Nords, it just boggles the mind... I was the first in my family to make the military a career and chances are I'll also be the last. But on the bright side my mil pay did fund 3 kids through college, ER at 48, and SAHM for the kids. I did mention the academys, rotc, etc., but w/o your success.
Well done on your recruiting efforts or perhaps Mrs. Nords had a hand in your success?
I wish I knew, because it took nearly us three years to convince her that there were better alternatives than USNA. If we hadn't ignorantly visited USNA at a very impressionable time for her then we wouldn't really have had much of a clue about the college-selection process, just like when I was in high school. The only thing that really did change her mind was six days at USNA (total hours of sleep: 25) followed by three weeks at Notre Dame (where she got almost as much sleep that first weekend).
I've had uncles in the military but none in our immediate family. No one in spouse's family was ever in the military (other than as a draftee); she joined the military as an attractive way to escape her immediate family. But I think our kid is hypercompetitive, although I have no idea where that genetic code could have come from. Her first visit with us to USNA (after 8th grade) was full of grrrl power. Her 2nd cousin, attending USMA at the time, was even visiting USNA and stayed with us. So she was surrounded by Go Navy and military gung ho. Staying in senior officer housing with USNA's Director of Math & Science (also one of the first women USNA grads), quaffing frosty beverages on the lanai, watching the plebes hard at work-- what's not to like? It's an irresistible challenge, and I still get that feeling when I see USMC commercials on TV... even though I'm hypothetically old enough to know better.
My spouse is USNA '83, the fourth class of women. She still talks of her years of being the only girl in the room. Maybe that "trailblazer" attitude influenced our daughter, who didn't understand what her mother was trying to explain to her.
I think our kid sees the military as a guaranteed job after college with no fear of having to go through a job search and all those pesky interviews. She probably thinks that she can blithely do her 20 and retire to a life of indolence, just like her parents. She's also surrounded by successful Reservists (friends & neighbors) and Hawaii has a huge tradition of family Reserve/National Guard service, so she probably sees a martial tradition as a lot more "normal" than we do. All this and a paycheck too.
I think we've done our part to [-]salve our consciences[/-] make sure she knew what she was getting into. We've visited several other colleges. I've taken her to USNA's Memorial Hall, shown her the plaque with my classmates' names on it, and told her about them and how they died... until she was crying. We've tried to make very clear that she's seeing us enjoy ER without seeing what we paid for it. We talk about a typical day at sea and we make sure she understands all the not-so-funny parts about the sea stories. I think she's finally getting it.
She still doesn't believe that an engineering degree will give her lifelong employment in Hawaii, but maybe she'll figure that out during freshman year. Who knows-- she may do a year at NROTC, learn about the "real" Navy that following summer, and decide that she wants nothing to do with it. As I've told her, she'll have made an informed decision and won't spend the rest of her life wondering "what if".
She's doing a better job of picking a college than I did-- I was impressed by Navy's cool gear, the irresistible challenge, and the hot chicks. I accomplished all of those goals, too, but I can't help wondering "What if?" every time I see a college like Rice or Notre Dame.
Our kid's not totally nuts-- she wants nothing to do with aviation and she's extremely skeptical of submarines. So maybe she really is smarter than her parents...
