Coast Guard Recruit Company Charlie 186 weekly journal posted Jan 25, 2012

Mon 16Jan12

We started the day off strong with a fast pace fire drill with a quick workout before we came back inside. We shot topside made our racks, changed, and got ready to step off for chow. They always have the best food to start the day off on a goof foot. The morning was filled with seamanship class. This week is all about firefighting. Today we learned about different fire extinguishers, how to classify a fire, and firefighting equipment. This week we will actually be fighting fires for practice and for our test. After our long morning of seamanship we marched to chow, had a magnificent lunch, and went to another class. Here we filled out a questionnaire to see where we stand in out mental, physical, and emotional health. We will receive the results back next week and find out what we need to work on. Afterwards we went to the gym for our swim work out. Next we stopped by the house, shinned our boots for a while and heading to evening chow which included meat ball subs, pork loins, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and all kinds of fruit. After chow the rest of the night was pretty good, we did an exercise that was kind of like the game telephone. We were given a radio transmission and we could say it once to the person next to us. It had to make it all the way day to the vary last recruit. This was to help us learn about good communication skills, receiving and giving correct information if we ever stand watch out in the field. Then we practiced manual of arms a few last times before our big test. We look pretty good so we should do well if we keep it up. Now we are ready to hit the racks and take one more step forward into week 06.

 Tues 17Jan12

As we ran  down the ladder for the fire drill, everyone was in a hurry because we wanted to start the day of on a good foot. Due to rain puddles being on the ground the was no incentive training so we hurried topside and started our morning routine of hygiene and getting into our uniforms to step off for morning chow. Chow was fast then we marched back to the house to practice  manual of arms for our big test today. Then off to seamanship for some firefighting. Today we received fire extinguishers to put out actual fires. Then we were shown how to put on the gear we would need if we ever had a fire emergency and checked to make sure everything was secured. This took all morning then it was off to noon chow. After we ate we went home and practiced once again manual of arms for our test, next we got our physical fitness gear together for a weight circuit work out. When we got to the gym we hit the weights on a new level of expectation from our instructor and increased the weight along the number of sets. Afterwards we had a travel class where we finalized our decisions on our travel arrangements for our graduation. Once back to the house we had a weigh in. we all had to weigh ourselves and see if we were overweight or underweight and to be able to set something up to fix accordingly. T6he rest of the night we spent field daying the squad bays and our quarterdeck. Then we got our mail, said our prayer and finally hit the racks.

 Weds 18Jan12

Today was definitely a fast paced day, seeming as thought we just kept going from one thing to another. Throughout the day our company was divided in half. Half went to seamanship and half went to receive their military Identification Cards and talked to career counselors about their future in the coast guard. Finding things out such as the area of our station, what's the live style like, work life, and things to just expect when we get there. At seamanship the other half had their firefighting practical training in an actual real life simulator to combat fires with full gear on from air tanks, masks, clothing, everything! Awesome experience you can't get at Disney or Universal studios. Afterwards we went to noon chow to eat some great food to give us energy to last for our manual of arms test we practiced and practiced for and now it was finally here. Before we knew it, it was over and we were waiting to hear the results of our test which was a perfect score of 10 out of 10. Everyone was filled with excitement and our Company Commanders were well pleased with the results. We owe our debt and gratitude to the the company commanders who spent their time with us day after day to prepare us for this and gave us the told to succeed. We spent the rest of the day doing more minor activities such as trying on dress uniforms, cleaning squad bays, making our racks and another chow. Charlie is definitely pulling together and it is really starting to show. We just need to stay locked on and try our hardest to earn our colors.

 Thurs 19Jan12

Fire fire fire were the first words of the day. Before we knew it we had already sprinted outside and found a piece of real estate for incentive training. The rest of the morning was just like yesterday with the company being split up just now things are opposite. After noon chow the company was back together and was ready for another round of Pugil stick matches. We tried to get new opponents sow e wouldn’t be smacking around the same people. You could here charlies cheers and screams across the regiment. Afterwards we had a class of different ways we could transport ourselves, family and belongings to our new duty stations and how the government will pretty much pay for everything and move you themselves. Afterwards we had our evening chow and the night started to wind down with shining of our boots, fold clothing for graduation, uniform maintenance, and cleaning squad bays. Tomorrow will be exactly 02 weeks until graduation and we become part of the fleet. We can see the prize but can't lose focus.

 Fri 20Jan12

Charlie companies busy day started with an expected fire drill and continued with a fast paced morning. After getting ready we went to morning chow to scarf down our food so we could all make it to medical in time to have those who received it get their small pox shot checked out. After medical the company marched back home to prepare themselves for the duties that were set before them the night before. Including work detail and pack/ luggage watch for Alpha -186 company because it was their graduation. That missio0n took away half of the company. The other half stayed behind to get things ready for on base liberty, gathering info, and calling our permanent units. Later on in the day after noon chow we had a swim circuit class which was challenging. The rest of the day was pretty much preparing ourselves for our on base liberty and our permanent unites. Including an awesome and intense incentive training and fire drill session from one of our company commanders. We needed the day with nightly routine, mail, prayer, and called taps to hit the racks with excitement for on base liberty tomorrow!

 Sat 21Jan12

This morning Charlie company was woken up by its Lead Company Commander with no Fire drill which was a nice way to start out on base liberty day. Once we were done getting ready we went to morning chow where we were served a well balanced Coast Guard breakfast of eggs, sausage, French toast, and grits. After chow we went home to work on our time management with some time drills of changing in and out of different uniforms on the fly. Along with a surprise rack inspection which earned us an incentive training session. Then we were given time to work on our on base liberty uniforms for inspection before we left. When noon came we went to chow and afterwards we had the privilege of being taken to the bay and taken on tours of 87 ft patrol cutters, small boats, and small boat station. Was good to get a real life feel of what we were to expect. Next we went to the house got ready for our liberty and had the inspection. Once done we were officially liberated! A lot of us went to the exchange to buy necessities, went to harbor view club to have some awesome sports bar food, and majority of the time we all spent our time at the phone banks calling our families and enjoyed talking to them in a regular tone of voice, and some of Charlie went to the on base movie theatre to enjoy nice quite time watching Contagion. Once 2100 came we were all back, hit the showers, prayed, and called taps. It was an extraordinary day for Charlie!

 Sun 22Jan12

Fire fire fire and incentive training to start our lovely day of Divine time. Once we hit topside we commenced morning routine of uniforms and Hygiene and stepped off for chow. Afterwards we came back and commenced Divine hours where we all had time to fix our racks, iron uniforms, shine boots, and dress shoes, write letters and go to chapel. We went to noon chow and had an awesome filling lunch which there's never any complaints about the Galley food. Then we came back to the house and got dressed in our Dress uniforms for inspection, we all felt great about ourselves in our uniforms. Once that was over we got ready to hit the gym for a swim circuit work out since we couldn’t go on a company run due to poor weather. After gym Charlie came home and got ready to run a practice test for our Close order drill test held by all of our company commanders. Once the test was done our Lead company commander gave us a speech on how the practice test went and where we needed to improve but overall did pretty well, next he went into saying how we have done well on all our inspections, tests, exams, and how we handled ourselves very well on our on base liberty. Hearing these things Charlie Company a High moral spike in themselves and before we knew it he had us about face and there it was CHARLIE COMPANIES COLORS RIGHT IN FRONT OF US! All of us practically gasped when we saw them and tried with all our being to hold in our emotions. Then we heard the AMAZING words "Go get them they're your you EARNED THEM" the entire company burst with emotion of excitement with screams to the top of our lungs running to the Colors. We Held them up and chanted at the top of our lungs CHARLIE, CHARLIE, CHARLIE and marched around the regiment holding the high and marching 10ft tall bullet proof no longer marching to cadence but marching while SINGING cadence. This was a day that not enough words could express and a day that Charlie 186 will never forget!