4theFlag
5-Year Member
- Joined
- Dec 16, 2015
- Messages
- 13
Hello all! I don’t post very often, because I’m busy USAFA-ing and also don’t find many instances where I can contribute valuable input that hasn’t already been given. But I want to take a few minutes to share some advice and encouragement that I would have liked to hear (and some that I did hear) before I-Day.
Exactly twelve months ago, I was in your shoes. Getting ready for USAFA – working out, talking with family and friends, getting myself as physically and mentally prepared as I could for basic. I did an okay job of preparing myself for basic. I lagged in physical stuff sometimes, but not too badly. I didn’t get homesick, as a lot of people did, and I never forgot why I had come here. During BCT, I never once thought “I want to leave.” I got discouraged at times, but I still wanted to be there. Basic changed me a lot, and no one can be 100% ready for that, but for the most part I was prepared because I had concentrated all of my efforts on preparing for Basic.
I was not prepared for “everything else.”
I came in with the expectation that, apart from inconvenient Doolie rules and training sessions, USAFA would be pretty much like the college I spent my last two years of high school at. I was completely wrong, and as a result I failed. Often.
Don’t get me wrong; on paper, I look like a pretty good cadet. My MPA, GPA, and PEA are pretty good, I’m involved in a couple of extracurriculars/volunteering, etc. That doesn’t mean I was successful all or even most of the time. There were times I didn’t think I would make it through this year. In fact, that was most of the time. But what did happen this year was that I learned. I learned a lot and I grew a lot. Here’s a few of the things I learned – which in retrospect I know I had been told, but I didn’t understand until I experienced them firsthand.
1. People come first.
USAFA throws together people who would never otherwise have met and expects them to become a team. Do your part as a teammate and look out for your people. Here’s a hint: the best way to show people you care about them is to actually care about them. Your teammates come first. This doesn’t mean you don’t take care of yourself; but if your roommate or friend or squad-mate or anyone needs your help, be there. No matter how big or small a favor they need, no matter what time of day or night, have their back. You don’t have to like your teammates to care about them. You don’t need to be best friends to help them out. And realize that you may have to sacrifice sleep for your teammates. Don’t get mad if they wake you up in the middle of the night; you are going to be tired regardless. Take care of the people around you even if they don’t return the favor.
2. Realize that USAFA can be an isolating place.
This sounds counterintuitive, but it’s true. Some squadrons are very close, while others are not. You may have a close friend group or you may not. I went through a lot of Doolie year feeling lonely, and that was exacerbated by the fact that I’d had the unrealistic expectation that I would have a “second family” here at USAFA pretty much from day one. If that happens for you, great. If not, it’s okay. Be prepared to lean on your family, your faith, mentors you find here, and anything else that you can use as encouragement. Even if you do have a lot of friends here, they may not always have time for you. Make sure you have time for them.
3. USAFA is hard. It is not impossible.
USAFA is overwhelming at first, especially to incoming basics. It only gets busier when the academic year starts. I had an important revelation early on in basic: No matter how hard it got, no single moment was too hard to endure. You CAN get through one more second, one more minute. Whatever is happening, it WILL end. The only way you will fail is if you decide it’s not worth it to keep trying. This “one more moment” mindset got me through a lot. It got me through Basic, first semester, coming back after break, Recognition…it got me through everything. If something is too overwhelming, break it into parts. Don’t think “I’m exhausted and cadre are screaming in my ears and I have three hours of Assault course ahead of me, this is going to be awful.” Instead, think “I’m getting yelled at right now, but it’s just noise. They’ll stop eventually. In the meantime, I can do my best at what they’re telling me to do. I can do just one more grenade…and one more…and one more…” I promise, nothing lasts forever. In fact, when you look back, you may be surprised at how quickly the time passed.
4. You probably will become disillusioned to some extent.
USAFA is an excellent opportunity, a great school, and a really cool place. It is also full of highly talented/gifted, but otherwise normal, college students. Do not expect cadets to be superheroes. You will be disappointed if you expect perfection. Come in realizing that there are many people here for the right reasons, and also a fair number of people who are in “Operation Graduation” and just want to skim through with the least possible work. There are people who don’t take USAFA very seriously. This place is not faultless. However, it is unique from other colleges in that it is VERY MUCH shaped by its students. If you have a good idea, speak up. You might be surprised at how much you can change. Hold yourself to the highest standards, but still be realistic in your expectations for yourself and others. Don’t come in thinking this place is perfect. Come in knowing that you’ll find things you like and things you really, really dislike. Focus on the things you like AND the things you can change. Try to get something out of even the things you dislike.
5. Criticism will not always be constructive.
I got my feelings hurt a couple of times during basic before I toughened up and realized that peers’ criticism is not the end of the world. We talk a lot about feedback here at USAFA. Not just receiving it, but also giving it – which is just as important. A lot of people here, especially at the beginning, don’t know how to give constructive criticism. They just criticize. They may or may not mean well. However, I have discovered that a lot of these criticisms have an element of truth to them. Be open to the fact that you make mistakes just like everyone else. Don’t discount good advice because of the way it’s delivered. I got called out by a squad-mate once during Basic for complaining. He did not do it nicely. But I took the advice to heart and got tougher. Eight months later, he told me “I don’t think I could do what you’ve done this year” (referring to a very difficult extracurricular activity that I stuck with when a lot of people didn’t.) That was one of my proudest moments. It wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t figured out how to get truth out of harsh and even insulting criticism. Have a thick skin.
Last but not least…
6. USAFA is what you make of it.
If you want to skim by with minimal work, you can probably do it. You will not get much out of this place, and you’ll probably be miserable here. On the other hand, if you take your experience here into your own hands and actively seek out opportunities, you will be amazed at what USAFA can do for you and what you can do to USAFA. You are here to make yourself a better person and prepare yourself to be an officer. That is your full-time job that you are getting paid for. Do it right. You are NOT here to take the easy road, to skimp on anything, or to just play around and have fun all the time. Find the things that scare you and do them until they don’t scare you anymore. Then find something else that scares you. Get out there and do hard things. It’s what you’re here for. You and you alone are responsible for your development. USAFA is not designed for those who sit passively by and wait for “the system” to shape them. Even though you can get away with not giving your all, don’t cheat yourself or others. Remember: Only you know if you gave 100%. I can’t stress this enough. You do not want to look back and say, “I did one less pushup than I could have because I was tired and it hurt.” That is not an excuse. It’s supposed to hurt. You’re not gonna die.
Don’t let yourself become cynical; surround yourself with people who challenge you and uplift you; push yourself and find people who push you; try to get something out of everything you do; never let yourself slack off; and never forget what a privilege it is to be here, preparing yourself to serve your country. You must continually earn that privilege.
Now for some encouragement, because I remember what it feels like to have BCT looming while everyone throws random advice about what happens after BCT. I remember sitting there thinking “yeah…sounds great, but I have a more immediate problem that involves lots of yelling and PT.” Here are a few things you should know.
1. The footprints are not as bad as you think. USAFA is inprocessing ~1200 people in a period of about 8 hours. They don’t have time to make the footprints last super long. I think mine was about five minutes, and part of that was a speech about the position of attention and seven basic responses. Don’t call cadre by the wrong gender, don’t wear clothes that are brightly colored/have slogans or sayings on them/attract attention to you, don’t come across as arrogant, and don’t have an attitude. If you stick to that you should be in and out before you know it.
2. The yelling sucks at first. For…about 24 hours. Then you pretty much get used to it. Really, you can get used to anything. By the end of basic my heart rate didn’t even go up during the infamous “basic wakeups.”
3. The cadre are not monsters. They are people, and you will start seeing that more and more as time goes on. You will learn which ones are less likely to yell at you, and when is an appropriate time to ask questions. You will learn what your cadre find funny and can’t yell at you for because they are trying not to laugh. You will learn just how much you can toe the line. (This you will learn through trial and error.)
4. The cadre are there to take care of you as well as to train you. You may hear the odd horror story here or there, but cadre like to make up things to scare gullible basics. Your cadre are VERY well trained in how to be cadre. They have spent the last 6-ish months training to train you, because it’s that important of a job. You are the future of USAFA. The cadre are there to push you to the limit, NOT to hurt you. If you get injured, are sick, or legitimately need something, tell them. A big part of the cadre’s job is making sure you are taken care of physically and mentally throughout basic. If you’re hurt/sick, talk to a SMO (Safety Medical Officer). If you’re struggling mentally – and most people do at some points in BCT – talk to an MGO (Military Guidance Officer, I think?). It is also possible to request to talk to a chaplain in private. You can ALWAYS ask to talk to a SMO or an MGO if you need it. As far as I know, your cadre are not allowed to refuse those requests. (I know for sure they cannot refuse a request to speak with a chaplain.)
5. Even if you are not religious, I would recommend going to all the chapel services you can (there are usually two a week.) It is a very warm, welcoming, and entirely cadre-free environment. You will be greeted by friendly C3Cs (including myself this year!) who will congratulate you on getting this far, cheer you on, pray with/for you, tell you the time and sometimes news stories, and give you words of encouragement and advice. Chaplains and non-cadre are available to speak with you one-on-one if you want/need it. Some of the greatest encouragement I got during BCT was from the C3Cs at the chapel. You will also have the chance to interact and talk freely with your classmates. Or you can sleep, though you’re generally encouraged to stay awake. Even if you’re not there for the service, I highly recommend that you go to the chapel at least once to try it. It’s definitely worth the experience.
6. BCT will end. It really drags on while you’re in it, and I’d honestly say that the length is what makes it difficult. But it is only ~6 weeks, and during that 6 weeks you will learn lessons that will help you out for all of Doolie year and, I expect, beyond. (Can’t speak to that yet, as I've only just finished Doolie year!) Make the most of basic, for whether you are a direct admit, a Preppie, a prior, or a prior and a Preppie, this is your last (possibly only) Basic Training. Do it right.
Bonus advice: It also helps if you have someone sending you REALLY stupid military jokes every few days. Shout-out to my awesome dad for keeping me well-supplied.
Feel free to PM me if you have any questions or want to talk USAFA. I’ll be happy to help however I can.
You’ve got this, Class of 2022. Survive. Adapt. Overcome. You will get some of the best and worst memories of your life out of this year. Get up for it.
Exactly twelve months ago, I was in your shoes. Getting ready for USAFA – working out, talking with family and friends, getting myself as physically and mentally prepared as I could for basic. I did an okay job of preparing myself for basic. I lagged in physical stuff sometimes, but not too badly. I didn’t get homesick, as a lot of people did, and I never forgot why I had come here. During BCT, I never once thought “I want to leave.” I got discouraged at times, but I still wanted to be there. Basic changed me a lot, and no one can be 100% ready for that, but for the most part I was prepared because I had concentrated all of my efforts on preparing for Basic.
I was not prepared for “everything else.”
I came in with the expectation that, apart from inconvenient Doolie rules and training sessions, USAFA would be pretty much like the college I spent my last two years of high school at. I was completely wrong, and as a result I failed. Often.
Don’t get me wrong; on paper, I look like a pretty good cadet. My MPA, GPA, and PEA are pretty good, I’m involved in a couple of extracurriculars/volunteering, etc. That doesn’t mean I was successful all or even most of the time. There were times I didn’t think I would make it through this year. In fact, that was most of the time. But what did happen this year was that I learned. I learned a lot and I grew a lot. Here’s a few of the things I learned – which in retrospect I know I had been told, but I didn’t understand until I experienced them firsthand.
1. People come first.
USAFA throws together people who would never otherwise have met and expects them to become a team. Do your part as a teammate and look out for your people. Here’s a hint: the best way to show people you care about them is to actually care about them. Your teammates come first. This doesn’t mean you don’t take care of yourself; but if your roommate or friend or squad-mate or anyone needs your help, be there. No matter how big or small a favor they need, no matter what time of day or night, have their back. You don’t have to like your teammates to care about them. You don’t need to be best friends to help them out. And realize that you may have to sacrifice sleep for your teammates. Don’t get mad if they wake you up in the middle of the night; you are going to be tired regardless. Take care of the people around you even if they don’t return the favor.
2. Realize that USAFA can be an isolating place.
This sounds counterintuitive, but it’s true. Some squadrons are very close, while others are not. You may have a close friend group or you may not. I went through a lot of Doolie year feeling lonely, and that was exacerbated by the fact that I’d had the unrealistic expectation that I would have a “second family” here at USAFA pretty much from day one. If that happens for you, great. If not, it’s okay. Be prepared to lean on your family, your faith, mentors you find here, and anything else that you can use as encouragement. Even if you do have a lot of friends here, they may not always have time for you. Make sure you have time for them.
3. USAFA is hard. It is not impossible.
USAFA is overwhelming at first, especially to incoming basics. It only gets busier when the academic year starts. I had an important revelation early on in basic: No matter how hard it got, no single moment was too hard to endure. You CAN get through one more second, one more minute. Whatever is happening, it WILL end. The only way you will fail is if you decide it’s not worth it to keep trying. This “one more moment” mindset got me through a lot. It got me through Basic, first semester, coming back after break, Recognition…it got me through everything. If something is too overwhelming, break it into parts. Don’t think “I’m exhausted and cadre are screaming in my ears and I have three hours of Assault course ahead of me, this is going to be awful.” Instead, think “I’m getting yelled at right now, but it’s just noise. They’ll stop eventually. In the meantime, I can do my best at what they’re telling me to do. I can do just one more grenade…and one more…and one more…” I promise, nothing lasts forever. In fact, when you look back, you may be surprised at how quickly the time passed.
4. You probably will become disillusioned to some extent.
USAFA is an excellent opportunity, a great school, and a really cool place. It is also full of highly talented/gifted, but otherwise normal, college students. Do not expect cadets to be superheroes. You will be disappointed if you expect perfection. Come in realizing that there are many people here for the right reasons, and also a fair number of people who are in “Operation Graduation” and just want to skim through with the least possible work. There are people who don’t take USAFA very seriously. This place is not faultless. However, it is unique from other colleges in that it is VERY MUCH shaped by its students. If you have a good idea, speak up. You might be surprised at how much you can change. Hold yourself to the highest standards, but still be realistic in your expectations for yourself and others. Don’t come in thinking this place is perfect. Come in knowing that you’ll find things you like and things you really, really dislike. Focus on the things you like AND the things you can change. Try to get something out of even the things you dislike.
5. Criticism will not always be constructive.
I got my feelings hurt a couple of times during basic before I toughened up and realized that peers’ criticism is not the end of the world. We talk a lot about feedback here at USAFA. Not just receiving it, but also giving it – which is just as important. A lot of people here, especially at the beginning, don’t know how to give constructive criticism. They just criticize. They may or may not mean well. However, I have discovered that a lot of these criticisms have an element of truth to them. Be open to the fact that you make mistakes just like everyone else. Don’t discount good advice because of the way it’s delivered. I got called out by a squad-mate once during Basic for complaining. He did not do it nicely. But I took the advice to heart and got tougher. Eight months later, he told me “I don’t think I could do what you’ve done this year” (referring to a very difficult extracurricular activity that I stuck with when a lot of people didn’t.) That was one of my proudest moments. It wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t figured out how to get truth out of harsh and even insulting criticism. Have a thick skin.
Last but not least…
6. USAFA is what you make of it.
If you want to skim by with minimal work, you can probably do it. You will not get much out of this place, and you’ll probably be miserable here. On the other hand, if you take your experience here into your own hands and actively seek out opportunities, you will be amazed at what USAFA can do for you and what you can do to USAFA. You are here to make yourself a better person and prepare yourself to be an officer. That is your full-time job that you are getting paid for. Do it right. You are NOT here to take the easy road, to skimp on anything, or to just play around and have fun all the time. Find the things that scare you and do them until they don’t scare you anymore. Then find something else that scares you. Get out there and do hard things. It’s what you’re here for. You and you alone are responsible for your development. USAFA is not designed for those who sit passively by and wait for “the system” to shape them. Even though you can get away with not giving your all, don’t cheat yourself or others. Remember: Only you know if you gave 100%. I can’t stress this enough. You do not want to look back and say, “I did one less pushup than I could have because I was tired and it hurt.” That is not an excuse. It’s supposed to hurt. You’re not gonna die.
Don’t let yourself become cynical; surround yourself with people who challenge you and uplift you; push yourself and find people who push you; try to get something out of everything you do; never let yourself slack off; and never forget what a privilege it is to be here, preparing yourself to serve your country. You must continually earn that privilege.
Now for some encouragement, because I remember what it feels like to have BCT looming while everyone throws random advice about what happens after BCT. I remember sitting there thinking “yeah…sounds great, but I have a more immediate problem that involves lots of yelling and PT.” Here are a few things you should know.
1. The footprints are not as bad as you think. USAFA is inprocessing ~1200 people in a period of about 8 hours. They don’t have time to make the footprints last super long. I think mine was about five minutes, and part of that was a speech about the position of attention and seven basic responses. Don’t call cadre by the wrong gender, don’t wear clothes that are brightly colored/have slogans or sayings on them/attract attention to you, don’t come across as arrogant, and don’t have an attitude. If you stick to that you should be in and out before you know it.
2. The yelling sucks at first. For…about 24 hours. Then you pretty much get used to it. Really, you can get used to anything. By the end of basic my heart rate didn’t even go up during the infamous “basic wakeups.”
3. The cadre are not monsters. They are people, and you will start seeing that more and more as time goes on. You will learn which ones are less likely to yell at you, and when is an appropriate time to ask questions. You will learn what your cadre find funny and can’t yell at you for because they are trying not to laugh. You will learn just how much you can toe the line. (This you will learn through trial and error.)
4. The cadre are there to take care of you as well as to train you. You may hear the odd horror story here or there, but cadre like to make up things to scare gullible basics. Your cadre are VERY well trained in how to be cadre. They have spent the last 6-ish months training to train you, because it’s that important of a job. You are the future of USAFA. The cadre are there to push you to the limit, NOT to hurt you. If you get injured, are sick, or legitimately need something, tell them. A big part of the cadre’s job is making sure you are taken care of physically and mentally throughout basic. If you’re hurt/sick, talk to a SMO (Safety Medical Officer). If you’re struggling mentally – and most people do at some points in BCT – talk to an MGO (Military Guidance Officer, I think?). It is also possible to request to talk to a chaplain in private. You can ALWAYS ask to talk to a SMO or an MGO if you need it. As far as I know, your cadre are not allowed to refuse those requests. (I know for sure they cannot refuse a request to speak with a chaplain.)
5. Even if you are not religious, I would recommend going to all the chapel services you can (there are usually two a week.) It is a very warm, welcoming, and entirely cadre-free environment. You will be greeted by friendly C3Cs (including myself this year!) who will congratulate you on getting this far, cheer you on, pray with/for you, tell you the time and sometimes news stories, and give you words of encouragement and advice. Chaplains and non-cadre are available to speak with you one-on-one if you want/need it. Some of the greatest encouragement I got during BCT was from the C3Cs at the chapel. You will also have the chance to interact and talk freely with your classmates. Or you can sleep, though you’re generally encouraged to stay awake. Even if you’re not there for the service, I highly recommend that you go to the chapel at least once to try it. It’s definitely worth the experience.
6. BCT will end. It really drags on while you’re in it, and I’d honestly say that the length is what makes it difficult. But it is only ~6 weeks, and during that 6 weeks you will learn lessons that will help you out for all of Doolie year and, I expect, beyond. (Can’t speak to that yet, as I've only just finished Doolie year!) Make the most of basic, for whether you are a direct admit, a Preppie, a prior, or a prior and a Preppie, this is your last (possibly only) Basic Training. Do it right.
Bonus advice: It also helps if you have someone sending you REALLY stupid military jokes every few days. Shout-out to my awesome dad for keeping me well-supplied.
Feel free to PM me if you have any questions or want to talk USAFA. I’ll be happy to help however I can.
You’ve got this, Class of 2022. Survive. Adapt. Overcome. You will get some of the best and worst memories of your life out of this year. Get up for it.
all the best.
