Plebe summer

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Plebe Summer is the summer training program which is required of all incoming freshmen to the United States Naval Academy. The program lasts approximately 7 weeks and consists of rigorous physical and mental training. The stated purpose of Plebe Summer according to the Academy is to "turn civilians into midshipmen".^[1]

1 Induction Day
2 First Session
3 2nd Session
4 Brigade Reform
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Induction Day

The Oath of Office^[2]

Plebe Summer begins at the end of June or the beginning of July, and is called Induction Day (also referred to as Indoctrination Day), known around the yard as "I-Day". On Induction Day, all the Plebes show up to Alumni Hall at the Academy, time staggered by their last names, and say their final good byes to their parents. Upon entering Alumni Hall they are greeted by the upper-class trainers, known as Cadre, who immediately begin the military indoctrination process by requiring the Plebes to address them with Sir or Ma'am 'sandwiches.' (i.e. Sir, yes, sir) Each Plebe is assigned an "Alpha Number" which is their identifying serial number that they will use for the rest of their Academy career. The Plebes line up throughout Alumni Hall to receive their myriad of standard issue gear which includes several uniforms, combat boots, running sneakers and a copy of Reef Points (the book which the Plebes will become very familiar with over the course of the summer). All the male Plebes have their hair shaved off by Navy barbers and the females have their hair cut to a length which is considered up to military specifications (also known as being "Sat")^[3]. The Plebes are next put through a series of medical examinations and vaccinations until they arrive at the back door of Alumni Hall where they are taught the proper technique for saluting. During this time, the parents of the Plebes are given a glimpse of the summer that their son or daughters will be going through in the form of a presentation by an administrator of the Academy. After the Plebes are done at Alumni Hall they are put onto buses and brought to Bancroft Hall, which is the massive dorm style barracks which will remain their home for the next four years. The Plebes are divided into 15 different companies, Alpha through Papa (there is no Juliet or "J" company in the U.S. Military as the letter "J" appears to be an "I" when written by hand in script)^[4]. The companies are not changed for the entire summer and will compete against each other for performance points. Each Company is divided into two platoons of approximately 40 plebes each. Each platoon is divided into 4 squads of approximately 10 plebes. The final public portion of Induction Day is the "Oath of Office" Ceremony which occurs at 1800 hours. During this ceremony the entire class of Plebes is sworn into the Navy (as active duty midshipmen) by the Commandant of Midshipmen. After this ceremony the Plebes are introduced to their trainers for the summer, referred to as Cadre, and their summer begins with a night of being yelled at and running around the decks of Bancroft Hall.

[edit] First Session

The first half of Plebe Summer is known to the Plebes as "First Session". The first session is dedicated to the basics of familiarizing the incoming Plebes with military life. The Plebes take classes on Naval Leadership, Honor, Naval Warfare and Tactics, Rank Structure and the Unified Chain of Command ^[3].The Plebes are also required to begin memorizing much of the information in their copies of Reef Points. This required knowledge is known at the Academy as the "Rates". The Plebe's Rates consist of knowledge of the enlisted and officer ranks of all branches in the military, proficiency in the NATO phonetic alphabet, information on all current Navy and Marine Corps ships and aircraft, and certain quotes which promote esprit de corps.

Noon Meal Formation during Plebe Summer^[5]

An example of one of the quotes that the Plebes are required to memorize verbatim to promote esprit de corps is the following quote,

It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or how the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself on a worthy cause; who at the best in the end knows the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.

—Theodore Roosevelt , "The Man in the Arena"

The Plebes learn to live based on the "Plan of the Day", a planned list of activities (all mandatory of course) which the Plebes will experience each day. The Plebes' days begin at 5:45 in the morning (referred to as 0545 hours) as they are loudly awoken by the cadre and escorted to a field where they participate in PEP (Physical Education Program) ^[3]. PEP consists of various calisthenics and a regimental run in which all the platoons of plebes run in formation for several miles.

A Regimental Run during PEP^[6]

After PEP, the Plebes go to morning meal formation and then morning meal itself (referred to as morning chow) where they are quizzed on their "rates" as they eat their food. The Plebes have company formations before every meal during which accountability (attendance) is taken and uniform inspections given. The formation before noon meal is a massive regimental formation which is held in front of Bancroft Hall for the tourists to see^[3]. Most tourists assume they are visiting on a special day because of the ceremony involved in noon meal formations which includes marching and music from the Pipes and Drums band. The rest of the average daily schedule is comprised of various physical activities in addition to numerous classes on Naval oriented study. On most days the Plebes practice marching in formation with their issued rifles (the M14 rifle) in what is called "Close Order Drill". Every night of Plebe summer ends the same way: 30 min of free time to write letters followed by the singing of the Navy Blue and Gold before mandatory lights out at 2145 ^[3].

[edit] 2nd Session

The Plebes are certified in Rifle and Pistol proficiency at the nearby firing range in Naval Station Annapolis using the M-16A2 rifle and M-9 Standard issue sidearm^[7]

The second half of Plebe Summer (known as 2nd session) is focused on transforming the new Plebes into valuable members of the Brigade of Midshipmen. At this point in the summer, the Plebes are assumed to be familiarized with military life and have a firm grasp on their "rates", so the detailers concentrate on further polishing the Plebes' abilities for the upcoming year^[3].

Plebes are also given training in Marine Corps Martial arts, boxing and wrestling^[8]

The obstacle course and "Endurance Course" are also part of the curriculum for the second session of Plebe Summer^[9]^[3]

Most of the Plebes have memorized Reef Points from cover to cover and have the ability to recite any of that information when questioned by the detailers. Typically, this questioning on the Plebes' rates occurs during meals and in between planned activities in order to test the Plebes' ability to remember important information in stressful situations^[10]. Questions can vary but an example would be reciting the weapons forward to aft on a specific Naval vessel. When the second session begins there is a turnover of detailers (each company receives an entirely new set of trainers) to prevent fraternization between the plebes and their superiors. During the second session, the Plebes begin attending lectures by several notable military speakers such as Jim Lovell, James Webb and Joseph Galloway. These lectures are called Forrestal Lectures named after former Secretary of Defense James Forrestal. The lectures are aimed at instilling a sense of honor in the Plebes^[11]. Official parades are commonly held every week to provide the town of Annapolis with a glimpse of the new class and also to solidify the Plebes' drill ability.

Close Order Drill Instruction^[12]

The end of Plebe Summer is marked by the culminating event known as Plebe Force Exercises (PFOREX). PFOREX is meant to test the Plebes both mentally and physically before they join the rest of the Brigade as Midshipmen in the coming school year. The exact events of the Plebe Challenge are kept secret from the public but what is revealed is that the day begins at 0400 (4am) and does not end until about 2200 (10pm). Officially, Plebe Summer is completed the next day as the Plebe class marches onto the parade field in their dress uniforms for the Reform Parade. Although Plebe Summer is over at this point, it also marks the beginning of Plebe year, which is just as rigorous as Plebe Summer but with the added challenge of academic classes^[3].

[edit] Brigade Reform

A few days after Parents Weekend, the Brigade of Midshipmen returns to full strength. All upper-class must be back on the yard and at their company areas for "Reform Formation". Unfortunately for the Plebes this means that the ratio of Upper-class to Plebes jumps up to 3:1. Reform presents the Plebes with a glimpse of what they will be enduring throughout the school year as it is the given mission of the upper-class to assist in "training" the Plebes. For the rest of the year, the Plebes will be viewed upon as second class citizens by the rest of the Brigade of Midshipmen, who make it a point to "flame" on any Plebe who is not doing his or her job correctly (verbally castigate in order to improve the performance of the Plebe) ^[3]