<p>to those parents with whom I was so honored to speak, drink, and dine yesterday. It was a remarkable privilege and a moving experience.</p>
<p>You know the old saying, "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree"? Well, there is a similar sentiment (but without the witty metaphor) that suggests that the parents of kids who get into the Academy share a basic characteristic that is difficult to describe, but easy to spot once you know what to look for. </p>
<p>Everyone there had it, whether they knew it or not. You could tell by the demeanor, the dress, and the look in the eyes. The pride, the nervousness, even the look of doubt that ANY of this was really happening. I mean, OUR kids aren't REALLY across that river over there, are they? Was that REALLY them, looking so different than we remember, ACTING so different, and yet still being the same? That look in THEIR eyes wasn't always there..... was it?</p>
<p>You could see it across the generations, too. Grandparents. Siblings. Even the girlfriends had the look (and if I may add, the Torpedo is a VERY lucky man!).</p>
<p>Yes, that look WAS always there. All the Academy did in five short weeks was to apply some Windex to those eyes, revealing what YOU had originally put there and that THEY had now begun to develop on their own. That's why it looked familiar, yet new, much like the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel looked after they had cleaned it.</p>
<p>Diamonds in the rough, in the earliest stages of polishing. You are all supremely justified in being extremely proud. You've EARNED it.</p>
<p>As for myself, I was humbled beyond words at your kindness. The comments and thanks I received were sincerely appreciated but not deserved. I've done nothing; YOU have done it all. All I did was offer a little insight and maybe a laugh or two. That's easy. Anyone can do that.</p>
<p>I'd like to share one bit of insight that I think may have gone unnoticed, simply because I've already been down this road you are beginning to travel, albeit in a slightly different capacity. ;)</p>
<p>I almost ALWAYS wear my ring. I worked DAMNED hard to earn the right to do so, and I am rarely without it. </p>
<p>There came a point where someone (I believe it was Federal) asked me, "Is that your ring? May I see it?"</p>
<p>I took it off and passed it around. Federal, wvdad, their spouses, one son, and then off to a few others (Yes, I got it back. I'd be in jail for mass murder if I hadn't. ;)). </p>
<p>YOU may not have seen it, but I sure did! I recognized it simply because I remember seeing it in the eyes of my parents the first time THEY saw a ring. It's a flash behind the eyes, a hardening of the jawline, a furrowing of the brow. It lasts for only a split second. </p>
<p>It is a look that marks the beginning of the understanding of what that small object means, and just how much effort and emotion are poured into it. You had just seen your Plebe and gotten the smallest taste of what they are going through. You had heard all the stories, and now, HERE IT WAS. A REAL ONE! People were holding it with a reverence that would normally be reserved for religious relics. It encapsulates four (sometimes five) years of experiences, lessons, and memories.</p>
<p>Now imagine what it feels like to WEAR YOUR OWN. :D</p>
<p>Well, YOU have put YOUR child on the road to earning one of THEIR own, and one day you will see the look in THEIR eyes when they flip that ring over on their finger, and realize that it's now THEIRS TO KEEP.</p>
<p>Excited? ;)</p>
<p>T-Minus four years and counting. Plebe Summer is almost over. Now comes the hard part. Getting in is easy. STAYING in is the challenge!</p>
<p>I'll see you all at graduation. I'll be the balding, overweight schmuck sitting high in one corner of the stadium with the big Ultra-Bright $h!t-eating grin on my face. ;)</p>
<p>God Bless.</p>
<ul>
<li>Z</li>
</ul>
<p>Oh! One other thing. The other Service Academy rings mean the same, but OURS are BETTER! :D</p>
