<p>I was unimpressed with the Supts address. I was unaware that we have actually declared war. I'm not saying that I didn't wish we did but it seemed rather inarticulate.</p>
<p>RE CHANGES: My son is on the Supts list/ highly ranked etc... and had earned several weekends for the upcoming year that just "vanished'. He doesn't really care about this as much as the fact that his physical training opportunities are being obliterated. All he wants to be able to do is weighttrain/run (prob during mealtime) so that he is fit and able to study better. He was able to self-schedule this even as a plebe.</p>
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I had to be there this year, that she would get me a ticket, and that (her requirement) was that I had to wear a costume.
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<p>Her requirement - certainly not a requirement to attend. </p>
<p>Community relations with Annapolis should also be of importance to USNA, especially claiming "the Face of the Navy" Canceling programs that are well attended by the community will not adorn the Academy to the area residents. In a time of War the last thing the Academy should be doing is alienating US Citizens. You get the residents irritated, give the appearance that you are no longer going to be a good neighbor and then let the protesting begin.</p>
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RE CHANGES: My son is on the Supts list/ highly ranked etc... and had earned several weekends for the upcoming year that just "vanished'. He doesn't really care about this as much as the fact that his physical training opportunities are being obliterated. All he wants to be able to do is weighttrain/run (prob during mealtime) so that he is fit and able to study better. He was able to self-schedule this even as a plebe.
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<p>Mine youngsters too! Definitly most upset with the vanished weekends and the mando meal time. It will take away both study time and running time.</p>
<p>"Just returned from dropping our own mid back for reform- noticed firsties were all in khakis, making them very easy to distiguish in each platoon.."</p>
<p>I thought that this "change" was the most interesting, and the most "telling". Wearing the khaki's does much more than just help the underclass mids and the instructors to tell at a glance who the firsties are. It is a way for the academy to reinforce to the firsties, "Remember, YOU are the leaders here".. YOU set the example". It is the most outward display of concern for a need of leadership on the first class as a whole that Adm Fowler can make. I think its a good tactic. This is not an indictment of all firsties as individuals but a wake up call to the first class as a whole that they need to step up and provide the example that will help prevent (or at least reduce) so many embarassing issues from arising in the future. Perhaps Adm Fowler is "calling them out" so to speak and giving them an opportunity to lead the Brigade in a direction that has more personal discipline as a primary ingridient than maybe it had in the past.
Just a thought.</p>
<p>Since I haven't heard from my son today, he must be settling in...</p>
<p>Oh, my 2 cents...the sailing cruise was quite an experience for Jake. They were in a significant storm. There was a lot of learning going on...</p>
<p>He looked so tan/healthy after that cruise. Was pasty white after the SUB cruise. But they did have good movies/food and surprisingly adequate weights.</p>
<p>PS...for anyone that remembers, my daughter is now an Ensign and starts dental school tommorrow!!!Completed OIS in Newport...</p>
<p>I can say that a lot of mids share some of the sentiments echoed by OM and NT above. Many feel that a lot of the explanations for the changes are re-hashed cliche ideas, but I won't elaborate. We're still getting word on many changes as we speak, but in general many mids feel that being treated more like children won't enhance their training to become dynamic and effective officers.</p>
<p>We just have to trust that the guy with the three stars knows what he's doing, and in the end I'm sure it will be ok. He got his stars for a reason...but only time will tell.</p>
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The U.S. Naval Academy's new superintendent announced yesterday stricter rules for midshipmen, declaring that students at the Annapolis military academy need to spend more time preparing for war and less time on distracting extracurricular activities.</p>
<p>Students, who are returning to campus for Monday's start of the school year, will have reduced off-campus liberty hours, more mandatory study hours and more limited extracurricular activities, Vice Adm. Jeffrey L. Fowler told reporters....
<p>one correction for the halloween concert: we were on the yard last year for both nights of the concert.....with the exception of a few mids outside to "welcome" those to the concert, did not observe anyone else in "masks or costumes."</p>
<p>Did get one complaint today....</p>
<p>apparently the "biscuts and gravy" had no biscuts, but a slice of white bread instead....
and the rolls for dinner came complete with blue mold....</p>
<p>so many went hungry today.... despite mando meals.</p>
<p>I heard the same regarding the lack of biscuits and the moldy bread. My son claimed that so far, he is not getting anywhere near enough quality food. So far this past week it has been dismal. There really is no excuse for this. Maybe the Supe should spend some time reviewing that aspect of conditions at the Academy. My son said he has had MUCH BETTER food with either the Marines or in the Fleet. Not up to service standards at all.</p>
<p>At the Recognition Week dinner fo parents - the milk on our end of the table was out of date and sour. The Mids all laughed and said it was pretty much par for the course.</p>
<p>The food situation needs to be fixed, this seems more important than eliminating valuable EC's</p>
<p>My favorite King Hall moment was last year during a Foreign Affairs conference in which they forgot to provide vegetarian meals. To top it off one of the workers told a Muslim delegate that the Chicken Cordon Bleu was just chicken. Needless to say that he had a panic attack upon eating the ham.</p>
<p>My mother (a lifetime teacher) once told me that, when students are complaining about the food, everything else must be pretty good. I replied, "yeah, except the food." :) Seriously, do they think things are going to get better when they have to eat on the ship which has been at sea for 100+ days or when they're eating MREs in Iraq? Yeah, I know they're at USNA, but I can't believe they're starving. I really can't. </p>
<p>Let me say that I'm not a parent. But I was a mid and I did have parents during that time. My dad was not a SA grad, although he was a WWII Marine and a career USAF officer. When I'd complain about USNA or, later, life in the military, or later, life in the civilian world, my parents would listen, sympathize, and suggest that there must be a reason for the situation I didn't like. Ultimately, they would say either "You chose to be there" or "if it's that bad, you should leave" (depending, of course, on the circumstances). IMHO, you are not doing your mids or USNA a favor by jumping on the complaint bandwagon. </p>
<p>My father had great advice: Wherever you are is the worst, wherever you're going is the best, and wherever you came from isn't as bad as you thought it was when you were there.</p>
<p>I must say that, in my life -- and especially in the military -- it has almost universally been proven true.</p>
<p>Son, who is a very enthusiastic, honor-concept believing, mid, has always expressed concern, when the notion of mandatory meals was first brought up, that the Academy's budget could not withstand all of the mandatory meals.</p>
<p>He did not have a problem with mandatory meals so much as he was concerned that the quality of food woudl deteriorate even further.</p>
<p>When we spoke yesterday, he confirmed the above about there not being enough food.
This is not the complaints of somebody who is expecting a great deal from the foodservice; he acknowledges that it is an institutional setting.
The deterioration of food quality is being noted by too many mids.</p>
<p>WHEN THE SUPT DOES NOT EVEN HAVE ENOUGH CONSIDERATION FOR THE MIDS TO HAVE ADDRESSED THE BRIGADE. THAT SHOULD TELL YOU SOMETHING.</p>
<p>I don't have lot of experience in corporate America [well, actually, no experience in corpoate America] but I imagine that when a new CEO comes in, it might be expected that he/she would "address the troops."</p>
<p>I think it is very telling that this Supt. has not taken the time to address the brigade as a whole. Nor, does it seem, is he interested in taking or answering questions.</p>
<p>DOES HE HAVE TO? NO! I understand that very completely so please don't even bother writing it down. I just believe it is effective LEADERSHIP to inform your subordinates of your vision, direction, master plan or whatever the heck it is that you have planned for them.</p>
<p>I now know why my mid went from 151 to 118 at 5'11" from plebe to youngster. His eating habits have taken to that of a marathon runner. He sees what is being served and punts into fruit. He will be trying for the USNA marathon team unless that too has been cut. Regardless, his spirits are high. Pertining to the new supe, he is the person in charge and is just that the person in charge and we must respect AND follow the chain of command.</p>