2nd Semester

Why did you come back?

We have constantly heard this question over the two weeks we've been back from winter break. Why did we choose to come back when we could have left all behind and gone to a normal college? Each one of us has our own reasons. We look back at the past six months and remember the experiences we've had.

Our left arms are stronger than our right. We all have the same first name...Cadet. We wake up at 0600 and bed time is at 2245. We have a course load that no other college can match. We will be going through the 3 hardest days of our lives only to receive a metal pin to stick on our hats which means we can wear our bookbags on our backs and talk on the terrazo.

I came back for the people. I have met people from all over the world and each has had different life experiences. The Academy is such a small community. While walking through the airport in my service dress I'm stopped by a United pilot. He says, "So I see they let you out of the zoo for a bit". I reply with a, "Yes Sir they did. What class are you?" He tells me that he is a '89 grad. He walks me to my next gate and I get bumped up to first class. I walk through the halls of Fairchild, our academic building, and I'm constantly greeted with a smile and how's your day by the majority of my classmates.

We're all here for one reason. To defend our country. We could care less that they call us America's best and brightest or we get 8 weeks of leave a year if we're lucky. We all came back to finish what we started. We came back because we want to graduate on a sunny day in May of 2012 and go out and defend the United States of America.