|
TRACEN Cape May, N.J. |
|
 |
|
|
NOVEMBER 182 WEEKLY JOURNAL |
|
|
Monday, 16NOV09 Week 06 started out well for most recruits. Little mistakes are all that are left to fine tune, most of us are marching, sounding off, and addressing military personnel with confidence and purpose. It was discussed around the squad bay that even during our brief phone calls home, we habitually addressed our mothers and fathers respectfully, and downright militarily. In class we were instructed on how to properly don flame-retardant gear, manage an oxygen tank, and the basic strategies and safeguards to firefighting. Later in the week we will be able to put this instruction into action. We met with Mr. Harrell (a retired Chief Warrant Officer, with vast experience in the coast guard) for a health and wellness index. While we filled out our index he held a question and answer session about boot camp. The evening was a great morale booster, we spent time in class with DC2 Sutton and he discussed the "do's" and "don'ts" of our ALFA (white dress uniform), BRAVO (blue dress uniform), and our Tropical Blue Long (versatile dress uniform). We were able to spend a little time asking questions, and then the lights dimmed for a few short films featuring The Coast Guard in action, including Petty Officer Sutton himself. The weary eyes disappeared from the room and everyone was glued to their seats watching this great service at work, be it maritime safety, law enforcement, or search and rescue, all of NOVEMBER was imagining themselves on the deck of a cutter, and we could feel the adrenaline pumping. The fun hasn't nearly begun. Time for evening routine. Goodnight, NOVEMBER-182 Tuesday, 17NOV09 The gas operated, semi-automatic, clip fed M1 Garand, "The Weapon That Won The War", a versatile tribute to the United States Military. Weapons we hold that our forefathers held storming beaches in 'Whiskey Whiskey Two', and have some of the same working parts as we gripped them today for our Manual of Arms test. NOVEMBER was extremely nervous despite our practice executing these movements, even still after a morning pep talk from Chief Howe. Sure enough when it came time to brass tax, due to these nerves we faltered. This was a test that had our on-base 'Liberty' (Free time to enjoy civilian luxuries - IE Candy, Movies, etc..) at stake, the test was issued by Chief Operations Specialist Heinzman. We passed our test barely, and we were awarded our 'Liberty' but we were not pleased with ourselves. Some recruits were hanging their heads afterwards at owed, but not forced disappointment. If we let our human mistakes haunt us, it will affect our ability to perform, and lead to a downward spiral of error. Putting the start to the day behind us we went to 'Travel 2' a class with Seaman Bernier (our Yeoman in charge of making sure we get sorted on our way to first units) we filled our travel information and learned our report dates, sorted leave, hometown recruiting, and took care of our loved ones interests. We had an evening class with Petty Officer Durrant, he gave us some tips on how to sharpen and shine our 'Trops' (Tropical Blue Dress Uniform). The evening will be spent tonight with the cleaning crew taking care of maintenance on Munro Hall, the yeoman preparing our schedules for tomorrow, a few unread letters taken an eye to, and the art crew recently tasked with NOVEMBER hoodies, t-shirts, and themed ditty bags for our Company Commanders, Chief Heinzman, and a surprise for NOVEMBERs renown sponsors Master Chief Isherwood and Vice Admiral Courier. Goodnight, NOVEMBER-182 Wednesday, 18NOV09 Another early start for NOVEMBER company. The morning started with a fast break to the chow lines. The company split off from the Galley into two groups, the first headed to Seamanship to put into use firefighting instruction, the second headed to attain our long awaited military I.D cards. The Seamanship group headed to meet Petty Officer Humphrey for the last time in our 08 week training camp, a fond farewell to our exceptional instructor. They spent the day manning fire hoses simulating what it would be like to don fighter gear and have nowhere to go on a ship but out to sea. The second group headed to the administration building to take some of our most unsightly photos, for the best reason. The ID was banged out quickly and we headed over to the MCPO building (Master Chief Petty Officer - E-9 - the highest enlisted person next to the MCPOCG E-10). Once there we met up with Health Services Technician First Class Allen for some MGIB signing (Montgomery G.I. bill - Ensures that military personnel have a chance at education) and 'Career Counseling' class. This class was excellent guidance for first unit reporting, more than half the class was spent asking the very erudite Petty Officer Allen questions as we prepared for our units. The afternoon was spent with Chief Howe in 'Legacy' class. This class was a reminder of all the great men and women of the United States Coast Guard who have made the example for all of us. "You have to go out, but you don't have to come back" - These men and women have left big shoes to fill, knowing they were sailing head on into harm's way, and never faltering batting an eye, or thinking about giving up. We headed out to don the 'Trops' uniform looking the part of Guardians, holding our heads high as we started to feel the rush from these lifesaving stories. Now looking the part, we near the beginning of our journey. The evening was spent with Petty Officer Durrant, he reminded us about discipline, that it is not punishment, that we should make sure we "lock it up" when no one is around, that we do the right thing and give 100%. There is plenty of sleep for those who gave their best, and plenty of restless nights for those who gave but half. NOVEMBER will sleep heavy tonight. Goodnight, NOVEMBER-182 Thursday, 19NOV09 FIRE! FIRE! FIRE! our reward for our auto-pilot crash yesterday and an early morning schedule malfunction in the company laundry department. This helped NOVEMBER get back onto our toes as we had spent the beginning of week six already scanning the distance for the finish line. The company once again split, opposite this time from yesterday. One side of the company made the long march down to Willis Goff hall for an exhausting training exercise in fire fighting. Full SCBAs (Fire fighting gear w/ breathing apparatus) we duck walked (low enough to be kneeling, but your knees never touch) into a smoked room, three recruits went in at close quarters trading off time manning and stabilizing the fire hose. The other crew made their way through administration and picked up their I.D cards. The afternoon was once again filled with adrenaline and ferocity as NOVEMBER was pit shipmate against shipmate in melee pugilism stick contests. These fights were by far more physical and intense than our last encounters. Being hooked up by our Company Commanders has made for some pent up frustration we were able to exorcize. After the fights were over, NOVEMBER put the bouts quickly behind them, no bad blood remained. We were surprised when we made our way back to the squad bay, it felt like we walked into a post calamity disaster zone. Our squad bay was destroyed, In household goods class we learned the various ways to move and store our belongings getting them ready to report to our duty stations. The night was spent polishing our dress shoes and tying up some loose ends. Tomorrow we are on graduation detail for the families of weeks 08 Guardians. Soon enough it will be our turn to fill those shoes, until then, we'll guard the doors. Goodnight, NOVEMBER-182 Friday, 20NOV09 Graduation detail, a great chance to see the full metamorphosis of a company of our shipmates mere days away from the fleet. NOVEMBER itself was flying solo for the first time. Everyone had their job to fulfill be it traffic control, watchmen, greeter, cleaning detail, band, drill, colors, or plainly opening the door for our guests on base. Plenty of servicemen from other branches of the military showed up, as well as permanent party members and visiting officers. The whole day was a great test of what we have learned about military bearing. Due to the small volume of our company's personnel some shipmates had as much as 02 hours straight on their feet snapping between attention and parade rest (a modified position of attention, feet shoulder width apart and hands resting in the small of your back). No one complained, our general orders clearly dictate that you cannot leave your post until properly relieved, and there isn't an amendment about bellyaching. The ceremony itself was great to listen to, and it will be 14 short days until we stand there with our loved ones proud and adoring eyes gazing at our crisp BRAVOs. We were given a good deal of time solo after lunch too, as we had another Cybex gym workout, and some time to polish our things, get our refit uniforms up to par, and get our squad bay back to tip top. We will have plenty to talk about tomorrow on our first liberty (free time!) as well as getting to know one another on a more personal level as we will be allowed to speak beyond the lines of duty about our homes and families. Goodnight, NOVEMBER-182 Saturday, 21NOV09 The morning started out with a bit of tension, the whole company was excited to have its chance at on-base liberty. No one wanted to lose the opportunity to spend time unwinding from the stress that has dammed up these last 06 weeks. We mustered and got our liberty brief from Petty Officer Durrant, he explained that it was time to cut loose, but not to do anything crazy, not to do it while transiting, and more than that, not to overdo it. Liberty is a test of experience and design like most things here at TRACEN Cape May. We needed to demonstrate that we can function without direct supervision, not get into any shenanigans and to take care of documentation and details by our lonesome. The whole day was a great morale booster. We headed down to The Exchange (The all-purpose store) and browsed around the junk food, the jerky, but also the supplies, as we have grown a little attached to the competition of make our ODUs and boondockers look better than the next shipmate. There were various phones around base, NOVEMBER was once again authorized phone calls to our loved ones, some figured out travel plans, some just fielded and asked the many questions that have built up since our extrication from society. We made our way to The Harbor View Club we partook in pool, darts, shuffle board, football, and great food provided to us by courteous and amazing hosts. After our meal we formed it back up and made our way to the evening movie "Land of the Lost" (the new release), it was nice to have a few laughs as the young staff at Ida Lewis Hall provided us with popcorn, candy, and refreshments. We came back home of our own accord, locked back up and carried out our evening routine. NOVEMBER would like to thank the whole staff of TRACEN Cape May for providing excellent service during our on-base liberty, the whole day was wonderful. Morale is high, tensions are cut off, and we sleep easy preparing for the last day of week 06. Taps. Goodnight, NOVEMBER-182 Sunday, 22NOV09 Divine hours went well this week as it has run smoothly in the past few weeks. We have become adept at ironing and shining, our letters roll out faster, however we had less mail now that we have been granted a few phone calls. Morale in the company is very high for a multitude of reasons. Afternoon chow we carbed up and laid off sweet stuff and the dairy as we prepared for a company cadence run off base through some of the bayside neighborhoods. Most people find it hard to believe that some of us sailors look forward to a run the entire week, but that is the honest truth. More than chow time or divine hours NOVEMBER looks forward to shouting at the top of our lungs about "rollin' till our knees are swollen". We had a few shipmates out on dental so YN1 Durrant pooled us with MIKE-182 and dubbed us "MIKEVEMBER" company. We made the 03 mile run without anyone in NOVEMBER taking a breather and it earned us a pat on the back. Everyone was extremely pleased with themselves, and confidence is soaring. We made our way to afternoon chow and received a "BRAVO ZULU" (a signal, conveyed meaning "well done") from Chief Howe as NOVEMBER has been working together on our boondockers as our not so secret goal is to give permanent party members a reason to keep their boots tip top. The evening was spent donning our 'Trops' and learning how to look squared away as we will have reason to be in our dress uniforms in the not so distant future. The late evening we were able to go below to the 01 deck and spend a brief amount of time learning about Douglas Munro, after all we are living in his building. We learned many truths about his life. Chief Howe gave us a Patton-esque speech "It doesn't matter how big or small, where you come from, or how young or old you are, heroes are people who do the right thing when the time comes." We are excited headed to week 07. Goodnight, NOVEMBER-182 |
|
|
### |
|
printer friendly