<p>Any parents who attend the closing ceremony ( or whatever they call it) today - if possible, please post comments. Will be picking up my son at the airport tonight and it will probably take days to pull the details out of him.
Thanks!</p>
<p>Hello again OhioMom. We just got home from Annapolis and while the boy is sleeping, I'll post some comments for ya as requested.</p>
<p>The closing ceremony was held in Alumni Hall (basketball arena) and the kids wore thier divisional colored shirts in the stands (yellow/red/blue/grey). A few awards were handed out to the top cadets (most physical, etc) and we got amotivational speech from Adml Rodney R.... Very nice. Took about an hour or so. Not as many parents as I expected, but we're lucky enough to only be about 3 hrs away.</p>
<p>Kids were WORN OUT. But thank your (thier) lucky stars that SeaTrials were yesterday, the coolest day of the week. Today we had a heat warning, mid 90's and oppressively HUMID. They would have been dropping like flies if they had tried ST today.</p>
<p>Afterwards we hit a local resturant in town and heard son Mike enthusiastically tell us about his week. But back in the van home it all hit him at once (the full belly and pillow might have helped) and he's been asleep since. Seems they only got a few hours the last two nights due to preparations for ST and drills. Good food, however.</p>
<p>With the plane ride I'm sure your son will have time to catch up on his sleep and then be ready to explain it all in detail. But it sounds like it was a GREAT adventure / opportunity, one that has cemented our son's wish to attend USNA.</p>
<p>We were in attendance today as well. dknight covered the events quite thorougly.</p>
<p>My observations include:</p>
<p>The Admiral is an impressive leader and superb communicator. Has been USNA for 40 years I believe his introducer reported, longest serving surface warrior, I believe? Correct, edify me. </p>
<p>His talk lent just the right mix betwixt spit and polish, getting squared away, the Acad is a place where men are men and so are the other men ... and "yinz are the best America has to offer, and we want you here." Nicely selling the Academy and her prospectives to each other. </p>
<p>And he did not to fail to mention that not only does the NAVY EDUCATE AND PREPARE her charges at the Academy, but she also employs 100% of them after they toss their cover! Now THAT drew a real round of applause and cheer. </p>
<p>I was personally delighted at the time he took to address the notion that "for most of us" faith and the freedom to pursue it are essential to our moral being, and at the Academy mids are free and encouraged to pursue their God, and that all are expected to respect that opportunity. Very encouraging and well presented. I would not have anticipated this being a key part of his address. </p>
<p>Another of his core messages: This week should help your youngun to determine "full speed ahead, damn the torpedoes" or ... "give me land, lot's of land ... and maybe a land-grant U, too where I won't be doing pushups for 7 weeks and 4 years, and I can text message my best girl (or beau) or 3 when I want to."</p>
<p>Ours quickly confirmed the former for him, despite being tired, hungry for a double cheeseburger, and ready for a long summer's nap. Really loved connecting with his Mid Master and others while he was there. </p>
<p>Perhaps most notably: He commented that this week helped him to get beyond the glamour, romance, handsome white uniforms, etc. and begin to more clearly see not only the reality of the Academy but the life of expectancy to follow. And that seems to me, is or should be the essence of this all. Nor merely a "trying to figure out where I want to matriculate to college" exercise.</p>
<p>He LOVED the Sea Trials. Said that while the week was generally not, that activity was "fun." He's warped, I know. Genetically flawed. </p>
<p>What an awesome presence the USNA and its peeps are. I was thrilled to be there ... and delighted that the #1 offspring is game to give it a go. What an amazing opportunity for those with the courage and conviction to try.</p>
<p>Anchors aweigh little Whistle Piggy. We're with you all thaweigh.</p>
<p>Gotta go do laundry ... before we're all exterminated. WHEW!</p>
<p>I just got home an hour or so from Annapolis. Two cans of Pepsi are keeping me awake until it wears off.</p>
<p>NASS was outstanding, one of the best experiences I've had in my life. I just got so much out of it... Before going, I was kind of on the fence between the Academy and NROTC, but my NASS experience pushed me over to the side of the Academy. I just loved it.</p>
<p>Like most people, my favorite part of the week was Sea Trials yesterday. It was really physically demanding, and it took a great deal of teamwork to get through all the phases, but once it was all over, and we were all covered in mud from the obstacle course, we were all laughing and hugging each other, having just overcome a huge obstacle in our way. It was motivating to see my fellow candidates push each other along and get through everything as a team.</p>
<p>That happiness wore off though when we got back to Bancroft for the mock Indoc. Interesting, to say the least. Standing at attention and watching my rather soft-spoken, usually-calm squad leader jump up and down screaming at us to drop and "push deck" felt pretty weird. Memorizing all the rates wasn't that difficult, but reciting them to our squad leader under such pressure made it pretty hard. However, we got through it, and we were congratulated at the end. Really, an exciting day.</p>
<p>Other highlights of the week included:
-Listening to a former-enlisted-Marine-now-Midshipman talk about his combat experience in Iraq. (Very inspiring.)
-Watching Marine Corps band and silent drill team at Iwo Jima memorial in Arlington.
-Martial Arts workshop. (Taught by the Marine martial arts instructor at Quantico.)
-Drill. (Most people didn't like drill, but I surprisingly did. At bedtime, I actually lulled myself to sleep by reciting the cadence in my head.)
-PEP with my platoon leader who is working to be a SEAL. (Very difficult.)
-Having a "yo mama" joke competition between companies as we waitied for the picnic food to be prepared inside during a thunderstorm. </p>
<p>The Pepsi is starting to wear off, so I'll go sleep now. I'll post more later.</p>
<p>Psycho Bravo!</p>
<p>Delta Delta Delta...yeah we got color company.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the responses - my son arrived home after a delay in his flight home - very pumped also. Marine2011 - he was also in Bravo - so maybe you guys met. He told us about the group hug after the obstacle course, so maybe. He apparently didn't really mind the Indoc too much. Told us about the Air Force "pushups" they did - haha - on their backs. Anyway, he loved it too.</p>
<p>Ask him if he knows Mike Sheehan... Bravo Company, 4th Platoon, 3rd Squad.</p>
<p>Oh, and your son isn't Ben, is he?</p>
<p>Yep, Ben Yahle</p>
<p>Alpha, 3rd platoon
represent.</p>
<p>Bassplayr -- </p>
<p>Please tell me you saw the "Ninja Turtle Rap Dance" at Blue and Gold Tuesday Evening??? That was my squad.</p>
<p>I remember my NASS. Bravo 4-4! Ms. So was the best! The ending ceremony is pretty big. I was pretty impressed.</p>
<p>NASS was pretty amazing. You don't forget it too quickly. Lol, even if I did chose West Point over Navy, I still think NASS is the best of the summer seminars in and of itself. It is the most physically demanding (I heard AIM is supposed to be worse, but idk)</p>
<p>theory-</p>
<p>yeah, i saw you guys.
good times.</p>
<p>dritchey what platoon/squad? I was Delta 3/4.</p>
<p>NASS was awesome, I'm soo glad I went I enjoyed every minute of it and sea trials deffinately rocked allthough I do need to work on my swimming it also gave me another chance to improve my CFA so that was a plus too.</p>
<p>I passed the cfa at USMA with: Push Ups: 51, Sit Ups:71, Pull Ups: 7, Mile:7:47, Shuttle: 9.6 , BBall: 66</p>
<p>and at NASS I got Push Ups: 65, Sit Ups:95(max), Pull Ups: 7, Mile:7:05, Shuttle: 10.1 , BBall: 64</p>
<p>I obviously did a whole lot better in everything except the shuttle and bball, do yal think that 2ft worse and a .5 seconds slower in shuttle will hurt me or cause me not to pass that particular CFA with everything else being so much higher than before?</p>
<p>and did anybody hear when we get our CFA results from USNA?</p>
<p>The CFA is in your candidate portfolio but you cant look at it, or maybe I just dont know how to :(! Session III kicked butt tho... was anyone in B 1/3??</p>
<p>bassplayr-</p>
<p>Who was your squadleader?</p>