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<p>Exactly. It should have never been an issue to begin with.</p>
<p>But it has become one, again.</p>
<p>so what exactly is an all call?</p>
<p>TX are you at elmendorf?</p>
<p>This is a forum for Naval Academy discussion. With this fact is the notion that we are in a military environment, which I agree with since most of the posters are graduates, midshipmen, or parents. When an outsider inquires about information, I think it's our responsibility to conduct ourselves as supportive parents, and wholesale naval officers. We uphold the highest standards of professionalism, so what would a normal high school senior think about a bunch of bickering parents and professionals in an online COLLEGE forum? Does this discussion make the Academy more appealing to the candidate?</p>
<p>As for ordering current or former naval officers around, it is easy for anyone to say that they have the ability to do it because it's ONLY an online forum. Keeping mind, there is someone who on the proverbial other side of the computer screen that you can't see who is leading America's best or had been at one time. Even in a forum, you should address these people as "sir" or "ma'am" since they have earned the title, and the fact that we can't see them face to face does not negate this fact.</p>
<p>I just couldn't imagine not calling an officer by their proper title, let alone giving them an order. It doesn't matter if you're a plebe, youngster, firstie, or subordinate officer.</p>
<p>So again, in response to the original poster's question, hopefully one thing you DO learn in plebe year is respect of your superiors, which is not the worst part of plebe year in case anyone's told you that.</p>
<p>You'll have other things to worry about than addressing upperclass or officers as "sir" or "ma'am" so just let that be one of the easy things you learn on I-Day and never forget it, and by golly stay humble.</p>
<p>Reflecting on plebe year as a youngster...I'd have to say, for me, the hardest part was having a "threat of the day" every day. Every day you had to accomplish something...chem quiz, calc test, pro quiz, PRT, come arounds, chow calls, write a paper, SOMEthing every day that required some preparation. Basically what this meant was that there was no break on a daily basis...aka "the grind." And it's this way for months and months, and really, it doesn't stop after plebe year; you still see it as a youngster. </p>
<p>Another thing: Plebe year can be annoying, but that's the way it's designed to be, so you can put up with it because that's "the system." I got a little disillusioned when I discovered the fact that the entire time here is annoying, to a certain degree. Especially this year. So many formations and "changes for the sake of change," as a lot of us see it. Yes, I concur with somebody who said it above, it's frustrating being treated like a middle schooler every day. Plebes are treated like elementary schoolers.</p>
<p>Reflecting on my own Plebe experience 27 years ago, I think what it did for me was get me used to constant change as a way of life. </p>
<p>Later on, in my civilian career, I had a great boss who used to like to say, "Life is 10% what happens to you, and 90% how you react and deal with it." I know she didn't make that up, but for me it summed up what USNA prepared me for. I don't freak out about change, and I'm usually in a position where I have to get others used to the idea of change. You'll do a lot of that with your sailors, airmen and/or Marines as a JO.</p>
<p>You definitely get taken out of your comfort zone from HS and home, where pretty much everyone thinks you walk on water, to a situation where you have to prove yourself every day. You mess up, you pay the consequences. You do well, and that's expected. If you do really well, you might get a BZ once in a while. It was a big change for me, I know that.</p>
<p>Enjoy your Christmas break '11. Plebe Year is more than halfway done when you come back.</p>