Get louder! Louder!
Narrator: On a mild Thursday in June,
more than 1,100 appointees arrived
at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs,
where future officers prepare to be commissioned
into the US Air Force and Space Force.
Man: Good luck.
Woman: Thank you.
Narrator: Insider was there for In-Processing Day,
or I-Day, which marks day one of new cadets' time
at the academy.
Alexis Odom: Pretty much all my family has been
in the military. Both my mom and dad are Air Force veterans.
Ashley Graflund: I'm not from a military family,
so I have no idea what I'm going into.
I'm just really excited.
Benjamin Janssen: When we drove up here, I was like,
wow, this is actually real.
It didn't really feel real until we got here
and got dropped off.
Narrator: I-Day kicks off the Air Force Academy's
basic cadet training,
a challenging six-week program that all cadets are required
to complete.
Paul Moga: We're going to push them to their physical,
emotional, and mental limits.
We're going to find out where that line is.
And then, over time, deliberately and safely,
we're going to push them
further than they thought they could go.
Narrator: Just under 10%
of the more than 11,000 applicants were admitted
to the Academy.
Twenty-nine percent of this incoming class is female.
And minorities make up 32%.
Applicants must pass a physical fitness exam
and receive a nomination
from their congressional representative.
Richard Clark: It's a very rigorous process.
We look for candidates who have strong academic backgrounds,
strong athletic backgrounds,
but also have demonstrated leadership potential
in their careers as students.
Alexis: It hasn't hit me yet, but I think once we, like,
start getting into briefings and stuff,
and my parents are actually gone,
and I'm not going to see them more,
I'm probably going to get hit pretty hard.
Father: Xander.
Xander: Yes, sir?
Parent: You're on your own.
Narrator: Once inside the athletic center,
the appointees make their way through seven different
in-processing stations.
Woman: Congratulations, good luck.
Narrator: Appointees are issued a copy of "Contrails,"
a 192-page guidebook that contains important information
about the Air Force and the Air Force Academy.
Moga: They are going to be required to, for the most part,
memorize that book from cover to cover.
For the next step,
you only need your proof of citizenship.
Everything else you can put away.
Narrator: The appointees have one final opportunity
to discreetly dispose of any illegal drugs,
weapons, or pornography.
Woman: The easiest way to get in trouble today is be
on your cellphone, OK?
Do not be that guy.
Narrator: The appointees make their way to the cadet gym
to take the oath of allegiance.
Raise your right hand.
I do solemnly swear or affirm that I will support
and defend the Constitution of the United States
against all enemies, foreign and domestic.
Against all enemies, foreign and domestic.
Narrator: Located 70 miles south of Denver,
the academy is nestled
into the foothills of the Rocky Mountains.
Announcer: Sheltering
the United States Air Force Academy.
Narrator: Congress authorized the creation of the Academy
in 1954.
Gen. Robert Warren: We're out to develop motivated,
dedicated, regular Air Force officers, all-around men
who can handle themselves anywhere in the world
and eventually in space.
Woman: Congratulations.
You're now officially a basic cadet
of the Air Force Academy.
Have a great Air Force Academy day.
Narrator: This warm welcome won't last for long,
because these new cadets are about to meet the cadre ...
Close this gap! Close the gap!
Narrator: ... a select group of upper-class cadets
who run basic training.
Come on, don't look at the ground.
It's not going anywhere.
Moga: They are my eyes and ears,
every single day, down to the individual basic cadet.
Put your bags down. Pick them back up.
Moga: They've been trained
over the last several weeks
as far as how to properly train the basics.
Cadre member: You will not be looking at the cadre.
You will not be looking at the ground.
Is that understood?
Cadets: Yes, sir.
Moga: So they know how to put pressure on them.
And more importantly, they know how to hold them
to standards that they themselves are held to.
This row, get on that freaking bus.
Go, go, go, go, go.
Cadre member: You are now basic cadets.
Welcome to the United States Air Force Academy.
Narrator: It's here the cadets learn
the seven basic responses.
Yes, sir.
No, sir.
No excuse, sir.
Yes, sir.
No, sir.
No excuse, sir.
Steveison Ivory: So the seven basic responses, that's a tradition here
at the United States Air Force Academy.
And what that does is it ensures
that they're responding correctly
when we talk about customs and courtesies,
which is expected throughout your entire Air Force career.
Have I made myself clear?
Cadets: Yes, sir.
So they're expected to respond a certain way
and say certain things.
And that's the only thing that will be accepted
by the cadre.
Cadre member: I will warn you now, if you are not willing
to sacrifice your personal comfort, your safety,
or your life for your country, stay on my bus.
But basics, if you're ready to dedicate yourself
towards something bigger than us all
and to fight for the United States,
then get off my bus!
Move it! Move it, let's go!
That is where that real shock and awe happens.
Hurry up.
Ivory: There's a lot of command voice. It's very loud.
But there's a lot of kind of teaching going on
at the moment,
but also kind of demanding that they respond
and that they listen.
Kind of getting that first experience of what we expect
from a person in the military.
When you exited that bus,
you took the first steps that every member
of the long blue line has taken.
Do not disappoint those that came before you.
Narrator: The new cadets stand on gray footprints,
which are used to teach them how to stand
at the position of attention.
And the cadre ensures that they learn quickly.
Cadre member: Cadre, fall out and make corrections.
Ivory: I think, initially, the basics are probably pretty scared.
I can't hear you! Get louder!
Ivory: They're probably not sure what to expect.
So when they get that shock,
and they hear the yelling and screaming,
they're probably a little thrown back.
Seven basic responses, go!
Narrator: The new cadets are also quizzed
on the seven basic responses that they learned on the bus.
Make sure your classmates can hear you.
He's struggling over there.
Narrator: The cadets then make their way
up the "Core Values Ramp."
I am moving faster than you and I am in heels! Let's go!
Narrator: Which is easier said than done for some cadets.
Cadre member: She's wearing slides, pink freaking slides.
Look, I was a stupid basic, I know.
But I made some smart decisions before I got here.
Narrator: Upon arrival at Vandenberg Hall,
the new cadets receive a colored hat,
signifying their graduation class,
which they'll wear throughout their time at the academy.
Cadre member: After that, find your squadron.
Aggressors through Hellcats, left to right.
Narrator: The cadets are then sorted into their squadrons
before a stop at the barbershop.
Male cadets must shave their heads.
Female cadets' hair can't extend past their shoulder blades.
And they must keep it in a ponytail, braid, or tight bun.
Cadre member: Form a line down this wall. You understand?
Yes, sir.
Cadre member: Move, let's go.
Narrator: Then, it's time for equipment issue.
Man: Grab your duffel bag.
Walk on around to the first window.
Narrator: Cadets receive everything they'll need
for basic training, including PT uniforms, bed linens,
and a computer.
Tuition at the Air Force Academy is free,
but cadets commit to five years of active duty service
after graduation.
While at the academy, cadets receive a salary
of about $1,200 per month.
Cadre member: Hurry up!
Narrator: The new cadets pack all of their gear
into their duffel bags and head to their dorm rooms
to prepare for six challenging weeks of basic training.
Clark: I-Day starts their journey for four years
into the rest of their lives.
The change that we hope to see, and that we usually do see,
is their change as leaders of character.
People who are ready to live honorably,
but also ready to lift others, lift their teammates,
their wingmen, to be their best possible selves.
If we get that from our cadets
as they leave and go on to serve our country,
then we will consider ourselves successful.