While most high school graduates are enjoying a summer of leisure and fun, Caitlin March and Leigh Rosenberger are gearing up for the "beast."
The two best friends are headed for West Point June 30 to start eight weeks of basic training, dubbed the "beast," before classes start in the fall.
Both girls want to give back to their country through service in the military, even though facing vigorous basic training is nerve racking at best.
During the Manheim Township High School senior awards ceremony May 21, Col. Peter J. Ross announced their appointment to West Point. About 13,000 students apply to West Point each year. Less than 10 percent are admitted, he wrote in a press release.
March, daughter of Catherine and Jeffrey March, and Rosenberger, daughter of Pamela and Leo Rosenberger, received their nominations from U.S. Rep. Joseph Pitts, R-16th. Rosenberger was recruited for swimming and March for academics.
The vast majority of students who wish to attend the United States Military Academy in West Point, N.Y., must receive an appointment from their senator, congressman, or the vice president. By law, a congressman may only appoint two students per year.
The two have been training for the summer of boot camp they say is the toughest they'll face in their military careers. Once they finish, the two will start classes as freshmen, or plebes — a test in its own right, they said.
Military academies award few rights to plebes, they said. In fact, they'll be at the mercy of older students who can demand push ups on the spot or hand out hours that plebes fulfill by walking back and forth in a common area for the designated number of hours.
"We'll probably have to walk on the side of the hallways with our arms straight down, hands fisted," March said. "You know to keep your head down or upperclassmen might get in your face."
"They break you down before they build you up," Rosenberger said.
March agreed, explaining that everyone accepted to West Point comes from the top of his or her high school class. "They are used to being at the top so when you have them all come together, you need to break them down before you build them up.
"You just need a good attitude to get through the first year," March, a self-professed girly-girl said.
So why the desire to attend a military academy instead of a college? Rosenberger said her grandfather attended the Virginia Military Institute and preached to all his grandchildren to attend.
"The males in my family always went there. My mom always dreamed of her daughter in a military academy. Once I visited West Point, I knew that's where I wanted to go," she said.
March, who thought her best friend was headed for the Naval Academy, said she started looking at schools, but nothing clicked. "I had good grades so I knew I could go wherever I was looking, except Ivy League schools. My grades weren't that good," she said.
"I'm thankful for all I've been given, so when I visited West Point, I knew there was no better way to give back than going there.
"It would be a remarkable gift if people remembered me as an ethical person," she said.
The two chuckle about attending the academy together. "When we were younger, we decided not to go to the same school because we are best friends. We thought we needed to do our own thing," March said.
Rosenberger, who will swim for West Point, said she loves the swim coach and the support she receives from everyone there. "They all want you to succeed as long as you try," she said.
"They [recruiting students] say in the first four to six weeks you're there, you learn more about yourself than you have in the past 18 years," March said. "It's all really exciting."
"It's a bit intimidating at first," Rosenberger admitted. "But you meet people that have been there and see that you can do it."
The academy admits between 1,150 and 1,200 students each year, according to the school's Web site. March said each must have confidence in themselves to succeed.
"The drop out rate is about 20 percent," she said. "I was told not to drop out during the "beast" because the school year is much different."
The women cadets, about 18 percent of the class, must complete everything the men do. The only exception, according to the West Point Web site, is a self-defense course in place of boxing for first-year women.
"We have a rock march where we carry a 50-pound backpack," Rosenberger said. "But we aren't the same size," she chuckled.
Rosenberger is 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighs 140 pounds. March is a slight 5 feet 3 inches tall and weighs only 115 pounds.
Both said they look forward to living up to the code that says cadets won't lie, cheat or steal, or tolerate others who do.
"They live by this," March said. "I was told you could leave a $20 bill on your lunch table and come back two days later and it will still be there."
As they prepare to start their journey, March said she tries to remember that all upperclassmen were plebes at one time. "I got some great advice: Don't take it personally; don't feel sorry for yourself; and maintain a sense of humor. I plan to follow that."
Cris Foehlinger is a staff writer for the Sunday News. Her e-mail address is cfoehlinger@lnpnews.com.
