2008-2009: William Day

2 Weeks to Go...

Well, a lot has happened since my last post:

Most importantly, we were finally recognized into Cavalry Troop on April 15th, and received our sabres that afternoon from our corporal upperclassmen. It was a much different year than other classes have had since the company was founded in 2004, and though the training was reworked to fit policy changes at Norwich, all of the provisional battalion companies were able to have another successful year of Qualifications. Congratulations to Band, too, who were also recognized the same day that we were.

Being accepted by our company is definitely a weight off of our shoulders, and even though it was a bumpy year at times we managed to pull through and finish what we started. Of the original 26 that began on August 17th, 18 became Cavalry Troopers, and with 2 sophomores who chose to go through and attempt to earn their sabres as well, we stand at 20 total.

Now that we're completely at ease with our upperclassmen for the first time in 8 months, academics start to draw all of our attention. Next week is the final week of classes for us, then finals come. I really have no idea what my grades are in Chem II and Calc II, though I'm hoping for a B and a C respectively in both as the worst case scenario. English and Naval Science are pretty locked on to be As, though, which should help my GPA and give me an average of around a 3.3 for my first year here.

Test tomorrow in Calc, next Monday in Chem, and my final English paper next Thursday. Time to get back to work!

Til next time,

Will

No more snow!

Well, it's finally happened. Days are getting longer, we've hit high 50s on most days the past couple weeks, and all but the most stubborn snow piles are long gone. The UP is even starting to turn a shade of green, something I thought I would never see again. It's almost hard to remember how this place looked when we arrived back in August.

The NROTC unit (Navy side) had a successful trip to Mass. Maritime Academy last week while the Marines conducted their Field Exercise (FEX) on campus. We stayed on the Kennedy, the training ship used at their school, and were able to take advantage of their simulators. From what we heard, they're going to attempt to make this a lasting event and hopefully involve other maritime schools, which would definately be a plus to Norwich, as we're completely landlocked.

On the academic side, I decided to pick up a Biology minor (hoping to eventually switch it to a major) on top of my current Chemistry major. Most people think I'm crazy, but I always had a strong interest in it back in high school, and have a lot of elective spots to fill up as my time here goes on. And with Rookdom finally over, I'll need something useful to occupy my time!

Qualifications for Provisional Battalion keep going, though we're hoping for it to be over before Junior Ring Ceremony, which is less than 2 weeks away. Just last week, Drill Co. received their "Tabs" and were fully recognized by their upperclassmen, but Band and Cavalry are still pushing to finish out strong. We'll have them when we're ready, though - we can't be too far off.

Til next time,

Will