Shower drill

From USAFA Folklore

A shower drill is a ritual where fourth class cadets are cycled through alternately freezing cold and scalding hot showers, and sometimes forced to low crawl under the dividers between shower stalls. Mainly done during Basic Cadet Training and Recognition, the shower drill has decreased in frequency, because it is borderline hazing/sexual assault.

From 1955 to 1975, shower drills were known as shower formations. The doolies would line up in the hallway wearing towels, slippers and carrying their toilet articles, including a bar of soap in a plastic box. They would be challenged to recite fourth class knowledge while their posture was corrected. Failures were punishable with pushups. Once the fourthclassman approved the "course" he would be excused to take a two-minute shower. After the shower, he would report as follows: "Sir, Cadet Fourth Class _____ showered, shampooed, powdered his feet and has had a bowel movement within the last 24 hours." Normally, the fourth class cadet was also asked about when was the last time he wrote home. (This was before cell phones.) The first shower formation conducted during First Beast also included the introduction of the Squadron Staff, with each staff member doing his best to intimidate and threaten the basics, with the climax being the introduction of the Squadron Commander.