<p>After church today my dad spotted a "USNA 51" license plate in the parking lot of a restaurant -- we pulled in and I introduced myself to the elderly man and woman inside, asking if he was the grad and telling him I'm going to I-Day in less than a month. He was so funny!! I think he would have gladly spent an hour telling me stories, but his wife started pulling on his arm..."Honey, I'm sure she needs to be going!"</p>
<p>We exchanged contact info and parted. This makes it seem so much more real!!</p>
<p>LOL! We had a similar encounter down in Phili just two weeks ago- pulling into the regatta parking lot, we spoted a car in front of us with a USNA sticker- so we ventured over, introduced ourselves, and asked the driver if he had a son/daughter at Annapolis- to which he just grinned, ear to ear, and told us that HE was the graduate many years ago! (can't be that long ago, I told him- as he looked to be in his late 40's!) Anyway- he spoke to us for over 20 minutes about all sorts of stuff- a lot of it with a great sence of humor- and would have continued had our daughter's boat not launched! Needless to say, I stay on the lookout for other cars with the USNA sticker! You never know who you will meet!</p>
<p>I stopped a fellow last summer at the wool show in Estes Park--he was wearing a USS New Jersey hat. My dad served on the NJ. Turns out the fellow was a USNA grad too! Met a Navy mom at a track meet on Tuesday. They're everywhere!</p>
<p>I ran into an older man after PT on Wednesday who was wearing a jacket with the USNA shield on it. I asked him if he was a grad, and found out that his son will actually be graduating this month. We talked for a little bit before I had to depart for class.</p>
<p>It certainly makes you feel like you've joined something much larger than yourself.</p>
<p>California has more midshipmen/cadets at USNA/USMA/USAFA than any other state in the union (by virtue of our enormous population: over 33 million, thus exceeding the total population of Canada), but outside of the military few Californians recognize the service academies. On the other hand, both of our U.S. senators receive approximately 1,000 applications for service academy nominations each year. Nonetheless, outside of San Diego, mention a service academy and you often get a deer in the headlights response from most people. My mid graduated from a California high school that Sports Illustrated voted last year as having the best high school sports program in the United States (out of 38,000 public and private high schools). Additionally, many of her classmates in the academic magnet program are currently attending prestigious schools: last year five students were accepted to Caltechmore than any other high school in the United States, Stanford, Harvard, Wellesley, Berkeley, UCLA, Northwestern, Boston College, Princeton, Harvard, Georgetown, Yale, Cornell, etc. My daughter was fortunate to be named the principal nominee to USNA by one of our U.S. senators. However, when well-meaning people asked her which university she would be attending and she replied, The United States Naval Academy, they often said, Oh, youre going into the military? Weve just learned to take it in stride, laugh about it, and be grateful that she got an appointment to USNA.</p>
<p>This past March I was driving on the San Diego Freeway to pick up my mid at LAX when I passed a van (in the slow lane) sporting a USNA 57 bumper sticker. I honked and waved. I wonder if they saw our whale tail USNAMID license plate? (We also have the whale tail 09USNA on the other car.) We're tree huggers too...</p>
<p>OK, I'll weigh in on this too...I was wearing a Naval Academy sweatshirt shopping in Costco last month. The one with just the words :NAVY and the USNA seal. You really have to recognize that it is the Academy seal, otherwise, you'd just think I was wearing a generic Navy sweatshirt like alot of folks here so close to Camp Pendleton - Marine heaven - do.</p>
<p>Anyway, I'm in one of those forever-long lines and a man in his 60's stops me and asks: "Did you go to the Academy?" (Dear man, I am a bit too old for that, since I was born in 1953...and to be one of those first female mids of 1980 I'd have to be born a bit later.) So I explained that it was my daughter who just mailed off her Appointment paperwork to USNA for the Class of 2010 that I was celebrating by wearing my sweatshirt, plus the fact that my husband is USNA '72. The man gave me a big smile, shook my hand, congratulated our whole family and chatted for a bit about his USNA '62 pedigree. </p>
<p>I think those of us with USNA connections enter a permanent fraternity that bonds family and alumni forever.</p>
<p>OK, Z...you win...I know it!
so now that PROVES you and me is F-A-M-I-L-Y!!!
yipee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
:-)</p>
<p>OK, I recently met an older gent wearing a West Point ballcap. We got to talking and he advised me to make sure Spider went USNA! He thought WP was fine, but that USNA was really the place to be!</p>
<p>We went to the annual alumni association dinner recently and I was very positively impressed. Every mid we met said they would go to the academy again. There were maybe 15-20 mids there. The alums were friendly and professional. It was nice to be in a large group like that and have people walk up and introduce themselves. My son (2011) was seated with mids, the 2010's and other NASSers. Parents sat with alums, BGO's and parents with mids currently enrolled. I didn't hear any negative stuff. Commandant Grooms spoke and he was interesting, humorous and professional. I feel so much better.</p>
<p>Sealion 0101
I was at the same function.
"was very positively impressed" - Wife, son and I felt the same way. An excellent opportunity to meet and ask q's of Mids, BGOs, Alum and parent who have BTDT. The event has definitely fed my son's desire to gain an appointment. It was great to witness firsthand what I have been reading about on this forum!</p>
<p>Well if anyone is in for meeting any alumni my father will be at I-day. He is a Class of 72 graduate and a 26 year retired Captain (submarines). I am sure he is more than willing to answer any question anyone might have.</p>
<p>The 'dant came to an alumni association dinner back in october here. I found his talk pretty informative, but I was more interested in continuing a conversation with the dozens of alumni I was eating with.</p>
<p>I was at a glock shooting match and I was wearing my army polo shirt and out of no where I see a man holding out his hand with a massive West Point ring on his hand. We ended up talking for about an hour.</p>