Coast Guard Recruit Company Delta 186 weekly journal posted Jan 31, 2012

17Jan12

And I was right, today as not the most pleasant day.  Well the morning and night were terrible but the day went well.  Normally if we have interesting class during the day, it comes with one or two that are boring.  Our class on safety could have been boring but our instructor was great.  While telling us about safety he also told us stories from his career, good and bad.  You can tell that some stuff you experience will stay with you forever, even if you don’t want it to.  Now I try not to write from my perspective alone but that is hard when you don’t really talk to anyone because you can’t.  Personally I loved the two classes on Coast Guard history.  I would have loved to have a whole week of them.  So many heroes have come before us.  Hopefully that sinks in with some people.  Like Master Chief Carlson said. “You should shake at the fact you are living in a hall named after Douglas Munro”.  Indeed we should, indeed we should.

 18Jan12

It’s sad when you think it is completely normal to get woken up by a man yelling in a bull horn but we are getting to that point.  Today started off with some nice IT right after morning muster.  Then came some more rack making remedial.  Oddly enough it was linens day so we had to rip all the sheets off once we were done.  After morning chow, guess what, “Sniper Position, Take”!  Some people need to get with the program.  Classes were good today.  Petty Officer Simcox was qualified for an instructor thing which meant he had people in the room judging him.  Everyone behaved well it seemed.  And like all our other Company Commanders he taught the material very well.  Coast Guard Roles and Missions.  It’s funny how people that constantly yell at you can also get you so pumped up and excited about the future.  The other classes weren’t boring, just dry.  We did have the honor of retired Master Chief teach our class on Advancement in the Coast Guard.  There are mixed emotions on how the night ended.  The good, we made it through another day.  We seem to be growing as a team and working more efficiently.  The bad, we have lost a couple recruits.  The weak ones seem to be getting weaker, regardless of the thought of RAMP or reversion.  The future is unclear for Delta-186.  I believe we have it in us to be the best company here but some can’t yet see what I see.  We are Delta-186!

 19Jan12

What a day!  Minds are now in their racks rebooting from the today.  It started off pretty normal with fire fire fire and some 0530 IT.  A difference was a little extra pep in some peoples step.  We seemed to be making our time objectives, if not we were much closer than normal.  After morning chow was a bike workout.  There was some regrets on the faces of those who loaded up on food prior to.  Later we had class on Code of Conduct and Standards of Conduct.  Both being important things to know.  The pride from those classes was apparent.  High point of the day was marching down to Seamanship.  The bay is beautiful, many of us are wishing for an extended march.  To gain more skill at COD and just see what this place looks like.  Seamanship class was great!  The building and grown are really cool.  Can’t wait to spend more time there.  Even though we just learned some terms, it felt like we were really getting started.  After evening chow we ran a boot drill to learn to always square knot our shoes when not in use.  Our RAMPERS came back tonight.  Finally the family is back together again.  We got to learn some more Manual of Arms, God that is some cool stuff.  Tonight was a first we made all of our time objectives.  To end the night we went out for some IT by Petty Officer Bailey.  In a weird way it almost felt like a reward for doing a good job today.  We are either learning what we need to or just losing our mines.  Maybe a little of both!  Delta-186 OUT!

 20Jan12

Today words can’t really describe.  Of course we had class which was really fun.  The hours between 2100 and 2200 will be remembered forever.  For some it may have meant nothing, for others it could have been a new thought.  For the rest it made me remember the person I truly am.  It was just forgotten in this new lifestyle but it was always there.  It was repeated in the songs.  As the songs played, the pain from sniper position went away, or at least wasn’t apparent to my brain.  I hope some got the message.  It’s about U.S. not US.

 21Jan12

 What a different kind of day.  I mean different for us.  It started with wonderful sound of the bull horn.  No matter how many times it happens it still is a shock.  It was nice to come in from the rain for muster.  Rack making drills like always took up our pre chow time.  The difference came after chow.  We went straight to Seamanship.  God the things we learn down there are cool.  We were at Seamanship all day.  On the way back from Seamanship, at the end of the day, we dumped our back packs for an inspection.  It was mind blowing that some got in trouble when we just had an inspection the day before.  We then got to work on Manual of Arms on our own.  Then it was time for some performance tracker remedial.

 22JAN12

 I don’t even know anymore we could be up on a mountain feeling like we doing well and then another it’s like indoc weekend again. Today was going pretty well during divine hours. Many took time to get uniforms pressed and racks organized for inspection on Monday. After midday chow we went for a workout on the bikes lead by Chief Ruchser. He will make you sweat. He should run all of the bike workouts. Unfortunately we still have some recruits with the company who couldn’t follow the simple direction of stop picking up your canteen. It was clear that this made Chief Ruchser upset. I knew the rest of the day was going to be bad. In the next 03 weeks, I have been here I never seen him look upset even when dealing with poor Recruits. I always see him laughing.  I was right. What followed was the worst remedial session we have received. We ended up with another inspirational sniper position. Personally, I would have no problem ending every night like that and thinking about this great country. We got to sing Semper Paratus today on the quarterdeck. Without a doubt one of the high points of boot camp thus far. Here is hoping for a good tomorrow.

 23JAN12

 Today was the first day off double delta. Delta had to be split into two groups for class purposes. The armory can only handle a certain number of recruits.  I am starboard side so a description of day at the range will have to wait till tomorrow. Petty Officer Simcox was in charge of this morning. He welcomed us into week 04 with some new additions to our Incentive Training routine. The Plank and dead cockroach, which is like the V, do in physical fitness. Fun stuff! Good news is that we are definitely getting louder. Our voices echo a lot longer that they did even last week. After chow we split into our two sub companies. Starboard went to the classroom in 252 for a class on commitment. Man these classes are getting better. We are in the military now. Our job is to save people in peril and protect good things, people, and ideals even if it means making the ultimate sacrifice of one’s life. Classes like that make you realize that everything we go through here has a purpose and is very necessary to get us ready for the possible dangers ahead. Later starboard got to set up their USCG accounts. Wow a computer, not sure we can remember how these things work. We managed. Our instructor said we would be back a lot in the future once we get our orders which is next week. Gosh time is flying by. After lunch we had colors class. We learned how to properly observe and carry out morning and evening colors. Then we got to go outside on a beautiful foggy cold day and six recruits performed both while the rest of starboard watched. What a great experience. People say being in the military has its perks.  But no amount of health care, dental care or whatever can come close to the amount of knowledge you gain about things regular civilians don’t know about. After dinner Petty Officer Bailey took us to get our pictures then in uniform. Although it consisted of buttoning three buttons of a dress shirt and two buttons of a sport coat (bravo). Clipping a tie on and slapping on an old cover. It felt good to see that side of you in the mirror. It was a quiet night for D-186 sounding off page 212 “Self Discipline” was the worst of it but sometimes people need a reminder to act right. Even with that Delta is coming together. We will be the best!

 24JAN12

 The day at the range well it’s obvious but I will say again that we woke up to PO Garza’s blow horn. Fire Fire Fire plus a not so pleasant siren.  Whatever, you get it over it. It is weird to say but this place is a lot like child birth. Everyone says because child birth is so traumatic and painful that the body makes you forget. Many nights I find myself reading the days schedule to figure out what to write. I retained all the information I just can’t remember what we did even meals become hard to remember. Well enough about that. The range was a lot of fun! Well it’s more the inside of a classroom. Here at TRACEN Cape May we use simulators to teach basic marksmanship skills. We first went over firearm safety and then it was time to shoot. The creators did a great job. The weight was right on. They even had a compressed air system that moved the slide after every shot. Not close to what real recoil is like but you get somewhat of an idea. Our group did we some did not score a qualifying number but many shot at a marksman level.

 25JAN12

 Exactly 30 days from today Delta-186 will be graduating basic training. Who will be a member of D-186 is still up in the air. Especially after today. Not a great day for Delta. It started off normal with fire drill and IT. We had two classes in the morning. One was on enlisted ratings. It was good to finally here about it from someone that was one not the internet and two not a recruiter trying to embellish different aspects of each rate. The second was on housing very boring but necessary to know.

 26JAN12

 What a day. It’s almost hard to even write about. There were some good things but the bad washes them away like waves and writing in the sand. For the readers sake I will touch over the good. We got to go to seamanship today which is always fun and interesting. The high part was that on the way there and back PO Bailey taught us a marching song. What a blast! We also got to make our wish lists for the first station. We worked on manual of arms before chow. It went reasonably well but we still need to work on our snap and pop. Next week is thought to be when reversions start.  Many are hoping some will leave us. If we didn’t have the best Company Commanders on the planet.

 27JAN12

 Today was once again another roller coaster day for Delta-186. Today was our midterm exam. Some were a little but all finished with plenty of time to spare. When we got back we had to do some sniper position because one of our shipmates get in trouble talking on the ladder well. Then came the shock of the day. PO Bailey made us move half the people from main muster to secondary and vice versa. The one constant in our lives now gone. The bond between rack mates can be pretty strong. For me he is a younger brother.

 28JAN12

 Man I wish PO Garza’s megaphone would run out of batteries as would the rest of Delta-186 but I guess it’s like an alarm on a cutter. Today was pugil stick fights. What a crazy experience. Most of the fights were friends vs. friends. Then some were making a point that others needed to shape up. It was fun to see our CCs in a different light. They were hyped up on all the craziness. When it was over right back to CC mode.

 29JAN12

I am going to start this entry a little different normally I go in order but tonight is worth talking about. PO Bailey normally comes in and talks to us on nights that he is here. Tonight was not different. He told us on nights that he is here. Tonight was no different. He told us about the week five dive where recruit companies fall apart. Divine hours went well but we did miss an easy time objective set by PO Simcox. It was a stupid mistake. After lunch we went for our first off base run. You don’t know the feeling unless you go to a recruiter and enlist.