The journey to the West Point: a boy’s story. 通往西点军校之路：一个男孩的故事

A boy said to his father, “I want to go to West Point.” It was a sunny afternoon when his father picked him up from high school. In the car, father casually asked him what was his plan for college application.

The boy’s answer didn’t surprise his father, because the father didn’t take it seriously . The father felt that the boy’s chatting was just a few nice words, trying to silence the father or please him, as he said “I want to go to MIT” ten years ago when he visited MIT and Harvard with his cousin.

Yes, it is a great school with a beautiful campus and the best military school in the world, replied the father. He remembered that he took the boy and his brother to West Point several times over the past few years. The college is located in a valley at West Point, a small town in upstate New York. The scenery around the military academy is breathtaking, especially in the fall. Overlooking the Hudson River, under the blue sky and white clouds, watching the Hudson River turning right at the Trophy Point in the college is a pleasure.

The father soon forgot about the conversation, but the boy did not. The boy made his own plan. He scoured the internet for West Point’s admissions requirements and knew how to get into West Point: show your interest to the college, have a high GPA, get a strong physique, and be nominated by a senator, congressman, or vice President of USA. The first two were relatively easier to achieve, but the latter two meant a huge challenge for him.

The boy started his own plan. He joined the school track team and started running to build endurance; bought a gym membership and started exercising regularly; when he got home, he did pull-ups on the door beam and push-ups on the floor. Dad knew that physical exercise wasn’t his hobby (playing computer games actually was), except for playing tennis for years.

The boy also learnt that in order to be nominated by a senator, congressman or vice president of the United States, he needs proof of leadership or potential and experience of volunteering to demonstrate his personal character. He felt a little lost initially because he didn’t have a track record for it, but he decided to give it a try. At high school, he ran for a leadership position in an educational club and was successful. He and his friends organized a youth club to collect shoes for African boys and girls. Two years later, he brought these shoes to Senegal. During the Covid-19 pandemic, when his classmates and friends stayed home and worried about infection, he took the opportunity to volunteer at the covid-19 testing center and later in vaccination center. Owing to his courage and hard work, he received a volunteer award from a national organization of physicians.

After he made all the preparations, he quickly sent out the application. At this point, the father and others who thought the boy was just thinking believed that he was serious . When the father asked the boy why he was so determined for West Point, he said, I want to serve my country on my way. These remarks reminded the father of his own ambitions and ideals at the boy’s age.

It seemed everything went well. His GPA and ACT scores are well beyond the minimal requirement. He passed the medical examination, but was temporarily put on hold because he reported a childhood history of heat stroke (too honest, boy). The impact of this remote history was later cleared by the Department of Defense and the application continued. A few months later, he received a letter of encouragement from West Point. Now there’s only one last step left, which was getting the nomination from a senator, congressman or vice president.

What followed was an anxious wait for a response from the senator’s or congressman’s office, but it didn’t take long for the boy to receive a call from the congressman’s office, asking him to interview. After the interview, he was nervous and checked email every day. Thankfully, within a week he received a nomination email full of positive comments or praise. He dubiously asked his father, “am I the one he said? “and “Is that me?” Haha, Dad said, of course it’s you, but you need to prove yourself in the future.

At the beginning of January, the application steps for West Point have been completed, and the boy could only wait for the news. In early February, a good or bad news was sent to the boy: He was placed on the national waitlist, which meant he was qualified, but needed more patience.

Waiting and waiting until last weekend of March. The boy’s parents returned home and found a large, heavy envelope in the mailbox. This was a priority mail from the US Military Academy. The parents knew that this must be the best gift for the boy that he had been working so hard and so long. The parents didn’t open the envelope. They left it for the boy to have the first joyful moment after opening the envelope.

When the boy came home with his friends, he opened the envelope. Within an second, he jumped up and shouted, ahhh, I’m accepted, I’m in.

The joyful feeling of this moment was indescribable, and all words were superfluous. It was the happiest moment for the boy and his family, friends and all who supported him through his journey to West Point. The father gave the boy a big hug and said to him, you made it!.

Yes, the boy said, I’m starting on the path of my own life.

Is this the end of the story of the boy to West Point? Not really. There are unexpected and unexpected tests he had to pass before he officially admitted to West Point.

A week later, the boy received a message from local CIA office and told him that a CIA agent would like to speak to him in a local public library. He did not expect this, and was nervous, so father escorted him and see the agent. It turned out to be a routine background check for potential cadets. The boy knew the tricks and cleverly answered the questions such as “What was your grandfather job?” ” are you parents living with you and where do they the work?” ” why did you go to the foreign country so frequently” .

Next was the expected big event, or 6 week rigorously training at the West Point. Although the boy read about the training, he had no idea about what would really happen in an unfamiliar campus. Fortunately, he had the opportunity to participate in an overnight event held at the military academy to help him learn the life at West Point in following month.

一个男孩对他的父亲说：“我想去读西点军校”。 这是一个阳光明媚的下午，父亲从高中接他回家。 在车上，父亲随意地问他大学申请的计划是什么。

男孩的回答并没有让父亲感到意外，因为父亲并没有当真。他可能觉得，孩子只是随口一说， 也许只是几句好话，试图堵住父亲的嘴或满足他的期望，就像他十年前他和表姐一起参观麻省理工和哈佛时说的“我想上麻省理工”一样。

是的, 这是一所很棒的学校，有美丽的校园，是世界最好的军校，父亲回答说。 他记得在过去的几年里，他曾多次带男孩和他的哥哥去西点军校参观。 学院位于纽约州北部的一个小镇西点镇的一个山谷中。军校周边的景色令人叹为观止，尤其是在秋天，俯瞰哈德逊河，蓝天白云之下，看着哈德逊河在学院内的纪念杯点右转弯，赏心悦目。

父亲很快就忘记了这番谈话。 但男孩没有。 男孩制定了自己的计划。 他搜索了西点军校的录取要求，知道了要上西点需要的完成的事项：表现出你对西点军校的兴趣，获得优异的学习成绩（GPA），强壮的体格，及参议员、国会议员或美国副总统的提名。 前两个比较容易达到，但后两个对他来说意味着巨大的挑战。

男孩开始了自己的计划。他加入学校田径队开始跑步， 训练耐力；购买了健身房会员资格，开始定期进行身体锻炼；回家后在门梁上做引体向上， 地板上做俯卧撑。 父亲清楚，除了他坚持多年的网球，体育锻炼原不是他的爱好 （玩电脑游戏才是）。

男孩也知道为了获得参议员、国会议员或美国副总统的提名，他需要有领导能力或潜力的证明和志愿活动的经历以展示其个人品格。 一开始他觉得有点失落，因为他没有这方面的记录，但他想努力一下。 在学校里，他竞选一个教育俱乐部的领导职位并取得了成功。 他和他的朋友们组织了一个俱乐部，为非洲男孩和女孩的鞋子募捐。 两年后，他和他的朋友把鞋子送到了塞内加尔。在 新冠大流行期间，当他的同学和朋友们呆在家里还在担心感染时，他借此机会在 新冠检测中心和疫苗接种中做志愿者。 由于他的勇气和努力，他获得了一家全国性医师组织的志愿者大奖。

等他做好了各方面的准备后，很快就发出了申请。 至此，父亲和其他原先觉得男孩说说而已的都相信，他对这件事是很认真的。 当父亲问他为什么如此钟情于西点军校时，他说，我想以我的方式为我的国家服务。 这番话，让父亲想起了自己在他那样年纪时的抱负和理想。

似乎一切都很顺利。他的 GPA 和 ACT 分数不成问题。 他通过了体检，但因为他报告了童年时期有过的的中暑病史 (太诚实了），被暂时放在一边。后来国防部免除了该病史的影响，申请才得以继续。 几个月后，他收到了西点军校的鼓励信。 现在，只剩最后一步，即获得参议员、国会议员或副总统的提名。

接下来就是焦急地等待参议员或众议员办公室的答复。 没多久，男孩接到了众议员办公室的电话，要他面试。 面试后，紧张的他每天都查看通知。谢天谢地，一周之内他就收到了一封满满好评的提名邮件。 他半信半疑地问父亲，我是他说的那个人吗？ 这是我吗？ 哈哈，爸爸说，当然是你，但你今后需要证明自己。

一月初，西点的申请步骤已经全部完成，现在只能眼巴巴得等待消息。 二月初，传来了一个既是好， 又是个坏的消息：他被列入了国家候补名单，这意味着他够格了，但需要更多的耐心等待。

三月底的一个周末，男孩的父母从外面回来，发现信箱里有一个又大又重的信封。 这是一封来自美国军事学院的优先邮件。父母知道这一定是给这个男孩的一份最棒的礼物 , 为这份礼物他努力了很久，付出了很大的心血。父母没有打开信封，他们要留给男孩，让他享受开启这个信封后兴奋的第一刻。

当男孩带着他的朋友们回到家，打开信封后的一瞬间， 他跳了起来，喊道，啊啊，我被录取了，我进了。

这一刻的感觉，所有的语言都无法形容，都是多余的。 这是男孩和他的家人、朋友以及所有支持他去西点的最快乐的时光。 父亲给了他一个紧紧的拥抱，对他说，你成功了。

男孩说，是的，我正在开始走我自己的生活之路。

男孩去西点军校的故事就这样结束了吗？ 还没。 在他正式进入西点军校之前，他必须通过一些想到和想不到的测试。

一周后，男孩收到当地中央情报局办公室的电话留言，告诉他中央情报局特工想在当地公共图书馆与他交谈。他不知道这是为什么，有点紧张，所以父亲陪着他去见特工。事后才明白，这是对将来学员的例行背景调查。 男孩知道其中的诀窍，聪明地回答了诸如“你祖父的工作是什么？” “你父母和你住在一起吗？他们在哪里工作？” “你怎么那么频繁地去国外”之类的问题。

接下来是预期的大事，即在西点军校进行为期 6 周的严格训练。 虽然男孩读了一些有关训练的内容，但他不知道在陌生的校园里究竟会发生什么。 幸运的是，接下来的一个月，他有机会参加在军校举办的过夜活动，帮助他了解了西点军校的生活。

Several weeks after preparation for the college, the boy finally came to the reception day or R day at West Point. R-Day is the day the cadet candidates report to West Point and mark the start off life there, but it is not an admission day. Starting from this day, candidates must receive 6 week rigorous training , transforming themselves from civilians to military personals . If one fails to the training or there are problems, he or she may not be admitted to the Academy. This is the final step to West Point.

In the morning, the family happily accompanied the boy to West Point. In the Eisenhower Auditorium, the boy was welcomed by the alumni association, members of the parent club and school officials. After brief instructions, the boy hugged each family member, then without hesitation, quickly went through the door on the other side of the hall, where he was greeted by the loud shouts of the senior cadets. He started his military career from there and then.

Over the next few hours, the boy, like everyone else, would have Buzz-cut and change of military uniform. At 4:00 pm when the boy came out again, he was one of a thousand new cadets wearing a white top and gray pants. The new cadets assembled and marched on the Plain (a largest field in front of the large academy complex). They took the Oath of Allegiance from the U.S. Military Academy Commandant of Cadets, Brig. Gen. Mark Quander before their parents and friends.  Surrounded by the inspiring music played by the West Point Military Academy Band, watching a reborn change on the boy and the other cadets who were walking around together at a not-so-orderly pace, the parents sitting in the stands had indescribable feelings.

From this day on, the boy would continue his 6 weeks of training (Detained 6 week training sees below YouTube). For the first four weeks, they were not allowed to make or receive phone calls. The only communication with the outside world was by letter. His family sent him letters almost every day, encouraging him to overcome difficulty and pass the training smoothly. When he finally got a chance to call home near the end of training, he sounded tired but confident.

经过几周准备后，男孩终于迎来了西点军校的接收日或R日。 R-Day 是学员向西点军校报到并标志着在那里生活的开始，但它还不算是真正的入学日。 从这天开始，候选人必须接受为期6周的严格训练，把自己从一介平民转变为军人。 如果培训不及格，或者有其它问题，他或她不能被学院录取。 这是前往西点军校的最后一步。

早上，一家人兴冲冲地陪着男孩去了西点。 在艾森豪威尔礼堂，男孩受到了校友会、家长俱乐部成员和学校官员的欢迎。经简短的指示后，男孩拥抱了每个家庭成员，转身就毫不犹豫地从另一侧的门出去，在那里，他受到了高年级学员的大声叫喊的欢迎。 他的军旅生涯就从此从那里开始了。

在接下来的几个小时里，他和其他人一样，将被剃光头，换上军装。 当男孩再次出来时，他是一千名穿着白色上衣和灰色裤子的新学员中的一员。 下午 4 点钟，新学员在学院大建筑群前的大操场上集合游行。他们在父母和朋友面前跟着学员指挥官马克·昆德准将向国家和军队宣誓效忠。在西点军校乐队演奏的鼓舞人心的音乐环绕下，看着这个男孩和其他学员脱胎换骨似的改变，迈着不那么整齐的步伐大家一起绕场一周， 坐在看台上的父母百感交集。

从这天开始，男孩将继续他的 6 周训练。 在最初的四周里，他们不被允许打电话或接电话。与外界的唯一交流是信件。 家人几乎每天都给他发信，鼓励他克服困难，顺利通过训练。 当他终于在训练接近尾声时有机会打电话回家时，他听起来很累，但很自信。

下面的YouTube详细介绍了这六个 月里新学员受到的训练。

6 weeks of grueling training was finally over. This day is a traditional celebration day at West Point Military Academy called “March Back Day”. All new cadets, plus cadres, faculty and staff departed from Frederick Lakes training camp early in the morning and marched 12-14 miles back to the academy. After ringing the alarm bell and taking the oath, each new cadet, carrying a 50-pound marching bag, marched in line through Washington Gate and into the campus. On the sidewalk of the main road, a large group of family, friends, alumni and supporters, waved banners and signs in different languages, saluted and welcomed future defenders of the country back to the Academy. Along the way, applause, shouts and cheers were mixed with the band’s elated music, inspiring everyone. Although almost every new cadet looked tired and tanned, they all appeared in good spirit. The boy’s parents found him in the G5 team. Although they couldn’t talk or have physical contact, the eye contact between them meant much more than thousands of words. The boy’s parents chased him on the sidewalk until the boy entered the gate. The boy completed the final test for West Point, waiting for the official admission day after a week of rest .

为期 6 周的严酷训练总算结束了。这一天是西点军校的一个传统庆典日，称为“行军归来日”。所有的新学员， 加上干部，教职员工一大早从弗雷德里克湖训练营地出发，行军12-14 英里，返回学院。每个新学员敲过警钟并宣誓后，身背50磅的行军包， 列队行军， 穿过华盛顿门，进入校区。在校区大马路的人行道上，大群家人、朋友、校友和支持者，挥舞着不同语言的横幅和标语，向那些未来的国家的保卫者们致敬，欢迎他们回到学院。一路上，掌声、叫喊、欢呼伴随着乐队演奏的高昂军乐，鼓舞人心。尽管几乎每个学员看起来都有点疲惫，脸晒得黝黑，但他们都显得精神抖擞。男孩的父母大部队里找到了他。虽然他们之间无法交谈或有身体接触，但他们之间的眼神交流就已经是千言万语。 男孩的父母在人行道上一路小跑追随，直到他最后进了大门。男孩终于又完成了进入军校的最后测试，就等着修整一周后的正式入学的日子。

This is the day the boy and all others are officially accepted as cadets as well as soldiers. To get this point, the boy  has been working hard for a long time. Now, his determination and persistence have finally paid off.

The grand ceremony of Acceptance Day was held on the Plain in front of the building complex. The surrounding stands were filled with hundreds of spectators, mainly family members and friends of the new cadets.  At 4 p.m.,  new cadets marched out from the six gates of the buildings while the college band was playing military music. The teams coming out of each gate represent six different companies. The boy is in the 5th company. After 6 weeks of training, the order, uniformity and coordination of marching are significantly better than when they were at Reception day.  The spectators’ in the stands applauded and cheered them as they walked by with a neat and majestic stride. The boy’s parents tried to find him in the marching team, but couldn’t , because the boys were dressed the same and looked alike, but they were happy to know that their son was among those energetic and strong young men.

After the ceremony, the boy happily came to his family and friends for celebration. His had a huge supporting crowd: grandma, parents, brother, two cousins, , uncle and aunt, and best friends from high school. The boy looked happy, stronger and in better spirits than before, but his face was much tanned. At the scène, there were hundreds of proud family also coming for their daughters and sons. When people saw those young men and women with smiles, confidence, ideals, and dream about future,  you knew that whole future world belongs to the younger generation.

What a day. On this day, the boy finally stepped into the door of West Point, This is where his dream journey begins. 

这一天是男孩和所有其他新生被正式被接纳为学员又是军人的日子。为了这一天， 男孩努力了很久。如今， 他的决心和坚持终于得到了回报。

录取日的大庆典在建筑群前的大操场举行。周边的的看台上坐满了成百上千的观众，他们主要是新学员的家人和朋友。下午4点庆典开始，乐队演奏军乐， 新学员从建筑群的六个门鱼贯而出。 每个门里出来的队伍代表六个不同的连队, 男孩则是在第五连。 这些孩子经过 6 周的培训，他们的行军秩序、整齐度和协调性明显要比报到时要好得多。当他们迈着整齐雄壮的步伐走过时，看台上的观众鼓掌为他们加油。男孩的父母在努力在队伍中寻找，可惜找不到他，因为他们穿着一样，长得似乎很像。他们知道儿子是在那些精力充沛，孔武有力的年轻人当中， 就已经很欣慰了。

庆典仪式结束后，男孩兴高采烈地来到家人中间和大家欢聚。在美国所有的家人和亲戚，姥姥、父母、哥哥、堂姐、表哥、舅舅和舅妈，都来了。 他在高中时最好的朋友也来看他，支持他。 男孩看起来很快乐，比以前更强壮，精神更好，只是脸上晒得黝黑。在现场，有数百个自豪的家庭也为他们的女儿和儿子而来。 当人们看到那些微笑、自信、有理想、对未来充满梦想的青年男女时，你就知道，整个未来世界是属于年轻一代的。

多么难忘的一天。 这一天，男孩终于踏进了西点军校的大门。 他的梦想之旅由此开始。