<p>2011 candidate here w/ Nom, long time resident / living in NJ near Cherry Hill/Voorhees. If you ever need a warm meal or a rack during your travels in our great state, drop me a line.</p>
<p><a href="mailto:Dknightfam@aol.com">Dknightfam@aol.com</a></p>
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I dont quite think Ive mastered the quick wittedness you provide lol.
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<p>Well, at least he didn't say HALF-wittedness! </p>
<p><cymbal crash=""> :D</cymbal></p>
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1.) It IS possible to have three people shower and read a newspaper in 10 minutes.
2.) 2 minutes is actually a decent amount of time
3.) Making a rack is an art...that you will become very good at
4.) You can memorize A LOT more than you think you can
5.) You realize just how much you appreciate your parents
6.) You can always do another pushup...
7.) Care Packages are sent from God</p>
<p><snip></snip></p>
<p>I had a love/hate relationship with it. It was difficult and rewarding and I have met some amazing people and made some of the best friends ever. And when they say they say they want to challenge you mentally, morally, and physically, they mean it. You just have to take it a day at a time, and you will surprise yourself in more ways than one.
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<p>Preach it, brother. :)</p>
<p>I hope all you young wanna-be's are listening...</p>
<p>As for three people showering..... At NAPS we were under such time pressure that we quite literally took showers three to a stall SIMULTANEOUSLY during INDOC. Let the drop-the-soap jokes commence, but there it is.</p>
<p>APan, thanks for the pithy commentary. Very encouraging. :)</p>
<p>Can you describe the contents of a great or ideal care package? What do you wish was in your first couple of care pkgs?</p>
<p>A ticket home, and an axe to bury in the skull of his favorite detailer. :D</p>
<p>As for APan...He's not a he...He's a her... </p>
<p>APan is a woman...</p>
<p>
[quote]
1.) It IS possible to have three people shower and read a newspaper in 10 minutes.
2.) 2 minutes is actually a decent amount of time
3.) Making a rack is an art...that you will become very good at
4.) You can memorize A LOT more than you think you can
5.) You realize just how much you appreciate your parents
6.) You can always do another pushup...
7.) Care Packages are sent from God
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Good to hear things haven't changed much in the past 25 yrs. What you will realize years later is how much these lessons actually help in real life, in one way or another.</p>
<p>I personally like #5 on the list!!!
USNA 08 Mom</p>
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As for APan...He's not a he...He's a her...</p>
<p>APan is a woman...
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<p>Oops......... </p>
<p>Don'tcha just HATE when that happens? :o</p>
<p>Don't believe that was "quick witted." Rather maybe ... dim-witted?</p>
<p>Hey wasn't there an admiral by that name?</p>
<p>atrmom...I concur.</p>
<p>Dunno, but I do know of a certain former submarine officer I can apply that term to. ;)</p>
<p>carepackage content must haves:
powdered Gatorade Tide pen Gold Bond Powder, Mole skin for blisters
Shout Wipes Spray on Sunscreen
Black pens Trail mix and beef jerky (send in a plastic shoebox)
Non-spiral little notebooks extra underwear and socks (a little further along
Fabreeze (sp) in PS)
NOTHING CUTESY OR EMBARRASSING. The Cadre open all the care packages looking for things that shouldn't be there. Send lots of cards and letters during plebe summer!</p>
<p>They open mail? :confused:</p>
<p>Damn. Didn't do that in my day....</p>
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They open mail? :confused:</p>
<p>Damn. Didn't do that in my day....
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<p>They didn't do that in my day either. I thought that opening other people's mail was a federal crime. The Cadre must have been granted some special mail opening privileges by the Commander-in Chief to protect US from terrorists. :D</p>
<p>...Confiscating goldfish and beef jerky from plebes in the name of national security.</p>
<p>It is a federal offense to open another's mail. It isn't a federal offense for a plebe to be required to open a care package in front of cadre.</p>
<p>Make sense?</p>
<p>Is there a point when cadre move on to other interests or are care packages vulnerable to inspection all plebe year?</p>
<p>The plebe year is tightly controlled for very good reasons. I just don't see a problem with this.</p>
<p>If the ACLU got wind of probably 90% of what Plebes endure there would be so many law suits of 'violations of civil rights' that all the Service Academies would have to shut down....not to mention every Drill Camp in every branch of the service.</p>
<p>So let's not get too ballistic about the opening of care packages. Last summer in my daughter's Plebe company she reported most of the time they would open their boxes in the presence of their cadre - not that the cadre opened them. Good grief, with all the things those poor uppermids have to deal with to RUN Plebe Summer do you think they want to spend more time opening the dozens and dozens of boxes coming to their Plebes? My Plebe told me her company went days without the boxes as it took time away from their training for the Cadre to make the trek back to the mailroom and then they had to figure out a way to cart all those dozens of boxes back to the Plebes. From their point of view it was one more crazy hassle in a crazy training period.</p>
<p>And my Plebe has never reported any care package in Plebe summer and certainly not now during Plebe year being inspected. </p>
<p>What happens regularly are room inspections, many of which check every nook and cranny for contraband. THAT'S when any stuff that might have been sent to Plebes is generally ferreted out and THAT'S when the Plebes are fried for having something unauthorized in thier possession.</p>
<p>Heck, I thought even Colonel Klink gave the lads of Stalag 13 privacy when mom wrote them? </p>
<p>"Yah, but dey vas not plebes! Zig HAIL! Coms ze 'Dant" :eek:</p>
<p>What happens regularly are room inspections, many of which check every nook and cranny for contraband.</p>
<p>During the year the exception is your conlocker - the key is to keep it locked at all times. If it's locked it doesn't get inspected, if it is left open it is fair game. - at least in his company.</p>
<p>My plebe said letters were never read - just don't put anything cute on the outside of the envelope, especially from the girl/boy friend - that can end a relationship really fast! But then again that is how we found out that there was a new girlfriend as every upperclass made a point on asking about "her" infront of us at PPW - we had had no idea that "they" were even a couple. All that kind of "attention" certainly made the boy blush and left him with a lot of explaining to the old rents! </p>
<p>Key to Plebe Summer and year - a good sense of humor!</p>