Six weeks of hard work, determination and fatigue tested the mettle of every new cadet in the U.S. Military Academy Class of 2030. When it was done, they passed their final test of the summer by completing the 12-mile March Back on Aug. 10 to finish Cadet Basic Training (CBT) and accomplish their first milestone at West Point.
Leading the way on the final march from Lake Frederick to the Victor Constant Ski Slope then to Central Area was this year’s best CBT cadet company, Hotel Company, who embodied the class’s motto, “Strong and Sturdy.”
Two new cadets from Hotel Company, Class of 2030 Cadets Hannah Gilman and Zach Poe, shared their experiences during their respite at the Ski Slope before stepping off for the final two miles, where cheering family, friends and community members welcomed them along Washington Road.
Gilman, who is from Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and daughter of USMA 1995 graduate, Scott Gilman, had a ‘gap’ year before she arrived at the academy for R-Day on June 29.
She completed a year of ROTC at the University of Kansas and prior to that went on a mission trip to Australia, Nepal and Indonesia to mainly teach English. Those experiences helped prepare her for six weeks of CBT.
Within those six weeks, Gilman learned plenty about herself and her ability to overcome obstacles placed in front of her.
“It taught me that I’m a lot more capable of things than I think I am,” Gilman explained. “In the beginning, I thought that failure was the stopping point, but it’s just the beginning point of how you learn to overcome those obstacles and truly where you’re able to grow as soon as that failure happens.
“Over these past six weeks,” she added, “I’ve learned that I shouldn’t be afraid of failure, but I should embrace it and learn from it.”
Poe came to the academy from Austin, Texas, after spending one year at Georgia Military College after being denied entrance to West Point the previous year. He received a civil prep offer by the West Point Association of Graduates, and it turned out to be an ‘amazing’ year for him.
In that year, he learned about the Army and earned the marks needed to be accepted into the academy. He learned about overcoming his own obstacles in that time, but CBT extended that learning curve.
“I learned a lot about myself and others,” Poe stated. “For example, you’re not alone in this experience. Being able to look at your peers and go through the experience together and lift each other up – it means a lot.
“There were times where I was too hard on myself, but I had my battle buddies there to lift me up,” he added. “Sometimes, it was a little uncomfortable, but that support from them was invaluable and just amazing.”
As Gilman, who plans to try out for Women’s Army Rugby when the academic year begins, became assimilated into the training environment, she felt the camaraderie was the best part of the experience. She felt at ease knowing that so many people from the cadet cadre to the officers and NCOs out in the field were there to help them “become future leaders” and work as a team.
“I can only be as good as my weakest link, so I learned [that] it’s not just about me being the best, it’s really about every person in my platoon,” Gilman said. “Being the best CBT company, we learned a lot about how it works to lift each other up, push each other on the ruck marches, and help each other study knowledge.
“I remember a lot of us had to push all night until some of our comrades would finish their knowledge book,” she added. “We would not stop until everyone was on the same level. I learned what it took to just make sure everyone upholds the standard and we do everything together.”
Throughout the summer, Gilman said she would look to her right and left and that there would be someone to help her. The toughest part was laying down her pride and being humble enough to ask for help when needed because “I can’t do this alone.”
Working as a cohesive group led them to become the best company through Beast Barracks, although it didn’t come without difficulties.
“It’s a cool story because during Beast I, we were actually one of the bottom companies, so it took us time to learn to rely on each other,” Gilman said about the first three weeks of CBT. “We were very individual, and we struggled because we didn’t keep our buddies accountable. However, during Beast II, we saw everyone come together and look out for each other.
“We really became a family, and I think that’s why we won best company because it wasn’t about first or second platoon,” she continued. “It was like we were a company and it wasn’t individualized. We became best company because we became one unit.”
Best company is determined by a combination of factors, from Army Fitness Test scores, and rifle marksmanship scores to how a company performs at the Crucible, formations being squared away and making sure your group is on time for LMTV pickups for the field.
Like Gilman, Poe, who is trying out for Army Sprint Football, said the company had rough patches at the beginning but came together seamlessly to ultimately make it all work.
“The first few weeks were shaky,” Poe stated. “We were being yelled at all the time, but once we got the hang of it, our synergy fused, and we had good team chemistry. We were able to get things done because we held each other accountable.
“It’s so rewarding to know that our hard work paid off in the end,” Poe added. “We owe it to the cadre because they taught us everything we know, and then we also owe it to each other. We did this together. It was no one person. It was a unity effort to achieve what we did throughout the summer, and it’s incredible. I’m really proud of everybody.”