Induction day at the Naval Academy (photos)
Road Trip 2010: Every Naval Academy plebe must first make it past the loud demands of a wall of cadre, intent on breaking them down.
Yelling at the plebes
ANNAPOLIS, Md.--Thursday was I-Day, or Induction Day, at the U.S. Naval Academy here. That meant that more than 1,200 newbies showed up at the august school to begin their officer training. It also meant the beginning of four years of discipline and being yelled at when doing things wrong.
CNET Road Trip 2010 stopped in on I-Day to see how the Naval Academy's version compared to that of the U.S. Air Force Academy. And while there's yelling at both schools--as seen here--the Air Force Academy might have just a little bit more energy in the way they break in the newcomers.
Click here to read the related story on Induction Day at the U.S. Naval Academy. And click here to check out the entire Road Trip 2010 package.
Good-bye bags
Each of the new plebes brought a suitcase or a big backpack. But they won't see those bags again until the end of summer. Instead, they have a bag full of new clothes and shoes, and that's it for now.
Click here to read the related story on Induction Day at the U.S. Naval Academy. And click here to check out the entire Road Trip 2010 package.
Lining up
A group of new plebes lines up prior to beginning their Naval Academy careers.
Click here to read the related story on Induction Day at the U.S. Naval Academy. And click here to check out the entire Road Trip 2010 package.
Haircut
One of the first stops on I-Day is to get their heads shaved. Here, a plebe candidate is seen before going under the clippers.
Click here to read the related story on Induction Day at the U.S. Naval Academy. And click here to check out the entire Road Trip 2010 package.
Shorn
The barber has begun to work his magic.
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Already got war wounds
This plebe required three tries to draw blood from the medical corpsman who tends each newcomer. That fact left several senior members laughing riotously.
Click here to read the related story on Induction Day at the U.S. Naval Academy. And click here to check out the entire Road Trip 2010 package.
Reef Points
Each plebe candidate is given a copy of the Reef Points, a small blue book with the rules, regulations, and mores of the Navy and the Naval Academy. They are required to memorize the book as quickly as possible.
Click here to read the related story on Induction Day at the U.S. Naval Academy. And click here to check out the entire Road Trip 2010 package.
Getting a white sack
Each plebe picks up one of these white sacks in order to stuff all their new clothes, shoes, and sandals into.
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New socks
The new plebes get new socks and shoes, and here, we see two of them wearing the new socks.
Click here to read the related story on Induction Day at the U.S. Naval Academy. And click here to check out the entire Road Trip 2010 package.
Shoe boxes
After picking up two new pairs of shoes, the plebes must stuff the boxes they came in into their white sacks, along with everything else they've been given on I-Day.
Click here to read the related story on Induction Day at the U.S. Naval Academy. And click here to check out the entire Road Trip 2010 package.
Fitting for cover
They are also given a new hat, known as the "cover." Here, a plebe is fitted for her cover, to make sure it fits properly.
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Putting on the cover
The plebes are told the covers go on in a very specific way and with exactly two fingers' worth of room between their eyebrows and the brim. Here, a plebe tries to place the cover properly on his head.
Click here to read the related story on Induction Day at the U.S. Naval Academy. And click here to check out the entire Road Trip 2010 package.
Plebing the covers
Plebes no longer "hold their hats." They "plebe their covers," as seen here, with all five fingers spread out inside the brim.
Click here to read the related story on Induction Day at the U.S. Naval Academy. And click here to check out the entire Road Trip 2010 package.
Wearing canteens
Each plebe gets a canteen, which is hung off the back of their new uniforms.
Click here to read the related story on Induction Day at the U.S. Naval Academy. And click here to check out the entire Road Trip 2010 package.
Memorize the Reef Points
Memorizing the Reef Points is a very important task, particularly the pages spelled out here.
Click here to read the related story on Induction Day at the U.S. Naval Academy. And click here to check out the entire Road Trip 2010 package.
Studying
The plebes are supposed to study the Reef Points whenever they can and are told to hold the small books in a very specific manner, as seen here.
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Reef Points in pockets
The plebes are yelled at to put their Reef Points away as fast as possible, but many struggled to do so quickly.
Click here to read the related story on Induction Day at the U.S. Naval Academy. And click here to check out the entire Road Trip 2010 package.
Demonstrating a salute
Another important lesson is in how to salute the right way. Here, two members of the cadre demonstrate the proper method.
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Learning to salute
After the demonstration, the plebes try saluting and are yelled at if they get it wrong.
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Get a move on!
If they move too slow, or do something wrong, the plebes are yelled at.
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Off to the buses.
After learning the basics of saluting, it's off to the buses, which will take the new plebes to their dormitory.
Click here to read the related story on Induction Day at the U.S. Naval Academy. And click here to check out the entire Road Trip 2010 package.
Filing in
Later in the day, the nearly 1,300 new plebe candidates emerge from the Naval Academy dormitory and file into their seats to take their oath of office.
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Fly-over
The oath of office ceremony is taken seriously and merits a fly-over by two F/A-18Es.
Click here to read the related story on Induction Day at the U.S. Naval Academy. And click here to check out the entire Road Trip 2010 package.
Oath of office
The plebe candidates and their cadre leadership prepare for the oath of office.
Click here to read the related story on Induction Day at the U.S. Naval Academy. And click here to check out the entire Road Trip 2010 package.