COMMISSIONING WEEK NOTES

BE PREPARED - packing for the week:
Commissioning Day 2002 was hot and sunny.  We melted as we sat down on the field that day.  Earlier in the week we darn near froze to death when the temperatures mid-day hovered in the mid to high 50’s.  On commissioning day the graduating midshipmen were distressed to find that they were not permitted to wear sunglasses and most were complaining afterwards that they were temporarily blinded by the glare of the sun off of their own choker whites.  What a difference a year makes!!!  The class of 2003 practically needed an ark to exit the stadium.  It was cold, wet and miserable.  It rained almost the entire week.  Many people came unprepared for that type of weather, preparing their packing list from the weather conditions of the prior year.  So, be flexible; pack rain gear, cold weather clothes and hot, sunny weather clothes. 

GATHERING AFTER THE HAT TOSS
Be careful about the spot you choose to meet at the stadium after the hat toss.  We picked "in the end zone by the cannon" only to discover that about 800 families of the class of 2002 decided upon the exact same location.  It was a madhouse.  The background of our photographs is rather cluttered with images of other elated families.  We saw many Ensigns and 2LT's wandering through the thick assemblage of families gathered for photo ops while searching in vain for their own relatives. 

Here’s an observation I made that day: as we exited the stadium we saw a family standing in the shade of tree on the hill to the left of field house (locker room).  There was hardly anyone there, they appeared to be cool and collected as a multitude of hot, sweaty, sunburned folks filed past them, making their exit after traversing the entire length of the football field from their own “coveted spot” by the cannon.   Now why didn’t we think of that spot?  (by the way, the renovations of the stadium last year have done away with that tree and that hill)  But go ahead, scope your spot well ahead of time, draw a map, X the spot, make several copies and pass it out to your guests.  

Perhaps that “shady tree” will become the “cannon in the end zone” for the class of 2005.  Oh well - at least you tried.  And, if it should happen that way, don’t dismay, our pictures reflect the exuberance of so many families and it is an accurate depiction of exactly what occurred.  I’m not sorry it turned out that way, but from an aesthetic standpoint, the pictures are a bit “busy”, nothing that a good photo editor couldn’t crop out.

CONSIDERATION FOR OTHERS
We had a "cast of thousands" at our son's commissioning because we live fairly close.  Be mindful of the newly commissioned who have only their parents/immediate family present.  Offer to take a few group family photos for them if you see such circumstances. 

Take the pictures of your elderly family members early or much later.  And remember, dragging them down on the field in the baking sun may be too much for them.  If they want to be there on field anyway, take their pictures with the new Ensign/2LT immediately so that they can escape to a cooler (or dryer) place as soon as possible.

CONSIDERATION FOR YOUR MID
Another consideration is that your son/daughter will more than likely want to be with their best friends/roommates for photo ops immediately after. We all agreed ahead of time that the families of the "three amigos" would meet at the same spot.  Unfortunately we chose the aforementioned “cannon by the end zone” but the pictures of those three jubilant best friends, hugging each other, are among the most priceless photos of the 15 rolls we took that day. 

BRING A VCR TAPE – the house you are renting (should you choose that route) will more than likely have a VCR.  Learn how to use it or bring along a 10 year-old to figure out how to reset the time and timer.  Test it and set the tape to record the local Annapolis station that is broadcasting the commissioning ceremony that day.  When you return from the stadium that afternoon, voila¢, instant gratification (assuming you took my initial advice and asked a 10 year-old to program the darn thing).  Everyone can gather ‘round the TV, nosh on the catered food and relive the whole experience.

COMMISSIONING DAY – CONSIDER A TAILGATER BEFOREHAND – AND AFTERWARDS
We come from a long line of “professional tailgaters”, the USNA Parents Club of NJ having given us our advanced training.  We arrived at the stadium early on commissioning day and tailgated in the parking lot before commissioning. Consider meeting ahead of time and caravaning over in the morning if you have a large group so you can park near each other.  We arranged with a local caterer/grocer to prepare trays of bagels and muffins, fresh fruit and carafes of coffee and juice (OK, so we didn’t do our own cooking) and picked them up early in the morning before heading over.  Once at the stadium we set up our tables at the back of our car and hoisted the flag.   Then, after the hat toss and photo session, we had a post-commissioning tailgate with the leftovers.  Everyone wanted something cold to drink after baking in the hot sun so be sure to have lots of ice and cold drinks.  Remember, Semper Gumby!  In the event of freezing rain and hail, (and let's all hope that doesn't happen) go with hot coffee and hot chocolate!

DISPOSABLE CAMERAS
Consider buying a bunch of disposable cameras – write your name on each one (or put an address label on it) AND the name of the family members/friends you give them to.  We asked everyone to take pictures of each other and whatever they saw that they thought was worth photographing.  Keep in mind, if you give the camera to a 10-year-old, his/her perspective on what is a “great shot” will be very different from your version.  Though, not necessarily bad, just different.   One of our budding photographers took quite a few “nostril” shots.  An uncle took several pictures of cars in the lot and the water tower.  Go figure, "art", it’s all in the eye of the beholder.  The reason I suggest that the users name be written on the cameras… well, each of our disposable cameras looked identical and when the users set them down on the table nobody could tell who belonged to each camera when it came time to retrieve them. 

At the end of the week we collected all of the cameras and then dropped them off for developing.   What fun when we picked up the pictures!  We saw shots of things we’d missed and some of our photographers had much better angles of some shots than we did.   And we found out that while we sat down on the field on Commissioning Day, our friends were having a great time in the “cheap seats”.  I believe our son chose one of those “rogue photos” to be reproduced and sent with his thank you cards.  Somebody (and we’ll never know who because we didn’t have names on the cameras) captured him, at the precise moment he was holding his commission aloft, as he came down off the podium– PERFECT.  

Just another suggestion to avoid that surprise, print up labels (2 each) of the folks you are giving the cameras to… put one label on the camera, save the second one for when you drop the film off at the photo store.  As you insert the camera in the envelope, stick the second “name” label on the flap.  That way you know who took that particular roll of pictures so you can “thank” the photographer for the aforementioned “nostril and water tower shots”.

MORE ON PHOTOGRAPHY
If you’re going to a favorite restaurant or place on the yard, take a picture of the outside and include the establishment’s sign!  When putting the photos in the albums afterward, it’s nice to start each event with the picture of where it took place. 

The new Ensign and 2LT covers cast a shadow over even the most glowing face of your newly commissioned son/daughter.  We were disappointed that many of the photos of our son and his friends had such shadowy faces from the brim of the covers.  I am not a photographer by any stretch of the imagination.  I have no idea what we could have done to avoid it, but if you have resources that can tell you what to do – follow that advice.

MAKE A SCHEDULE FOR EACH DAY - 
I went a little overboard and printed our schedule on patriotic paper, but it did make them easy to spot lying around or folded up in my bag. The easiest thing to do would be to go to the USNA website and print the commissioning week schedule and pass it out to every one.  But that schedule has many things listed that just don’t pertain to your mid or your family.  It can be confusing for even the most seasoned military individual who knows how to cut through the stuff that just doesn’t apply.

I prepared a separate schedule for each day.  At the top of each day I typed in the day and date (for instance, Monday – May 26^th,  and trust me, having the “day” such as “Tuesday”, spelled out is very helpful), immediately below I listed the store times for the Dry Dock and the Mid-store for that particular day.   Then I followed that with a color-coded schedule of our family’s events for the day.  Give a copy to everyone in your party and post one on the fridge/hotel door of the places you are inhabiting that week.  Afterward, consider saving that day’s schedule in a scrapbook and include some of the photos from the events of that day.

More about the color-coding.  I assigned a specific colored font for each of the events to indicate who was invited/allowed to attend.  For instance, in 2002, there were two Balls, one was for all family members, the other was only for the Mid and his/her date. Blue font meant everyone got to go, Red, just the Mid and his family, Green, just the Mid.  Black font, meant a totally optional event.  We decided ahead of time which events we would attend (some of the events, such as the Sup's Garden Party and meals in King Hall, are on different days based on which battalion your Mid's company is in.)  Then there are the parties - some you'll be invited to, others are just for the Mids.  Working with your Mid, decide ahead of time who gets to attend each event. I recommend that the schedule include the location and time of the event, the dress code, who "gets to go" AND, most importantly, the time you have to leave the house/hotel if you want to arrive at the event on time.

Click to see a: sample schedule

Since I made my own schedule, I didn't have all those extra activities that the USNA schedule had that did not pertain to our burgeoning family unit. You might also include on the schedule: the cell phone #’s and hotel #’s, for everyone in the party in case someone gets separated/lost or sick.   If we had reservations for specific restaurant that night, I also included the name and phone number for the restaurant.   Another thing to consider putting on the schedule is an indication of  “things to bring” for that specific event.  For instance, folding chairs, bottled water, blankets, a hat and sunscreen are a good idea for Herndon and the Blue Angels air show. 

EVENTS YOU SHOULD REALLY CONSIDER PUTTING ON YOUR SCHEDULE:

The Glee Club Concert - If you can get tickets to the Glee Club concert – do it and put it on your schedule. It is a MUST SEE EVENT.  There isn’t a single person in our family who is musically inclined; we couldn’t carry a tune if we had it in a bucket.  We also couldn’t talk our son and his friends into attending because that was the night they chose to go off to a “Mid Only” party.  All of our son’s friends parents went to the concert and IT WAS FABULOUS!  And I mean FABULOUS!!!  We saw talent that night that would put some popular music superstars to shame. 

Morning Colors – we tried to get over to the Yard nearly every day for the posting of the morning colors.  Each day is different, one day it’s the Marine Corp, another the Silent Drill team is there.  It will be listed on the schedule.  It’s a “goose bump inducing” event.

Herndon – swing by, if you don’t have a Plebe you won’t feel compelled to stay to the very end this time since it’s not your mid’s class sliding off the granite oblisk.  It’s fun to watch for a while, then head over to the Institute store or Museum – by-the-way, there are restrooms in that building, downstairs behind the Naval Institute Press.  Note:  Herndon is not always scheduled during commissioning week.

One of the Baccalaureate Masses – No matter what religion, if you are able to get to USNA on the Sunday prior to commissioning, go to one of the masses.  Our son “just happened” to get drafted into service as an usher at the Protestant Service, I thought my mother-in-law would bust every button off her vest.  It is the perfect way to kick off the week.  It gives you perspective and humility when you need it most.  Bring tissues and prepare to cry when they play Eternal Father.  Afterwards we went to brunch at the officer’s club.  You will need advance reservations. 
Go to http://www.usna.edu/MWR/club.htm for information on the O-Club.

Blue Angels Air Show – no explanation needed here.  AWESOME!  Click on the link to check out the website!   There are some serious downloads, including a screensaver and cursors!

KEEP A JOURNAL
I also kept a journal during the course of the week.  It flies by so very fast and years from now you'll be able to look back, and there, documented in black and white, is the written description you have of the feelings you had when you saw the Blue Angels fly into Annapolis and circle the Academy.   Or perhaps you’ll document the reaction of an elderly family member at one of the parades.

LITTLE NICETIES
I also zipped into the Midstore the first day we got there and purchased USNA Trident lapel pins for everyone in the party.   They weren’t a budget-breaker. The grandparents/aunts and uncles were thrilled to have the small memento and wore them to every event.   I know of some families who prepared guest baskets for their family members/guests.   They included USNA Hats and water bottles etc.   No apologies to our family members – they’ve been getting that stuff for years.

GET AWAY
One night we traveled out to Kent Island to a favorite little waterside restaurant (down past the grass airstrip).  It was a welcome respite from the hustling activity in town.  The waiters set up tables on the docks for us and we ate stacks and stacks of crabs.  We watched the sun set over the water and truly enjoyed each other’s company.  It was one of my more favorite events.   Because of the restaurant’s location on Kent Island, you can actually watch the sunset over the water!  It was a beautifully perfect evening.  http://www.kentmorr.com/ in case you're wondering where we went.

KEEP YOUR SENSE OF HUMOR
Our family had moments that were not scripted from the pages of Ozzie & Harriet, and were more in line with those moments you might have seen on that other “Ozzie & Sharon” show.  I’d be lying if I said everything went off without a hitch.  The whole parking situation is going to make things a little more complicated, especially if you are traveling with the elderly (especially if those elderly folks refuse to accept their limitations with regard to walking great distances at the speeds required to get a seat before the stands fill up…hint hint – Parades, the Supe’s Garden Party and the Class of 200X picnic).    

Remember to smile, don’t let Uncle Willie yank your chain this week, you need to let some things just slide right off your back.  Agreeing ahead of time “who gets to attend what” will go along way towards preventing hurt feelings.  You might find that the "18 to 20-year-olds" will have a hard time if their 22-year-old midshipman brother/sister is going off to a club with his/her friends.  Your “pre-drinking age” guest can’t go with them and WILL have their nose out of joint when they find that they are spending the evening with a bunch of “fifty-somethings”.   This is something that should be covered WELL AHEAD OF TIME. 

SING!
Here’s a personal suggestion of mine.  When the National Anthem is played, SING the words.  Encourage everyone around you to sing as well.  Sing like you mean it, don’t worry that you can’t carry the tune, hardly anyone can, after all, The Star Spangled Banner has a range that challenges the best musicians.  We sat with a reunion class at one of the parades, I think it was the Class of 1967.  When the Anthem started they all stood and sang with deep, hearty, beautiful voices.  I felt the hair stand up on the back of my neck as literally everyone within hearing distance joined in. I wept as I sang along with them.  There I was surrounded by at least 100 USNA Vietnam-era vets, and they were so moved by the moment, sharing it and joining together in song. 

I hope I never forget the way I felt that day, sitting amongst a sea of heroes, with my own hero standing at attention on the parade field.  Really, you should sing!  Also, remind the male family members who either forgot, or were never taught, to remove their hats during the presentation of colors and the anthem.  There should be no talking and please remember to turn your cell phones off or put them in “manner mode”.  You most likely have been surprised by the number of people who have no idea how to behave during such events.  The Class of 1967 saw such people in the stands and made no bones about “instructing them” right then and there.  It was a beautiful tribute to their fallen classmates and we know there were many.

BUY FLOWERS
If you are attending Commissioning Week as a guest of someone who has a son/daughter being commissioned, buy them a corsage and boutonnière for the day. Stop in at a local florist and order them a day or two beforehand.   Our very dear friends (Parents of an ’04 Mid) did that as a surprise for us, we were so touched at the thoughtfulness of the gift.   We, in turn, did that for them when their son graduated.  As a result the parents will not be confused as just “anybody” attending the event.  There was no mistaking that they were the parents of a newly commissioned (as if the glow on their faces didn’t give them away) and we all felt so special, and loved, wearing those flowers.  The florist knew to make sure the corsage and boutonnière were adorned with blue and gold ribbons too!

Parents of Alumni - please submit your own Commissioning Tips and Advice.  I'll add your suggestions to the website - everyone benefits from past experience, so PLEASE share.   Submit to:  WEBMASTER.  

GO NAVY - BEAT ARMY!