Duke,
Have you received your "Instructions for Candidates Offered Admissions" booklet? Here is what is stated in last year's booklet, page 6, under the "New Cadet Footwear" topic:
Candidates should wear one pair of comfortable, well fitting, inexpensive, black leather laced shoes with plain toe and rubber heel when reporting to West Point. New shoes need not be purchased. You will wear these until you are issued the regulation cadet shoe (military low quarter)from Logistics Support Services Organization. Candidates should also bring/wear any orthotics currently used.
There is more about all the other footwear you will need.
Sometimes those leather low quarters can be hard to find even with the help of the boot letter (on your WP candidate page). AAFES stores on Air Force bases are the easiest place to find them. My son tried on the shiny ones at a local Army post for the size and then called the nearest Air Force AAFES store and ordered the leather version.
It is not the shoes, but your feet, that are the most important factor in West Point's instructions about these shoes. During Beast, especially the first half, you will spend a lot of time standing around and walking in these shoes. So your feet (and lower legs) need to get used to wearing dress type shoes.
If you have spent a lot of hours wearing the shiny, plastic low quarters, then you are well on your way to getting your feet ready for Beast.
Yes, you can wear the shiny low quarters (or flip flops) to R-Day. You will see every style footwear on your classmates feet that day. Read West Point's instructions and decide for yourself. The Beast cadre all know exactly what you have been instructed to wear on R-Day.
