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NEWS

The Norwich Guidon
Feb. 26, 2004

West Point cadet recounts freshman year experiences

By Bryan Harr
Norwich Guidon Staff Writer

"The upperclassmen who lead you will say anything to you in order to overwhelm you. They know their job, and they do it well; they will say anything." -Harr-

College life to most young men is all about the three B's: books, booze, and babes.

But those who choose to attend The United States Military Academy at West Point sacrifice the typical college experience with the hopes that their endeavor will mold them into the leaders of the future.

Scott Harr, 19, a sophomore German and Arabic major from Longmeadow, Mass., relates his journey through the first and toughest year at the Academy.

"I didn't really know what to expect, but I knew it would be hard," Harr said, adding that what he didn't realize, however, was how hard the first year at West Point would actually be.

The first year is broken into two phases: cadet basic training, known as "Beast," which takes place during the freshmen summer before the start of the academic year. After "Beast," the academic year starts, Harr said.

"I found Beast to be harder than the academic year," he said, explaining that Beast is an environment designed for failure.

"They purposely don't give you enough time to complete your tasks, in order to create a stressful environment," Harr said.

"Basically, you're isolated from the people you care about, and there's not a lot of opportunity to develop new relationships during Beast.

"Everyone hates you during Beast," Harr said. "The environment there is designed to push you to your limits."

The most trying experience of Harr's first year occurred during Beast.

"It was really hard for me to keep in mind the intent of the training and not take things personally," Harr said, recalling his darkest memory from Beast.

"There was one time where I was literally screamed at for a half an hour in front of my whole platoon," Harr said. "The upperclassmen who lead you will say anything to you in order to overwhelm you," Harr said.

"They know their job and they do it well; they will say anything."

One thing Harr relied on to get him through the experience was his faith in Jesus Christ.

"It was critical," Harr said. "It's easy to get caught up in all the competition and business and lose sight of what's really important."

Having a faith of any sort helps cadets stay grounded, he said.

Harr maintains that most cadets who come to West Point attend religious services, especially during the melee of freshmen year. He acknowledged the wide range of religious groups on campus such as the Officer's Christian Fellowship and another group called the Navigators. Harr indicated that freshmen are under so much stress that they are willing to try anything to help alleviate the pressure.

"My faith was of the utmost importance for me, getting through Beast," Harr said, adding that after the incident where he was reamed in front of his platoon, Harr checked his mail and found a surprise.

"I found 17 letters from people who said they were praying for me," Harr said. "I took it as God's way of saying hang in there."

After Beast comes the academic year, a long, monotonous routine of classes and cadet duties.

"The academic year is different from Beast in that the tasks you have to complete are more difficult, but you are set up to succeed, instead of fail like you were during Beast," Harr said.

A typical day begins at 5:45 a.m. as cadets rise to perform their duties. Duties consist of "calling minutes," trash collection, laundry, or newspaper delivery, Harr said.

After duties, cadets eat breakfast and begin their daily classes. Classes last until 4 p.m., when cadets do physical training, and/or participate in intramural and varsity sports.

After that comes dinner, followed by mandatory study hall then lights out at 11 p.m. The next day, it starts all over again.

"It's a very regimented day, I found it easier once I settled into the routine," Harr said.

Looking back, with the first year under his belt, Harr said it is well worth the experience.

"It's made me tougher; I came here looking for the opportunity to lead people," Harr said. "Your first year is more about learning how to be lead; you learn to suck things up."

"You learn a lot about leadership, but it's all through observation on how you are being led by [upperclassmen]," Harr said. As you watch the cadets who lead you, you can observe their strengths and weakness and really develop your own leadership style," Harr said.

"We're going to be leading real soldiers in three years" Harr said. "The [freshmen year] allows you to understand how your soldiers might feel when you are leading them."

The Norwich Guidon is a twice-monthly student newspaper distributed at Norwich University. It provides laboratory experience for students in the Communications program. Claims asserted by letter writers, editorials and other articles do not represent the positions of Norwich University. The Norwich Guidon welcomes signed letters to the editor. They should be no longer than 300 words. Unsigned letters will not be printed, but names may be withheld upon worthy request. All letters are subject to editing for length and good taste. Mailing address: The Norwich Guidon, Communications Center, Norwich University, Northfield, VT 056632. www.norwich.edu/guidon. If you have any questions or comments about the paper, please contact Professor Ken Bush at kbush@norwich.edu.