<p>A couple of weeks ago I was talking to a guy (while at the Post office), he had his ID out to get a package and I notice that it was a Merchant Marine ID card. So I mentioned my daughter has applied to the USMMA.... he looked at me and said which one ?!?!?!?!?!?</p>
<p>I told him there was only one USMMA, then he wanted to tell me I was wrong and that there was many (he was thinking of maritime schools)... I explained it was a SA like Wespoint, Annapolis..etc.. and he was dumbfounded.. he thought I was an idiot (the look on his face said so).. I told him to look up USMMA.edu when he got to a computer!</p>
<p>He even mentioned that he had attended some military school and did I really think that a school taught by the military would be any good!?!?!</p>
<p>I figured for sure this guy should know... WOW...</p>
<p>now I am kinda used to explaining what the USMMA and USCGA are.. Sad....</p>
<p>I took my son to apply for his passport last week, the lady helping us asked my son what he needed his passport for, he replied "I'm going to the United States Merchant Marine Academy". She said "Oh, is that like a summer camp?" My son smiled and said "Yeah, kinda like summer camp".</p>
<p>Wow, I guess the idiots around us must be hiding. My daughter and I have had nothing but positive experiences ever since she received that blue appointment binder last May. Over the holiday break d wore her USNA SDB uniform to see my mom in a retirement home and attend chapel together. At chapel, the minister announced that "our Plebe" was home from the naval academy for break, and nearly everyone came over to say hello and wish her well.
As we walked through the airport when she was returning after break, several TSA employees thanked her for entering the academy and joining the military.</p>
<p>As an aside, since someone in an early post asked how any of them could be talked into wearing their uniform on break, this was my daughter's perspective, "I worked hard all through HS, the application process, and Plebe Summer to earn the right to wear this uniform, and I'm proud of it." Of course, she only wore it to church. The rest of the time she wore things "off limits" to mere Plebes!</p>
<p>This week, a friend who has been very interested in my son's road to college, asked me where he will attend college next year. I told her very proudly that he received his appointment and he is going to the Naval Academy. Her reply was, " Oh, at least it is free." At that point, I felt it was my duty to educate her. I told her that most service academy parents and candidates would be insulted at that statement. That my son was honored to be able to go there and to serve his country and that it was his first choice - after turning down a couple of Ivy league schools and other extremely hard to get into small liberal arts colleges. He had his choice and a college fund to pay for it. Also, it is hardly "free" when you may be in harm's way when out in the fleet. Also, I explained to her that it could not be about the money when these kids could be making multiple times as much money in the private sector after graduation from one the "elite" universities.
On the other hand, everyone else seems to know what an honor it is to attend a service academy and serve our country and it has been a non stop love fest with everyone else.</p>
<p>My daughter graduates from a IVY this spring with no debt. That is free. My son graduates in 2012 with a serious investment in the Country. That is not FREE.</p>
<p>So along the lines of explaining. My son goes to USMMA.....he is thinking about joining NOAA upon graduation.....I told him that if he does that I'm going to disown him (just kidding of course)....by that point I will have spent 4 years explaining that USMMA is not the Marines and that it IS a SA....then I will have to explain that NOAA is a branch of our Service and not a club.......UGH!!! Along with that my older son is a Corpsman in the Navy, but is the Doc for the Marines and I've tried to explain that now for 13 years..He's Navy NOT marine! LOL....I give up :D</p>
<p>Well, this is a good thing to report - under the catagory of finally?</p>
<p>A mom of a USMA cadet I know was in the post office on Saturday and she was mailing a Valentine's day package to her "cow." Anyway, we were talking and the guy in front of Mom paid for her package before she got up to the window! How cool is that? Thank you, Mr. Kind American! Made my weekend.</p>
<p>My son has received an appointment to the Air Force Academy. I was telling my next door neighbor (College chemistry professor, MIT PHD) and the following conversation ensued:
Me: Yeah, my son thinks he's going to take the appointment to the Academy.
Neighbor: Won't he miss having girls on campus?
Me: The Academy has almost as many women as some ot the engineering schools he applied to.
Neighbor: Really? Can women be pilots?
Me: Of course. They can even be fighter pilots if they're qualified.
Neighbor: Well I'll bet they're aren't too many of them.
Me: Why do you day that?
Neighbor: I can't imagine there are too many women who want to kill people.
Me: (Raised eyebrows)
Neighbor: But I guess there might be women who enjoy the speed and excitement.
Me: Sure, women like Danica Patrick
Neighbor: Who?</p>
<p>Now, my husband flew F-16s. Does she really think he did it because he wanted to kill people? Or that that's my son's motivation for going to the Air Force Academy? I love her but, my goodness, the ivory tower of academics has made her clueless about the motivation of people who serve their country. Thank goodness we dont' depend on college professors to defend our liberties.</p>
<p>So I was sitting in the movie theater today, and a National Guard commercial came on during the previews. In it, a Humvee driver stops suddenly because a small Iraqi/Afghani boy jumped out in front to chase a soccer ball. The driver gets out, and kicks it back to the boy.</p>
<p>They guy sitting next to me says to his girlfriend.
“If that was really Iraq, they would’ve ran him right over.”</p>
<p>I went back to school at age 45 to become a teacher and had to sit through a lot of lectures on the evils of our country. I never missed a chance to fire back. When a prof mentioned how our troops fired on a mosque in Iraq I pointed out how a sniper had fired on and killed two marines. One person out of 40 clapped-he later introduced himself as a former marine. Later several classmates thanked me for speaking out. I told them to do the same. Do not let them get away with slander of our sons and daughters.</p>
<p>We are losing our country through politeness and good manners.</p>
<p>D is thinking/hoping/planning to go to either AFA or USMA next year. She told our neighbor of her plans. </p>
<p>Neighbor: Girls don’t do well there. They all drop out.
Daughter: Well, there are probably some who do, but I really want to be an officer, to serve with the best of our country.
Neighbor: The best don’t go to service academies. They go to Penn State.</p>
<p>I am still laughing.</p>
<p>PS: Penn State is to play in the “championship” game of the NIT - I think tonight. N.I.T.= Not In Tournament. :)</p>
Yea, no doubt they’d prefer to be playing UNC come Monday (as they already beat MSU) </p>
<p>Certain irony that PSU keeps playing and brings home a hoop honors, while supposed power-house Pitt pounds salt. God must’ve gone to Penn State …thus the blue & white sky, maybe? </p>
<p>In line at the grocery store, proudly sporting my USAFA sweatshirt:</p>
<p>Guy behind me: Oh, do you have a child in the AF?
Me: Well, my sons attend USAFA.
Guy: Is that West Point?
Me: No, the AF has its own service academy in Colorado.
Guy: Is that something new, like since Bush’s war?
Me: No, it’s been there since the 1950’s.
Guy: You know, all those military guys are extremists. I heard it on the news.
Me: You really should change the channel.
Guy: Puts candy bar on which he was gnoshing in pocket, and pays only for his can of JOLT.</p>
</p>
God must’ve gone to Penn State …thus the blue & white sky, maybe? 
</p>