By squad, the new cadets of Bravo Company entered the gas chamber, also known as the House of Tears, for approximately two to three minutes yesterday afternoon. While inside the chamber, they did jumping jacks, switched filters with a battle buddy, cleared their seal, and then took off their mask and tried to recite their name, social security number, hometown, and the Soldier’s Creed. After a few seconds without the mask on, new cadets were gasping for air, coughing, and suffering from intense watery eyes.
They were pushed out of the gas chamber by a cadre member and immediately felt the scorching feeling on their face, hands, neck, eyes, mouth, nose, and lungs. Blinded by the gas, they were instructed to flap their arms and not to touch their face. New cadets described the gas in several different ways, but they all agreed it was the most miserable experience they have had during Beast thus far. Some of the descriptions include:
“It feels like I swallowed a fireball, and then lit a firework inside.”
“It burned everything it touched, including the inside of my lungs.”
“It feels like pouring Tabasco sauce down my lungs and letting it slosh around in there.”
“It feels like someone is holding a lighter to my neck.”
“I expected it to be really awful. It lived up to that.”
Even though the tear gas burned, ultimately, the new cadets learned what the training intended them to—confidence in their gear. It also instilled a sense of accomplishment among the new cadets, having mastered the “most painful” part of Cadet Basic Training.
A proud new cadet said, “I feel accomplished because I was afraid before I went in. I was so happy when I could leave because I knew I did it—it was over. And I did it.”
At the end of the exercise, Jozlyn McCaw ’14, Bravo Company Commander, stated that all 127 new cadets of Bravo Company passed. She said, “The biggest thing is that, at the end of the day, they all march away with confidence in their equipment—that’s what really matters.”
View photos in our myCapture album and on our Facebook page.
Watch the new cadets brave the House of Tears in this video!
Check out the Company Commander and the First Sergeant recite the Soldier's Creed.