Here are my Top Five Things to Know in order to better survive National Blue Beret:

1. Learn to use as little water as possible. Now I'm not saying don't drink water and don't take a shower. In fact, you should do both of these frequently. You see, the beret base compound is not connected to a sewer system, it has a septic tank. For those of you who are unclear of what that is, it is a holding tank for anything that goes down a sink, goes down a shower drain, or goes down the toilet, which must be pumped out periodically by a waste removal company. If you put too much into the septic tank, then you start to get stuff out of the tank. Normally it's good to get stuff back when you put stuff into something, but not in this case.

2. Don't shave your beret inside the barracks. I know you're excited, and you want your beret to look normal ASAP, but think about it.  Sure, you may get your beret de-fuzzified, but where do all those fuzzies go? Right into your bunk area for you to clean up. What's even worse you ask? Simply that you have just effectively ruined your razor. Make it easy on yourself, shave your berets outside, using the razors provided to you.

3. Ya know those earplugs they tell you to bring? USE THEM! I know, I know... "everyone in CAP should be hardcore", yadda yadda yadda. Well, being hardcore won't prevent tinitis. For those of you unfamiliar with this condition: tinitis is a constant ringing in the ears which can be caused by prolonged exposure to loud noise. Sure the Cessnas won't be too bad, but remember, at the world's largest airshow, you have a vast assortment of aircraft, including jets taxiing past you. (Editor's note: My father was an avionics technician for F-8 Crusaders, he's deaf as a post for just this reason.)

4. Become best friends with your shoeshine kit. Oshkosh is a very dusty place. I saw a pair of boots up there get covered in dust in 2 days without ever leaving the barracks. Don't let this happen to the boots that you wear. When the public sees you in uniform, 90% of the time they think you are in the military, and expect to see shined boots. I know free time is not as frequent as you would like, but at the minimum, give it a quick once over every day.

5. WEAR YOUR UNIFORM BY THE BOOK! Remember, the only person the public will remember is the one who stands out by looking bad. One of the biggest offenses actually comes from the cadet officers. All too often cadet officers don't wear cloth insignia on their uniforms. Under the 1991 CAPM 39-1, wearing miniature metal insignia was authorized. Under the current (1997) CAPM 39-1 only cloth insignia is authorized. The same rule applies to wearing insignia on the BDU cap. CAP cadet officers do not wear metal insignia on the hat (no, we are not the Army). There are many other issues as well, however these are the two most common uniform infractions. So please, wear your uniform properly. If others are doing it, why can't you?.

I know that this isn't a complete list. Everyone comes away from NBB with different experiences. Your list might include "bring soft toilet paper". If so, drop us a line and tell us your personal NBB Things to Know.