<p>Any of you current Cadets/Old Grads heard what the new Buckner is going to be like? This is absolutely incredible. Rather than having the 6 weeks after Plebe year, they're going to be splitting it up. The new PFCs will go for three weeks (basically the first three weeks like all of us had), and then will go to Airborne or Air Assault the next three weeks. They'll attend the last three weeks of Buckner going into Firstie Year. What a crock... It just won't be the same without 6 straight weeks out at the good old Bucknam. Supposedly this will be starting next year, with the class of 2011.</p>
<p>I was pretty suprised when the comm told us that. My biggest worry is whether or not a freshly minted cadet PFC will be ready for a military school. The whole plan is an interesting concept, to be say the least.</p>
<p>So does that mean that the class of 2011 won't get to go to Fort Hood (I think) and mess around with the tanks until firstie year?</p>
<p>Meh, I'm not too concerned about the freshly minted cadet PFCs....the freshly minted RA (Regualr Army) PFCs seemed to do just fine. Had several in my Airborne that were STRAIGHT out of AIT.</p>
<p>Wait a sec...that means I could go to Airborne the summer before my Yuk year? SWEET!</p>
<p>But...isn't Air Assault only 11 days? Is the rest vacation time until the academic year starts?</p>
<p>Yeah but by what this <a href="http://www.usma.edu/PublicAffairs/PV/060120/06jan20.pdf%5B/url%5D">http://www.usma.edu/PublicAffairs/PV/060120/06jan20.pdf</a> says they are changing beast... It says that they are doing away with Fredrick and making us go to bucker.. Good Read..</p>
<p>Lake Frederick was gone for 2006 Beast also, I believe.</p>
<p>I second that, futurewarrior, but I was kinda excited about the tanks, too.
marines4me, does this mean that everybody will do Airborne or Air Assault? </p>
<p>well I love being a guinea pig</p>
<p>Yes, 2010's last week of Beast was out at Buckner.</p>
<p>"well I love being a guinea pig"</p>
<p>Yeah, West Points kinda like a 200 year old leadership experiment, whatever works man, if they think it will better prepare me to lead soldiers I'm all for it.</p>
<p>Yeah but what about like the field artillery thing in the summer... I thought they had an introductory thing for all the combat branches... Some of us are to big to jump out of airplanes :) ... I am a 305 offensive lineman... Thats alot to hit the ground</p>
<p>Take a look at West Point's history. The length of the curriculum and the number of years taken to graduate has changed more than a few times---usually in time of war. (Check out pre-Civil War, Civil War, post-Civil War, WW1, WW2, etc.) By NO MEANS am I saying the 4 year curriculum is going away, just pointing out an interesting factoid based on what has happened in the past when the Army has been "stretched" at a time of war. The fact that the Army plans to grow significantly by 2012 (see General Casey's comments), and that this will require not only more junior officers to stay beyond their 5 year committment to active duty (either voluntarily or maybe not) but to have more of those officers in the first place, tells me it is in the Army's best interest to get people trained earlier, more efficiently, and have more of them. Putting Cadets through more advanced training earlier in their West Point careers may be part of that thinking.
Just the musings of a history buff.</p>
<p>I just hope whatever they do adequately prepares us for the next four years. Unless there are serious problems with the current Beast schedule, why fix what's not broken?</p>
<p>"I just hope whatever they do adequately prepares us for the next four years."</p>
<p>They absolutely will prepare you, but every year at West Point will be a challenge.</p>
<p>From my brief experience here thus far, I can tell that West Point is constantly poking, prodding, and testing something. Does this work better than that...how does this affect performance when compared to that. It's all built on the same foundation, but the process is in a constant state of change.</p>
<p>anybody know more about what's available after the first 3 weeks of CFT? That article didn't make it clear to me</p>
<p>Harri,</p>
<p>You'll be doing push-ups and longer ruck marches. ;) Enjoy!</p>
<p>"I just hope whatever they do adequately prepares us for the next four years. Unless there are serious problems with the current Beast schedule, why fix what's not broken?"
The idea is not to prepare you for your time at WP, but to adequately prepare you for what comes afterwards. They are trying to adapt the "WP experience" according to lessons learned in the field in Afganistan and Iraq, to make you the best leaders you can possibly be when you graduate.</p>
<p>Great point Ann. If the Army didn't constantly change and update the training these cadets would be well equipped to fight in the jungles of Vietnam but would have some serious issues in the deserts of the Middle East.</p>
<p>For those of you worried about missing Fort Knox (not Hood) or FA, all the introductory stuff happens in those first three weeks. You should still get it. The last three weeks firstie year will be a simulated FOB Buckner. It's no longer Bucknam old grads. Welcome to Buckghanistan.</p>