New Cadet Visitation Day

This Sunday we had an excellent opportunity.  Each summer a new class of West Point cadets begins their service.  This summer the class of 2017 began with R-day (reception day) on July 1st.  R-day is supposed to be a fairly traumatic experience, as the new cadets are given a short briefing with their families, and then suddenly they have two minutes to say goodbye.   They're shuffled out, shaved, and forced to dress in PT shorts, a t-shirt, dress shoes and black socks. 

From this point, they're in Beast, or Cadet Basic Training.  For 6 weeks they aren't allowed to speak unless spoken to, eat until given permission, or have "hands" (they have to keep their hands in a fist unless actively doing something).

"Look, Ma, no hands!"  (Yes, it's not USMA, but you get the idea)

Three weeks into Beast, the faculty get the opportunity to participate in New Cadet Visitation Day, AKA the Cadet Ice Cream Social.  Each faculty member is asked to host at least two new cadets at their house for a Sunday afternoon.  The purpose is to give the new cadets a chance to relax, spend time with a family, use the phone or internet, and generally feel like a real person again.

Since we don't have a house yet, it makes it difficult to do this, but we teamed up with some friends in the branch, and joined them at their house.  When I went to pick up our cadets, they had them all lined up alphabetically, according to the host who was picking them up.  They called my name, and then literally "issued" me the cadets assigned to me. 

"Do I get a hand receipt for these?"

 
Altogether we had three new cadets.

We prepared hamburgers and hotdogs, and each of the new cadets at between three and five hamburgers... Then topped it all off with banana splits. 

It was a great opportunity to meet some of the interesting people who are here to study, and to get some insight into what the new cadets go through during Beast.  Mostly, though, it was fun to see them relax and smile and enjoy themselves.

Music Under the Stars

So, one of the cooler things about West Point is that the school has its own band.  Now, the West Point Band isn't just any run-of-the-mill army band.  No, it's one of three special bands in the Army, and the members are recruited from professional musical backgrounds, and all have at least a Masters', if not a Ph.D. in music.

During the summer, the West Point band puts on a Sunday night concert series called "Music Under the Stars".  Most nights they have a theme, like tonight was "the music of Billy Joel", and last week was a kids' night.  Well, needless to say, the band is talented and they come up with their own arrangements for the various songs they play.  It's a very enjoyable experience with an amazing view.

In addition to the Sunday night series, the first Saturday following the 4th of July (timed to coincide with the New Cadets' first Saturday night at West Point) they put on an Independence Day concert, which culminates with musical accompaniment of fireworks.

The coolest part is that the fireworks are set off so close that you are practically looking straight up to see them, and believe me, it was the loudest and most concussion-filled fireworks display I've seen.  It was pretty dang cool.

So, if you're ever in the neighborhood, you should check it out as West Point actually allows tourists on post.

Timing, decisions and opportunities

This week we had an interesting experience.  After house-sitting for a month, we moved back into the Five-Star Hotel (which has conveniently earned itself a boost from one to two stars...).  The hotel sits on Main Street in Highland Falls, where there are a bunch of small restaurants and an ice cream shop.

One evening we decided to walk out to the ice cream shop for a treat.  Of course, it took a bit to get shoes on the kids and get out the door.  When we left the hotel, we realized Hayden didn't put his shoes on.  We debated going back in and getting them on, but I was admittedly irritated and decided we'd just go ahead and he'd be without shoes.  Just after we turned onto Main Street, a car pulled over and the cadet driving yelled "Go BYU" at us (I was wearing my BYU polo), and then asked if I was "Brother Ellett".  This was a bit odd, I thought.

We came to find that he was leaving within the week to go on his mission, but that he had a friend who was a Russian major and had been emailing a new instructor who was a BYU graduate (me, of course).  He explained that his friend was investigating the church, and asked that I keep his friend in mind while we were here.  We of course said we would, and now I know something about one of our students that I might otherwise never have known.

Afterwards, Mandy and I were pondering about this experience, and how much timing was involved.  Had we not decided to get ice cream, or had we decided to go back and get Hayden's shoes on, we wouldn't have been on Main Street in time for this cadet to drive by and see us.  As he left on his mission the next day, we could not have met him later at church.  It was a once-in-a-lifetime chance.

How many opportunities and experiences have we lost out on or missed simply because of a few seconds, or forgotten shoes, or a wrong turn?  Conversely, how many opportunities and experiences have we had because of those few seconds, or because of the wrong turn?

Life is a very interesting thing.

Happy Independence Day

Happy Independence Day, everyone.  Have a great one, and remember the following:

Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!