Aaron Austin from Ogden wanted to make an impression when he arrived as a new U.S. Naval Academy plebe. So he came in military fashion, with his hair already only a mere quarter-inch long - which he thought was short even for the Navy.

To his surprise, that was a quarter-inch too long.Grim-faced barbers slashed it into real Navy fashion with a few quick swipes of their razors. And Austin was sent on his way to four years of training that he hopes will make him an ensign, a Naval aviator and a graduate of one of the toughest colleges in the world.

Austin was one of five Utahns who recently entered the Naval Academy to begin "Plebe Summer," which is designed to change the way participants speak, act, walk, talk, dress and think - along with their hairstyle - no matter how military and tough they thought they already were.

Also representing Utah were Shaun Cox from Milford, Eric Mulville of Vernal, Mark Neff from Sandy, and Daniel Nowicki from Bountiful.

Graduates say that first summer is the most difficult part of a difficult academy career. And the academy recently invited the media to watch what many say is the hardest part of that summer - the first day.

Neff arrived at the academy on the banks of the Chesapeake Bay about 6 a.m. that muggy July day, which was already hot as - well - the hell that the new plebes (as first-year midshipmen are called) feared Plebe Summer would be.

Amid tears from relatives, he bid them farewell outside the gate. He then walked through the academy doors - a right he won with a nomination from Rep. Wayne Owens, D-Utah, numerous interviews and tests. It was also something he had always dreamed of while growing up.

Neff found stern upperclassmen waiting for him - who would guide him through the day. He would find they spoke generally in nothing less than a shout, and their favorite phrase was "give me 30 push-ups."

The first thing they did was change his name.

No more Mark Neff, as his friends at Alta High School called him. He would now be known as "Neff, 1995" - his last name and year of expected graduation.

He also had his vocabulary quickly changed. For the next while, he would not be chatting idly or at length. He was told he would say one of five things: "Yes, sir," "No, sir," "I'll find out sir," "Aye, Aye sir," - and, of course the push-up inspiring, "No excuse, sir."

The upperclassmen took the new students on a variety of stops through the day, including:

- Being fitted for a uniform. Plebes are first given a T-shirt, blue and gold socks, tennis shoes and the prized "dixie cup" hat - a white circular hat with a blue rim which sets them apart from the rest of the midshipmen.

Upperclassmen teach them how to wear the dixie cup - two fingers above the brow, with the bangs tucked in.

They are issued all the clothing they will need during the summer, from their white sailor's uniform (white works) to their underclothes to their NIKE exercise shoes - and then given a bag and instructed to put all of their civilian clothes into it, which they will not need or see until the end of their first year.

Waiting in the uniform lines and pondering the coming weeks, Mulville said he felt like he had pre-game butterflies.

"I'm excited to be here, but I'm pretty nervous too," Mulville said. "I've heard it will be tough and challenging, but you just have to hang in there."

The summer can get so grueling that approximately 70-75 plebes do not make it through the summer to the first day of class, according to Academy personnel.

- A thorough medical exam complete with a urinalysis, blood test and for the women - a pregnancy test. Regulations at the academy do not allow for midshipmen to arrive married or with children. And they don't want any children arriving unexpectedly during Plebe Summer.

- A color blindness test is given to see if they can tell the difference between green and red lights. A midshipman who can't pick out a red number 28 or a green number 45 on a card amidst other colors could be responsible for a collision at sea or in the air.

Following a non-stop schedule, the new plebes learned quickly how to salute, who to salute, respond to commands, and prepare for the swearing-in ceremony.

Given the oath of office by Capt. Michael D. Haskins, U.S. Navy commandant of midshipmen, the new plebes unanimously voiced an "I do," promising to "support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic."

They then marched away into the hands of upperclassmen who preside over the demanding and rigorous Plebe Summer.

For the next six weeks, their days will begin at 5 a.m. with non-stop activities throughout the day. Lights go out at 10 p.m. The only free time they will have is 20 minutes in the evening, during which they must take a shower and prepare for bed.

According to Capt. Michael Haskins, Commandant of the Midshipmen, the challenging training during plebe summer "develops self-confident and mature individuals and creates leaders."

"During plebe summer we will take these 1,133 men and women and transform them into the sharpest young officers around," said Haskins.

They will learn how to navigate, sail, to operate a ship and how to signal while out to sea. They will learn to shoot a .45 caliber pistol and an M-16 rifle.

The physical conditioning program rivals that of any boot camp and includes calisthenics, running, pull-ups, sit-ups, swimming, wrestling, boxing, and many other sports activities.

According to academy personnel, the extensive mental and physical training combine to give each cadet the attributes of an outstanding Naval officer. They teach motivation, moral strength, stamina and leadership.

"They'll have a lot of pressure on them, and most of the time they will be hot, miserable, and tired," said Ensign Paul Fallace, a 1991 academy graduate.

"Even breakfast is miserable because you've got guys all around you yelling and asking you questions - plus you can only chew your food three times before swallowing."

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Preparing for what's ahead, Austin stood in line with his "eyes on boat" (which means looking straight ahead) and reflected great anticipation and uncertainty when he said he had "heard that plebe summer was pretty much hell."

To make it through, Austin said he would "try to keep my head up and grin and bear it. Hopefully I can keep a sense of humor too.

"You can't possibly know what it's like until you experience it - it's the toughest thing I've ever done."

There is no doubt the exhausted new plebes welcomed the end of their first day, and rejoiced that they made it through. Only 1,459 more days until graduation.

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