Charlie-182 entered its training phase with a week of ups and downs. Week 3 was full of class work and physical conditioning for preparation for the physical assessment test, which everyone needs to pass in week 4. By now, Petty Officer Vedder, Petty Officer Stamos and Petty Officer Moon expected Charlie to start acting as a team and begin to really show heart and military bearing. Unfortunately this would only occur half the time.

Week 3 was a week full of class work. Charlie company learned about things that a new recruit would be exposed to in the military such as ID cards, GI bill, military code of conduct, leave and liberty, ethics and sexual harassment prevention, the missions of the Coast Guard and how to properly advance once we are in the fleet. We also learned about Coast Guard history.

Charlie spent a lot of time getting close order drill down and working on their manual of arms test.  On Tuesday everyone donned a large float suit and had to jump in the pool and float for 5 minutes in a rescue position. Charlie also worked on physical conditioning, and a lot of recruits who initially felt nervous about their physical assessment began to feel a little more stronger and confident. On Thursday everyone participated in a 10 mile life cycle (stationary exercise bike) run. Charlie was joined by their company commanders "riding" alongside them, as well as Captain Thomas (the TRACEN Cape May commanding officer) and Lt. Cromer. It was really motivational to see people out there with the recruits riding hard.

The week culminated with seamanship classes, where Charlie learned about vessels, units and aircraft, as well as deck structures and terms and the different types of line and the knots used in the coast guard. Charlie also got an introduction to operating the helm of a ship.

By the end of week three, Charlie began to feel a little more confident and the majority of the recruits were acting like young men and woman who are transitioning into the United States Coast Guard. Time objectives were being met and uniforms were looking sharper. Charlie-182 still has a little more work to do before its company commanders can trust the company to act with complete military bearing, but with only 33 days left in training, Charlie will have to work a little harder to gain that respect.

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