<p>So during indoctrination they aren't called candidates or plebe candidates or whatever?</p>
<p>^^^^^
Once the candidates take the oath of office they become plebes.</p>
<p>Oath of Office (<a href="http://www.usnapccf.org/oath-of-office.php%5B/url%5D">http://www.usnapccf.org/oath-of-office.php</a>)</p>
<p>“Having been appointed a Midshipman in the United States Navy,
do you solemnly swear (or affirm) that you will support and defend
the constitution of the United States
against all enemies, foreign and domestic;
that you will bear true faith and allegiance to the same;
that you take this obligation freely,
without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion;
and that you will well and faithfully discharge the duties
of the office on which you are about to enter,
so help you God?"</p>
<p>Notice Midshipman and that 4/C is a Midshipman rank, which is referred to as "plebe(s)"</p>
<p>Yep, we did the same thing at Kings Point, but we were still refered to as candidates during Indoc and I'm pretty sure that the staff would have referred to us as such in a statement such as that. </p>
<p>But since y'all are much closer to the situation I imagine it is now clear that it was a newly minted midshipmen. That's all I was asking.</p>
<p>I am very aware of what the oath says, both as a midshipman and as an active duty officer.</p>
<p>Dear Parents of the Class of 2011,</p>
<p>We had another great week here in Annapolis. Most significantly, the Plebes had their first formal Parade last Friday. My Officer in Charge, Lieutenant Colonel Bob Benson was the Reviewing Officer. We both thought the Plebes looked outstanding. No one fell out of the Paradewhich means no one had to leave formation for medical reasons. </p>
<p>The highlights of this past week include:
[ul][<em>]Company intramurals began during sports period. The Regimental champs at the end of Plebe Summer win points in the Plebe Summer color company competition. The Color Company will have proven itself to be the best company in the regiment mentally, morally and physically.
[</em>]Sunday, platoons competed individually in the Platoon Drill Competition. Plebes were graded on their skills in marching and at manual-of-arms rifle movements. Those results also go towards color company points.
[<em>]In Bancroft Hall, the plebes continued to learn about military order and cleanliness with their first Alpha Inspection. Their rooms had to pass a white-glove test for dust as well as a black-sock test for shower mildew, and contents of all closets and drawers were inspected for neatness. Plebes had their second hair cut of the summer.
[</em>]Plebes layered on sunscreen prior to sailing lessons on dinghies and 26 ft. sloops in the Severn Basin. On the larger Yard Patrol (YP) craft, the plebes continued trips to the Damage Control Center in Baltimore. They practiced mock fire drills aboard the YPs and learned more shipboard damage control procedures.[/ul]
This coming week:</p>
<p>[ul][<em>]Captain Coffee, USN Ret., will come to the Naval Academy in the second in the series of character development speakers to share his experiences as a Prisoner of War for 7 years in Vietnam.
[</em>]The plebes will watch the U.S. Marine Corps Battle Colors Ceremony in Alumni Hall as the Marines from 8th & I Barracks in Washington visit USNA.
[li]On Saturday July 21st, the first set cadre officially turn over the plebes in a Parade Ceremony to the second set cadre, marking the half-way point of Plebe Summer. On Sunday, the plebes will also get their second phone call home![/ul][/li]Your Plebes are doing well and are really developing team spirit and camaraderie. You should be very proud of them.</p>
<p>Go Navy,
CAPT Peg Klein
Commandant of Midshipmen</p>
<p>I see that Capt. Klein's 4th update regarding Plebe Summer has been posted on academy site, but I cannot open - anyone having better luck?
Thanks</p>
<p>Here's the link. It worked for me.</p>
<p>i didn't have a problem opening. Pretty much the same mumbo jumbo as the others.</p>
<p>Capt. Klein mentioned Capt Coffee's speech to the Plebes: Lola said in her last letter that Captain Coffee was the most amazing Speaker she had ever heard and we should all take the time to google him.</p>
<p>He spoke last year too and mine also said he was amazing.</p>
<p>tttdz, </p>
<p>you might want to go online and download an up to date version of Adobe's PDF viewer if you had trouble with that link. Install it and try again,
In the mean time I copied and pasted the text into this message: </p>
<p>24 July 2007
Dear Parents of the Class of 2011:
The Plebes had their second Formal Parade on Saturday. Vice Admiral Jonathan Greenert was the Reviewing
Officer. Your sons and daughters looked outstanding, I was proud to show them off to VADM Greenert.
-CAPT Coffee, USN (Ret)., spoke to the plebes about his experiences as a Prisoner of War in Vietnam. He was imprisoned in North Vietnam for over seven years. His moving speech and past sacrifices provided an
excellent perspective to the challenges of Plebe Summer, as well as what it means to be member of the United States Armed Forces. Many of the Plebes commented positively on what his words meant to them.
- The Marine Corps Silent Drill Team, Drum and Bugle Corps, and Color Guard presented their Battle Colors Ceremony on Thursday night. They set the highest example of teamwork, precision, and strict discipline for
the plebes to work towards in their own drill and marching. A Plebe parent, Colonel Crowe, is the Commanding Officer of these Marines. We were happy he could join us for the evening.
-In Officer Development, the plebes discussed moral courage. Truth and loyalty are two of the most
important guiding principles of the military, and oftentimes it takes character and fortitude to uphold those virtues in the face of adversity.
-The Plebes also had their second phone call of the summer. The Second Set Cadre officially took over at noon meal formation on Saturday, and they are ready to begin preparing the plebes to join the Brigade of
Midshipmen in August. The plebes are over halfway done!
- Plebe Summer routine will continue through the upcoming week: the plebes wake up to PEP, with workouts becoming increasingly longer and harder; they have various military and professional training in the
morning, including sailing, officer development, and martial arts; sports periods and intramurals go in the afternoons; and the day ends with close-order drill practice to prepare for the next platoon drill competition
and formal parade.
- Major Chris Bronzi, USMC is the third character development speaker this summer and will speak to the Class of 2011 this week on ‘courage’. His inspiring personal example in Iraq in 2004 won him the Silver Star
for heroism. He is also the recipient of the Leftwich Trophy given annually to a captain who demonstrates outstanding leadership. Maj Bronzi graduated from USNA in 1996. I look forward to seeing you all in a couple short weeks. You will be pleasantly surprised at how grown up your Plebes have become over the past (almost) four weeks.
Go Navy.
CAPT Peg Klein</p>
<p>Just got another letter today. My plebe spoke of Capt. Coffee and what a dynamic speech he gave. he said it made him feel very small for complaning about plebe summer and losing a few of life's pleasures for a short time.</p>
<p>It's amazing the perspective these young people gain by their experiences during plebe summer and plebe year. Our son became much more appreciative of the little things by learning not to take anything for granted. I hope he carries a small part of this with him for the rest of his life.</p>
<p>Sometimes with slower connections (i.e. dialup), .pdf files take a few seconds (or longer) to load. You might think nothing is happening and the entire file will suddenly appear. Also, might try the link again and see if you are still having trouble, sometimes it is a network traffic thing (assuming you do have adobe installed?)</p>
<p>One Note, the operative word is NEED to talk to your plebe. This means an emergency, not "gee I miss my DD/SS so I will just go and visit." You NEED to contact the Chain of command to communicate emergent issues, i.e. death in the family, family member gravely Ill, etc... If it is something that can wait let it rest til PPW. There is little that a plebe can do from their vantage point on anything. And pulling there attention away from the multitude of tasks at hand can be a major detriment to you plebe. </p>
<p>BTW just remember a few bad apples can spoil the fun for all of us. You dont want the administration to cut back on the few activities that are focused on the family because of the actions of a few.</p>
<p>so what exactly is a wrestling smoker?</p>