WEEK 06 MIKE-182

09NOV.09

Today begins a significant week in our training. Every recruit in MIKE 182 now knows where he or she is going to be stationed after graduation from CAPE MAY. This week offers us another chance of earning our company colors, which we failed to earn last weekend.

On Tuesday, we have a test on Manual of Arms by our own Chief Hampton. If the company impresses him, then the company’s image on the regiment will definitely improve and MIKE 182’s identity will be finally known, even by the blind.

In preparation for this test, we had some drills with our OS1 Ricketts in the morning and with BM2 Jansen in the evening to be on the safer side.

Also we had our firefighting class earlier today, which is also very important not only to our graduation but also to our job as Guardians. We learned about the different types of firefighting equipments and  the safest and fastest way to put on the gear. Another interesting class dealt with personal wellness and we basically filled out some information about our wellness.

10NOV.09

We have a lot of good news to share today with everybody on the regiment, at home and in the whole wide world. We want to make it known today that MIKE -182 got her colors. It was not easy but we made ir happen through our hard work and determination.

We started the day with firefighting at the GOFF HALL. After that, our firefighting instructors led by BM3 Stolz, informed us that MIKE-182 is the best first-timer-firefighting trainee company ever to display the type of expertise and master skills we displayed today, and that with just one time-instruction. To us, this is a great honor that an outstanding performance tracker has gone a long way to tell about.

As from today, whenever MIKE-182 marches by everybody on the Regiment would recognize us as the best firefighters ever to set their feet on TRACEN CAPE MAY.

From the firefighting, we marched down to the Squad bay with our OS1 Ricketts to get ready for Chief Hampton. A very critical test of our team work and as it may be, MIKE182 trashed  it scoring  09 out of 10, another record that only few companies have managed to set before us.

With that, MIKE-182 earned her long-awaited colors and 02 extra pennants to it. CRAZY!!

Now we are proudly and loudly singing around the regiment, flying our colors high, counting our days too on the regiment.

Now after all these glories of the day, we marched down to the swimming pool for water circuit exercise. Although we do not really understand what it was about, we had some fun doing it with our section Commander, Chief Hampton.

After that, we had a chow and went down to the Building 252 to meet our Yeoman, Petty Officer Brown concerning our travel arrangements to our new units. Now we know how much the federal government is also spending on each one of us, when we leave here in 02 weeks to our units.

Today teamwork and commitment we learned from our DC1 Wingate, OS1 Ricketts and BM2 Jansen, have meshed and we know they are proud of us.

11NOV.09

Today is a holiday honoring the Veterans? But for us we know only training and training on the TRACEN, CAPE MAY. The ESP broadcasted and streamed live from our regiment to the entire nation. It is such an opportunity to be part of this great show.

While the show was going on, we had to go do more firefighting and have one class called the LEGACY by our lead company commander DC1 Wingate. Very outstanding and extra ordinary guardians went the extra mile as a result of their commitment and devotion to duty, were the key players in this class: Douglas Munro, Petty Officer GOFF and Bruckenthal, to mention but a few, were ordinary people with extra ordinary legacies and acts of heroism they left behind. Even generations to come will never forget them.

Towards the evening, members of the boarding team almost sank our company’s ship by not convincing Senior Chief Martinowski that they have their required knowledge. As a result, we were ordered to the quarter deck to rescue the company, but after 03 minutes, Senior Chief Martinowski was completely convinced that MIKE-182 is not a bunch of noise-makers but very determined and squared away- ready-to-go company. Our evening routine continued until our DC1 Wingate came in to pass some information to the entire company. Our countdown is running and this time we are not opening any door for mistakes.

12NOV.-09

We are gradually coming to the end of our time here on the regiment as recruits. A lot of things indicate that MIKE 182 is through with the most part of the training.

Today we got our military ID cards, a powerful authority on its own and having in the hand gives us the feeling only we can explain. We are members of the world’s greatest military.

We also contacted our new units and sponsors to clear some questions and doubts that lingered on our minds till today. We got our travel arrangements made; tickets are reserved to enable smooth transition to our new duty stations.

We were also informed how much of our household goods, we are allowed to move with and to what limit the US government can pay to get them down to our new units. We are so honored and impressed with how we are being taken care of by the government.

Tomorrow there is a graduation ceremony on the regiment for KILO 182 and we are also preparing to help make their ceremony a success. We have to help visitors find their way to the parking lot and the halls. Even though the weather is not so clement, and a hurricane is lurking around the corner, we are not moved at all.

13NOV.09

We are getting busier and busier as our D-Day draws nearer. Starting off the day with watch standing for the graduating class: KILO 182 and still having to take care of our travels and contacting our sponsors and units, were enough to make an already rainy-hurricane terrified day, busy.

We felt for our Shipmates, KILO182 today. We think it was a very bad weather for their graduation and their visitors too. But life goes on!! TRACEN CAPE MAY is very ready for any occasion, come sun, come rain. Through the rain, we marched down to chow with our DC1 Wingate and BM2 Jansen. After that, we went to the graduation hall to clear the ground of musical instruments, seats and floor cover. We went to CYBEX later with Petty Officer Ricketts work out. Our dress uniforms inspected by our OS1 Ricketts. She felt so fulfilled to see us look good in those BRAVO Jackets. We cannot wait to wear them again.

14NOV.09

Today is a wonderful day to us. We have our on-base liberty to go on some operational tours of the US Coast Guard cutter Vigorous and a little tour of the regiment, marching and singing our cadence-songs with our BM2 Jansen and Petty Officer Morgan, our Training duty officer.

Before we set out for our liberty, our BM2 Jansen gave some briefing on what we could and could not do. Very important! Here following orders is very crucial. Not following them is very critical. We know the results.

While on liberty, we are able to go to the exchange and buy everything that is not forbidden for recruits, either eat or take them to the movie which shows later today. To some of us, it was an opportunity to eat some candies and snacks; we had not had the chance to eat since we got here. This is Liberty! We have the chance to call home and talk to some people we have not had the opportunity to talk to for almost 02 months now. It is very relieving to us and to our family members to know that we are doing fine and also for to know they are doing fine too. Towards the end of the day, we have a movie at the IDA LEWIS HALL. The movie is called THE PROPOSAL.

Despite the briefing we had, some of us still turned in a little bit late and our DC1 Wingate was not so happy about that. We are afraid too that if we don’t take care, we may endanger our chances of having our off-base liberty next weekend. God forbid if that happens!

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