“To Be The Best Plebe I Can Be”: Finding Meaning Responsibility At The Military Academy

Lily Keim was born in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and grew up with younger twin brothers. Her father teaches Economics and her mother teaches Physics, both at the high school level. Lily is very proud of her hometown, and she reflects on being a lifeguard with her father (who was one of the district officers) on the Atlantic City beaches. Lily has even competed in lifeguarding competitions. She describes her experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic, which began during her 7th grade year. She remembers biking to the beach with her brothers and sitting on rocks beside the ocean, and practicing soccer and conditioning with her father, who played soccer in college. She attended a Catholic elementary school, went to public school for 6th through 8th grade, and was accepted to the Phillips Academy boarding school in Andover, Massachusetts, for high school. There, she competed on the swim team, track team, and soccer team. Her favorite was the track team, because it was a large team and she was able to mentor a lot of the younger girls. She was never really homesick because she became such good friends with her classmates. She became interested in attending West Point after hearing some of her grandfather’s stories of his service during the Vietnam War. Incidentally, her grandfather met her grandmother in Vietnam. He first saw her when he was convalescing from wounds in the hospital, and they were married after she came to the United States. Lily applied to both West Point and Annapolis. On R-Day, Lily remembers helping another Plebe lift some of her gear, and the quiet word of thanks really motivated her. She wanted to come to the Academy with a “blank slate,” so she did not prepare by watching R-Day videos, and she felt the shock after reporting in. She is doing well academically, maintaining mostly As and Bs in class, and she is already looking for academic opportunities for the future. Her goal, militarily, is to be the best Plebe she can be, and she is proud of passing land navigation and qualifying with her rifle. She did well on the Army Fitness Test and was recognized for her performance. She is in Company F1 and feels that there is a great sense of spirit and camaraderie not only within her class, but also among the upper-class. She is on the track team and describes practices as “intense,” but she likes the close friends on the team. She remarks that the track team offers her a “safe space.” She feels that West Point is very strict, but the rules are making her more responsible. Her greatest challenge during Plebe year is feeling isolated, after Beast left her tired and she felt socially withdrawn. Since the academic year began, she has felt like she has regained her individuality and she credits company-mate Cadet Gash with helping her get through Beast. She also appreciates visiting Cadet Gash’s house and feels welcomed by COL and Mrs. Gash, her sponsors. Her proudest moment was completing the Beast March-Back and she remembers the sense of accomplishment when they finally made it back to the Cadet Area. She is looking forward to some of the privileges she will get as a Yearling and is thinking about pursuing Medical Service or possibly the Chemical Corps. She advises future Cadets that “short term pain will pay off in the future,” and she is proud of her decision to serve her country. At West Point, she feels that she is finding more meaning in life and is grateful to be a Cadet. She is proud to give back to those who served before her, like her grandfather.