Return to Pointer View home page July 8,  2005

Podiatry students take part in annual 'boot fit' 

Story and photo by Spc. Benjamin Gruver
Staff Writer

There are many reasons cadet basic training is considered a challenge.

The stress of adjusting to the military lifestyle, the rigors of field training and the intensity of learning Soldier skills all contribute to “Beast.”

However, for many new cadets, making it through basic training is a matter of taking it one step at a time – and making sure those steps don’t hurt.

That’s exactly why 15 students and 6 faculty members from the New York College of Podiatric Medicine came to the U.S. Military Academy, June 28 and 29, to take part in the annual new cadet “boot fit.”

The podiatric students did more than just hand out boots. They checked the length, width, heal fit, toe-box fit and height of the arch on each pair.

The students first make sure the new cadets properly lace up the boots. Then they check out the way the boots fit while the cadet is standing, walking and sprinting.

“The configuration on each foot is completely different, especially when you are up on your toes and the foot slides forward in the boot,” said Michael J. Trepals, NYCPM vice president for academic affairs. “An ill-fitting boot will jam the toes.”

Shoes or boots that don’t fit change the way you walk, particularly when they cause pain, Trepals explained.

“If the boot rubs a portion of the foot or toe or causes a blister in the heel, the person will shift the way they walk and that causes pain in other areas of the foot as well,” he said.

While a small irritation may not affect a person sitting in an office, for a new cadet handling the rigors of Beast a small irritation can easily become a major problem. Some of the impact of poorly fit boots can be infected blisters, calluses and stress fractures, Trepals said.

The number one problem shown to occur with new cadet’s feet are friction blisters, explained Lt. Col. Timothy Duffy, chief of podiatry at Keller Army Community Hospital. Injuries from friction blisters will lead to decreased training time and possible hospitalization.

“This is a simple preventive medicine,” said retired Maj. Gen. William F. Ward Jr., NYCPM chairman of the board of trustees and USMA Class of 1950. “I remember as a cadet seeing a dozen classmates on the first day of academics in white tennis shoes, hobbling around.”

Duffy said the podiatry students not only help speed up the process of fitting everyone with boots, they help decrease the injuries among members of the class. The event also helps the students learn more about their chosen field.

 “It gives you more hands-on experience, especially the sheer volume of people you see in a day,” said NYCPM student Michael Mazziotta, a native of Staten Island New York. “This is a skill we learn, but applying what we learned is what makes this so great.”

The Army has also shown its concern for the feet of cadets and Soldiers alike, by issuing a new boot.

“It is the black version of the Marine boot,” Duffy said. “The new boot is suppose to help decrease stress fractures because it is a little more cushioned than the older boot.”