The Naval Academy has a saying that your time here is divided into 3 parts. One third of your time here is plebe summer, the other is plebe year, and the final third is the rest of your time as a midshipman. With youngster year quickly coming to an end, never before has that saying resonated more with me. Plebe year felt like the longest year of my life and now I'm sitting here preparing to sign my life away for the next 7 years. This realization has caused me to do a good amount of reflecting on my experience as a 4/C midshipman, and so, I wanted to give some hope to all of you plebes itching to get your hands on a youngster stripe.
Trust me when I say plebe year is a marathon, but it is also one of the most worthwhile experiences you will ever have. Compare yourself now to the person you were right out of plebe summer; there has obviously been some changes. You've made lifelong friends, gained confidence, and experienced what Academy life is really like (unlike all of the hooyah that we brainwash you with over plebe summer).
However, at this point in the year most of you are probably stuck on the cynicism of still being a plebe. You're tired of morning workouts, chopping, squaring corners, chow calls, proquizzes, calling people ma'am/sir (especially for you Napsters and Priors who are probably older than most of your youngsters) and all of the other crap that comes along with being a plebe. I'm not going to lie to you, it sucks, and that's the way it is meant to be.
It took me becoming a training corporal this semester to truly understand the "why" behind plebe year. It is as much for your upperclass as it is for you. The Naval Academy is truly a "leadership workshop" and as you are all learning how to follow, we are learning how to lead. Nobody is perfect and everyone is trying to find their own leadership style. You will all be put in these situations before you know it, but trust me, it's harder to correct someone than you think. There are so many examples of good and bad leadership within the Brigade and I encourage you all to to look at all of these examples and take note of do's and don'ts for the future (keep a journal!).
Overall, I really encourage you guys to stick it through to the end. I was an example of a plebe who felt like I could class-up before it was time and I paid the consequences. Enjoy your time now, because I assure you that your class will never be closer than it is now, regardless of whether you are getting shotgunned or not. Although it may seem like you are always bogged down with pointless "plebe things", it is actually pretty easy to do what you need to do. Next year you will be youngsters, "the forgotten class". Nobody tells you what to do, when to do things, or how. It may sound like a piece of cake but responsibility is hard! Take all of the lessons (both good and bad) that plebe year has to offer and have them ready for use as soon as the fall comes around. I have no doubt that you all will make a great youngster class. I know that I look at the plebes in my company and I am so proud of the people they are becoming.
Good luck class of 2020, finish the race.
"The views expressed, [in this article] reflect personal opinions of the authors and do not reflect the official policy or position of the United States Naval Academy, the United States Navy, any federal agency, the Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government.”
