Turning the corner at R-Day at West Point

By Mike Strasser/Pointer View Assistant EditorJune 29, 2011

Turning the corner at R-Day at West Point
1 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Reporting to the cadet cadre can be a nerve-wracking experience, especially when failing it the first time. Remedial training follows and new cadets eventually overcome the stress and fear to continue on with their Reception Day training. By day’s en... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Turning the corner at R-Day at West Point
2 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Their journey begins - More than 1,200 new cadets arrive for Reception Day, take oath of allegiance
3 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Their journey begins - More than 1,200 new cadets arrive for Reception Day, take oath of allegiance
New cadets from the Class of 2015 take the oath of allegiance on the Plain marking the end of Reception Day Monday. With the initial transformation fr... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army)
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WEST POINY, N.Y.--Every year new cadets turn a corner in their lives when they are no longer judged by what they’ve already accomplished, but by what they aspire to become.

That corner literally exists"it’s on the fourth floor of Thayer Hall and it happens on Reception Day.

That’s where more than 1,200 new cadets took an oath of allegiance Monday to become members of a new family: the Corps of Cadets.

One floor below they came face-to-face with its members, as new cadets were quickly shuffled into companies. For the first time they’ve met their platoon sergeants, squad leaders and a multitude of cadets in red sashes; none of whose faces or names the new cadets will immediately recall as they attend more to remembering the instructions they are given. Like slamming into a brick wall, stunned looks and confusion manifests from once excited and nervous demeanors.

“That’s when they are officially under our control,” Regimental Commander and Class of 2012 Cadet Angela Smith said. “R-Day is such a traditional event and it’s one of those things that you want the new cadets to experience"the same stress and accomplishment as cadets had before them. You want them to have that R-Day experience that they can talk about later on, because it’s part of the West Point camaraderie, an experience shared by all cadets.”

Heaps of Army issue items made their way into the green duffel bags as new cadets collected everything from underwear to eyewear. Piles of hair were collected by the pound off the barber shop floor as sunscreen made its way onto newly shaven heads.

By the time they reached their rooms inside the barracks that afternoon, there were a few dozen more items accounted for"bed linen, laundry bags and a ruck sack, to name a few. They received a water hydration system which holds 70 ounces, as well as two one quart-canteen; with temperatures already reaching the mid-90s this summer, they’ll certainly need them all.

Class of 2012 Cadet Jonathan Stevens, serving as Assistant S1, was once perplexed by the need to carry this extra gear, when most Soldiers rely primarily on the portable hydration system worn like an extra layer on top of the body armor or ruck.

“During Cadet Leadership Development Training, I ran out of water a lot when we would go on long ruck marches,” Stevens said. “I have two one-quart canteens and a two-quart canteen and I ended up using all of them during summer training.”

They were all stellar athletes, scholars and community standouts. But until they complete Cadet Basic Training, they are simply new cadets; no other label applies. They answer to “new cadet,” address each other as “new cadets” and when they step up to the line and report to the cadet in the red sash, they soon realize just how new they really are. Class of 2012 Cadet John Paulson, the Company A executive officer, said the line is probably the most humbling experience on R-Day and one which they’ll remember the most.

“Everything else becomes a blur,” Paulson said. “But this is one of those monumental moments of R-Day.”

New cadets learned to extend an arm out to ask a question to the cadre. They executed “about face” movements and other marching drills. New cadets would learn by day’s end what it means to move at 120 steps per minute, a standard they’ll have to meet throughout CBT.

“It’s managed chaos. The new cadets are rushing everywhere with squad leaders 10 meters ahead and you have to keep up. It’s hot, your sweating and you’ve been carrying everything you have on your back all day,” Paulson said.

After all that, the new cadets changed from their modified PT gear to the summer white over gray uniform with white gloves to march onto the Plain for the oath ceremony.

Company H Commander and Class of 2012 Cadet Demetrios Kolitsos said the oath ceremony, in front of hundreds of families and guests, soldifies the transformation for new cadets.

“That’s when it really sinks in for most cadets, knowing they’ve signed up for this and have made it through the first day, you want to see it through to completion,” he said. “It was one of the most significant moments in my life, and I’m sure it is for them and their parents.”

As the new cadets marched off the field, it ended their first day at West Point. The next major milestone is Acceptance Day when they officially become members of the Class of 2015 after successfully completing Cadet Basic Training.

“We’ve set the tone for how they will learn and grow at West Point,” Paulson said. “It starts now.”

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