Plebe Parent Weekend at West Point

Steve and I had great weekend at West Point with Dominic. It was Plebe Parent Weekend. The upperclassmen are dismissed for spring break and the Plebes (freshmen) stay for an additional two days. These days are filled with information sessions, tours, meeting teachers and a ball. We were thrilled we were able to make the trip to attend.

Steve and I arrived on a Thursday afternoon. Dominic had class and duties so we didn't get to see him. We attended the parent reception for a little while and met some lovely parents including another Delaware family, their daughter was actually at CSW with Dominic!

Friday was a busy day. We had a tour of the superintendent's house which is one of the oldest structures on campus. The superintendent is the general in charge of West Point. The ground floor of his home is mostly used for entertaining and he and his family mostly use the upper floors. Interesting stories, artwork and furniture throughout the house.

We attended a parent briefing and learned more about what Dominic's next three years will be like. The short answer is nothing like mine or Steve's college experience. The effort put into training cadets for service is extraordinary.

After lunch we met Dominic (finally) for another briefing. It was SO good to see him. This briefing was more about what was required of the cadets for the weekend. Pretty sure they had already heard it and it was just being repeated for our benefit.

Then Dominic got to take us on a tour of campus and to meet some of his teachers. Much of West Point's campus and buildings are off limits to civilians so this was a real treat. We were able to see the mess hall, the library, which is absolutely amazing, including the incredible view from the rooftop terrace. We saw some classrooms and met with three of his teachers. We were surprised how well they each knew Dominic, and then found out that is because most class sizes are about 18. Lots of individualized attention. We also went through the fitness complex. Dominic showed us where he works out, and it is quite impressive. We watched a demonstration of many of the physical activities they had to do in Military Movement class and saw two cadets complete the Indoor Obstacle Course Test. Cadets have to complete this within a certain time every year. It is not easy, at all.

Dominic was able to leave campus for dinner so we took him to a delicious Italian restaurant that we had discovered when we were there for A day. He enjoyed a good meal out and was happy to spend some time off campus.

Saturday morning we needed to be at his barracks at 830am. One way to push through jet lag is when you just have to get moving. The weather was terrible, it poured all day but we soldiered (ha) through. Our day started with Dominic's company being awarded the National Defense Service Medal. All the plebes received this award for joining the army in a time of war. It was an honor to have the opportunity to pin Dominic's first award on him.

Afterwards Dominic and his roommates showed us their room. It is not fancy. Not at all. But Dominic knew he wasn't signing up for fancy!

Roommates

After another briefing we had lunch and then it was time for the parade. Earlier I mentioned the weather and we really though they would cancel the parade but the leadership was determined to go through with it. So in the rain all the parents watched their plebes parade. They have come a long way since the summer, especially since July 1 when then reported.

Dominic is in the 3rd row

See him?

That evening was the dinner and "hop". Dinner was in the cadet mess hall.  At West Point all 4,000 cadets are served dinner at one time. It is an impressive feat to watch. Dinner is served family style and the cadets have several rules they normally have to follow, especially the plebes. We enjoyed dinner with Dominic, his roommate and his family and another cadet from his company and his family. There were of course speeches and the class crest was revealed.

Afterwards we headed over to the "hop".  For those of you who are fans of the tv show The Voice, the Staff Sergeant who is or was competing was singing, he is a member of the West Point Band. We met many of Dominic's friends both from his current company and from his summer company. That was a great treat for us!

Dominic's spring break started on Sunday. We took him back to Delaware since he will be spending the week with Steve while Steve works. We celebrated his birthday two weeks early and went to dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, Iron Hill Brewery. Monday, Dominic and I did a little shopping and then it was time for me to head back to Germany. Super quick trip, but definitely worth it!

And for those of you wondering what our other children were up to while we were in Germany we had a crew of great helpers lending us a hand. Rachel and AJ both had sports tournaments. So AJ was in Paris and Rachel was in Basel until Saturday night. In fact at one point while we were traveling the six of us were in five different countries. Dominic was in the US, Steve and I were in England, AJ in France, Rachel in Switzerland and Stefanie in Germany. Sometimes, it is a strange life we lead. AJ then alternated between our house and a friend's house. Rachel spent the remaining time with a friend. Stefanie was the only one who stayed in Germany with a friend the whole time; but she spent much of her time in Munich at dance practice and then marching in the St Patrick's Day parade and performing at the show. We are grateful that we have such great friends that were willing to help us.