I am a heathen so Sunday mornings were mine to do with as I pleased when I was at West Point. Everyone else was at church services and the barracks were quiet enough to hear a pin drop.
My Sunday morning self care was to spend the morning getting brunch from the mess hall, downing a big cup...
We used to make a pseudo-IR light by putting all of the lens filters on an L-Shaped flashlight. Except for the white blocking filter, of course. No fancy LED lights back in the day.
West Point understands that a well rounded candidate will have to make sacrifices in areas to meet their requirements. Part of that well roundedness is being a varsity athlete. And maybe that means you are 2nd or 3rd in your class GPA instead of 1st?
An example of a good candidate is a...
Do we really care if they get 5 out of 6 land nav points on their first or 2nd try? Same thing with qualifying expert with the rifle. If they go bust their butt with PMI and make big improvements, shouldn't that be rewarded? Same thing with the Water Obstacle Course.
These newer boots will not break in as much as you think they will. There is some slight give over several days. The unfortunate piece is you may have to go through different models of boots and sizes until you find one that works. If you have a hot spot on your foot you are playing with...
Tie some gutted 550 cord to the lanyard holder with a bowline and two half-hitches. Plant the idea to tie down everything they don't want to lose early on. I shudder to think of the amount of knives and multitools that are lost over a military career. Without a lanyard, that goes up...
I was going to mention this too. I was always caught up in the daily grind of West Point. But once you got off the train, you entered a forced waiting period for your ride. And you had West Point laid out in full display across the Hudson River. I can remember a specific day near...
I was in the same boat as you. It would've been a hardship for my family to pay the initial acceptance fee. I didn't know about it until I was accepted. I put all my effort in to getting admitted to West Point.
I was able to get 2 or 3 smaller scholarships awarded to cover the fee. I...
How in love with with Football? Do you think you could switch gears to X-Country and get a guaranteed letter in the fall?
I see you do track. I don't know if that is long distance or not.
I know some wrestlers do X-Country to build endurance.
I probably wouldn't switch sports...
Combat arms is an endurance sport. I'd pick something that was cardio heavy.
You can lift weights at night at Arvin gym and build muscular strength. I spent about 3 to 5 hours a week in the weight room doing my own personal strength development. With the time you spend in a cardio...
I think it can be wise to have at least two retirement plans, one from the Army and the other for all the myriad of reasons that can get you out before you get that pension. I had a separate line of investment that has served me well now that I also have my Army pension. Just food for...