R-Day

U

usmacandidate2020

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Dec 3, 2015
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Hi all,

I was wondering if somebody could give me a fairly detailed rundown of R-Day. I know the very basics (60 seconds to say goodbye, haircuts, cadet in the red sash) but if really love to know more!!! Thank you for your time!
 
Every graduate of West Point has had the privilege of experiencing Reception Day or for short R-Day. There are so many applicants
who would trade shoes with you on this day. Its a very select few who have the experience. Attack this day! Understand its a day of mystery, tradition and the beginning of your United States Army career.


Enjoy it! The first day! There will never be another "first day"!

Push Hard, Press Forward
 
Embrace the unknown! Knowing every second and detail of the day ahead of time honestly won't help. You will experience the full array of emotions on that day and they take over even if you think know exactly what will happen next. I have seen new Mids forget their name on I Day! Get in great shape, deep breathes and remember that you can do it is all you really need on R Day!
 
I got there early and said the goodbye. Most people don't take the full 60 seconds but it's really up to you. You will carry around a heavy green "flight bag" which is essentially an oversized backpack and go through a bunch of medical and paperwork stations. The administrative stuff will take a few hours. You will be asked to change into the workout (PT uniform) and be wearing the dress shoes. Every station you go to you will just go through what seems to be a huge line and the upperclass cadets in charge of you will be yelling at you the whole way, telling you to keep your eyes forward and stay against the wall and so on. The civilians workers will be nice to you though so that's a little break from all the chaos. They will yell at you for stuff you didn't even know you were supposed to do and you can start reading your knowledge book. They will make you stick your arm straight out which will be extremely uncomfortable after a while of standing there with a 50 pound pack on. You will practice some drilling and learn how to March. Eventually you will end up in a room and be assigned a company. The company will have some more stuff for you to learn and you will do some more paperwork and turn in your civilian clothes. You will report to the cadet in the red sash and the company first sergeant. Once you get back to your room there will be a lot of stuff around your desk that you will need and its best to begin organizing early. You will meet your roommates. You will stay in your room for a while leaving to eat dinner later that night with your squad leader. You will also have the parade. Hope this helps.
 
Also Rday will go by fast, and day 2 is the worst day of beast.
 
Same thing as R-Day but you will take an APFT and start going to formations. It will mostly be picking up stuff and carrying it around for hours. Probably some sort of briefing assembly that night. It will be the first day of actual beast and you will adjust to the environment from there. There will be a lot of time spent with your squad leader that day.
 
The biggest problem from beast was dirty laundry though. It got lost many times and you only have 5 Athletic shorts and 3 shorts for PT. PT is 6 days a week so it gets gross really fast. I was the lucky one to have had laundry not get back to me until the last week so at one point I only had 2 PT shirts. So me and most people started to smell really bad during morning PT. Also do not drink Gatorade for every meal. Once or less a day or you will get prickly heat which can change a bad time to a horrible time. Guys need to learn to shave fast. Nice running shoes carry you a long way. Make sure to drink plenty of water and clean out the camel back frequently. Get knowledge passed off early as possible.
 
Yes, plan to smell and not always have clean clothing to wear.
Some cadets will solve this by washing some of their quick dry PT clothes themselves in the sink at night. You may want to bring some extra body wash for this purpose. My son did this. If you have never washed anything in the sink before, you may want to try it out at home a few times so you can easily and quickly do it during beast.

I really feel for the guys who have a thick beard because it's much harder for them to shave very quickly.

Do not skimp on supplies for foot care. You must take care of your feet.
 
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