Snapshots of My Summer

The main entrance to the Academy

Last summer two major things happened, both military related. The first was my week long visit to the US Naval Academy in June. From June 15 until June 20 I was lucky enough to be a part of the Academy's Summer Seminar program. Summer Seminar is a summer camp put on by the Academy to let prospective candidates spend an extended period of time on the Yard (The Academy's campus) to see what life as a midshipman is like. We stayed in the same dorms, ate the same food, went to some of the same classes, and did many of the same things actual midshipmen do. 

Before attending Summer Seminar, I was considering the academy, but afterwards, it became my number one choice. I loved everything about it: the military structure, the campus, the people, and the food. I was Bravo Company, First Platoon, First Squad. I developed great relationships with my squad mates, and we still keep in touch.

McDonald, Lindsey, and me after graduation

The second military-related thing I did last summer was attend an advanced Sea Cadet training: UCOIN. UCOIN, or Urban Counter-Insurgency training, was a seventeen day long training held at Camp Atterbury Joint-Maneuver Training Center in Indiana. It was modeled after the seventeen week long Seal platoon pre-deployment build-up. We survived off two hours of sleep a night and 1000 calories a day. It was one of the hardest things I have ever done. This being said, it was also one of the most rewarding things I have ever done. The sixteen cadets at the training became closer than brothers. I would do anything for those guys, and they would all say the same. 

Last summer I learned a lot about myself, the military, and what I want to do with my future. I learned that I can push myself farther than I think I can.I learned how much brotherhood and camaraderie are a part of the military, and how I feel surprisingly at home in the military culture. I hope I can return to the Academy next June to fully join the culture.