Captain Dillon discusses Snowy Nights at Fishburne!

As a night shift TAC Officer that works every weekend with our cadets, there are different shades to every season at FMS. Yet, by the time the chill of late fall and the early winter arrives, the cadets have settled into the day to day routine where only a few are seen at night.

In the winter routine of FMS TAC Officers is a phenomena I call ‘Snowy Nights.’ As you can see, in these late night snowy pictures showing our most recent winter snowfall in our historic ‘Quad,’ in those nights of winter flurry, things are fairly placid, even ethereal. Nonetheless, there is still the sleepy cadet heading for the rest room who generally will ask, “How much snow are we going to get tonight, Captain Dillon?”  Then, it is on the return from that bathroom trip that you see the cadet walk slower than usual for a cold icy night and just look at the snow with a sleepy awe.  Yet for us, it is at the end of this shift when a night’s snowfall really comes to the fore of each cadet’s mind.

At the end of our night shift, as the new day shift is beginning, our last duty is to aid in awakening the cadets. It is at this time that some ‘sleepy heads’ are having a little difficulty awaking. Yes, the mention of that snow begins to pique their interest and the mention of new snow to a sleepy cadet brings a curiosity to see the new snow. To be sure to say to a waking cadet, “Hey it’s snowing out here!” Or, perhaps, “It’s still snowing,” that wakes many a cadet just because he wants to “Check it out!” So, besides its obvious beauty, snow can also be an incentive to wake up, despite the chill of air and the time of day!

C. Thomas Dillon, Captain

Night Shift TAC Officer