BGSU media manager writes book about experience in a military academy family

BOWLING GREEN — It was “I Day” at the U.S. Naval Academy, and the celebration for Karl Smith’s son Noah was mind blowing.

After dropping Noah off to prepare for his induction day, Mr. Smith and the family were treated to lunch at Hospital Point in Annapolis and the swearing-in ceremony of the plebes at Tecumseh Court.

“There’s this huge picnic. Everyone’s telling you how your kid’s the greatest thing since sliced bread. Then they line up for the oath of office. They’re all in their crackerjack uniforms. The Blue Angels zoom right over your head,” said Mr. Smith, who is the manager of Falcon media at Bowling Green State University.

“You get to see your kid for about 30 minutes after that. My kid’s eyes are red, they’re swollen. His voice is shaky and he says, ‘I don’t know if I can do this,’” Mr. Smith recalled.

Noah ended up marching into six weeks of “Plebe Summer” hell — and graduating from the Naval Academy.

The experience led his father to write the book Flying High, Diving Deep , with the subtitle: Lessons learned, memories made, and relationships forged as a two-time military academy parent.

“Most people believe when their kids get accepted to a military academy that it’s Candyland. They’ve punched the golden ticket. It’s going to be like Top Gun from here on out. And that’s not the case,” Mr. Smith said. “There are some real, real struggles.”

Social media may offer some support, but it also amplifies anxieties, he said.

Flying High, Diving Deep can quell fears and give insight into the experience, Mr. Smith said.

A podcaster dubbed his candor as “radical transparency.”

“I’ve shared the good. I’ve shared the bad. I started repeating to myself: Your experience is the right experience,” Mr. Smith said.

Noah entered the Naval Academy straight from high school, graduating and commissioning in 2020.

Daughter Catie, who was adopted at 15 months old from China, attended the Air Force Academy Prep School before entering the Air Force Academy in 2021 and is part of the class of 2025.

Mr. Smith is also the author of the books Bringing Catie Home , about his daughter’s adoption, and Anchored in Tradition , which he describes as a research project.

“If you read this book, you can participate in any conversation about the Naval Academy. There’s trivia, there’s jokes, there’s basic information,” Mr. Smith said of Anchored . “Because when you become a Naval Academy parent for the first time, it’s like drinking from a fire hose, especially if you have no military background and no prep work.

“Between the blog and the book, I think I was able to help some people,” he said.

Before the books, Mr. Smith wrote two blogs, MyKidTheMid.com and MyKidTheCadet.com . The first came out of Noah’s first year, he said.

“I just had to do something, so I started blogging about the experience,” Mr. Smith said.

Flying High, Diving Deep will resonate with all parents, not just military ones, he said.

“One of the things I’m trying to accomplish in the book is to let parents know, again, your experience is the right experience. Don’t compare. Experience your kid’s childhood and focus on them and not what everybody else thinks they should be doing or you should be doing,” Mr. Smith said.

Noah has just finished his third deployment aboard the USS Florida submarine. He’s been around in the world, in the Mediterranean, the Arctic Circle, Guam, the Pacific, and the Suez and Panama canals.

“And there’s a lot of stuff he can’t tell me about,” Mr. Smith said. “Once he said ‘You’re not going to hear from me for a while.’ OK, that’s a sign he’s going under. You can go three or four months without hearing from him.”

Catie is entering her senior year and waiting on her first base assignment.

During his children’s journeys, Mr. Smith became friends with Susan Weisberg, author of the Chester Midshipmouse series, featuring a mouse who decides he has what it takes to follow in his grandfather’s “pawsteps” and become a midshipmouse at the Naval Mouse Academy.

“I found his book to be just what I expected; compelling storytelling with a hint of life lessons and a sidebar of wisdom and advice. You get that feeling that you are sitting somewhere comfortable, chatting with a trusted friend whose company you always enjoy,” Mrs. Weisberg, who is based in New Jersey, said in an email.

“I have called Karl a Garrison Keillor, Will Rogers sort of writer. He seemingly effortlessly blogs of real life challenges experienced by midshipmen and truthfully, all people, with humor and poignancy,” she said. “His transparency has opened the door for parents to confide that their midshipmen are struggling in various ways.”

The end of Flying High, Diving Deep particularly moved Mrs. Weisberg, who is the parent of two U.S. Naval Academy graduates.

“In the last chapter of his book, Karl speaks to the time constraints, the endless tasks, the physical requirements, the lack of sleep, the lack of freedom, the academic requirements, the inevitable ‘unfair’ disciplines or disappointments inherent in the military. He sums it up with ‘the grind is relentless,’” she said.

As the Falcon Media manager, Mr. Smith advises 300 students who are writing for the BG News and broadcasting for the student-run BG 24 TV News, WBGU-FM, and Falcon Radio. He is also an adjunct instructor for journalism courses.

Mr. Smith has been a newspaper writer, editor, designer, and design consultant, and his career has taken him to Illinois, Ohio, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. He landed in Bowling Green in August, 2022. His bachelor’s degree is from BGSU and his MBA is in entrepreneurial management, from Eastern University in Philadelphia.

Flying High, Diving Deep was self-published by Mr. Smith and is available on Amazon .