Want to try your hand at being a West Point cadet for a day?

The U.S. Military Academy is looking for volunteers for Rehearsal Reception Day on Friday, June 29.

Hours are 9:45 a.m. until 1 p.m.

Six years ago, a fellow reporter from The Journal News, Kari Neering, gave it a try.

Here’s the start of her account:

WEST POINT – Scratching an itch on the end of my nose was all it took to
prove that I am not destined for a life in the military.

Staring blankly in front of me, as ordered by cadets at the United States
Military Academy at West Point, a piece of hair blew across my face, causing
a feeling that cannot be ignored. I released my arms from the correct
military position and scratched away, unaware I would be reprimanded.

“New cadet! Did I give you permission to move?” a sergeant wailed directly
in my face. “No sir!” I replied, only to be scolded again for failing to
address this superior (who was younger than I am) as sergeant instead of
sir.”

The volunteers serve as guinea pigs for junior and senior cadets demonstrating their leaderships skills before the real cadets.

Neering wrote: “The experience gave me an appreciation for the intense discipline surrounding cadet life.

Clearly, West Point is not easy.�

So if you’re interested in showing your stuff, if you want to experience the initial transformation from civilian to cadet life, here are some numbers to call to sign up: 845-938-2825 or 938-2826.

Volunteers must be between the ages of 14 and 55.

Good luck.

PHOTO: Volunteer Laree Gottschall, the mother of a cadet from Reading, Pa., is taught the proper way to salute by West Point cadet Alexander Calvert, left, during “Cadet for a Day” at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 2005. (Karen Vibert-Kennedy for The Journal News)