thedrifter
07-17-09, 07:55 AM
R-MA cadets receive a taste of military life at summer seminars
By M.K. Luther -- mkluther@nvdaily.com
FRONT ROYAL -- What 17-year-old Randolph-Macon Academy cadet Mary Sadler is most proud of from summer vacation is that she never shed a tear.
Sadler and fellow R-MA cadet Zach French spent their vacation getting a taste of real life in the Navy, Air Force and Marines.
Sadler, a rising senior and the daughter of R-MA Commandant Gary Sadler, attended the Naval Academy summer seminar in Annapolis, Md., in June and endured the same rigors of military life that incoming Naval Academy midshipmen do.
"I learned I could push myself a lot more," Sadler said. "I didn't think I could go through all of that -- I was pretty proud of myself when I didn't cry."
French, 17, an R-MA rising senior who has achieved the rank of chief master sergeant, did double duty during his summer break, attending the Air Force Academy summer seminar in Colorado Springs, Colo., in June and the Marine JROTC Honor Camp in Pennsylvania in July.
"I wanted to go for a long time," French said. "This would give me a rough picture of what it would be like to go there."
Sadler joined 750 other teens, national and international students hailing from both public high schools and military preparatory schools, at the Naval Academy summer seminar for the June session. The students worked with squad and battalion leaders in their platoons, waking up at 5 a.m. each day and going through rigorous physical training exercises.
"I definitely had to prepare myself for it," Sadler said. "R-MA is not that hard on the physical side of it."
French said the Marine JROTC camp also emphasized the physical aspect of service training, with physical training every morning, outdoor hikes, rock rappelling and whitewater rafting.
"You had to be physically fit," French said. "It was tough, but it was a lot of fun, too."
At the Air Force Academy seminar, French said students attended two four-hour-long classes a day, including a diplomatic simulation course which was similar to R-MA's model United Nations program.
Sadler also attended three classes a day, in subjects ranging from Chinese to photography, which were selected based on the online seminar application.
"They didn't make us do all the things you would do during plebe summer," Sadler said. "But it gave me an idea of what it would be like."
Sadler took the physical test required before entrance into the Naval Academy.
"It was difficult," Sadler said. "But it showed me the different levels I could go through."
Sadler said she first became interested in attending the Naval Academy after seeing the close bond her brother formed at The Citadel in Charleston, S.C. Despite the self-described "battle wounds" Sadler received, the seminar did not deter her interest in applying to the Naval Academy after graduation.
"After it was all finished, I looked back and it was kind of fun," Sadler said.
Ellie
By M.K. Luther -- mkluther@nvdaily.com
FRONT ROYAL -- What 17-year-old Randolph-Macon Academy cadet Mary Sadler is most proud of from summer vacation is that she never shed a tear.
Sadler and fellow R-MA cadet Zach French spent their vacation getting a taste of real life in the Navy, Air Force and Marines.
Sadler, a rising senior and the daughter of R-MA Commandant Gary Sadler, attended the Naval Academy summer seminar in Annapolis, Md., in June and endured the same rigors of military life that incoming Naval Academy midshipmen do.
"I learned I could push myself a lot more," Sadler said. "I didn't think I could go through all of that -- I was pretty proud of myself when I didn't cry."
French, 17, an R-MA rising senior who has achieved the rank of chief master sergeant, did double duty during his summer break, attending the Air Force Academy summer seminar in Colorado Springs, Colo., in June and the Marine JROTC Honor Camp in Pennsylvania in July.
"I wanted to go for a long time," French said. "This would give me a rough picture of what it would be like to go there."
Sadler joined 750 other teens, national and international students hailing from both public high schools and military preparatory schools, at the Naval Academy summer seminar for the June session. The students worked with squad and battalion leaders in their platoons, waking up at 5 a.m. each day and going through rigorous physical training exercises.
"I definitely had to prepare myself for it," Sadler said. "R-MA is not that hard on the physical side of it."
French said the Marine JROTC camp also emphasized the physical aspect of service training, with physical training every morning, outdoor hikes, rock rappelling and whitewater rafting.
"You had to be physically fit," French said. "It was tough, but it was a lot of fun, too."
At the Air Force Academy seminar, French said students attended two four-hour-long classes a day, including a diplomatic simulation course which was similar to R-MA's model United Nations program.
Sadler also attended three classes a day, in subjects ranging from Chinese to photography, which were selected based on the online seminar application.
"They didn't make us do all the things you would do during plebe summer," Sadler said. "But it gave me an idea of what it would be like."
Sadler took the physical test required before entrance into the Naval Academy.
"It was difficult," Sadler said. "But it showed me the different levels I could go through."
Sadler said she first became interested in attending the Naval Academy after seeing the close bond her brother formed at The Citadel in Charleston, S.C. Despite the self-described "battle wounds" Sadler received, the seminar did not deter her interest in applying to the Naval Academy after graduation.
"After it was all finished, I looked back and it was kind of fun," Sadler said.
Ellie