<p>Daughter also sounded great today. She said that her platoon has had lots of briefings, not as much "fun stuff" yet. The only "fun stuff" so far has been swimming and the endurance course.</p>
<p>Girlfriend was at our house for the phone call. We were all on speaker phone, but he did ask to talk to her off speaker. He was good about coming back to us with some time left to talk. We were hoping that he wouldn't have been attached when I Day came, but you cannot predict the seasons of the heart. Our son sounds great. He has had to learn teamwork. One of his roommates is in a sling so the other two have to get all three racks ready. They are under 3 mins. He is an assistant squad leader, so he is learning accountability already too. I think it is great.</p>
<p>Didn't mean my last post to sound like whining. D is just looking forward to other training evolutions (Tarzan assault course, rifle range, etc.)</p>
<p>5 minutes goes fast! Son sounded great...much better than we expected. Upbeat, taking it one day at a time. A couple of pictures we saw of him, had us uncertain of how things were going! He said he's enjoying the mail and the care packages!</p>
<p>Profmom2, at the Academy, they call it Double E for getting the Expert classification for both pistol and rifle marksmanship, that's what Plebemom2012's son was referring to. No one actually says "I got expert in Rifle and Pistol" they just say "I got double e's"</p>
<p>And 2012 get's THREE phone calls? What is that about? They're plebe summer is shortened by almost a week and now they get an extra phone call? I guess 2011 really IS the last plebe class. Just kidding USNA69...but seriously.</p>
<p>I don't know why Oscar's call times are different, but I remember ours being a little later last time too (I was O-28 last summer). I just thought that this was because the worst beating of a lifetime went over a little later than expected and hence our later call. Lucky for us we got to go back up on deck and wrecked all over again...just as bad as the first time.</p>
<p>I think the third call has something to do with telling parents about sponsor family information. I can honestly say I have no idea where I heard/read/saw that. Our original information had two calls, that was it.</p>
<p>On I Day we found out about the third call, and I swear somewhere I got the idea that it had something to do with sponsors.</p>
<p>Must have been a long day--I can't remember at all!</p>
<p>Krypter that is really funny as My Second class said he never heard of the term double E's. When specifically asked the other night he said that he would say he qualified expert in both. Guess no one is "wrong". Just have different experiences, different companies and different ways of saying things.</p>
<p>He also said that you wouldn't really be talking about it with other Mids as they can see it on your chest... not something discussed in his opinion and experience. He did qualify E in both BTW. You would be telling Grandma and Grandpa etc and they would be clueless to double E's.</p>
<p>My son also sounds very upbeat. He is really excited about qualifying on the M16 and 9mm. I'm not sure if that means an expert qualification or not. I do know he is a good skeet shot though from pre-navy shooting with Dad.</p>
<p>Please do not get to hung up on whether or not your Mid qualified as Expert on the ranges. It does not mean much if anything after Plebe Summer. They will never visit the range again, unless during summer detail.</p>
<p>I always tease older son becuase he shot marksman in pistol, but expert in rifle, and his younger brother shot "E" in both.</p>
<p>"Hey, it looks like one of your 'E's' fell off your ribbon. You're out of uniform..."</p>
<p>"Shut up, dad..."</p>
<p>:)</p>
<p>I was simply sharing what my son said in his phone call. I didn't expect it to turn into a debate.</p>
<p>Neither my son nor I had any knowledge or experience with this before he went onto the shooting range last week. Apparently the upperclassman who tested him told him that he rated "double expert" and he told me. I seriously doubt he's going around telling other mids about it. He's not that kind of kid.</p>
<p>I made the mistake of posting it here. Lesson learned.</p>
<p>I would not worry about it. There does seem to be a larger than normal amount of folks who like to "pounce" on folks around here , and they have a little too much swagger for my taste. That said I get really good information here so I like the place, and really nothing anybody says or does here has any effect whatsoever on my Mid.</p>
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<p>Why not?? I would have been darn proud of it and told everybody. It took me 15 years probably to finally qualify 'Expert" on pistol. We initially qualified with the old .45 which kicked like a mule. The only danger I would have posed to someone with it in my possession would have been to throw it at them. We also qualified rifle with the M-1. Krypter, a real plebe summer.</p>
<p>First of all I did not want to underscore anyone's individual accomplishments. I just did not want any of the parents to worry because their Mid did not qualify expert.</p>
<p>So....if a kid has never fired a pistol, and only rarely fired a shotgun, how likely is it that they can even qualify in one half day for each weapon? Do bad things happen to their squad if they don't?</p>
<p>Good instructors. Really, shooting is probably a lot like golf. The more experience they have prior to reporting, the more bad habits they have to erase.</p>
<p>grad/dad-you weren't one of those PTA parents were you who got up at the meeting and asked to do away with the 'My kid is an honor roll student at Podunk Elementary' bumper stickers and replace them with 'My kid is a swell kid', were you? At USNA, they all have to come to the realization, parents and mids alike, that they are no longer the 'big fish in the small pond'. Perhaps, this might be the first indication.</p>
<p>No idea the statistics, but I would assume no more than 20% or so qualify for expert, so it is not a big deal for those who do not. The 'Expert' rates a medal while 'Sharpshooter' and 'Marksman' only rate a ribbon. Have you ever noticed that those who don't have awards and decorations attempt to denigrate those who do by calling it "chest candy"? Particularly inappropriate from someone who has never served, I would think.</p>
<p>USNA69: that was the point I was trying to make. I did not want the parents who's Mid did not qualify expert to think that all is not well at USNA and that my Mid will never make it. Also, I never displayed the bumper stickers. Do you remeber how long the qualification is good for? Do you have to requalify every so often to maintatin your Expert medal?</p>
<p>"So....if a kid has never fired a pistol, and only rarely fired a shotgun, how likely is it that they can even qualify in one half day for each weapon?"</p>
<p>I was floored - and proud - to learn that my son qualified as sharp shooter on rifle and pistol. He's never fired a pistol and a shotgun maybe once!</p>
<p>The qualifications are now indefinite and I think Mids can wear them all. In my day, at the Academy we were only authorized to wear the Expert, not the other two. Also, strictly on hazy memory, the Expert was good only for 4 yrs and after 2 subsequent requals, it became permanent.</p>
<p>On the PTA, just attempting a 'funny'. In today's day and age, there is sometimes a reluctance to recognize the outstanding at the risk of offending the also rans.</p>
<p>The world of PC</p>