IAMA USMA 2020 AMA

Noeasyday121

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Mar 2, 2016
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As the title says, I am a USMA 2020. I will try to answer an questions about Beast and Plebe year. I am a male so any female related topics I am not your best option. Ask away
 
Must have items for beast/CBT???? We have the list, but anything you feel would've helped? Can a parent send items to cadets during beast? If so, what would you think would be good?
 
Haha, there are days when that motto is true here. I am a slug here so company athletics is my life, along with drill. I did submission grappling last smemester and swimming this. I am involved with or have been involved with the Mechanical engineering club, a history club, paintball club, Officer's Christian Fellowship, and the American Chemistry society. For CBT I would say the list is pretty thorough, a leatherman is nice to have, duct tape, and try to find 550 cord to make shelters cheaply since once in the field, they issue your platoon so much and once it is out, its out. The biggest thing is be prepared to run hills and on pavement for the most part. Nothing is that difficult and throughout it remember that thousands have gone before and in my opinion the worst part of beast was just the standing for hours waiting. There is plenty of hurry up and wait, which means time to pass off knowledge. Lastly, as much as you think that CFT is meant to be a learning experince for you, it is just as much as one for the cadre. For many this is their first time running training on this magnitude so mistakes will be made and many of the cadre just learned what they teach you not that long ago. Try to make their (squad leaders) lives easier by being prepared and ready before they say to be. For most squad leaders, if you show that you are a capable adult, they will treat you as one as much as possible. Hopefully this answers your questions even though I went off track some.
 
I would not suggest parents sending anything because you do not check mail that often depending on your squad leader and the mail service is slow here. Lastly any packages have to be open in front of the cadre.
 
I would not suggest parents sending anything because you do not check mail that often depending on your squad leader and the mail service is slow here. Lastly any packages have to be open in front of the cadre.
Ok, but if a parent were to send something, what can not be sent? Can things like snacks be sent?
 
Haha, there are days when that motto is true here. I am a slug here so company athletics is my life, along with drill. I did submission grappling last smemester and swimming this. I am involved with or have been involved with the Mechanical engineering club, a history club, paintball club, Officer's Christian Fellowship, and the American Chemistry society. For CBT I would say the list is pretty thorough, a leatherman is nice to have, duct tape, and try to find 550 cord to make shelters cheaply since once in the field, they issue your platoon so much and once it is out, its out. The biggest thing is be prepared to run hills and on pavement for the most part. Nothing is that difficult and throughout it remember that thousands have gone before and in my opinion the worst part of beast was just the standing for hours waiting. There is plenty of hurry up and wait, which means time to pass off knowledge. Lastly, as much as you think that CFT is meant to be a learning experince for you, it is just as much as one for the cadre. For many this is their first time running training on this magnitude so mistakes will be made and many of the cadre just learned what they teach you not that long ago. Try to make their (squad leaders) lives easier by being prepared and ready before they say to be. For most squad leaders, if you show that you are a capable adult, they will treat you as one as much as possible. Hopefully this answers your questions even though I went off track some.
What leatherman do you suggest?
Gerber Diesel Multi Plier?
 
Haha, there are days when that motto is true here. I am a slug here so company athletics is my life, along with drill. I did submission grappling last smemester and swimming this. I am involved with or have been involved with the Mechanical engineering club, a history club, paintball club, Officer's Christian Fellowship, and the American Chemistry society. For CBT I would say the list is pretty thorough, a leatherman is nice to have, duct tape, and try to find 550 cord to make shelters cheaply since once in the field, they issue your platoon so much and once it is out, its out. The biggest thing is be prepared to run hills and on pavement for the most part. Nothing is that difficult and throughout it remember that thousands have gone before and in my opinion the worst part of beast was just the standing for hours waiting. There is plenty of hurry up and wait, which means time to pass off knowledge. Lastly, as much as you think that CFT is meant to be a learning experince for you, it is just as much as one for the cadre. For many this is their first time running training on this magnitude so mistakes will be made and many of the cadre just learned what they teach you not that long ago. Try to make their (squad leaders) lives easier by being prepared and ready before they say to be. For most squad leaders, if you show that you are a capable adult, they will treat you as one as much as possible. Hopefully this answers your questions even though I went off track some.
This leatherman?
https://www.amazon.com/Gerber-Diesel-Multi-Plier-Black-22-01545N/dp/B0009JS1GM?th=1&psc=1
 
If you mail food, it will be taken away from your cadet. Food can be sent AFTER beast.
If at all possible, join the Class of 2021 FB page. The rules regarding mail and many other things do change a bit from year to year. So, what was true for one year can vary even a year later. That said, I certain that food will never be allowed during beast as it will defeat part of the purpose of beast.
 
For the 2021 parents, you will realize quickly that during beast your role is just to come to peace with not having any contact with your child. You can mail him/her daily, and eventually they receive it, and very much appreciate getting updates from home, but you will get very little mail back from your child. You will follow Facebook, and look for pictures, finding a few of your child here or there. There will be a few phone calls, but the first will be extremely brief. More like a "proof of life". Lol. Honestly, it's hard, but you get through it, and in the end it is a healthy process. I hate to say it, but it isn't much better during the school year. (Slight exaggeration, but not much).

It's easier for the kid if he/she isn't feeling bad for parents at home, so don't make things worse by telling them how hard it is for you because you miss them so much. Just keep yourself busy. As the cadets say, "embrace the suck". That's what they do, and truely they learn to adjust and do just fine.
 
As the title says, I am a USMA 2020. I will try to answer an questions about Beast and Plebe year. I am a male so any female related topics I am not your best option. Ask away

Do you know when contact lenses are permitted after Beast is over? Also, I assume West Point furnishes cadets with contact lenses at some point? My DS is needing to reorder contact lenses soon and I was just curious how much we should order to get him by?
 
My understanding is that WP does not provide contact lenses unless you are a corp squad athlete in season. That has been DDs experience.
 
For the 2021 parents, you will realize quickly that during beast your role is just to come to peace with not having any contact with your child. You can mail him/her daily, and eventually they receive it, and very much appreciate getting updates from home, but you will get very little mail back from your child. You will follow Facebook, and look for pictures, finding a few of your child here or there. There will be a few phone calls, but the first will be extremely brief. More like a "proof of life". Lol. Honestly, it's hard, but you get through it, and in the end it is a healthy process. I hate to say it, but it isn't much better during the school year. (Slight exaggeration, but not much).

It's easier for the kid if he/she isn't feeling bad for parents at home, so don't make things worse by telling them how hard it is for you because you miss them so much. Just keep yourself busy. As the cadets say, "embrace the suck". That's what they do, and truely they learn to adjust and do just fine.
Agreed. I am happy and excited for her. She is my last one. I joined the fb pages, the WP parents club, yadda, yadda, yadda. I have had some actual phone calls and hear that many sent packages during beast and even sneak in a few treats. Not sure what is a treat and what can be trouble, Another parent told me they live close (not my case) and meets up with some Dunkin Donuts coffee a few times a week, since she was a Plebe and now is a cow and has had no issues. She says they just plan on where to meet and drink coffee and catch up in the car. One told me sent her DD socks and underwear every week during beast, so her DD didn't have to wash them and would just toss the dirty ones. I am not a helicopter mom, lol. Everyone's process is different, as is everyone experience. I just like to learn as much as I can.
 
You for sure will not be able to meet your daughter during beast, but after beast you can, and I would try to visit as often as you can.

My son, like most others, got blisters during beast. He sent a note asking for moleskin, so we sent some out the day we got his letter, but by the time he got is he had already turned the blisters in to callous. The mail is slower than you can imagine.

I hadn't heard of anyone being able to send any food to a kid during beast. If a new Cadet received that during beast he/she would get in trouble for what the parent did. Life is hard enough for those six weeks that you certainly don't want your kid having cadre ticked off, and being extra rough because of something you did.

Most kids in the end will tell you they enjoyed Beast. They are in it all together, they bond, they grow. They look forward to CBT 2 the next summer. I understand your feelings, because I had them myself. Send letters every day. Your daughter will love reading them whenever she is able to get her mail. But don't send food. Lol.
 
I decided to purchase a leatherman wave since the blades can be accessed without having to unfold the muti-tool. But it is personally preference, you can get away without one. I just liked carrying a knife growing up and it was useful for many little tasks. Reiterating, do NOT send snacks, unless you want to be like my roommate when his older brother, a cadet at west point, sent him food just to get him in a little trouble. Make sure that your DD or DS does not take contacts with them to CBT, many cadets have glasses so he or she will not stand out at all. For beast, I did not really write that many letters or had that many sent,. For me it was a distraction that I did not need. For many writing letters is all that they did during free time, so it will vary for you. If you think you want to send letter, then bring plenty of stamps since depending on your squad leader there might not be time to get more if you run out.
 
You for sure will not be able to meet your daughter during beast, but after beast you can, and I would try to visit as often as you can.

My son, like most others, got blisters during beast. He sent a note asking for moleskin, so we sent some out the day we got his letter, but by the time he got is he had already turned the blisters in to callous. The mail is slower than you can imagine.

I hadn't heard of anyone being able to send any food to a kid during beast. If a new Cadet received that during beast he/she would get in trouble for what the parent did. Life is hard enough for those six weeks that you certainly don't want your kid having cadre ticked off, and being extra rough because of something you did.

Most kids in the end will tell you they enjoyed Beast. They are in it all together, they bond, they grow. They look forward to CBT 2 the next summer. I understand your feelings, because I had them myself. Send letters every day. Your daughter will love reading them whenever she is able to get her mail. But don't send food. Lol.
Lol, I won't. It was just what a mom told me. She loves all that crazy wilderness stuff. She has been in MCJROTC in High School and spent a week at Paris Island and loved, loved, loved it. She also did CLC last summer, which is similar to SLE, but local for marines. She is going again 1st week of June, as a graduating class. She was asked to be an instructor and chaperone, lol. My main worry with her is she is a vegetarian and typically makes a plant based shake with tofu and proteins. She will not be able to do that there and so she needs to find protein in others things. She is not a big peanut butter person or beans either. She has lived a week on MRE's at the CLC, because it's a mini beast situation, and she did fine, but overall shw needs to find protein. Luckily, she is not a vegan though.

I know she will do great. I bought her a pack of moleskin already, because she uses them now too. Anything else you think may help?
 
They learn to adapt at Beast. She will be ok. Make sure her boots and shoes fit well, and break in the shoes particularly. Her eating habits will change, and she will see that it's all good.
 
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