This morning was my last PRT at the Naval Academy. Five years, ten PRTs and now one of my personally great milestones is seven hours behind me. The PRT is a binding force here at USNA. Everyone, except for Varsity Athletes who take it earlier, gets up on a randomly picked Saturday morning and are mass tested in a matter of hours. We are herded in one set of doors, through certain checkpoints, into lines and told to assume the position for a series of exercises. Every Fall and every Spring we train our bodies and fret over nerves about this looming date, then before noon it is all over. My strategy is always maxing push-ups and sit-ups, then just surviving the run. Some have other theories on how to maximize their score.

As we do this, I am reminded of an officer telling me about how JOs proctor PRTs in the fleet. I cannot help but laugh when I realize that my next PRT will be in Hawaii and I will be overseeing the instruction. Nonetheless, a PE instructor stands in front of me telling corney jokes to lighten the mood. He has given this speech twelve times already to easily 2500 Mids.

I have been told stories of other Firstie classes who went out drinking together at Armadillos, still in blue rims and USNA shorts, immediately after their last PRT. Che, the roommates, and I showered and took the McGarvey’s route, though satisfying nonetheless.

This upcoming week will likely prove to be full of anecdotes. I will be helping give a protocol brief to a few hundred Youngsters (3/c) on Monday, then I will be re-qualifying at the firing range on the Naval Station on Wednesday and Saturday night I will be Mr. Vice at our Company’s Dining Out. That all seems very self-righteous to say at once, but its not my life…its the Navy’s. I just live it.

-Turbo