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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...

That is tragic. That place helped myself as a cadet with limited financial backing to enjoy the sights and scenes of NYC in a affordable manner.

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.

If you can swing a club sport with drill authos, you get the best of both worlds. Train in a sport you enjoy while not having to do drill.

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...

How talented and ethical my peers were. And how I felt humbled to just be in their presence. I felt like a tiny fish in a big ocean.

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...

That is a couple orders of magnitude of improvement! Good work on his part.

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...

Minor item you may want to check off. This is not meant to discount the other issues. Research Vitamin D production during winter and the need for supplements at a higher latitude such as New York. A doc can test your levels if desired. It can also lead to mood irregularities.

You probably are worried about survival as a plebe. Down the road, GPA may take a different approach. You have to look at your GPA in view of your long term goals. Are you fully involved in all the amazing extracurricular growth opportunities that West Point offers? Are you maxing...

I normally break in boots around the house upfront for like a day. Wear them walking around and doing chores. Then bring them for a short ruck march to see if there is any wear. The second portion is the socks. If they are weirdly thin or thick they may cause an issue but typically it is a...

Apply for all the different nominations you qualify for to include a service connected nomination. It sounds like you may get the last based on time in service: Sons and Daughters of "career military personnel" (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard) Career military personnel, for...

Perhaps, it was Beast and First Semester, I did gain 30 lbs my plebe year. I was borderline underweight going in.