Cadet Basic Training for Prior Enlisted

Gator1-6

Member
Joined
Feb 10, 2015
Messages
10
I received an appointment last week for the class of '19 and accepted the offer this morning. I completed Infantry OSUT last summer at Ft. Benning and was wondering how "Beast" compares to that. I have a hard time believing it will be as difficult, but I don't know any prior service cadets at West Point to ask. I would appreciate any thoughts or opinions on this.

Note: I am in the National Guard and not a combat veteran, so going in I won't have any deployment experience to bring to the table.
 
Congratulations! I didn't think an 11bangbang could get a direct appointment, but I guess you learn something every day ;) Search the forum for a thread titled "the weakening of Beast Barracks". It's a very interesting read and it should answer some of your questions. From what I've gathered, it would seem that Cadet Basic Training is either slightly or significantly easier than enlisted Basic Combat Training. But I could be very wrong. I suppose we will find out this summer.
 
Thanks! I did well on the ACT so I supposed that's why I got the direct appointment.
 
Congratulations on your appointment! Beast will not be as physically difficult as Infantry OSUT, your experiences from OSUT will only help you. Remember to help your buddies when they are struggling with something.
 
I'll do my best. I'm assuming most of the standard military training will be a review (D&C, gas chamber, weapons qual, etc), so hopefully I will be able to concentrate more the transition to life as a cadet instead of a soldier.
 
I'll do my best. I'm assuming most of the standard military training will be a review (D&C, gas chamber, weapons qual, etc), so hopefully I will be able to concentrate more the transition to life as a cadet instead of a soldier.

Congratulations! Every year there is somewhere between 80-100 AD prior service cadets, and 60-100 NG/Reserve that are accepted into R-Day. I was enlisted for two years before coming here. For me personally, the experience was significantly easier than BCT (I too was at Sand Hill). In fact, I'd wager that every prior will tell you that summer training is the easiest aspect for us. The real challenge occurs later on. Sure, classes can be difficult and may require knowledge that some of us need to dust off - but really, I've found the most frustrating piece to be the constant reconciliation between my Army experience and what West Point expects. There is definitely a distinct difference between the RA and cadet life. I wouldn't say that one is inherently better, but it can be difficult to remove some of the enlisted/RA paradigms that have become so cemented within your way of life. Some obvious examples would be how different formations are conducted, how units are marched, platoon maneuvering SOPs, etc...

Probably the best advice I can give you is this: offer assistance when asked or if you see another cadet struggling. Irrespective of your deployment status, you will receive an automatic level of respect that many high school graduates may not experience themselves. However, no one likes the know-it-all prior, so give advice judiciously. If you have any questions feel free to PM me and I can certainly answer them in more detail.
 
Back
Top