By Cadet Peltier
My Tuesday actually begins on Monday night. After finishing up my homework, I get all the pieces of my Airman Battle Uniform (ABU) together. Socks, combat boots, blouse, undershirt, pants, belt, and patrol cap are all looked over for any loose threads that may have appeared since last week. I also make sure that every pocket is fully buttoned. Thankfully, my roommate is also an AFROTC cadet, so we swap uniforms and double check each other’s work. Then, I hang everything up, and head to the shower. After that, my roommate and I each drink a bottle of water while watching TV for an hour or so, then go to bed by 10:30.
At 5:40 the next morning, my alarm starts to go off. I try to switch the song that wakes me up every two weeks, just to make sure I don’t hate one song for waking me up. I sit there with my eyes shut until my roommate turns the lights on, which forces me out of bed. I head into the bathroom and shave. I put my uniform on, make sure my neighbors, who are also AFROTC cadets are ready, and we head out together by 6:05 AM at the latest. Thankfully, Leadership Lab is just across the street in Beyer Gym.
After we arrive, everyone signs in on the attendance roster, and starts to look over each other’s uniforms to make sure everything is perfect. Finally, our Flight Commanders give us the call to go towards our spots for Opening Ceremonies. Opening Ceremonies also mark the beginning of Leadership Lab, at exactly 6:30 AM. After Opening Ceremonies are concluded, we’re usually given a short briefing, and then we begin Drill and Ceremonies. This includes marching around the gym, as well as sometimes outdoors. At 7:50 AM, Leadership Lab is over. I now have ten minutes to walk across campus, all the way over to Physics Hall, and go to my Physics Lab. After Physics Lab, I go to my Technology Systems Management class, where I’m learning how to draft 3-D objects on the computer. While the class is supposed to last a full 2 hours, my partner and I always work diligently so we finish by 11 AM. From there I head to the Armory, where I meet a few other cadets and we go grab lunch. Most of the time it’s as simple as grabbing a sandwich from Design Café in the Design Building, and eating it back at the Armory.
After lunch, I head back to my dorm room. I grab a duffel bag and a change of clothes, in preparation for later that day. I drop my bag off at the Armory, and head over to my English class, which begins at 2:10 PM. After an hour and a half of English, I return to the Armory. I grab my duffel bag, and head over to my final class of the day, which begins at 4:10 PM, and ends at 5:30 PM. After class is finished, I head of to the Lied Rec center, swipe my card to get in, and go the locker room to change. Then, I head over to the back of the building, where the Drill Team is practicing. From 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM, we work hard to master our routine, which revolves around spinning rifles. After we finish, the majority of the team grabs dinner together at Conversations Dining Center. We joke around, and end up having a great time. After that, I head back to the Armory to get my homework done. By about 10:00 PM, I head back to my dorm, in order to get my uniform ready for Physical Training the next morning.