Daily Life at ENMS

On pages 52 and 53 of the 1964-1965 "The Academy" (yearbook) is a schedule of typical daily events that I've included below. This schedule deviated on Monday and on Friday. But for the rest of the week, it's pretty accurate. [On Monday before dinner mess formation, we'd all march through Headquarters, salute and receive our weekly allowance. I got $1.00 per week -- which wasn't much compared to many of the other cadets whom I saw collect several or more dollars each week. The amount of money we received was set by our parents. In order for me to afford taking my younger brother out on Sunday pass for the day, often I would have to save up several weeks' worth of allowances -- in an envelope secured in LTC Stimus' office. Once, I believe I saved up around $8.00 and Steve and I found a local restaurant on the north side of the lake and had the cheapest item on the menu -- cheese sandwiches and a coke.] After Friday's dinner mess, the entire senior school cadet corps went to formation to see a movie in the gymnasium. Cadet David D. was the master projectionist and I was his loyal assistant. Since we had to set the projector up ahead of time in the gym, we received the privilege of eating ahead of everyone else on Fridays. Setting up for the movie "The Fly" scared the &^%$ out of me in the darkened gymnasium. [Saturdays the schedule deviated also with the major activity being the cleaning of our assigned M-1 Rifles. After we cleaned our rifles they had to be inspected and sometimes many of us failed inspection and made to go back and scrub out the dirt from our bores again.] Saturday night if you were not campused (10 or more demerits), most of the cadet corps gladly loaded up on the buses and went into town for a movie. Some would stay behind at ENMS to be alone or study or maybe they didn't have the money or wouldn't part with their money for a movie. Usually we'd get back to campus after the movie around 10 to 11 pm. The bus ride to and from Elsinore often was noisy and rambunctious. [Sunday's schedule I believe started an hour later so we got to sleep in. The main Sunday activities included going to worship services in the morning followed by a major inspection wearing our dress blues followed by going out on pass with your parents, relatives, or friends, or not and then the quintessential moment of the week -- the parade. Dinner on Sundays was simple, typically soup and sandwiches.] Every Monday morning formation before marching to classes, we had to turn in an obligatory letter to our parents -- mandatory. I don't remember demerits for not complying (maybe because I made sure to have letter in hand--as did everyone). But, I do remember at Monday morning formations there was a great collection of letters to parents. We understood the message -- "Write your parents and let them know how you are doing." Typically our letters to our parents generated response letters from our parents during subesequent days and weeks. A good thing!

Time Typical Daily Activities (Monday - Friday)
0600 Reveille (Not Again)
0625 Mess formation
0630 Breakfast
0700 Preparation for inspection
0745 School formation
0800 Classes
1210 Recall from classes
1225 Mess formation
1230 Lunch
1300 Commandant's time
1315 Afternoon school formation
1420 Recall from classes
1430 Military science & training
1520 Recall from military science
1530 Intramural formation and tours
1535 Intramurals & tours
1620 Recall from intramurals & tours
1640 Formation for mail call & showers
1645 Mail call
1650 Showers
1730 Guard Mount
1745 Mess formation
1755 Dinner
1900 Study hall
2030 Recall from study hall
2115 Taps (Finally)