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As a still-uninitiated parent of a West Point plebe, I am more than a little in awe of what the U.S. Army has done with over a thousand 18-year-olds fresh out of high school. In six weeks of basic training, our son, along with other new cadets, was challenged in ways I could never have foreseen. He learned how to salute, stand at attention, and march in step with his company. He learned how to be on time. He was introduced to M-16s, hand grenades, tactical marches, and long days that began at 5 a.m. He continues to learn what it is to follow orders down to the most seemingly inconsequential detail.

I live near West Point and just about every July 4th, we go to the the USMA to for the introduction of the freshman class, band concert, and one of the best fireworks display around. At this point, the plebes have been plebes for only a few days, and have barely broken in their dress gray slacks and white shirts. The entire class marches into the Trophy Point Amphitheater. Some of them look scared because they only learned to march the day before and are afraid of making a mistake and embarrassing their unit. The next morning, all the plebes head to the hills surrounding the Academy for six weeks of intense basic training. When they return to campus at the end of August, they return as a different person. They know how to march, and they know the meaning of leadership and dicipline.

For those of you who have never been to West Point, I highly recommend a visit during football season. Get there early and go watch the parade, as 4000 cadets in dress grays march out from the barracks and put on a show that will send chills down your spine.