United States Military Academy West Point - Howitzer Yearbook (West Point, NY)

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New Yearlings Enjoy Many Social Activities At Camp Buckner During The Best Summer Of Their Lives Socially, Camp Buckner certainly was different from our previous summer training! There were actu- ally fun things to do in our spare time, and spare time to do them. Who could imagine relaxing on the beach on the weekends during train- ing? The informal training contest gathered steam as the summer rolled along. We were all able to show our prowess in navy skills by sailing and canoeing if we felt like it. Lake Popolopen proved to be a com- fortable relief from the hot summer temperatures - so we took an after- noon swim whenever we could. The real highlight of the summer was the Color Line Show. After many hours of rehearsal, writing songs, and choreographing scenes, the show was ready to go. With the theme of Follow the Yellow Brick Road the play was performed in front of packed audiences and stand- ing ovations. It wasn ' t long before our memorable summer was brought to a close with Illumination Weekend - our chance to show off our Indias to our dates and friends and have a good time. The weekend ' s activities - from fighting over a greased watermelon to the Grand Dance- were all suc- cesses. And as the best class to go through Camp Buckner in recent memory, we were successes also. ' N n N 414

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Yearling Year — A Year Of Surprises Somewhat anxious as we entered our new regiments and companies, our yearling year began with much trepidation. We started off with the pleasant task of moving all of our gear from our old to new company. Tours as Barracks Trunk Room guard and CQ were also on our agen- da. CQ is a very short name for a job which includes everything from se- curity inspections to answering the phone and delivering messages to everybody - even the plebes! The biggest challenge we had to face was academic, though. If we thought star days were rough plebe year we were definitely in for a big surprise. You knew academics were tough when the Physics exam was scheduled the day after the Bob Hope Show. Actually that just con- firmed what we had discovered first semester yearling year on one of those wonderful Thayer Days: 6 hours of class including a star day. Physics lab, P.E., perhaps one or maybe even two WPR ' s, haircut in- spection and plebe chaser at lunch, and of course an afternoon parade. Yes, we really enjoyed yearling; year. Despite the lack of free time, we still were proud of our yellow brass and had to admit occasionally that it was nice to be called Sir or Ma ' am by the plebes. At times though, it seemed as if we were little more than recognized plebes. During the course of this busy year ■ two rather memorable events oc- curred. Both of these events hap- pened almost simultaneously creat- ing much suspense for a period of time. On the same day that Ronald I Reagan was inaugurated as Presi- dent of the United States, the hos- tages were released by their Iranian captors and on their way to Ger- many. This marked the beginning of a very patriotic period for American society as a whole. For those of us at West Point who were privileged to dine with the hos- tages and their families in the Mess Hall, the occasion was more than just patriotic. The Mess Hall never seemed to be more filled with the presence of the Long Gray Line as the Corps and the hostages sang God Bless America creating chills, goose bumps and a strong sense of pride among those present.