Checking in on our graduates, we have had a "Plebe", a "fish", and now we have a Rook. A Rook is what they call a freshman at Norwich University, the oldest of six Senior Military Colleges in the United States. Norwich, located in Northfield, Vermont, has educated and trained generations of leaders for the United States military, including Medal of Honor recipients Navy SEAL CMDCM Edward C. Byers Jr., and Delta Force SGM Thomas Payne. 

Stepping into those big shoes is our own Zachary Vasquez, Alamo Battalion graduate and graduate of the Sea Cadet NSWOC SWCC training. RCT Vasquez was very kind to send us an update on how he is doing, which we share below.

Bravo Zulu to RCT Vasquez on your success so far at Norwich. We are looking for more great things from you!

Next in our series of 2020 graduates is CDT Paul E. Conroy, a member of the USMA class of 2024. He says that being a Sea Cadet made it possible for him to attend West Point, and it was great preparation for the rigors of Cadet Basic Training and the military and athletic requirements of plebe year.

The COVID pandemic has shaped his time at West Point. Plebes reported two weeks later than the originally scheduled Reception Day. Friends and family were not allowed on post to see off their Cadets, nor were they allowed to attend Acceptance Day at the conclusion of CBT, when "New Cadets" are officially accepted into the Corps of Cadets. Masks, of course, are ubiquitous, and many classes have on-line sessions. The Corps of Cadets are the only fans allowed in the stands for football. The class of '24 motto is the very appropriate "Like None Before".

The Army goes rolling along, and the Corps still has many in-person classes, lots of PT, fall football games, room inspections, and family-style meals in a mess hall that looks like Hogwarts. 

The Corps is organized into companies, each with their own personality. Being Texas-born, CDT Conroy is very happy to be a C-4 Cowboy. He has fun on West Point's Model UN team and the Cowboys' company soccer team. CDT Conroy is most proud of being accepted into the Irregular Warfare Group. In IWG, select members of the Corps of Cadets "enhance their skills in small unit tactics and the troop leading procedures, so that each graduating member is better prepared for a lifetime of service to the Nation as an officer in the United States Army." IWG's faculty instructors are Green Berets, who provide *ahem* motivation during long rucks.

​On his visit to West Point, then PO2 Conroy was shown around by a former Sea Cadet and then plebe. He hopes to be able to show you around at West Point, so get working on those applications!

Members and friends of the Alamo Battalion know CTN2 Grant Bartuska as an always cheerful, always organized leader of the Battalion. We will not be seeing Bartuska around drills anymore, because the Navy has selected him to become a Midshipman Candidate at the US Naval Academy Prep School (NAPS). Next year, he will become a member of the USNA Class of 2025, and eventually an officer in the United States Navy or Marine Corps.

Bartuska has some advice for would-be NAPSters. "Discipline will get you further than talent. You see that a lot here. Tons of D1 athletes fail the PRT because they don't prepare for it. 4.0/35 ACT high school students fail because they never had to study." 

All of us at the Alamo Battalion are very proud of M/C Bartuska, and we wish him the best of luck as he embarks on his voyage to become a commissioned officer. He was a great asset to the Alamo Battalion, and we know that he will be a outstanding officer.

BZ to PV2 Cooper Dugan for successfully completing Army Basic Combat Training at Ft. Sill. Private Dugan was a Petty Officer Third Class in the Sea Cadets prior to high school graduation earlier this year. He is now back in San Antonio at Fort Sam Houston for Army Combat Medic training. Congratulations, Dugan, and thank you for your service!

Alamo Battalion alumna ​ENS Jeanny Sanger graduated from the US Naval Academy this past May. Upon graduating, she earned a Bachelors of Science in Robotics and Control Engineering, and was commissioned an Ensign in the US Navy. She earned many great opportunities through the Naval Academy to include different sports teams, leadership billets, and summer trainings.

Two of her proudest athletic achievements was finishing a half-Ironman with the Endurance Team her junior year and when her Cycling Team won the conference championships her senior year. She says she learned the most about leadership during her senior year where she was Operations Officer in the fall and Academics Officer in the spring. With both positions, she says the hardest parts are delegating tasks, being proactive, and managing deadlines.

​Her favorite summer trainings were doing Plebe Summer three times (once as a plebe, the second time as a Company Administrative Officer, and the final time as the Regimental Physical Missions Officer) and when she got to travel to Peru and Brazil to explore ancient and modern engineering. Her scariest day was when she interviewed to join the Nuclear Community. The interviews included two technical interviews and a separate interview with the four-star admiral in charge of the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program. She prepared for months leading up to the interviews and ended up discussing honey-bees for a large portion of the admiral interview. She passed all of her interviews and is now part of the Submarine Warfare Community. She will head down to Charleston for further training before being assigned to a submarine as a division officer.

​ENS Sanger’s consistent hard work and determination has gotten her far – from her early days as a Sea Cadet, to her busy midshipman days, and now as a submarine officer. She owes a lot of her preparation for the Navy to the USNSCC Alamo Battalion. They taught her the naval lingo like what a “bulkhead” was, how to shine shoes, and gave her some of her first leadership opportunities. She is forever grateful of her time with the Sea Cadets. To anyone looking to join the Naval Academy, ENS Sanger’s biggest tip is to focus on the big 3 things that admissions is looking for: academics, athletics, and volunteer work. She is always open to further questions and looks forward to seeing some of Alamo Battalion out in the fleet!