and the first class is so short...

Every now and again during a meal, the adjutant (the guy who publishes/reads orders and announcements) will say "and the first class is so short..." At this point, a thunderous reply comes back from the Firsties (seniors) "how short are they?!" The adjutant then takes the opportunity to rip on another one of the classes and point out how much less time the Firsties have left at West Point. Here are some recent examples...

-the first class is so short, they have fewer days of class until graduation then the plebes have semesters at the academy.
-the first class is so short, they have fewer months until graduation then the cows have years at the academy.
-the first class is so short, they have fewer weeks until graduation then the yuks have years at the academy.
-the first class is so short, they have fewer days until graduation then the plebes have months at the academy.

And gradually these will become more jubilant for the Firsties and more demoralizing for the others, such as on graduation day:

-the first class is so short, they have fewer days until graduation than the cows have years at the academy.

And the best one...

-the first class is so short, they have fewer HOURS until graduation than the plebes have YEARS at the academy.

Oh, the first class is so short...20 days!!