As I discuss in my book, A USNA Mom’]s Journal, as N*avy parents and mentors, we usually focus on Plebe Summer and Plebe Year – as many of you have heard, these to evolutions, so to speak, are the equivalent of two-thirds of the N*avy journey. They are taxing, unpredictable, and emotional with lots of uncertainty. Plebes are the lowest on the CoC and aren’t even MIdshipmen per se until after the Herndon Climb, when they earn the right to be Plebe No More and are now official 4/C MIDN. Plebes have no privileges to speak of and life in general is an exhausting marathon with constant applied pressure from many areas: academic, physical, professional, military, athletic, and spiritual.
Youngster Year, I like to call the “invisible” year because the 3/C Midshipmen are no longer Plebes. As a mater of fact those 3/Cs that are on the Yard for I-Day seem to shudder as they watch current Plebes endure I-Day. The one comment I always get? I am glad that I am not a Plebe any more! Youngsters fly under the radar and are concentrated on making up for the damage caused to their academics during Plebe Year Chemistry, which is known as the Plebe Killer. They also begin the leadership journey as they are assigned “their” Plebe to mentor.
And as I point out in my book, A USNA Mom’s Journal, the point of the journey is what happens during 2/C and Firstie years, as Mids enter leadership roles at the Company, Battalion, and Brigade levels and begin to think ahead to commissioning and their assigned service community.
There is so much that is jam-packed into these two years for Mids and parents alike! Join me for a great conversation with Julie Haller, four-time N*avy Mom, USAFA grad, and N*avy parent mentor, as we discuss the momentous arrival of 2/C year with 2 for 7 signing and keeps moving forward at a supersonic pace. I can personally tell you that it does not slow down from there!
Join Julie and me for my latest podcast “A Look at 2/C and Firstie Years – Part 1 | Episode 25“, as we discuss all there is to know about 2/C year and looking toward service assignments and Commissioning. Two weeks from now you can listen to Part 2, as Julie and I walk down memory lane and remember the high points, low points, joys, and uncertainties that are the pinnacle of the USNA journey – Firstie year. We also discuss the uncertainty that begins all over again in the Fleet and Marine Corps.
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