Freshman year of college is hard. Freshman year at a military college is brutal. Any Plebe, Rook, Rat or Knob can attest to this. For those who are dubbed Rooks, they will have a special challenge of earning the title "cadet" at a small school in the mountains of Vermont known as Norwich University. The training that Rooks go through is named "Rookdom," and it's not easy.
Rooks are split into their six companies, each containing three platoons of thirty individuals. Once they get to school, their cell phones, access to social media, music, movies and normal clothes are gone. They get one, 10-minute phone call a week. Wake up is at 0530 and lights out is at 2200. Rooks are to attend different types of training, participate in extracurriculars, maintain room and uniform standards and balance a heavy college course load.
People ask why anyone would do this and "sacrifice" their freshman year of college. It's not a sacrifice. It's a choice to challenge yourself more, set a new moral compass and push yourself to be physically and mentally stronger than before. Some students attend Norwich because they want to join the military, or are already serving in the military and want to attend a military school, or simply want a challenge.
Every platoon loses people, the ones that stay are with you from arrival to the end of freshman year. You'll cry, laugh, study and sweat with them. They aren't just bunk mates, they're family. You will spend every waking moment with them, from breakfast to bed time. For the next three years and after graduation, they're family. Come holiday dinners, platoons will work together to make sure they're sitting together. If someone is stuck at school over a break, it's guaranteed they'll be welcomed into a rook siblings home like they've lived there their whole life. If someone has a graduation from basic training and might be alone if someone is near by, they'll pack up the car to make sure their rook sibling doesn't graduate without someone to see. Memories and inside jokes are made, and relationships that will last long after graduation are built. They aren't your friends simply because you see them every day, but rather because you went through great trials and triumphs together.
Each platoon has it's own set of cadre, cadets who are juniors in college who make sure that each Rook understands and maintains the standard of the Corps. Cadre can sometimes make or break your day, and it's up to your rook siblings to be there for you, for better or worse. Your cadre are your mentors and you'll find yourself looking up to them even if they're hard on you. They're your example of how to be a cadet, a student and a leader. After Rookdom ends, you'll continue to learn from them. They're basically parents, they put you to bed, march you to dinner, talk to you about classes and make sure you're safe. If someone stabs themselves through their thumb with a name tag or nose starts gushing blood, their cadre will make sure they get mended. They give up their free time to make sure their platoon is sharp. Your cadre are the ones who will wake you up with kicking doors and whistles to be "recognized", signifying the end of Rookdom and earning your freedoms back as well as your place in the corps.
You'll find yourself even missing your rook siblings or cadre whenever you go on breaks. Coming home for Christmas shows how much you've changed and how much everyone from your high school probably didn't. Everyone is doing the same thing and living the same life. My cadre said to me, "When you get home, some of you might realize that your old friends might not like you anymore, or might just... kind of suck." Their statement was true, I probably have two or three friends at home now. The rest didn't didn't care and some just grew apart. It shows have you now have a better sense of integrity, a different outlook on life, a large appreciation for the little things, and the new bonds you've made.
Going home for summer might no longer be appealing. Home might just not be a location, but maybe certain people. These are the people you will count on in combat, the ones that you won't only place trust in, but faith as well. You know that no matter where you are or what you are doing, they are behind you one hundred percent of the way. You train together, live together, eat together, succeed and fail together. They will be the ones to carry you miles on their back if you're wounded in combat, and will hold your hand through the hardships of life and war. It has been said that there is something different about Norwich cadets, and this is the reason that Norwich is chosen over a normal school. You will find people who are truly selfless for a greater good sitting next to you, and whether you're in Rookdom or a combat zone, will sacrifice everything to make sure the mission is complete. That is why going to a military school is not a "sacrifice," but rather an honor and privilege.
