The fog hung over West Point as cadet candidates arrived early in the morning on Monday for Reception Day at the U.S. Military Academy Preparatory School. 

Two hundred ten cadet candidates arrived over the course of three drop off times in the morning hours. Of the 210 cadet candidates, 21 come from active duty and 23 from U.S. Army Reserve Command while 106 are recruited athletes. The demographics of the USMAPS Class of 2022 group includes 70 African Americans, 32 Hispanics and 26 females. 

For the cadet candidates who arrived in a ʽfog,ʼ it was a whirlwind experience on day one that no matter the adversity, it sets them up for the next stage in their journey.

“I remember that excitement and nervousness that I know these cadet candidates are feeling this morning,” said Class of 2022 Cadet Sarah Guzzo, battalion commander for Cadet Candidate Basic Training, as she reminisced about her R-Day experience entering the U.S. Military Academy. 

Guzzo added, “It’s part sadness for leaving their families, but excitement for starting their new journey and transition from civilian to Soldier.”
It was an emotional scene as the cadet candidates said their goodbyes and hugged their families before loading onto the buses and heading off for check-in and inprocessing. 

Class of 2023 Cadet Jeremiah Garrett, squad leader for a group of 10 incoming cadet candidates, spoke of the importance of motivation that he hopes the cadet candidates will bring with them, both throughout their R-Day experience and through CCBT. 

Garrett noted that the most difficult part of CCBT is “the transition from civilian to Soldier, learning a new lifestyle, and gaining new values and morals.” 
As a former prepster, he sympathizes with the cadet candidates and urges them to find motivation within themselves.

 
“If you’re motivated, the motivation will get you through,” Garrett said as he watched groups of cadet candidates acquire their gear and learn the basics of cadet life. 

Guzzo added that they have “already seen a few CC’s who are incredibly motivated” and she hopes they are able to maintain their positive attitude throughout CCBT in the coming days. 

Garrett offered an additional piece of advice, “It’s OK to fail,” while Guzzo added that their battalion motto is “Better every day.” 

Guzzo said that it’s OK to make mistakes, but “we don’t want to make the same mistakes again. We want to get better every day.” 

Both Garrett and Guzzo emphasized the role that teamwork plays, specifically in the context of the First 100 Yards approach, which was developed in 2020 by senior noncommissioned officers of the 198th Infantry Brigade, a unit that conducts Infantry One-Stations Unit Trainings, to teach new recruits to work together from the minute they are put together as a team. 

“Work together to accomplish your mission,” Guzzo said. “Don’t let your squad fail.”

 
Guzzo added that learning to work effectively as a team, accomplishing their missions together, learning from their failures, and getting better every day, is where the cadet candidates will accomplish the most self-growth, hopefully resulting in their admission into USMA after their year at USMAPS.