<p>He is in!!!!! I agree don't tell him but have a camera close by. I stood behind son when he logged on the computer. A day I will never forget! Don't forget to have Kleenex close by. </p>
<p>Congrats!</p>
<p>The school will send a nice formal letter in a nice binder. It might take a week or two to get that. Just the official paperwork to put in the keepsake box.</p>
<p>mcrobbiej did you say he is 3Q'd w a nomination?</p>
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<p>Going from "Conditional" to "Principal" I would assume that an Appointment is coming, not just an LOA, right?</p>
<p>Wow! To have that out of the way before Christmas. What a GREAT thing.
Visit the campus if you can (and have not already done so). Browse the Ships Store and order your USMMA clothing..
( United</a> States Merchant Marine Academy > Admin and Services > Support Department > Ship's Service Store )
Get psyched! </p>
<h2>(Tell your kid to Keep Running!)</h2>
<p>And promise yourself "I will not become my kid's personal shopper". Write it on an index card and put it on your bathroom mirror. Look at it again in August and have a good laugh with the other person in the mirror. :D
("Just ONE more box", "I can stop anytime I want")</p>
<p>I called the ship's store right after I saw Zonker's post and ordered the required hoodie sweatshirt and tee shirt to put under the tree. We are not going to say anything to him until the letter comes in the mail. Thanks to everyone for their help. My wife and I really learned allot on this site, information we can use if S's younger sisters decide to attend a SA. Special thanks to Luigi59, Zonker, Supportmom, Jazzmom and Suzannegra. It's going to be a great Christmas.</p>
<p>Right you are Luigi,,,,i just mistyped, but in any event, the Fed Ex envelope will arrive shortly I'm sure. My Son found on on 7 December last year, so it was an aweomsome Christmas for us! Had the Tee-shirt and hoodie under the tree as well :)</p>
<p>Jamzmom how come you did not give your obligatory warning about swinging from the ceilings? :D</p>
<p>Thanks for the reminder Suzanne!</p>
<p>Mandatory first rules of new KP Parenthood in telling kid of an appointment:</p>
<h1>1- Wrap kid in bubble wrap.</h1>
<h1>2- Turn off all ceiling fans in house.</h1>
<h1>3-Remove any ottoman type things to jump from. This includes beds cause its the real deal with some serious head injuries with #2.</h1>
<p>I speak from experience and it really had nothing to do with "the kid". When I joined in with his jumping on all the furniture, it didn't go well. :D</p>
<p>kathynp: My son's status is conditional and may be disqualified by DODMERB for flat feet. Does anyone have any advice regarding applying for a medical waiver and what the procedures are? He will be extremely disappointed if his big 'ol flat feet keep him out!</p>
<p>Congratulations mcrobbiej...hope my son will be joining yours in July!</p>
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<p>As a parent of a USMMA candidate who was initially DQ'd by DoDMERB (waiver eventually granted), my advice would be to request the waiver as soon as possible. As in today (if not already done) have your son write the letter and take it to the post office, send it priority mail (I believe the waiver request MUST come from him, not you). They're getting busier as the weeks go by, and sooner is always better then later in this matter.</p>
<p>(That is assuming he IS disqualified. You state that he MAY be disqualified, so you really can't do anything until you know one way or another - my advice is applicabe IF he is DQ'd)</p>
<p>The letter doesn't have to be anything fancy, a simple "I request a waiver for my flat feet DQ" will suffice, but a letter that talks about how the condition affects or doesn't affect him in his daily life, how it is not a factor in sports, etc etc will help them decide.</p>
<p>If he is competitive for an appointment his records will be reviewed and will be forwarded to the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery (BUMED) in Washington, DC, for an independent evaluation. </p>
<p>Requests for waiver consideration will be directed to the Admissions Office, United States Merchant Marine Academy, Kings Point, NY 11024-1699. </p>
<p>I'm not sure how often waivers are granted for flat feet, you may want to visit United</a> States of America Service Academy Forums - Powered by vBulletin and post it in the DoDMERB section for that answer.</p>
<p>Good Luck!</p>
<p>jetjan, did the DODMERB send a remedial on this issue? does he have an Rx for orthotic supports? My plebe wears rx orthotics and had a remedial for them that was cleared. His podiatrist wrote a detailed letter to DODMERB explaining the extent of the condition, his normal range of motion and his opinion that the condition would not impede his completion of the physical regimen - basically he wears them for lacrosse when he has on cleats.</p>
<p>go here to ask the moderator specifics on how to address this issue:</p>
<p>DODMERB</a> - United States of America Service Academy Forums</p>
<p>RetNavyHM worked at the DODMERB and is an invaluable resource in answering questions that involve the DODMERB. good luck</p>
<p>Yes, we got the remedial paperwork, so I researched the DoDMERB website and got the impression that he would automatically be DQ'd. We wanted to get a jump start on the waiver process although I guess he can't start it yet as he hasn't been DQ'd yet. He wears rx orthodics at all times and his podiatrist stated in his medical record that he has normal range of motion, no pain, etc. He just mailed the remedial paperwork in this week.</p>
<p>tmr did your son need to go through the waiver process? </p>
<p>Thank you all for your advice and new forums for us to explore!</p>
<p>JetJan--</p>
<p>They DQ EVERYTHING! Then it is up to you to get a written opinion from YOUR doctor who treated him AND send that to DODMERB.</p>
<p>Let me explain "medical clearance", cause it seems that some of you are unclear.</p>
<p>DODMERB is an independant, impartial group of military medical officers and enlisted individuals who review medical records according to a written protocol and approve or deny medical clearance. What that means is that this is not their opinion--it is based on a protocol.</p>
<p>For instance, if your kid had a closed head injury within the last year, and that was on the protocol list, you would be DQ'd. Then you would get your kid's information from your doc and send it in to DODMERB. The physician board would review it and then you would get your decision. Some suggestions for the contents of that letter. Very short, non-descriptive, "the coast is clear" letters do NOT go over well. Have the doctor be specific. Dates, times, etc. Make suggestions for the letter to your doctor, in case he doesn't remember all the details.</p>
<p>Jetjan, sounds like you are off to a good start, but what I would also do is, take it one step further. Number one the doctor says he's fine. Great. Does he play a varsity sport? Have the coach write a letter. You as a parent, write a letter from your prospective. The more positive information you can throw at them the better. Make sure someone says he CAN run if he can, because they do alot of it at KP.</p>
<p>My kid was DQ'd more than twice before he got through. Once for eyesight and another for a closed head injury. The eyesight was easy--either he is corrected to 20/20 or not. (Make sure he brings the corrective lenses he is wearing presently. Mine was told to keep contact lenses out for three days prior to the test (I think that is the standard.) He wears only contacts, so his glasses were old and didn't correct him all the way, that's why failed. The office never told him to bring his contacts--they assumed his glasses were up to date.)The closed head injury was more challenging. He WAS temporarily impaired from the injury for a coule months, went to a concussion clinic here in DC, treatment is rest, so I had to go into a great amount of detail about how I thought he was better, i.e., he was discharged from the concussion clinic, he took 3 Advanced Placement tests and passed all of them, he participated in a comedy show and a dance recital, he worked as a mechanic twenty hours a week and maintained a 3.8 GPA. Football was over and he had to drop out of wrestling, because it was the acute phase.(This is the kind of stuff I'm talking about.) BE SPECIFIC and do NOT try to hide anything! At the end of my letter about his head, I think I said, something like, "I'm his mother, if I thought he needed more care or wasn't getting better, I would have taken him in to see a doctor. I believe he is fine now."</p>
<p>I just wanted you to know what the procedure was, so you would understand that the folks at DODMERB are not these mean people who are sitting in Colorado Springs with giant red pens waiting to DQ people for the hell of it! They are following a very specific list of protocols for these kids. This is a physically tough and mentally challenging program at KP, those who are not up to it physically or mentally should NOT be in! That's the whole point.</p>
<p>Good Luck! </p>
<p>Good Luck--if you need anymore advise let me know.</p>
<p>Jetlan - if your S has not been DQ'd then have your podiatrist simply write a letter to DODMERB with the facts. That is all we did - the podiatrist mentioned the reason was for comfort while playing varsity sports, the rest was medical technical jargon. After that he was cleared for that remedial - no DQ and no waiver necessary.</p>
<p>Again, post on the service academy forums and ask RetNavyHM - he will give you great advice on these issues.</p>
<p>Does anybody know the name of the book that the plebes are always reading from? How do you get a copy of it?</p>
<p>Thanks to everyone for all your advice...my son's status on DoDMERB just changed to Qualified...so he won't have to go through the waiver process after all.</p>
<p>mcrobbiej - I think the book you're referring to is "In Peace and War A History of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point" by Cruikshank and Kline. My son ordered it online at Amazon.com. It has been very informative in helping him make his decision to attend USMMA.</p>
<p>JetJan he's referring to the Bearings Book, which is a little book that all the Plebes have to memorize. The book is issued at Indoc to each Plebe Candidate.</p>
<p>CONGRATS to your son. DoDmerb can be very difficult sometimes, but unless it is a major health issue you can usually get through it. Has he received his appointment yet?</p>