Forty Days

From USAFA Folklore

Forty Days refers to the forty days prior to the start of Recognition training. Although fourth class training has always gotten more intense as Recognition approached, "Forty Days" as a concept has only been formalized relatively recently.

The number of days corresponds to the the number of cadet squadrons. On each squadron's day, all fourth class cadets greet upperclassmen on the Terrazzo using that particular squadron's greeting instead of their own. Additionally, the fourth class cadets were usually required to undergo increased training and hazing rituals during Forty Days. Forty Days usually sees a large number of spirit missions, usually done by each squadron on its particular day.