Academy Life: Day 2

26 June 2010 (Saturday)

0430 Reveille
0445 - 0600 PT
0600 - 0700 Hygiene
0700 - 0800 Breakfast
0800 - 0915 Briefing From Superintendent
0915 - 0945 Nutrition Briefing
0945 - 1000 Transit to Training
1000 - 1200 Morning Activities
1200 - 1210 Transit to Formation
1210 -1230 Formation
1230 - 1300 Lunch
1300 - 1330 Transit to Training
1330 - 1800 Afternoon Activities
1800 - 1815 Transit to Dinner
1815 - 1845 Dinner
1845 -1900 Transit
1900 - 2200 Evening Training
2200 - 2230 Hygiene/Write Letters
2230 TAPS

This morning, the basics are in a dark briefing room.  The Superintendent, General Gould, is briefing the entire Class of 2014 (Like A Machine!) at one sitting. I have heard that the briefing should be motivational.  He can be quite inpiring since when he brings in some of his personal experience from his cadet years and his time on active duty. (every time the  Superintendent would say "2014", the Basics would yell out "Like A Machine!"  This would be their motto for the summer.  Anytime someone says, "2014", the Basics will yell this motto out.) When he finshed, they received a briefing from the nutritionist.  You'd be stunned by the number of calories they pump into these basics each day in order to give them the energy to go from 0430 hours to 2300 hours, day after day, with quite a bit of physical exertion.

Today will be an unusually uneventful today.  Remember when you watched an Officer and a Gentleman in the 80's and they were making their beds and polishing their shoes and brass getting ready for the big inspection???? Well, the basics aren't even to that point yet!!!  They are still learning how to roll their socks so when you place it in the drawer it looks like the socks have a little smiley face on them.  Basically, they are learning where each and every uniform piece goes in their room so when they get to the Academic Year, everything will be "just so". Later, the basics watch as cadre brief the "smiley face socks" and use a ruler to measure underwear that is folded into a perfect square. They went for almost an all day training session on what I've mentioned before: making beds; folding clothes; stowing gear properly; learning to march.  Not the most exciting things, just the basics.  Still trying to transition them from civilian to military.