Learning, Earning, and Yearning

This past Tuesday was the Physical Fitness Assessment and surprisingly, I got my personal best score, one sufficient enough to stay in Honor Guard training, and also get an A in KINES 096.  Other than that, last night’s training was not entirely bad−I made a lot of mistakes but we have improved slightly on our Superman Drill.  This is a timed exercise where the Detail Commander estimates the time it will take to march up to second floor Wagner, change into a specified uniform, and return to the armory.  This reminds me that, on another note, we’ve not yet earned the right to be a flight, but we’ve narrowed down our possible flight names to Gladius, Helios, or Sophrosyne.   Like many of the current Honor Guard Flights, we found it important to stay true to the Greek/Roman theme.   Helios was the titan of the sun, who each day rose from the ocean in the east and drove his chariot across the sky, bringing light upon the Earth.  He is also known as the guardian of oaths.  Sophrosyne was a Greek goddess who escaped Pandora’s Box.  As a symbol of moderation, temperance, restraint, and discretion, many Greeks upheld the ideal of Sophrosyne.  The consensus right now is Gladius, the Latin word for sword, much like those used by Ancient Roman soldiers.  Sword making is an ancient and honored craft which utilizes all elements of the universe, thus symbolizing unity and balance.  The training detail must complete a service project to earn our name but I’m at a loss for project ideas.  We originally suggested organizing a drive to send care packages to deployed service members but it has to be more of a team project.  For example, Olympus flight, who trained in the Spring of 2011, climbed Mount Nittany to show teamwork.  If you have any suggestions or ideas, please let me know !