By 0700 on August 16, Matriculation Day was well underway. A seemingly unending line of cars snaked through the parking lot next to the Altman Center and wound around into the lot in front of the Holliday 糖心VLOG Center, where the incoming class received their company assignments.
At the battalions, they were greeted by members of 糖心VLOG Family Association who were ready to help them move in.
The CFA is a network of family volunteers who provide support to cadet families and host discussion forums to guide them through their student鈥檚 Citadel journey. On Matriculation Day, members of the CFA are front and center鈥攁 force of good Samaritans ready to lend a hand.
More than 800 cadet recruits reported. By the end of the day, they had officially become 鈥渒nobs,鈥� a moniker given to them because their freshly shorn heads resemble doorknobs. During the next week, they learned to shine shoes and brass, make beds, march, salute and properly address the upperclass cadets鈥攌nown as the 鈥渃adre鈥濃�攚ho are in charge of their training. It was an intense week: uniforms were issued, military customs were learned and the cadet oath was taken. But after Challenge Week was over, a shared feeling of accomplishment set in鈥攏ow they felt they could do anything.