afrotc-l: Attn: All Cadets

[Nicholas Marti Holland <nmh3@Ra.MsState.Edu>]

To Whom It May Concern:

As members of the cadet corps, you represent the U.S. Air Force on this
campus and in this community.  One of your fellow students has prior
service in the Air Force, and he expressed a concern to me recently.  I
wish to take a few moments to share with you his concern and mine in a
manner which I believe will leave an impression on you.

I know that your superiors have taught military discipline and behavior,
because I have experienced both aspects of the corps myself.  In 1996, I
was an AS100 cadet, and now I am an AS700 completed status cadet.  Many
issues are addressed in LLab, from proper wear of the uniform to correct
posture.  There is one issue, not commonly addressed in LLab instruction,
which I believe needs to be considered:

As a fellow college student, I know how stressing your schedules can be. I
have been a student here for 5 years, and I'm sure that I have been
exactly where you are at least that many times.  Consider this:

It's Monday night, and you have a project due at 0800 Tuesday morning.  
Having procrastinated for three weeks, you finally buckle down and begin
work at 2300.  0400 rolls around and you have just finished.  Before going
to sleep you remember that tomorrow is a professional day.  By 0430 you
have your blues ironed and shoes polished, just in time for three hours of
sleep.  At 0730 you awaken, shave, dress, and walk to class (project in
hand) just in time to take the last empty seat in the front of the room.  
After ten minutes of a boring lecture that looks exactly like the book
(because the professor had you by her very own third edition), you feel
those missing hours of rest catch up and both eye-lids get heavy.  NOW IT
IS TIME TO REMEMBER WHAT YOU REPRESENT!

Every person in your class has been watching you since the first
professional day of the semester.  They all wondered about your uniform.
Some of them might have had a laugh, but more of them remembered their own
service, their parent's service, or there grandparent's sacrifice.  You
are wearing a uniform that symbolizes not just the ideals of the U.S. Air
Force, and not just the ideals of the U.S. Armed Forces, but the ideals of
the United States of America.

I know from personal experience how difficult it is to stay awake in
class; however there is no excuse for dozing, especially while wearing
your uniform.  Therefore, if the above description is one in which you can
relate, find a way to stay alert in class!  Moreover, maintain proper
military bearing in all your activities while wearing a professional
military uniform.

Some of you have left an inappropriate impression on your classmates.  As
unfortunate as this may seem, it is not too late.  Make the necessary
adjustments now, and perhaps repair the damage in the near future.
Obviously, the name(s) of those who are guilty of the above offense shall
remain nameless (but I think you should have no trouble identifying
yourself(s)).

(The above story is fictional, no matter how realistic it may sound.)

Please respond if you wish to do so.  I will happily expound on my
statement if needed.
_______________________________________________________________________________
                               | 
Nick Holland                   | "It is easy to take liberty for
                               | granted, when you have never had
209 Lynn Lane 4-G              | it taken from you."
Starkville, MS 39759           | - Dick Cheney
                               | 
Home: 662.323.0859             |
Cell: 662.312.4939             | "You always hit what you aim at,
nmh3@ra.msstate.edu            | therefore, AIM HIGH."
www.erc.msstate.edu/~nholland/ | - Henry D Thoreau
_______________________________|_______________________________________________


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