Philosophical Musings on Being a Cadet

I know I have more stories from Air Assault School and Fort Knox I just can't remember them at the moment. Things I've told my friends that I think are insignificant are stories to them. So while I reload my brain I want to give a philosophical musing on being a cadet.

Maybe it's just me. Maybe I'm a genius (I doubt that, highly), maybe I go to an easy school (likely), and maybe I have an easy major (undoubtedly so), but I barely spend any time actually doing work for college. I get a lot of it, granted, but I never pay attention to it. When an assignment is due, even a 10 page paper, I cram the research into the night before and pull an all nighter. On days like this I often show up to Ranger Challenge PT at 0500 having not gone to bed. It would be more prudent to budget my time better and spread the work load out evenly as I used to in the past, however I can no longer give school my full attention.

The worst part about being a cadet is the fact that you have so many "bosses" in your life.

I have my Army boss, which is getting ever more so demanding as time goes on. I was promoted to cadet staff sergeant and as such I always have to call squad members and find out why they're not at PT, compile a leader's book and so on. Basically, I wind up doing upwards of 30 hours of work a week for my Army boss and it's stuff I enjoy doing.

I have my Work boss, the day job I need to work in order to eat and pay for gas. Cadet Command gives cadets a stipend every month so that they don't have to go to work and can concentrate on just being a college student and a cadet, however, cadet command failed to take into account the fact that, while there aren't many of us, there are still some cadets in New York City. The standard of living here is ridiculous, and I can't survive on the stipend the Army gives me. Basic Housing Allowance for Army personnel living in New York is about $2,000 a month, one of the highest in the Army. Why doesn't the Army pay out a housing allowance based on where the cadet lives, like the rest of the Army? Oh well, the world may never know. Maybe they'll let me know when I'm a lieutenant, but I doubt it.

Finally, I have my School boss. I still need to go to my classes and get good grades (well I don't have to), but I need to in order to get into the branch I want. The branch I want is highly competitive and I need the best grades I can get, the highest PT score and a load of extra curricular activities in order to ensure I get my first choice. (Based on my personality in all these writings, it should be clear what my branch choice is, but I'm not going to say it so I don't bias any further writings....well, anymore than I already do).

That being said, the one that takes precedence in my life is my Army boss. It's what I want to do and I want to do it now. I immerse myself in it. I consider myself a Student of War and I can't get enough of it.

Instead of reading my textbooks (which I don't even need, why do I waste my money every semester?) I read books on war, anything. I can't get enough.

I've read and re-read the "Art of War" about 10 times, "Starship Troopers" about 6 times, and then I go to Barnes and Noble and buy a new book, mostly two, every week. I read and despised "Jarhead", I am reading and enjoying "On Killing" by LTC Dave Grossman. I am constantly reading histories, of the US Army, of the Airborne units, Medal of Honor winners, anything I can get my hands on.

This is what I want to do with my life and I'm becoming more and more institutionalized. Going out with my Army buddies on weekends is such a difference than my other friends. We can have entire conversations without saying anything and understand what needs to be done, just based on hand and arm signals we apply to real life (such as at a party or restaurant). I know, we're a bunch of dorks for doing it, but that's how big of an impact it has on our lives.

After completing Air Assault School and rappelling out of a helicopter, roller coasters don't give me a rush any more. After completing Cadet Basic at Fort Knox, I know how to prioritize and what's really important in life and what's not. I love the whole Army experience and despise the fact I'm not doing it 100%.

People say I could get into the real Army and I could hate it, and there's always that possibility. But at Fort Knox, the typical garrison day of the Soldier was broken down for me and that doesn't seem so bad. The training is going to be fun. FTXs, rucks, runs, marksmanship and weapon's quals. All that is awesome. Even the times when you don't sleep and you don't eat are not going to be that bad. I've been there. I've done that. I've embraced the suck and come out alright.

The only thing I have no idea about is deployment and combat, which is why I study war. To steel myself mentally and emotionally for whatever might come my way. I have an intellectual idea of what it's going to be like, but if you haven't been there or done that, you really have no idea.

All I can do is sit and wait and occasionally pray when I feel like bothering God, but I usually don't because He has enough to worry about.

That's the "normal" life of this cadet.