Members of Alpha Company and their cadre gather Tuesday to eat cake and celebrate the U.S. Army's 236th birthday. Photo by Dorothy Edwards/LTC PAO
By Caitlin VanOverberghe
Staff writer
After a quick ceremony honoring the completion of their first phase of training, the 198 Cadets of Alpha Company continued their celebration Tuesday to honor America’s Army.
They filed into a small building caddy-corner to their barracks. Some were lucky enough to get seats; others stood against the wall.
At the front of the room sat a sheet cake with small, plastic Army men dotting its iced surface.
Like many Soldiers around the world, the Cadets took time to celebrate the Army’s 236th birthday.
“Without it, we probably wouldn’t be here today,” answered one Cadet when his drill sergeant asked about the significance of the birthday.
Per tradition, the oldest and youngest in the room – Sgt. 1st Class Julio Palmer and Cadet Michael Blasberg – cut the cake together with a saber.
For Cadet Nicholas Lucca of DePauw University, the celebration was a nice break after two days of hard work.
“It’s a big, important thing not only for us, but also for the whole country,” he said of the Army’s birthday. “It celebrates the beginning of our nation defending itself.”
Master Sgt. Shane Stamper, Alpha Company’s tactical NCO, urged the Cadets to eat as much cake as they wished.
“I will burn this off of you tomorrow,” he said, warning the Cadets of the work out he had planned for them the Wednesday morning.
Lucca said that while he was looking forward to physical training, he was just taking every day in stride. He doesn’t know what to expect from the course, but he’s just looking to having fun.
While Alpha Company Cadets honored the Army’s history, they were reminded that they would be part of its future.
Stamper encouraged the Cadets to see the challenges of the Leader’s Training Course through to the end.
“If this is something that you’ve been thinking about, if this is something that you’ve wanted to do, why would you quit?” Stamper asked. “When it comes time for graduation, we’re going have all 198 Cadets.”