Everybody knows about the Army/Navy rivalry, but USNA vs. any other service academy is always a big deal.  This year, Air Force comes to Annapolis for a full weekend of athletic competition.

Navy Football is always the headline event.  In that vein, check out Navy’s Spirit spot that pokes a little fun at Air Force.

(Quick background: Air Force Zoomies (yes, that’s their nickname) posted a YouTube video showing two of their brethren singing Miley Cyrus’s “Party in the USA”.  They were just having fun, obviously, but it looked pretty…um…shall we say….gay.  USNA midshipmen decided to pounce).

This is a YouTube video so please accept the quality and delay issues graciously.

And also in the spirit vein…

Mark is working out with the Navy Boxing Club.  The top three collegiate boxing programs in the country go 1.) Army, 2.) Navy, 3.) Air Force.  The fights are tonight, and one of the coaches sent this picture to the club members as inspiration.

Go Navy!  Beat Air Force!

As many of you know, Karen, Paris and I were recently in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania for six days.  I planned on taking a ton of pictures and video, but we got so wrapped up in the “enjoying” our company part that we didn’t really shoot much footage of any of them.  This is especially true with Kristin and Cameron (the two we should have shot most!).

I do have some video I’ll try to piece together, and Sami was busy firing away with his camera.  Maybe he’ll share?

In the meantime, I received a DVD in the mail today from USNA courtesy of the Parents’ fund.  It’s a video detailing the fun known as “Plebe Summer”.  This is a generic USNA piece…it is not the video I expect to receive soon that will feature more of Mark.  But!  At the very beginning of this Plebe Summer video, you’ll see footage of our young man humping that damn zodiac he thought was so funny (until he had to carry it, row it and carry it again).  He may appear a couple of more times as well, but any of you that have searched through thousands of photos (like I have) know that “they all start to look alike”…

This thing is 18 minutes long.  It’s “okay”…it’s not going to rock your world, but it does offer some insight into the USNA experience and Plebe Summer.  If you have a chunk of time and you’re in the mood to learn about the madness, hit the “play” button.

Enjoy –
{vidavee id=”16181″ w=”500″ }
I’m trying to get away from the need for a YouTube link. YouTube doesn’t play nice with videos over 10 minutes long, and I thought the quality was just so-so. Since I’m on a Mac, I picked Quicktime as my default video player. My website host also prefers Quicktime. For you Windows Mediaplayer freaks out there…sorry. You probably have Quicktime on your machines anyway. If not…it’s free to download.

Make sure the video loads a bit before you hit “play”.

We’re using flash video now courtesy of our friends at Bill Webb Studio (no relation…sorry).  We owe them our thanks!  And I owe them some money…

What’s that mean?  Well, first off it means the obvious.  But when it comes to Mids, and especially plebes, the obvious is usually just the tip of the iceberg.

Think about it: plebes have to do chow calls…memorize menus…announce the meal and the time in the hall…screw it up and they’re dead.

This week chow call is simple: announce the time and shout “Beat Air Force sir!”

Upperclassman: “Plebe, what’s your alpha number?”

Plebe: “Beat Air Force sir!”

Upperclassman: “Plebe, how many days ‘tll commissioning?”

Plebe: “Beat Air Force sir!”

Mark has “Beat Air Force!” taped on the bottom of his shoes so he doesn’t have to chop in the halls.  Don’t know what chopping is?  You don’t want to…

He has “Beat Air Force!” taped to his bed so he can lay down during the day (normally a no-no).  He has “Beat Air Force!” taped to his computer so he can listen to audio (normally plebes don’t rate audio of any kind).

He and his fellow plebes have taped off a “porch” area with “Beat Air Force!” taped on the wall…the signage is made up of hundreds of tiny pieces of tape so a quick-thinking upperclassman can’t easily tear it down.  He and his company mates actually get to sit in their new porch area (also a normal no-no).  Plebes don’t rate sitting.

He’s accessing a military iTunes account with thousands of songs that he can listen to…provided “Beat Air Force!” stays on his computer.

In fact, this is a fantastic, spirit-building, fun week!  Unless…

Unless a plebe gets fooled.

Upperclassman: “Plebe!  What’s today’s top news story?”

Plebe: “It looks like politicians have agreed on a financial bailout sir!”

Upperclassman: “Wrong answer!  The correct answer is Beat Air Force!”

Then it all comes to an end…

Chopping, chow calls, day counts, no sitting, no rack time, no audio, no iTunes, no porch, no anything…back to being a lowlife plebe.  Plebes rate nothing, and oh how tough it will be to go back to nothing when they all had a taste of regular life.

So let’s think happy thoughts for them, okay?  Let’s hope that all plebes keep their heads and keep the answer simple: “Beat Air Force sir!”.

Party time!  Paris went to a classmate’s birthday party today…I was busy working on that silly video in the prior post when I heard a dog walk into my office:

Obviously she had a great time!

Speaking of great times…I was lucky enough to hit one of Cameron’s favorite barbecue joints the other night.  Lots of good, smoked food…and Cameron loves good smoked food.  This kid has been able to put back a full rack of ribs since he was three.

Cameron, I sent you a picture of dinner…and you ignored me!  Dude, were you upset?  Were you thinking I was toying with you?  Sending a picture of the most succulent, smokiest, tastiest BBQ…did I hurt your feelings?  Did your mouth water so much you couldn’t pick up the phone?  Text?

Ah well…

More soon…I promise.  Until then — Beat Air Force!

UPDATE: Everything above was written on Sunday night.  This morning (Monday), I learned of an incident on the Yard that brought many of the plebe privileges to a halt.  Some plebe got just a little too enthusiastic.

That’s the bad news.  Mark’s Company is taking the higher road.  It wasn’t some idiot in his Company that got all stupid, so while he’s back to chopping, he still retains many of his room privileges.  That’s the good news!

We have news on a few fronts. Youngest first, shall we?

Paris finished her second full week of kindergarten. She’s adjusting very well to her new school, her new teachers, and the new demands! So much responsibility!

Cameron is playing soccer for his High School team. I haven’t been able to extract all of the details from him, but apparently the competition at this level is a little steeper than what’s he’s been faced with in the past. Maybe he can give us an update? Cameron?

Kristin is enjoying a weekend with Grammy and Herb in the Poconos. The boys had the pleasure of doing this a summer or so ago, and they had a blast — literally! Family friends Jeff and Anna Mae have a cabin on a beautiful lake complete with a private airstrip, shooting range, ATV’s and water sports. I doubt Kristin will be allowed to fly and shoot at the same time, but she’ll have fun nonetheless. Maybe she can give us an update? Kristin?

(Notice the subtle pressure to participate being applied to the kids…)

And finally, Midshipman Mark. It’s been a rough week for our oldest. He’s busy…so busy, that I won’t even go into the details. “Late night chits” (which grant permission to stay up late to study), early morning study sessions (keeping in mind that they already normally get up at 5:30), Company duties, Varsity Cross Country practice…he’s whipped. Liberty was suspended yesterday (much to his anger and disappointment), but he does have liberty today. What’s he doing first? Taking a nap…what’s that tell you?

But! Yesterday was the first Navy football game of the season! I’m not a big football fan, but you gotta love the Navy spirit and program. How many schools look like this just before a game?

Midshipmen taking their seats…think they have a few?

Yeah…there are even more!

So here’s the question of the day: can we tell where the USNA students sit?

Ahhhh…tradition! Whenever Navy scores, plebes do push ups. Did anyone catch the score yesterday? Um…the plebes did a lot of push ups. Navy won 41-13.

After the game, Mark enjoyed some fine tailgate food until about 9:30. Don’t laugh…any of you that have been to an Army or Navy game can attest that the tailgating is dead serious. Great food, and lots of it! The NJ Parents’ Club trucks down catering trailers (plural) for every home game…and they’re just one club! The various parents’ clubs and alumni associations treat the Mids incredibly well!

Here in Sunny Florida, we’re intermittently sunny. Hurricane Gustav is getting ready to slam the Louisiana coast, and we’re getting affected by some of the outer bands. That means periodic rain and gusty winds. Yesterday while on my regular bike route, I noticed the Gulf was smooth as glass. By comparison, we’re being warned of 7 to 10 foot waves today. By Gulf standards, that’s a freakin’ tsunami…

Tomorrow will be back to normal! We plan to relax today, relax tomorrow and recharge the batteries! Hope all of you do the same!

And then it’s Parents’ Weekend in Annapolis! Lots of pictures then!

And then Cameron will be here! More pictures! In between, we’ve got Paris always thinking of her siblings and asking to send them photos. Maybe we’ll get one in this post…

News Flash!

Yesterday we received our second letter from Midshipman Mark! Yeah baby! He started writing on July 13th and wrote whenever he had time each day until July 18th. A lot has happened in that period (and since), and some of it has been posted here in photo form already. I’ll go through his letter for you, but it’s going to feel “choppy”. That’s because it was…

Mark loves Kashi Cherry Dark Chocolate granola bars. He starts the letter by letting me know that he’s eating his second to last one while writing. We’ve sent him a couple of dozen since he started the letter, but if anyone wants to add to the mix, please feel free. I imagine there is no possible way for him to have too many. (Well…storage space is limited so maybe we need to keep it sane…no case purchases, okay?)

He tells us that Plebe Summer continues to be “frustrating and annoying”. I’m thinking that if that’s all they can throw at him, the rest of us can breathe easier. Days are long, but the weeks “fly by”. He never really remembers the day before…sounds to me like the program is going exactly as planned. He’s incredibly busy.

“Real” training is “cool” (weapons, fires, floods, drowning). It’s made better by the fact that the trainers are not detailers. Trainers are “nice and they’re funny (by Plebe Summer standards)”. The detailers can be tough.

They worked damage control (a simulated flood on board ship). Two stories of “deck” with leaks on both levels…by the time they finished, the water was six feet deep in the first level (“which was really cool, actually”).

He’s worked on a Yard Patrol boat (a 105 foot boat used extensively for Academy training). Here’s what one looks like:

They even did fire fighting training on board.

They’ve also drilled with their rifles (a lot). But we know that already, right? The beauty of pictures…

He says that “you’ll be impressed by our parade — it’s going to look so good. As we were coming back tonight a thunderstorm came in and it started pouring. Everyone on the Yard went running for cover, but our company kept marching because we’re ‘stoic’. We’re silent professionals…which is cool.”

New uniforms have been issued — he especially likes the dress blues. He’s excited about wearing the summer whites on Parents’ Weekend, but bummed because they won’t be allowed whites for the parade. “We have to wear the stupid things with a neckerchief and officer cover…we’re going to look dumb.” Code word interpretation — “cover” means hat. Apparently the Color Parade on the weekend is still considered a “drill”. Dress uniforms aren’t worn for drills.

Quick background: Reef Points is a small book issued to plebes that contains everything they need to know to be good little sailors. Some of the info is historic; some is instructional. The book fits in a pocket, it’s about three quarters of an inch thick, it’s got tiny print, and the plebes memorize it whenever they have a moment of downtime. It’s not fun. Okay…

Mark tells us that if someone loses their copy of Reef Points (“or if you’re just stupid”), the detailers make you carry a “Super” Reef Points. It’s a huge, huge book entitled Ships and Aircraft and it basically covers everything that ever has been or currently is in the Navy in terms of boats and planes. If you’re extra-stupid, or if you lose your copy of “Super” Reef Points, you’re forced to carry “Atomic” Reef Points. The Atomic version is actually your mattress duct taped into the shape of a book. You get to carry that around all day…Mark thought this was incredibly funny. I wonder who the poor soul is that suffered that penalty?

Fast forward to the 15th: Mark says his Company has been in a lot of trouble of late, and they’re paying a heavy price. No time to write…fast forward to the 17th. More trouble…no time to write. He doesn’t elaborate.

Fast forward to the 18th: “by the time you get this I plan on having a ‘Double E’ — Expert Rifle and Expert Pistol (the highest you can get).” I don’t know if he pulled it off…

Notice how the emphasis changes? Two days of not so good news followed by a very positive statement to open the third. Other parents have noticed the roller coaster ride of emotions too.

He’s running with the Track team and loving it. “I’m putting all my trust in the Coaches because they really know what they’re talking about”. Wow.  Coach D and Coach Joecks are phenomonal guys with an eye on the big picture, but obviously the focus changes at the college level.

More trouble for his Company, though. His squad was penalized for not knowing rates (i.e. somebit of information) and as a result, they had to learn and compile every menu for every meal for the next two months. “Since that would have been impossible to write, I took a hit and traded my USNA issued running shoes with a graduate of the Track team in exchange for 18 menus of the month. My squad was pretty happy with me…”

Footnote: nobody runs in the USNA issued running shoes, so I gotta give Mark credit — he used his head!

Those E-Course photos we have? He says the course is “awesome. I’ve had a lot of fun with it.” See? I thought he was smiling!

“Rack races are annoying because we never make the time and uniform races just plain suck”. Wow again. Rack races are timed efforts at making the bed to Navy standards. Uniform races are similar. It’s a group thing — individual success means nothing! Apparently the rack races get bad enough during the academic year that the plebes simply duct tape the sheets to the bed and sleep on top of a blanket.

And that, folks, is about it. If it seemed disjointed or disorganized, it’s because it was…he’s one busy puppy. He did manage five pages on regular ol’ paper this time, so I’m feeling pretty damn good!

Okay! Paris can’t take it anymore! She wants to send a ‘hello’ to Mark, Kristin and Cameron. She learned all about Mark’s drown proofing and swimming exploits, so she decided to share hers. “Mark! This is drown proofing!”

“I’m drown proofed! Dad took down the kiddie fence!”

(Dad here…Paris just passed Stage 3 swimming at the local YMCA. She’s got the basics down, and as you can probably gather, it’s a small pool. We still keep a close eye on her though!)

“Mark! Total Immersion techniques! Swim downhill! Turn the hips! It works for me too!”

(Dad here again…Total Immersion is the swim seminar Mark and I attended last winter. If you remember from his first letter, the techniques we learned kept him fairly fresh during his drown proofing and swim drills).

More soon!

As you’ll see, the Email post (below) runs into the Cameron at 7 post…these are the kinds of issues that will drive all of us nuts.

I’m going to pretend that the sloppiness doesn’t exist for now, and maybe if we ignore it, it won’t happen again.

If the problem persists, I’ll be making a “theme” change.