Coast Guard Recruit Company Delta 186 weekly journal posted Feb 13, 2012

06FEB12 Monday

I could hear PO Simcox's voice waking up the other squad bay and I didn’t hear the usual fire fire fire. Could this be real? Well he busted in our door a few seconds later and said "get up, put on your gortex and get outside!" I would honestly not be surprised if we go outside for it for the rest of boot camp. We were running a little late so we only got about 07 minutes to make our rack, shave, brush our teeth, and be ready to step off for chow. We came pretty close to making but there were still people running to the formation as it marched away. After chow we went straight to seamanship. PO Kaese had to go on leave so we have a new instructor for this week, PO Stocker. Our class was an introduction to fire fighting. We went over various types of fire and firefighting equipment. This week is focused on fire fighting because obviously a fire on a cutter would be a very bad thing. Looking at the scheduled this week is very busy but that means it will go by fast. Chow came fast and then we had a class on health. We just had to fill out a booklet about our health lifestyle. Then it was onward to the pool for a swim circuit workout. It is always nice to get in the water. Po Bailey came and picked us up in his dress blues, sharp. Back at Munro we found a gift from some CCs. Trashed bathrooms, yay! In secondary a whole rack was rolled into the head. The sense of humor of these guys. Po Bailey called us onto the quarterdeck with our piece. Oh crap, we must of messed up. Sure enough, sniper position. It seems that there were some people joking with the gym staff during our swim. It's kind of stupid because they acted like we were the scum of the earth only a couple of weeks ago. Well people learned their lessons. We spent the rest of the night on dress uniforms. We had a class on it and then we all put them on so PO Bailey could show us the correct way to wear them. "if it's comfortable, you're not wearing it right."

 07FEB12 Tuesday

Because days all start the same it is hard to know how it will go afterwards. Normal fire drill, normal breakfast, and fire school in the morning. It was a lot of fun. We got to use H2O extinguishers to put out fires in the fire trailer. It was in no way close to what a real fire is like but it gives you an idea. We also got to see demonstrations of both CO2 and PKP extinguishers. Afterwards we took it back inside the classroom. Groups of 16 at a time were taken into the fire room to be taught how to use the hose and how each team member is positioned. Then it was time to try on our breathing apparatus. A couple claustrophobic people didn’t like the tightness of the mask. It sounded like a room full of darth vaders. The rest of the time was spent studying while other shipmates took their turn. I need to mention that between the regiment and golf hall, PO Simcox had us do probably 20 - 30change steps. Anyway everyone was definitely ready for lunch when we got back. Once back at the house, we practiced MOA a couple more times. Then it was time for our official test. We had a little trouble finding our fall out position because we were taking the test over by the bleachers. Chief Howe gave the go ahead and we began. It couldn’t of taken more than a couple minutes and then it was over. Now we waited for what Chief Howe had to say. "Outstanding" was the first word out of his mouth. He said it many more times. He said we got a perfect 10/10 score. Wow, finally Delta shows its true colors. After Chief Howe walked away PO Bailey told us we killed the test and how proud he was of us. He then told us to put down our piece, we did. "About Face". There in the dead center of the parade field gleaming in the sunlight was our guidon, not with the usual white flag with a bold "D" on it. It was our Colors, a Delta flag. We had just earned our colors. "You want it, go get it!". We poured onto the parade field held the guidon high and chanted "Delta 186, Delta 186!" What a moment! Tears of pride ran down the faces of many as we marched back to Munro Hall. As always we have no time to waist. We had to change into physical fitness gear for a cybex workout. We got to clean and start sending groups of 10 down to the learning resource center to start contacting their stations. Chow then another class. It was to calculate when we would report to our station and how much we would get from the Coast Guard to cover the cost. After class there was not much extra time. We preformed more uniform maintenance and got ready to hit the rack. A new addition to main muster. A top rack fully made for our colors to lay her head at night. Although nothing was said, PO Garza's national ensign was up on the bulkhead of main muster. No need for any words, that’s the way it usually goes around here.

 08FEB12 Wednesday

Let's go! Our first day as Delta-186 with our colors. Unfortunately we were split up again because of scheduling. Well starboard divided in half again. Half went to administration and the other went to career counseling class. The class wasn’t all bad. We got to disenrol from the Montgomery gi bill and enroll into the post 9/11. I say it that way because what everyone did. PO Jones also talked to us about "A" school and how the wait list works. Striking is looking pretty good for some of the 18 to 24 month waits. When class ended we marched over to admin. A lot of sitting and waiting followed. Finally when it was your turn you get your picture taken and laminated on a card. The rest of the afternoon was filled with substantial amounts of cleaning. We cleaned James hall, Hotel's new home starting this Friday. While cleaning it became apparent that Munro hall is way better than the rest. It may be because I have lived here for 05 weeks but all I know is our house is orderly and sharp and even though we have been yelled at and shed much sweat here, this is where we feel comfortable. It's our home. We did get a little IT for just being stupid. Usually that does the trick and we are back on point. Behavior wise we were good for the rest of the day but our marching lacked. This did not sit well with PO Garza. To end the night we announced the name we decided on for our guidon. Marilayn Munro "because we live in Munro hall."

 09FEB12 Thursday

Apparently PO Garza wanted to spend the morning with us instead of getting some extra sleep. He loves him some siren in the morning. Quick IT and off to chow. Time for port and starboard to switch. Starboard took the long march down to golf hall. We marched ourselves the whole way. I guess we have earned some trusts. Fire fighting was awesome! First we all gathered in the classroom for the brief. Pretty, run in, put your equipment on and go out in teams of 04 to fight the fire. The fire was really just lights but the room was filled with smoke and loud noises were being piped through speakers on the bulkhead. What a thrill it would be to do it for real. Probably not a very good one if it was on your cutter but it would get the adrenaline pumping. After each group was done, another went in while the remaining people studied. We got done pretty early and marched back to Munro to clean and do uniform maintenance. If we don’t get a 55 on our final squad bay inspection, it might not be possible. We had the same schedule as yesterday from then on, just cleaned for a long time. We were supposed to pugil sticks today but because of the ridiculous amount of rain we got yesterday, we couldn’t use the pit so we went to the gym and got our workout on. You can really tell people are getting stronger. Heck we should be. Then came a class on moving your belongings. At the end of class PO Bailey rushed us over to medical to get our small pox checked. Yup it's there and disgusting! We then rushed over to chow, ate, and came home. We worked on our laundry, contacting units, and of course cleaned for the rest of the night. The art crew finished the T-Shirt design and submitted it as well as the orders. They should be in by week 08. Although today went well, it was not a good one for Delta. We Lost 02 shipmates to medical discharges. It doesn’t really seem fair considering they had to live with the CRAZIES of Delta-186 for 06 weeks and go through the stuff we went through. You Are Always Delta Dogs! To conclude on a separate note. To get something you want is good but to know deep in your heart that you truly earned and deserved what you got, that is what's more important. No matter how long it takes.

 10FEB12 Friday   

Not a super eventful day. Well at least most of the day. I have come to the conclusion that we will "Fire Fire Fire" for the next 14 days. I'm sure even graduation day will be the same. Actually I hope it is. End it like we started it. All morning we just cleaned and contacted units. After lunch we continued with the same until our swim circuit. When we got done you could tell PO Garza was not ecstatic with us. After dinner as soon as we got back we changed into our go fasters. This is almost never a good sign. "Fire Fire Fire" and away we go! We needed a little kick in the pants to remind us that we are still here, this is boot camp, and don’t confuse kindness for weakness. We are almost done but that means we need to be more locked on than ever. We got time to iron our ODUs and shine our boondockers for on base liberty. A little sniper position before bed does the body good. Hey, if we get music with it, I will never complain. Pledge of allegiance, shower, clean, and then taps. Tomorrow is a big day for us. We are being trusted to have fun in a professional manner.  Wow, I feel stupid. I forgot to mention the most fun part of the day. Before our sniper position we went for a little run around the base with PO Garza. Not too long of a run but it gave us a chance to sing. Man that’s fun! If feels like we were robbed a little because of the weather not allowing us more off base runs or runs in general but our CCs are very good letting us Sing when we march, even when they are really short. Well anyway, the run was awesome. Now time for bed!

 11FEB12 Saturday

Sometimes we just aren’t in the mood. The great thing about boot camp is it doesn’t care. It will beat you until you are ready to be motivated. Needless to say our morning was not too great. We just weren’t very loud when we went out for IT and then when we got back topside we were late for a time objective. We later found out that it was because we made our racks and PO Bailey never told us to do that. That’s the hard part about having 04 CCs. They all do things a little different. Most mornings we are woken up by PO Simcox and he normally has us make our rack. That’s why you need to pay attention to what the orders are. So for being unmotivated we ran some rack making drills. I don’t think I have ever talked about what that entails. Well we strip all the linens off our mattress and bring them to the quarterdeck. At this point we usually get it the second or third time. Sniper position then followed to help get us going. Sometimes that’s all it takes. We were lucky enough to get to go on tours of the Cape May Station and The 210' Venturous. There are 02 brand new 45s at the station that are sweet and supposed to be wicked fast. The tour of the 210' was fun. Dang, when they say the Coast Guard has an ageing fleet that’s an understatement. Recruits talked of the smell of oil and metal. Smelled good to me but I'm a grease monkey. After that we ate lunch at the galley then came back to prepare for on base liberty. Chief Howe came and gave a little speech then rushed out, hitting the door hard like he always does. Po Bailey explained the rules and expectations and then set us free. Many people made calls to loved ones and went to the exchange to buy candy or toiletries to last the next 02 weeks. We all ended up at the Harbor View Club and had a great time. We ate, chatted, listened to music, played pool, you name it. When we got back online at 2045 as PO Bailey instructed he said "I was going to tell you to lock it back down but it looks like you already did." Maybe we are tuning into military men and women after all.