Finally, the day is almost here. Red Phase for new cadets ends this Saturday. I can’t believe it’s already been 5 weeks since the start of New Cadet week and Red Phase. Time has gone by so fast and now the Caldwell March is already upon us. The Caldwell March is kind of like a rite of passage signifying new cadets becoming cadets in the corps. Virginia Tech was originally called the Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College. When it first opened on October 1, 1872, the 1^st student to register was William Addison Caldwell, and he happened to register as a cadet. Now, to register as a student he had to walk a total of 26 miles from his home to the campus. As a tradition, new cadets now walk in his footsteps. This Saturday we will march the 1^st 13 miles of the trail he took to get here. We complete the rest of the journey at the end of the year, signifying we made it through the 1^st year without dropping the program. But you have no idea how good it feels that I will now be considered a member of the corps. I will no longer be a new cadet in training. Don’t get me wrong, because I am still a freshman I still won’t have very many privileges. I still have to be in uniform all day, sound off to upperclassmen, and have room and uniform inspections. But that’s just White phase. I mean they can’t make it easy for freshman the rest of the year. Now my next goal is to earn the title Deuce Deuce. As a member of Training Company 2-2, we have a chance to earn this prestigious title. It’s a title of honor that no other TC in the regiment can receive. To earn it, my TC and I have to be the best. We have to be the loudest, the strongest, the most dedicated, and the most motivated. Motivation is the single most important thing to the corps. We have to show the cadre, the upperclassmen, and Officers that we want to be here, that we belong here. We have a tradition of excellence to live up to.

                Not only will I become a member of the corps this Saturday, but I am officially a member of the Air Force ROTC. To become a member of the Air Force ROTC we had to pass the PFA, or the physical fitness assessment. I took it this morning and I’m proud to say that I passed. I maxed out on sit-ups and I set a new PR, or personal record, for my mile and a half time. Now that I’ve passed, I’ve earned my Air Force PT gear. This may not mean that much to you, but to us it means a lot. It means we’ve earned our place among the upperclassmen. People in the military grow a bond with each other that is closer than family, and to be a part of that, after all my hard work, just means the world to me.