Beast

cdh50193

5-Year Member
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Jul 20, 2010
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I heard that during Beast, if you don't perform well enough, you can even get kicked out of the Academy. Is that true?
 
cdh50193, I would add that they expect you to come to CBT prepared. When you receive the information from West Point telling you how to train for Beast, DO IT! When you think you are prepared and ready.....prepare some more! You will truly "hit the ground running," both literally and figuratively.
 
I heard that during Beast, if you don't perform well enough, you can even get kicked out of the Academy. Is that true?

Well, it is not as if some upperclassman can, on his own individual authority, decide to end a new cadet's career after a couple weeks. However, someone who repeatedly fails to perform to the minimal acceptable standards will be separated from the academy and, yes, that can happen during Beast if someone demonstrates a complete inability to adapt to the military life and becomes a significant disciplinary problem and/or simply refuses to put forth a reasonable effort during his initial military training.

This is, after all, a service academy with a mission that goes far beyond providing an education to a student body. A cadet can "fail" out physically or militarily, not just academically. Since the initial military training precedes the first academic instruction by several weeks, it is not impossible for a new cadet to be told to pack his bags before he ever sets foot in a classroom. It is not a common occurrence, but it happens occasionally.

That being said, if a new cadet is trying, a single failure will not result in separation. He will be given ample additional opportunities to succeed. Furthermore, before a cadet is separated, there are checks and balances within the system. His chain of command (both cadet and commissioned officer) will ensure that every effort has been made to help this individual succeed. It is usually only after all other reasonable options have been exhausted and it is apparent that additional efforts will not likely result in improved performance that separation will take place.
 
There are some graduation requirements in Beast. Don't ask me because I don't know them all but one is the 12 (or 16) mile Marchback. The Marchback occurs on ONE day. If you are too sick or too injured you will not march but you will complete it at another time. If for some reason you don't or can't complete these tasks you will be given extra time, normally during another summer to do so. If you still fail, you will not graduate.

As for Beast itself - you basically have two choices, quit or pass.
 
There are some graduation requirements in Beast. Don't ask me because I don't know them all but one is the 12 (or 16) mile Marchback. The Marchback occurs on ONE day. If you are too sick or too injured you will not march but you will complete it at another time. If for some reason you don't or can't complete these tasks you will be given extra time, normally during another summer to do so. If you still fail, you will not graduate.

As for Beast itself - you basically have two choices, quit or pass.

Saw that situation last year. At breakfast Sunday morning of A-Day weekend - we saw a freshly minted Cadet who was on crutches. Due to her injury, she could not participate in the March Back. She told us that in order to complete that requirement, she would be assigned as Beast II cadre and do the March Back then.
 
sounds like they really try to make the cadet succeed.
 
As for Beast itself - you basically have two choices, quit or pass.

...so long as you are not an outright discipline problem. Some people don't quit, but simply can't adapt to military life and openly rebel against authority. In those rare cases, they get a free ticket home, despite the fact that they "want" to stay.
 
Yeah, after they shoot 3 or 4 kids on R-day to make a point, they generally try to train the survivors. :wink:

In the Old Corps, if the upperclassmen really wanted a Plebe gone, no failing grades were required; they simply made him quit. With enough "special attention" just about anyone could be made to throw in the towel.

I believe those days are long gone. Probably for the better.
 
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