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

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20 PilBififli... The beginning of a new year and a new life — our hvword — never again. PICTURES • Coat or coffin, tablets, please. . in 30 seconds, move out • Rigor mortis sets in • Salt

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' The Rape of the Locks No, it ' s this way. 7 HAT first day of Beast Barracks we had to keep reminding ourselves: I wanted to come to West Point. ' ' As we entered the area, that feel- ing of fearful expectancy became unbearable. But our first encounter with the detail was something for which no previous warning could possibly have prepared us. It shocked us; and it gave to each additional indignity the unreal haze of a night- mare — Drop that bag! — Slap on a brace, Mister Dumb John — punctuated our breathtaking dashes to and from the Cadet Store with an increasingly heavy laundry bag. Never before had we done or learned so much in so little time. I ' d like to see something in S ' V '

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i URING LUNCH— we soon learned aJ to call it Dinner and to dread it — we struggled with protocol and flying glasses, learned the niceties of pouring and serving in a military manner, and realized the importance of making friends with the waiter. Here again, as at each meeting with the detail, we realized that they were the spooniest men we had ever met. The afternoon saw training to prepare us for our debut at the oath ceremony. We were instructed in facings, saluting, marching; and, after drawing rifles, we were taught the manual of arms. Many a man with previous military experience discovered that the West Point way was indeed the most exacting and military. After hours of drilling, we made a quick trip to our rooms with barely enough time to change into grey shirts and perhaps do a hurried job on our shoes. When we came out again the sun, which had been hiding behind rainclouds part of the day, sym- bolically came from behind the clouds to beam down upon our first appearance as a class as we stood before Battle Monument, where so many other classes had stood, and repeated the words that marked the most important step in our lives .... PICTURES • 45 ' s line of grey begins continues ... • ... but never ends We join the Army . . . iy )P - . ■• IS.. ■, m A