My Life Journey: Part 2: July 1996- May 2000

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My Life Journey: Part 2: July 1996- May 2000

By Cindy | September 1, 2007

A large part of who I am is a result of my Academy experiences.

Plebe (Freshman) Summer

Induction (I-) Day arrived on July 2nd, 1996. I was ready for this new adventure, at least I hoped. I read books, worked out, talked to midshipmen and prayed! The next six weeks were the first of a series of challenges I faced at the Academy. The summer was heavily focused on physical fitness. The mental and emotional demands were no less significant. By being physically prepared, I focused on overcoming the mental and emotional challenges. Each day had to be faced head on and with confidence. Overcoming failure was a necessity as many situations were designed for failure. The building of character came in how we handled the situations as individuals and as a team. We ran, swam, did boat runs, obstacle courses, and PT sessions on the football field (PEP). Calistentics were heavily used in the Halls of Bancroft (dormitory). From 5 AM to 10 PM our days were completely scheduled. The summer was filled with ethics courses, leadership seminars, academic placement courses and more. Looking back on the experience, I see how the time flew by, but each day was excruciatingly slow and exhausting. The feelings of accomplishment and success despite the failures has been unmatched by anything I have ever experienced. By being pushed to my physical, mental, and emotional limits, I discovered my strengths and potential to overcome my perceived boundaries. I learned that I am capable of handling situations that seemed desperate or impossible.

I tried to make the volleyball team during the summer. I did fairly well but I did not make the team. I wasn’t expecting to get that far in the cuts, so I was happy. I played and enjoyed volleyball at the intramural level. At the intramural levels, company mates came together as a team and being a measily, little plebe, this helped tremendously in my contributions to Company rankings. As part of the team, I made a difference in our Company rankings. We won the Volleyball Championships Plebe Year.

Every semester we were required to run a mile and a half and perform pushups and situps. Running became my escape mentally and physically. The added benefit of running at the Academy was that we were allow to leave the yard during the week. My friend and I would run daily to explore the town of Annapolis. Annapolis is a beautiful little town and since we were plebes we weren’t allowed to leave the Yard except on Saturdays and Sundays for church. She and I explored many many miles around the Yard. It was a great bonding time and sense of freedom from some of the stresses of school and Bancroft Hall.

The Academy in General

Our performance at the Academy was measured by three areas: academics, physical fitness, and military performance. During plebe year, I did well in academics and physical fitness. I struggled with military knowledge. Taught through the Midshipmen in Bancroft Hall before and after school hours, I did not perform well. To develop leadership skills and military bearing, part of the process is based on a practical application. Midshipmen are trained in the halls by midshipmen. My learning style did not blend well with the teaching methods of some of my upper class. I had difficulty with the material. I maintained the fight and survived with the dedicated assistance of my fellow classmates and company mates. I sought advise from other upperclassmen and Officers that were available in a mentoring capacity. Giving up and leaving were not an option in my mind! Even though I had to face a military performance board at the end of plebe year, I persevered. During my youngster (sophomore) year, I demonstrated my leadership abilities and greatly improved my military scores.

During the course of my attendance at the Academy, I took classes in Judo, strength training, boxing, tennis and swimming. I discovered the efficiency and diversity of a jump rope in boxing. I was not a big fan of falling on the floor all the time in Judo, but I did learn great self-defense moves. The strength training classes reinforced the importance of muscle development that I learned in high school. The swimming classes were my physical challenge. I had to incorporate extra practices into my day just to pass the swimming requirements. I also joined the Aerobics Club and participated in the early morning (5AM) classes. I took the certification to be an aerobics instructor and taught a few classes. I ran the Marine Corps Marathon my second class (junior) year. I crossed the finished line in 5 hours and thirty something minutes. I was so happy to cross the finish line, I don’t even remember the exact time.

My experience at the Academy is hard to sum up in a few paragraphs. The friendships made were by far the best aspect of attending. I was able to travel to New York, Boston, Canada, Spain, France and Isreal before I even graduated from the Academy. I learned to fire rifles and pistols. I learned how to sail. Despite the demands of academics and military life, I participated in the extracurricular activities that I loved. I was part of the Midshipmen United Nations and Protestant Midshipmen Club. I volunteered as a Midshipman Mentor at the local elementary schools. I took ballroom lessons, participated in two International Balls at the Academy as one of the seven performing couples. I was able to continue my love for theater through the Masqueraders (Drama Club). I performed in Much Ado about Nothing, Nicholas Nickleby, The Tempest, and Othello. I was the assistant director for A Few Good Men. I perfected my multi-tasking tendencies during my Academy experience.

Graduation was everything I expected. Four very demanding years wrapped up in one day in which we took our Oath of Office to be a Naval Officer for the United States of America:

I, Cynthia Denise Apple, having been appointed Ensign in the U. S. Navy under the conditions indicated in this document, do accept such appointment and do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter, so help me God.