Recruit Journal

01JUL12

"Inspect What You Expect"

We had divine hours today.  Just As we will every Sunday, and there are several interpretations of "Divine."  For the recruit, we love it to mean we could go to the beach or perhaps form a company baseball teams and play a game every Sunday.  For the company commanders it's time to get every little thing squared away to perfection.  They know we aren't perfect, but the underlying message is to strive for self-improvement in everything we do.  And when we all grasp that fact, only then can we start working on ourselves to become team members a team would want to have. 

02JUL12

"G.I"

Today we had classes on some of the most important aspects of our lives.  The first was all about education benefits and how to choose between the Montgomery G.I. Bill and the Post 9/11 G.I. Bill.  It's a pretty good bet 100%-90% of us are picking the Post 9/11.  Mostly because we don't pay anything into the program.  Its worth a lot more and it's transferrable to our dependents.  The second "class" wasn't really what you would think a normal class to be.  No desks, no chairs, and no raising your hand to ask questions.  It was rack inspection time by our section chiefs.  In the end, seven people are headed to RAMP and hopefully they'll come back with a new outlook on training here.  Hopefully, when they do come back, they'll be the leaders we are expected to be. 

03JUL12

"Repeatedly Repeating"

Another day..........another push-up?  That's the unwritten motto of Yankee-186.  But yes, it's another dollar too.  We don't really have the time to think about money.  We're too busy cashing out push-ups checks all day long.  And believe me it came down to a few heated words between recruits, but not heated in argument.  It was heated with motivation, and correction.  We are here to train to become Coast Guardsmen and women.  We want to learn something new every day that's going to be beneficial.  Getting buff is something to do on your own time.  We are here to learn.  We're here to grow.  We are here as one.  Now let's get to work. 

04JUL12

"21 Guns"

Today marks the 236th year of our independence.  And now we are following in the footsteps of those who have gone before us, to continue the mission of protecting our sacred freedom.  Many of us haven't grasped the magnitude of the task at hand, but we will in time.  We must, if we truly want to answer the call of duty.  But that's a little beside the point.  Tonight we write to honor our founding fathers, the Soldiers, the Sailors, the Marines, the Airmen, and the Coast Guardsmen who diligently and with the utmost Honor, Respect, and Devotion to Duty, built, defend, and continue to stand the watch over our lives.  So may our Flag fly a little higher, our Anthem be sung a little louder, and the People of the United States never forget how we got here. 

05JUL12

"Busy"

Let’s recap.  We started our journey on 19JUN12 and it is now 05JUL12.  We are coming up to the end of our week 03 of recruit training.  Our company commanders are BM1 Phillips, MK1 Griffin, and AMT1 Couch.  Our lead company commander is MST1 Simcox.  These are some of the hardest, toughest people any of us have ever met.  They are also some of the finest and most honorable Coast Guardsmen this Coast Guard recruit company has ever had the honor to know.  Today we got our first taste of what our seamanship classes will be like as well as what graduation parades will be like.  We have lost shipmates from our company due to illness, injury, and other means.  We still need to learn to trust one another.  Tonight, we received a speech from our lead Company Commander that seemed to put the company in a better spot.  After the speech, the company seemed too bond better with each other.  It was a long day that's now over.  Next week begins the half way mark but we must first make it through this Friday through Sunday. 

06Jul12

"Left, Left, Left, Ri, Lo"

Today we marched in our first graduation ceremony.  From the audiences perspective it probably looked spectacular, but then again how many of them really know the rules and regulations on this kind of stuff? Chances are, not many. However, we do know how to do all the little things that we have to do to make it perfect. By our own standard we failed.  EPICALLY.  Subsequently, we also paid dearly for it with some intense incentive training. I do have to say though, and this may not be true for all of my shipmates, but I was so proud to be marching to "Semper Paratus". It was an uplifting feeling that said this is why I'm here, these are the moments that outweigh every moment of incentive training, and this ....this is why it is worth it. 

07JUL12

"Sea Horses"

Seamanship; one of the most fundamental parts of the Coast Guard. Without Seamanship the Coast Guard would not exist and for most of us, we'll be stationed on the cutters and small boats.  The crewmembers rely on Seaman and Fireman to keep the multi-million dollar vessels afloat, so it's fitting to say that they are just as much the horsepower under the hood, as the diesel engines. They do the routine maintenance as well as physically operate many parts of the vessel. But more importantly, they do all of this as a seamless team. That is what we need to start striving for here. Not next week, not tomorrow, but today. We will see a greater improvement in all of us, when we can work, live, and operate as one cohesive unit.