Beast Barracks

MyDream

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Mar 26, 2018
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I have heard so many contradictory statements regarding basic for West Point. Some say it will be the most challenging part of your life while others say that it’s a breeze and nowhere near as bad as everyone puts it out to be.
Thoughts?
 
I have yet to experience Beast Barracks, so don’t hold my opinion over anyone who has already been through it.

Usually those people were either at West Point for a different time or had a different level of preparation.

Since modern Beast, from the accounts of several, is easier than “Old Corps” Beast, here are some preparation examples. Some New Cadets attended a boarding school or sleep-away camp prior to Beast. Let’s say New Cadet X was already used to being without his family for long durations of time because he went to a summer camp that was 6 weeks long and didn’t see his family for that duration. Or say he went to USMAPS. Okay, so Beast shouldn’t be that bad for New CDT X if we’re talking about homesickness. It’s just like sleep-away camp or a couple weeks at MAPS, right? Another example: New Cadet Y did so much exercise and research on Army standard that she actually exceeds the running, push-up, sit-up, pull-up, and rucking standards for Beast. So New Cadet Y finds Beast mentally simple because she was physically prepared, while another new cadet—let’s call him New Cadet Z—struggles. New Cadet Z kind of let himself go after the CFA. Uh oh. His 2-mile is 19 minutes, he’d only been doing sets of push-ups on his knees—and not very many—to prepare, and he hadn’t done very much research on Army standards before showing up. New Cadet Z had some issues with his pull-up form before Beast but never saw a trainer. So he reports and has to perform his pull-ups. Uh oh. New Cadet Z can’t even do three—and he had done 13 on his CFA. So now New CDT Z is pretty insecure, and word got around his Beast Company that he’s a little on the weak side. If only he’d prepared better...of course, he tried. He lost a little of his extra weight a month prior to Beast to be less chubby and possibly meet Army weight standards. Besides, it would help his confidence. Right? But New Cadet Z dropped more than a pound a week and ate nothing but chicken soup for breakfast, so he burned all his muscle off on those practice rucks. Oh, no. And later, when he went to run his 2-mile for the APFT, the Commodant almost ran him over because he was too slow. Shucks.

Okay. Now let me tell you that I know New Cadets X, Y, and Z. All three of them are now Cadets X, Y, and Z. And I wish I’d spoken to them more so that I could tell you how each one is doing in the Corps right now, because all 3 of them are Plebes. Yes, Cadet Z made it. All 3 of them did. But I’m sure you can tell who had an easier time and who struggled a bit more.
 
While that all sounds perfect in theory, fact of the matter is even the most physically fit and mentally prepared faltered. One wrong turn, one wrong step leads to one small injury that in the "normal" world is not even a blink of an eye, but in Beast...its hell! I know because I watched it all unfold as a parent. I saw the kids who went in and saw who struggled and who didn't. I heard the stories of the "Dwayne the Rock" football player crying as he rucked up the hill..not becaus he missed his Mommy but because it was downright hard! He was used to hitting guys straight on, not carrying packs while favoring blisters the size of Texas in 100 + degree weather with 100% humidity. I personally know a girl who went to a high school that had NO SPORTS and she was the least athletic person I know. She did MAyBE 2 or 3 light rucks that I know of pre-beast. I seriously underestimated her because I thought there was no way she would survive unscathed. Guess what? SHE ROCKED IT!!!! So there is no magic solution. No Cadet X, Y, Z. Do your best. Prepare to be challenged. Stay in shape or get in shape. It's going to be hard, but if you can mentally prepare...you too will ROCK IT!!!
 
My DS is a 2021 and I can tell you that he did just fine throughout with some minor preparation. He is no athlete, and did not play sports in high school. After CFT he continued to run 2 miles 2 or 3 times a week, and he went to the gym 2 times a week for a strength class. I tried to get him to break in his shoes, but he spent just about every free minute playing Xbox and hanging out with his girlfriend.
He said R day sucked really bad. The rest of beast was just a general suckiness that got better once they got to Buckner. He got shins splints at one point, but the medic showed him how to massage them. He had a really bad day about halfway through, where he had to sit in the rain for hours, a piece of his equipment broke while he was racing to get everything on and back in formation in less than 3 minutes while being screamed at, and then had to have blood drawn (there is literally nothing that scares him more than having blood drawn). At the end of that day he went and talked to the chaplain, which he said helped tremendously.
According to him the most important element to surviving beast is not something you can prepare for. It happens once your there. It's the relationships you make with the other new cadets in your company. They will be the ones to encourage you when you're having a hard time, make you laugh, show you how to do something you're struggling with, and generally take the place of your family.
The cadre doesn't care if you can do 4 pull-ups or 14. You aren't going to impress them. Believe me, you're better off if they don't notice you. They'll just find something else to make you fail at. If you want to impress someone, make it your beast squad mates. Pull your weight, encourage them, find something you're good at that you can help them with. Relationships are what get you through West Point.
My DS is doing great this year. He loves his instructors, is doing well physically, and best of all, he has a wonderful group of friends.
 
I've been watching this forum and West Point Moms for about 10 years. Preparation is so important, but so is attitude. You have to learn to laugh at the nonsense without it showing on your face. You have to "get" that it's all part of the process...it's bonding, it's training...it's so many things. I don't think beast is a cake walk for anyone. Perhaps some excel at the physical, while others excel at the mental. It's supposed to find your weak areas so you can be broken down and then built back up. They don't want anyone to fail...but they want you to trust your squadmates and rely on your squad leader. Be in great shape, practice memorizing, have a good attitude, go backpacking, face a few fears...these are all ways to prepare. If you haven't hung a pull up bar in your door yet, go get one. Good luck to all.
 
Mental preparation is critical in addition to top physical conditioning.
`Hero to Zero` conditioning is tough on many after enjoying elite levels of your peer group for so long.

DS said it wasn't as tough as he expected but sucked worse than he expected.

So embrace the suck and perservere.
 
From my basic training experience.... it's more about mindset than anything else. Steer away from the cynics and never lose site of the bigger picture. There well ALWAYS be things to complain about... with that...don't get so focused there you miss out on the fact there are reasons for everything you are about to face. Keep a sense of humor and learn from those moments and remember why you are there. My 2018 and 2019 have had an incredible experience at USMA largely in part of because they kept in mind they are there to serve, they didn't sweat the small stuff and they surrounded themselves with cadets who kept the challenges (the stupid stuff) in perspective.Best of luck and congrats!
 
Everyone will have a different experience and everyone will also have a shared experience. 99% of the new cadets will be pushed beyond their comfort zone in some area. It will be emotionally and physically stressing.

Beast has changed but rest assured that it is still tough and you will have to work hard to get through it.

As for advice, show up physically and mentally prepared for a long summer and do not "sweat" the small stuff. You are going to fail everyday and thats ok. Learn from your mistakes.
 
Great question! My DS went in very mentally and physically prepared, yet was shocked at how difficult it all was, especially the first week. He said it was like drinking water from a fire-hydrant. The first three weeks were exhausting, isolating and boring due to how much the new cadets needed to learn and master before they could advance to the 2nd half of Beast. Not being able to chat or socialize made it very lonely for him, but he understood why it had to be this way because otherwise it would have been impossible to get everything taught in 3 weeks.
So, I think my son learned that social interaction is very important to him. He rocked the physical component but was not prepared to lose the ability to talk and interact with those around you, except in your room, and you were only in your room for 4-6 hours a night so there was no time to chat.
But, he said the rigid discipline that was instilled in them during Beast 1 laid the foundation for them to safely learn all the important soldier lessons in Beast 2, so it was all worth it.
Good luck to all of you gearing up for this summer’s Beast Barracks.
I was so worried about my son after our first 3 minute phone call. He sounded very down and discouraged, which was very alarming, I was not prepared for that at all! But a good friend of mine said “your son is fine, he is just uncomfortable. He will find ways to make everything more efficient in the weeks to come. He is fine, don’t worry”.
And she was so right.
 
Great question! My DS went in very mentally and physically prepared, yet was shocked at how difficult it all was, especially the first week. He said it was like drinking water from a fire-hydrant. The first three weeks were exhausting, isolating and boring due to how much the new cadets needed to learn and master before they could advance to the 2nd half of Beast. Not being able to chat or socialize made it very lonely for him, but he understood why it had to be this way because otherwise it would have been impossible to get everything taught in 3 weeks.
So, I think my son learned that social interaction is very important to him. He rocked the physical component but was not prepared to lose the ability to talk and interact with those around you, except in your room, and you were only in your room for 4-6 hours a night so there was no time to chat.
But, he said the rigid discipline that was instilled in them during Beast 1 laid the foundation for them to safely learn all the important soldier lessons in Beast 2, so it was all worth it.
Good luck to all of you gearing up for this summer’s Beast Barracks.
I was so worried about my son after our first 3 minute phone call. He sounded very down and discouraged, which was very alarming, I was not prepared for that at all! But a good friend of mine said “your son is fine, he is just uncomfortable. He will find ways to make everything more efficient in the weeks to come. He is fine, don’t worry”.
And she was so right.
Yep, very isolating and lonely. And that phone call was hard on me for sure. I was ready to jump in the car and go rescue him! we didn't really get a chance to say goodbye on that call, but he sent me a letter a few days letter reassuring me that he was fine, but that he didn't expect hearing my voice would make him so homesick.
It gets so much better once they can talk to each other. He had great beast roommates, including a prep schooler. This roommate was able to show them the ropes when it came to shoe shining, room inspections, etc.
 
@MyDream - everything you have heard is correct. Some aspects of beast you will find to be very easy while other aspects will be darn near impossible for you. Beast covers so much ground that you can't put the experience into a box and say 'beast is all this (easy, hard, etc).'

Overall my cadet enjoyed beast but there were some experiences that he would have been very happy to skip.
He said remembering this is what got him through some days - 1. They can't kill you. 2. They can't stop the clock.
 
The mental stuff is the most important. You can make it through anything physically, and those who aren't in great shape yet will get there. The stuff in your head can hit a lot harder, especially for those in an unfamiliar environment for the first time.
I haven't been through Beast yet, but one thing I learned in Army basic was take it one week at a time. If that's too much, one day at a time. When that gets tough, focus on making it to the next meal. Those three meals a day become your respite.
6 weeks is not a long time, I promise. It may seem like it, but later you'll realize it flew by. Also, pee every chance you get. This is important. You don't know when the next chance is.
 
The mental stuff is the most important. You can make it through anything physically, and those who aren't in great shape yet will get there. The stuff in your head can hit a lot harder, especially for those in an unfamiliar environment for the first time.
I haven't been through Beast yet, but one thing I learned in Army basic was take it one week at a time. If that's too much, one day at a time. When that gets tough, focus on making it to the next meal. Those three meals a day become your respite.
6 weeks is not a long time, I promise. It may seem like it, but later you'll realize it flew by. Also, pee every chance you get. This is important. You don't know when the next chance is.

My brother who served in the Marines told my 2021 DD the same thing. Concentrate on one day, one hour, one minute at a time. Survive and push on. Mealtime along with the religious services we help you mentally.
 
I will second the above. My DD was a prior service and the physical part wasn't an issue. The mental part... a little more of a challenge. Read the above about taking one week, or one day... or even holding on to the next hour.

One of best things you can do is be prepared physically. A key component of this is core weight training designed to strengthen your body against injuries and help it heal if you do get injured. Both at basic training and Beast Barracks my DD saw people who had the stamina to hang but got stress fractures or stress type injuries. My DD attended a high school where varsity athletes did core weight training 3x/week instead of normal PE. In addition she played D1 soccer for a season before dropping out and enlisting. These things had a major impact on her ability to handle a combat MOS basic/AIT as well as Beast Barracks. Ruck marches are nothing for her and she was a SAW gunner enlisted.
Good luck!
 
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