<p>Jamzmom...we were told that the parents as well as the plebes & their dates attend the "all Academy Ball" in our area.</p>
<p>Sorry to hear that the "98% Club" membership rolls are growing. In case you didn't know already, there is an unofficial "2% Club" which includes all the guys/girls who manage to keep their high school sweethearts throughout college. The 98% Club includes everyone else.</p>
<p>My son says that the 98% Club membership ranks have grown steadily since R-Day. One cadet has handed a letter from his girlfriend on R-Day that she told him not to read until that night. Turned out to be a Dear John letter. Tough way to start Cadet Basic Training.</p>
<p>Prayerful Mom, hope your son's broken heart heals quickly and that he doesn't fill the void with bitterness or vengeful feelings. I have counseled my two sons that the temporary relief obtained from acrimony towards your previous girlfriend usually leaves permanent emotional scar tissue that impairs your future relationships. This advice, like most, is easier given than accepted.</p>
<p>Will say a prayer for him and all the cadets struggling with broken hearts of all types.</p>
<p>Aspen...thanks....you're really very sweet.</p>
<p>Wow, I cannot believe that someone could be that insensitive as to give a candidate a "Dear John letter" to read the nite of R Day. Boy, that truly is a heartbreaker!</p>
<p>Yea. Who is that girl anyway? I just need her name is all. I promise she'll still be able to walk. A little. Well, maybe. How horrid! Don't you know it made getting through CBT twice as hard. Why can't everybody just be nice I say.</p>
<p>Jamz has to take me along to the Ball. No choice. I'm the committee chair for our state! HA! I am one sly mommy I tell you! Gotta wonder if he will have the same girlfiend to take by then. Alot can happen in a few short months. Not that I'm wishing it! He seems to be doing so well. I'd hate to have that kink enter into all this. Great advice Aspen. You are so right. I was just gonna use duct tape. Its our way here in the south but I think I like your advice much better. And our USMMA guys are all going home for Fall break. Wonder how many will go back with broken hearts. Oooo. I wish they didn't have to go through this. Going away to college is tough. It changes everything but its part of living I guess. I'd rather see Jamz go through Indoc again than this... And don't read this Jamz. This is a parent's forum. Carry on.</p>
<p>We got way off topic again I'm afraid. Chief nailed it really on the emotional side of being prepared. It turned up some serious concerns.</p>
<p>Aspen,</p>
<p>Does your son know the Cadet that received the Dear John letter on R-Day? If not it may be a West Point version of an urban legend as the same story made its rounds on the USMA Plebe Parent Forum a couple of years ago. I believe it is told every year.</p>
<p>Even if it's urban legend (and I suspect there is quite a bit of that at the academies) then I can just imagine how many girlfriends went home after last weekend wondering where their boyfriends were.</p>
<p>I guess I started the girlfriend discussion but please note that there are also plenty of plebes breaking their girlfriends hearts these past few months. My son the plebe, who I admire greatly, spent his last six months of "freedom" playing the field. In his last 8 weeks at home he broke up with his semi-steady girlfriend, took a junior girl to the prom (she fell hard for him and he had to explain things to her), and took a trip to North Carolina to visit a girl he'd met at Duke University the summer before. His mother and I had never heard of her until he told us of the visit - he'd been emailing and im'ing her all year apparently.
Of course, when I was his age, my heart broke three or four times.</p>
<p>GEB:</p>
<p>Don't know if my son knew the "Dear John" cadet. You may be right about the story being a WP Myth. Storytelling seems to be a favorite passtime within the Corps of cadets.</p>
<p>Probably need to add it to the story of the cadet who had his Dear John letter sent to him "postage due". The distraught cadet borrowed a cadet's cell phone who had a generous text messaging plan and sent his ex-girl friend a barrage of 100 "good byes" that cost her 10 cents a message when received.</p>
<p>Hey everyone--long time no talk.</p>
<p>I ran into someone from CC today, and it reminded me of this site. Many of you are new, and probably don't know me. I was on CC for probably a year and a half before coming to West Point. I was offered a Marine ROTC Scholarship to Georgetown, an Army ROTC Schol. to Georgetown, an Army ROTC scholarship to Notre Dame, Furman, and various other schools. I was also accepted at both Navy and Air Force. However, I chose the best of all of the above--West Point. </p>
<p>I'd have to say that I'm a completely different person than when I left home. I changed so much during Beast, and that change continued into the Academic Year. I gained an incredible amount of self-awareness, self-confidence, and technical ability during CBT. I also grew older by about 15 years. I didn't even realize it until I went home for the first time. I've had to deal with a lot here as a Plebe, a lot that most Plebes don't see until later. (a few of those situations you hope your son or daughter won't experience while here). I'm a member of the best Company in the Corps, the A-4 Apaches. While here, I've been lucky enough to get a "Hooah" Note from the BTO, COL Scott, Apache of the Week, Geek of the Week, and be the Apache PL for PPW (the Company Commander, basically). I'm also lucky to have a military "A". I'm not saying all this to toot my own horn--trust me, I have nothing to prove. At the same time, I have a great time. We do a decent amount of spirit missions, and goof around a LOT. Once you're here, you come to realize that what everyone sees about West Point is really only one half. That's what makes this place so great--normally, Cadets are the most immature, fun-loving, great people I've ever met. They (we) do the goofiest, most random things ever. But whenever a situation comes along that requires professionalism or leadership, it's like someone flicks a switch, and suddenly it's all business. Two-sides: everyone always just sees one. </p>
<p>Anyways, if anyone has any questions about absolutely anything, I'd be happy to help. Anything, no matter how stupid you think it is. I can help ya'll come up with a list of stuff to bring to R-Day (the list they give you is pretty stupid). There's a lot of stuff you can get away with bringing that they don't tell you about, a lot of stuff you SHOULD bring. I can tell you about Beast, I can tell you about the Academic year. I want to help out in any way possible. I loved West Point, come Academic Year. Since then, some of my experiences (which most Plebes WILL NOT have, I promises), have sobered me somewhat. There are some parts I love, and there are some parts I hate. Regardless, West Point is my home. </p>
<p>So, in answer to your questions about how to train beforehand. Quite simply--RUN HILLS AND STAIRS. That's all there is to it. Build your quads and calves. Do it for months. Do it now, especially if you're a girl. You will not run on a flat surface here. I am utterly convinced that WP is the only place on Earth that goes uphill both ways. Learn to dread the words "MSC" and "Target Hill". They were the bane of my existence. The pushups and situps are really easy if you're in any kind of decent shape. However, for some reason, my class wasn't very good at them. If you can do 70-75 situps or above, you should be ok. Pushups: Girls, you'll have to do the same amount during training as the guys. For practical purposes, though, I'd say guys should be able to do 70-75 or above, and girls 40 or above. That's if you actually want to do decently on the APFT. </p>
<p>Knowledge wise, I seriously wouldn't worry about it too much. I memorized the second verse of the Star Bangled Banner before I came, which helped a lot. You'll be studying knowledge literally every second of time you have here that you're not getting issued crap. BUT there are a couple of ones that wouldn't hurt to know ahead of time: </p>
<p>Schofield's Definition of Discipline, Worth's Battalion Orders, the Alma Mater, the Corps, the Code of Conduct (you'll learn to HATE this one--it's the killer during ReOrgy week), and the Soldier's Creed. This site has these things on it: <a href="http://www.west-point.org/academy/malo-wa/inspirations/buglenotes.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.west-point.org/academy/malo-wa/inspirations/buglenotes.html</a> If you're really ambitious, I still wouldn't suggest learning all that stuff on there. Half of it isn't used anymore, and you won't be asked anything about heritage until Reorgy week, and that stuff is really easy. In addition to what I already told you, the Def. of Leather is good, the Star Bangled Banner, and Army Blue. Please don't actually look at the "Cadet Slang" stuff at the bottom. It's pretty much ridiculous. Also, most of you parents will want to join/have joined Prospective Net, and eventually Plebe Net. There's some good stuff on there, but a lot of it I found to be a load of crap when I got here. Everyone there tries to help a lot, so I'm not bashing it at all. I'm glad I was a member before coming here. However, if you want good advice, Cadets aren't bad resources either (at least IMHO). </p>
<p>Like I said, if you have any questions at all, feel free to ask. Shoot me a PM if you want my email address or anything. Have a great day!</p>
<p>Great post, m4m. Sounds like you're adapting well...good advice in here for any aspiring West Pointer or other academy for that matter. We parents think we know what goes on but really we only know a fraction of it. You are there and living the life. Good luck to you and keep posting if you have the time!</p>
<p>Thank God your on our side Marines4me</p>
<p>Would love to see your list of what to REALLY bring to Rday. Great to hear from you again.</p>
<p>marines4me,</p>
<p>So glad to hear everything is going so well! I certainly heard about those assassin hills quite a bit this summer. Your advice is dead on - run, run, run, and then run on hills a lot! I hope your academic year is going as well and will look forward to more updates. It's great to see you offering help to this year's group of future cadets.</p>
<p>Hum, hills? What are those. Do mole hills count? Man Texas is flat.</p>
<p>Great post, good stuff!</p>
<p>hornetguy, this probably sounds kind of silly, but if you can't find any hills you can run the steps at a stadium or the ramps at a parking garage. </p>
<p>I'm sure you'll be okay if you just do whatever it takes to get yourself in shape.</p>
<p>hornetguy, What about the Davis Mountains or the Hill County? They are in Texas and are not very flat. But I agree they are not close to Houston. The following is true. A Houston area high school football team near where I live uses the concrete apron between the frontage road and an interstate overpass across the road from their school to run up to do their wind sprints. As it is close to 45 degrees, it would rival any hill at West Point (only not as tall). Where there is a will, there is a way.</p>
<p>I live on I-10 Katy Freeway. It has been construction non-stop for 5 years now. So, the feeder and freeway aprons are dangerous lol. But that's a neat idea!</p>
<p>My school has a 3 story parking garage, that would probably be a good way to go, another great idea! </p>
<p>I should use our football field bleachers too.</p>
<p>Anywho, nothing long though, but I'll find a way. Like you said, where there is a will, there is a way.</p>
<p>hornetguy, I am not advocating the use of the freeways as a training ground. While I have seen this done many times, I think of how dangerous it is everytime I pass by and see the football guys running up the aprons of the freeway. There are usually only 3 or 4 guys doing this, so I do not believe it is not an "official" training endorsed by the coach. The point is to look around and find a substitute, but do it safely. There have been many flatlanders attend West Point and succeed. Good luck in your quest.</p>
<p>Hey, I was a flatlander--I'm from Alabama. It is quite possible. It doesn't have to be a huge hill, but a LONG one. Target Hill Field lasts almost a mile. If you plan on practice rucking, make sure that you do it at a very fast pace, especially if you're a girl. You get used to the weight eventually, it's the pace that was a killer for most people.</p>
<p>marines4me: I'm glad to hear that things are going so well [I only hope the reference to your sobering experiences have been handled properly by USMA] But don't you think it's time to change your "handle" - I respect the Marine Corps almost as much as the Army but they ARE part of the Navy and with the Army-Navy game on the horizon . . . How 'bout "infantry4me", or "armor4me" or "warthogs4me". </p>
<p>also - on the hill question - why not start using a treadmill and increase the incline. Treadmills don't quite replicate the real thing but they can preserve your legs and decrease the chances of an injury.</p>