Morale is very high on the National Cadet Training Center (NCTC) tonight. It's 2150 (9:50 pm) and just about time for "Taps," the bugle call which indicates the end of the day.
As I walked the grounds a few moments ago, Cadets and cadre were laughing, smiling and simply enjoying their time here at Forest Hill Station. That's good, as it shows that all the hard work to make this program happen, on the part of a LOT of people (see the roster on the right) has been worthwhile.
We've had an remarkable summer thus far. Incredibly, we've only had one young man leave, simply because he gave up on himself. We've had no major disciplinary problems, very little homesickness and no injuries resulting in a departure from training. That's pretty noteworthy, considering we have 200 young people on post!
The U.S. Army Cadet Corps is very unique in that we require that a recruit earn the title "Cadet." They aren't Cadets until they graduate from Basic Cadet Training. That means they must pass the academic exam, meet the standards for all inspections, and meet the physical fitness standards.
All of this equates to 1/2 of a High School credit, issued by Forest Hill Military Academy, in physical fitness and hygiene. We are the only Cadet program that can offer such a benefit.
As you look through the 300+ photos that are about to be posted, please know that your sons and daughters, grandsons and granddaughters are pretty special. When most young people are sitting on the couch all day, or sleeping in until noon, these young people are up at the "Zero-Dark 30" and hard at work.
Granted, as you can see, the inspections are tough (thus, the "White Tornado" that went through the barracks when it wasn't just right), and the occasional "drop and give me 20" when they use "yeah," or fail to stand at Parade Rest for an NCO.
It's been said that soldiers do more by 8 am than most people do all day. These Army Cadets and recruits hoping to become Army Cadets are living up to that standard!
Hooah!
J. M. LAND, SR. "Cobra 8"
COL, GS, USAC
Chief of Staff
U.S. Army Cadet Corps
Where are all these new pictures....I only see the ones that have been up for a while....am I missing something?
ReplyDeleteYou must be. We posted almost 600 photos last night! They are in this blog entry (two separate picture sets) and the various other blog posts.
ReplyDelete