The YSA Branch took a trip to the Manhattan Temple. The upperclassmen have some privileges we Plebes (Freshmen) don’t, including wearing street clothes. If you chose to wear the dress uniform, or if you’re a Plebe who had to be in uniform, you could ride in the official club transportation. Most of the cadets going didn’t want to wear a dress uniform, so they carpooled down to the city. So the few of us Plebes going down piled into a West Point van with a couple of the Firsties(Seniors) who didn’t care to pay to park a car in downtown Manhattan. I was able to be the baptizer for several different people, then I was […]
Thayer
Known as “the Father of the Military Academy,” Sylvanus Thayer was a member of one of the first classes to graduate West Point. He later returned as the Superintendent. During his tenure, he transformed the academic program into what it is today. His name is now synonymous with academics. If you have an intense school week, you are having a “Thayer Week.” If you have to run across campus from PE to Math in 10 minutes, you have a “Thayer Run.” Aside from his name, the other part of Thayer that stuck with the Academy was the Thayer Method. This method of instruction can be summed up as learning beforehand and discussion in class. I […]
Branch Week
Instead of just accepting Labor Day as a loss, it feels like 5 days worth of work were crammed into 4 already very full days. On top of the heavy academic week, it was also Branch Week. Branch Week is essentially a big job fair for all the different job types in the Army to bring out their cool toys and convince cadets to join their branch.It was awesome to be able to talk to officers who have been doing what I want to do, as well as to learn about the branches that I knew nothing about. Some of the branches I liked include:Field Artillery – Shoots massive cannonsInfantry – Quintessential soldieringAviation – Flying […]
Collision of Worlds
It’s Labor Day weekend and it feels like 80% of the Corps is gone. The only people still here are the ones who live on the other side of the country. So here I find myself, alone for the first time in 10 weeks. So far, I’ve spent the weekend sleeping, watching movies, and piecing at homework. Here’s the view out my window. Super cool stone buildings in every direction. I know a lot of people are curious about how church works, so here it is: Every Sunday at 12:30 all the cadets pile into Firstie’s(Senior’s) cars and drive to the Chapel about two miles off post in Highland Falls for the YSA Branch meeting. […]