Related GBK Articles:
• Part I (Direct Admits) 2023 Army Black Knights Recruiting Class (6/21)
• Part II: 2023 Recruiting Class - Making Their Way From USMAPS (6/22)
• Part III: 2023 Army Black Knights Recruiting Class (USMAPS Bound) (6/24)
Reception Day (aka R-Day)
For those of us who have experienced Reception Day (aka R Day) at West Point, it’s a day that we recall vividly and talk about for decades. For those who haven’t experienced R-Day, it may be difficult to adequately describe, but I’ll give it a try based on my own experience.
For new cadets reporting directly from high school with no prior service, it’s their first day in the Army, which can be quite a culture shock. For those coming from USMAPS or from prior service, the transition is less intimidating, but still a day to remember.
My Own Recollections of R Day in 1961
I had spent a year in Howe Military School; so my experience was probably somewhere in between fhose with prior military experience and those who come in direct. I already knew how to march, spit shine shoes, salute, etc, which gave me a slight leg up on the day.
R-Day started off with a few in-processing requirements that were managed by civilians and regular Army cadre in the cadet gym. We were administered a battery of immunizations (and no they didn’t ask if it’s OK with me). We were issued your first cadet uniforms and measured for our more formal uniforms that had to be tailored. A laundry tag with our name and company assignment along with a checklist of activities to be accomplished during the day was attached to a belt loop and off we went to become new cadets.
Once we had completed that initial in-processing, a Regular Army SP4 gathered a group of about 10 new cadets and we “marched” to a Sallyport leading to Central Area, where we were to be met by a member of the cadet cadre (affectionately referred to as the Beast Detail). Just before entering the sallyport, the SP4 halted us and invited those of us who smoked to enjoy a last cigarette, knowing what we were about to encounter. It was an omen of things to come.
Upon emerging on the barracks side of the sallyport, we were met by a junior member of the cadre who ordered us to drop our bags. Of course, most of us bent down to gently set our bags on the ground. We were then ordered to pick up our bags and then drop them again until we understood that drop meant drop. We were also introduced to the exaggerated position of attention, known as bracing (a hazing practice which was discontinued a few years later), and then told to report to the man in the red sash who stood in the middle of central area directing us to our next activity based on what was checked off on our laundry tags.
The first order of business was to report in to my new cadet company, and the man in the red sash geve in instructions as to how that was to be done. I was told to report to the orderly room, salute the cadet at the desk and say: “Sir, New Cadet Larson reports to Second New Cadet Company for the first time as ordered.” On the way up to the barracks, I was stopped by an upperclassman, who checked my laundry tag and then whispered in my ear “Whackhead, do you know who I am?” I answered “No Sir,” and he told me his name and that he was the meanest man in the Corps of Cadets and that he was my squad leader. I immediately forgot the correct words to report in properly and was sent back to the man in the red sash for remedial instruction. Eventually, we were shown our rooms, where we deposited our bags and then joined members of our squad for a whirlwind of activities to transform us from civilians to cadets.
Sometime during that first day, we all enjoyed a trip to the barber where we received a stylish new cadet buzz haircut and then we spent a good part of the day learning how to properly salute, execute a left face, right face, about face, and march at a perfect 120 thirty-inch steps per minute while maintaining precise alignment and distance with the cadet to our front and right.
All of that was essential preparation for the main event of the day, when we marched to Trophy Point to be sworn into the Army by the Commandant of Cadets. For our parents who accompanied us, it was the last time they would see us for several months, and I’m sure most were duly impressed with our transformation before heading back home. We new cadets still had several hours of indoctrination ahead, including the rigors of dining new cadet style, and an introduction to shower formations, where we learned to shower in less than 5 minutes, have our feet powdered, and render a formal report that we had completed all that before returning to our rooms to wait for Taps marking the end of a very long and memorable day.
My class lost about 150 members before the start of classes in the fall, and most likely a few of them dropped out within days of reporting to West Point. Over the years, some hazing practices have been curtailed and prospective cadets have an opportunity to attend a dress rehearsal for R Day while still in high school; so the culture shock may be reduced somewhat, but it is still a remarkable one-day transformation for most new cadets.
Terry Baggett Shares His R-Day Advice for Direct Reports
We asked former star running back Terry Baggett (2015 graduate) to share his recollections of R-Day in 2011. Here’s what he had to offer:
"My R-Day experience was a whirlwind," said Baggett. "I rewatched Game of Honor (Terry was one of the stars) earlier this year and was reminded just how much I was flustered. To be honest, without that video reminder, I don't think I would recount how many things I messed up that day. But, that is the nature of the beast. To mess up and learn quickly."
"My advice to incoming direct admits is to at least have some knowledge of what to expect when you get there. But after that, just operate on a "no quit" mentality. You're going to mess up, accept that and learn quickly. The faster you learn, the better off you are. You're going to be nervous. Accept that. Try to keep yourself calm, think clearly and move to the next station. The goal of R day is just to make it through the day. Then keep that type of laser focus for the rest of Beast. Make it to the end of the day, every day, until Beast ends and you are ready to put the pads on and get ready for the season."
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