moment for me.</p>
<p>
[quote]
He walked in - it was rainy that day...
[/quote]
</p>
<p>JM, </p>
<p>Explain to JRH about rain ;)</p>
<p>Pictures are worth a thousand words, but JM might still want to add something :p</p>
<p>here is a big tip... PACK LIGHT... dont bring much over what they tell you... one thing i do suggest is moist body wipes. showers are pointless taken you are sweatting more after the shower than you where before the shower and not to mention the time constraints... i packed wet wipes so i could refresh after the day...</p>
<p>good point kp10
i brought all kinds of things i thought i would need... all they did was make my bag heavy. stick to the list, you might wish to bring a window fan, just in case you get put in 1st Batt.
unless you've been previously in the military, you're going to look like a bumbling idiot, it happens. it's not a normal thing to have people you don't know scream at you from every direction. just know that you will get screamed at for anything you do wrong, or even if you do it right, you'll still get screamed at. don't take it personally.</p>
<p>also i suggest getting a couple pairs of underarmor shorts and some gold bond...</p>
<p>Thank you for sharing the photos! Geeze, I am glad to know I'm not the only parent feeling lost........I gave my older son over to the Navy 9 years ago....that was hard......but my baby who I'll give to KP this summer is the hardest!!!</p>
<p>We are driving up (live about 7 hours away in VA), and I've already made hotel reservations for indoc and Parents weekend. Think I'll skip the NYC visit. Been there done that already.</p>
<p>I am so thankful I found this discussion board and a big thank you to Is2day for talking with my son (hockeydude14). The words from others have been a great help.....I've already started the crying and he's not even graduated from HS yet!</p>
<p>So far the folks involved with KP are awesome and I feel blessed that we are able to be a part of this group.</p>
<p>Thanks to JRH for sharing your story. Much of what you said mirrored our experience. I recall many of us posting & comparing our stories here when we’d returned in 2005. I had a good cry over all of them. They do indeed look like clones & we never once caught a glimpse of our kid. And yes, LFWBDad, let me add that we dealt with the remnants of Hurricane Cindy that dumped about 6” of rain every 10 minutes. We were all drowned rats. I do have a few funny memories of that day. Fish were swimming on the Grinder & some lady about put my eye out with her umbrella. Normal people had umbrellas. Hubby had on a huge stop light red rain tent looking thing that made him appear naked as he had on shorts underneath. When he came back from his travels to the vehicle to retrieve giant red tent thing complete with hood, I burst into a fit of giggles when spotting him running across campus thru the torrents of rain. It was so funny that I even video taped it much to the delight of older son. Pop’s reasoning was that we were told to wear something our kids could spot us in. I made sure to walk several steps ahead of the “Big Red One” hoping people didn‘t realize he was mine. Truly, I disagree with KP2001. Bless his heart. He knows I do. Parents will have such great memories of the day they drop their kid into the hands of KP. It really is gut wrenching to watch them go through those doors but if you can take yourself past the moment, you’ll find that you too are included in the grand adventure even though it has to be from the sidelines for the next four years. I know it made our kid feel pretty good knowing we were there. Thank goodness he never saw the red thing…..</p>
<p>Seagle, I think the ADM should cut that part out when he has you turn & wave goodbye. Since I couldn’t find my kid, I was scarred for life. LOL</p>
<p>KP10, I second that!</p>
<p>also bring safety pins, a calling card, and a small easy to conceal flash light for sneaking writing letters at night, just dont get caught...</p>
<p>Also... not that our indoc was all that physically demanding... be in reasonable shape prior to arriving on I day</p>
<p>i think that our indoc was to try new things, and most of it didn't work... i'm sure they'll change it back to how it was before...</p>
<p>Once you drop off your son you might as well plan on going home. You will not get any opportunities to see him again. Congratulations!</p>