Flying High....

Imagine flying at 1,500 ft in the air. Sitting in one of the seats of a blackhawk helicopter. Well the cadets did fly in one, they flew in one at the Vermont Air National Guard. The U.S army was so kind to let us fly in three of there four blackhawks. We were in the air for 22 mins soaring high in the sky. The funny thing about this event is the cadets got into buses and they did not know where they were going but they knew they were going some place good. When they arrived to the guard they went inside and saw the helicopters just sitting there waiting to be turned on and transport some cadets. As the encampment was briefed on some minor details some Air Force F-16's flew right over us and taxied right by us. There were also some C-130's takeing off. All around this experience was one in a lifetime. When all the flights were done we went to the guards cafe and had some lunch and then we were on our way back to the Norwich Campus. As we got back we went to the obstacle course and all the flights went through that a few times doing all the different team building tasks. After that we went back to the barracks we changed into our P.T's and we went on our way to dinner. We went to bed thinking about the days events.

Get down and dirty....

We did our daily routine once again we woke up did P.T went back to the barracks showered and marched to breakfast. After breakfast we went to opening formation for the ceremony of bringing the flag up with the basic encampment color guard. After that we went to our first class it was the PB & J class where the class tried to teach someone who never knew how to make a peanut and butter jelly sandwich. After this we march over behind the readiness center to repel and do the obstacle course. We did the 8O ft repel downt to the ground and then the best part came we did the o-course. The first part is where we crawled through the mud and our faces deep in the dirt after that we ran to several other obstacles that required some teamwork to get over. The flights were so dirty that they got to get rinsed off by the hose at the armory. We went to lunch and later dinner. We ended off the night exhausted and waiting to go to bed. The cadets are in for something really interesting tomorrow that they do not even know about. So we will let you know when it happens.

Fourth Day....

As we went to bed the night before doing our normal routine we fell asleep and again were awoken. When we were awoken we were awoken by the usual motivational yelling to make us move faster. We went through breakfast and opening formation. After opening we marched down to Sharpiro Field house not knowing what we were doing only that we had our shoes in our hand and boots on our feet. We walked in and there were these four huge rock climbing walls stood. One of the walls being the hardest and one of the walls being the easiest. NCOA was first to do the rockclimbing wall. After it was Alpha and so on. We finished up with the rock walls and later marched over to lunch and then class. After we went down to class and learned about JROTC and future military careers and also the core values of Civil Air Patrol. The day ended with closing formation, the flag being brought downdown and eating our last meal of the day dinner. After dinner we went down to one last class in Cabot 285. After the class we had personal time and bedtime. We went to bed thinking about the next days events and for the mornings P.T.

Second Day...

As we went to bed at 0930 awaiting for a full day tomorrow we were suddenly awokein at 1200 by the alarms and flashing lights. It was a fire drill and as we were leaving the barracks we covered ourselves and a blanket just in case for the falling debris we were protected. When we got the okay we went back to bed and awoke to yelling and command staff getting us out for P.T. We marched down to the lower parade ground to later be split into three groups. The groups were hotel, golf,x-ray, and x-ray being the hardest. When we were done we marched back up to our barracks to get ready for opening formation, and breakfast. After all this we later found out that we were going to the swimming pool for a water survival class. In the class we learned how to stay afloat with our BDU pants, and blouses. The drill Sgt also showed us the three survival strokes which were the breast stroke, side stroak, and back stroak. We also got some free time in the pool to jump off the diving board and meet new people. When are fun had to come to a end we went back to the barracks in preparation for classes and organized sports. We marched down to the baseball field to play kickball and release any more of our energy. We concluded our day with some flight time, showering and going to bed.

NCOA Cadets perspective....

Overall so far, NCOA has been a challenging and an informative experience. From wakeup to retreat, the encampment staff keep you focused and motivated. However, it is a different experience compared to basic encampment. In basic encampment, cadets are tought the fundementals of followership, wheras in NCOA, the more experienced cadets learn how to lead as well. Throughout the day, cadets participate in physical training, drill, and leadership classes. The leadership classes strain the leader-follower relationship and teach you the basics of drilling or otherwise leading a flight.

Currently, it is day 2 of our encampment experience. Our flight is already exhausted, but our motivation is still high

First Day

In processing was and is an intense and grueling process. As the cadets were sent through the improcessing line they were shuffled into a van and brought up to the upper parade ground. As the van stopped in the middle of the grounds they were met by the cadet staff rushing them through the parade grounds to find out the information on what flight they were in, what room, and who is there command staff. When improcessing was done and everyone was in the barracks the cadets marched down to the readiness center and were welcomed by Lt. Blais the commander of the encampment and Colonel Bellingham who is the cadet commander of the encampment. All of the staff were introduced to the encampment and the cadets were briefed on basic rules and regulations for the ten days that they will be spending on the Norwich University campus. When the breifing was done the cadets later marched up to the newly renovated cafeteria and had dinner.