"Half left, Face. Push up Position, Take." "Aye, Aye Petty Officer Quiggle." Immediately 49 recruits drop to the deck, assuming the push up position. "Push ups, begin." "Aye, Aye Petty Officer Quiggle." And the pain begins. Of course, it wasn't as painful as it was 08 weeks ago and the fact that we were pushing the deck during our graduation rehearsal made it bittersweet. Our graduation day is upon us with a new lifestyle ahead of us. The flood of knowledge that we've received since being here is almost too large to even begin reflecting upon. I know most of us will have a hard time just trying to explain to our loved ones what it was like; giving details will be almost impossible. Basic training here is something that will force all of us to sit and think about who we are and what type of role we will take on as we are released upon the world.

We have become a family in so many ways. Everyone grooms each other like a family of chimpanzees, picking off lint and fixing loose strands of hair. We close each other's rucksacks and tuck in each other's shoelaces. We also get on each other's last nerves at almost every opportunity, but that's what family does. We look out for each other and as the weeks have progressed we've had the chance to fully understand that our new family extends beyond our squad bay. The fact that the Coast Guard is such a small service makes the camaraderie that much more crucial and much easier to come by. We've all realized how blessed we are to be at the end of one journey and at the beginning of another....hopefully this next journey won't lead to fire drills every morning.

Fair winds and following seas.

Well, this is it for Kilo; the home stretch. Only a few more days to go with a legacy behind us. Each day this past week has held something important for us, it wasn't just Basic Training, but also in what we will be doing in the fleet. We got a basic exposure to First Aid and CPR which lead to scenarios in which small groups were tasked with assessing and treating various victims with almost every type of wound imaginable. It's always interesting to see who takes charge of those situations and how being a good leader AND a good follower is important which could lead to saving a life or not. That night we were practicing for the Close Order Drill Test scheduled for the following day. Comparable to the Manual of Arms test the previous week (which earned us On-base liberty), the Close Order Drill test earns Off-Base liberty. As you can imagine, we were pretty hard up for some genuine down time. Well our practice time the night before only lead us to becoming a puddle of sweat and our practice time being cut short. Most of us went to bed that night knowing that we were never going to pass the test and that we were going to be enjoying a beautiful day pushing the deck. The following day we got our game faces on, determined to not let what happened the night before bring us down. We all know how to march, it's just a matter of paying attention. We got dressed up in our dress uniforms (Bravo's), had a uniform inspection and then went straight into our Close Order Drill test. The pressure was there, but no one let it affect them. In fact, we were so locked on we had no choice, but to earn a perfect score!!! I believe the exact words were "your dress and cover is FLAWLESS. For the rest of the day, we all stood extra tall and knew that our score was a reflection on us and how we have started to come together as a team.

Needless to say, we earned the chance to go out on the town for a few hours and most of us spent it wisely. Simply being off the base and having the freedom to walk around and laugh with everyone was a great treat. The options seemed endless for some of us when we stepped off base, but for others they felt that they had nothing to do but hang out at Wal-Mart. Going out to eat was number one on almost everyone's list of things to do. A few necessities were picked up and a few non-necessitates, which mostly included candy. Some of the lavish things that we chose to do included eating lots of desserts, going to Starbucks, buying expensive hair gel or razors, and getting pedicures and massages. After talking with my shipmates, we all seem to agree that the best part of our Off base liberty was the recognition we all received from everyday civilians. A large percentage of us got our meals paid for, hands shook and we received more 'thank you's that we could count. I'm sure there are Hollywood actors that get recognized less than someone in uniform. It makes our job just that much easier to know that who we are trying to protect, defend and save are behind us in every way. After we returned from our outing our Lead Company Commander, AMT1 Quiggle, told us that the real reason for Off Base liberty is to see how we handle ourselves out in society especially when pulling into a foreign port. Petty officer Quiggle just wants us to make sure we know to represent the Coast Guard at all times. Thankfully, everyone had their heads on straight. The next, and final, hurdle was to dominate the Guardian Challenge which was just right around the corner.

There were rumors of what to expect regarding the Guardian Challenge, but in reality we had no idea of what to expect. We started our final week doing the Guardian Challenge at about 3am-4am, moving as fast as possible and then having to go about a mile to a mile and a half with rafts being held up over our heads. Once there, the real pain began: push-ups, sprinting in sand, army crawls, tug of wars, and, of course, more push-ups. Once the grueling handful of hours was coming to an end, AMT1 Quiggle sat us down and related to us real life stories which would help explain why his emphasis on moving fast and have great attention to detail is so prevalent.

Later that day, we lined up and got to raise our own company colors from the flagpole. With the most important tasks now under our belt, our company commanders got us new covers and placed the Coast Guard shield pin on the front so to tell the entire regiment that we are ready to move on to the next step: To becoming a truly great Guardian.

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Our Manual of Arms test was this past Tuesday and each company must pass the test in order to earn On-base liberty. Of course, most of us were pretty nervous, but we spent many hours each day practicing beforehand so we knew our stuff and we did it with confidence. It's hard to know if anyone else screwed up because each of us had our eyes in the boat so when we received a 9 out of 10, a large proverbial sigh of relief was let out. It would've been a perfect score, but a few people forgot their left from their right.Up next, Close Order Drill Test Tuesday. So with the requirement for On-base liberty checked off, we enjoyed the rest of the week learning Firefighting skills which was hard, but defiantly one of the most useful and hands on classes we've had yet. Our week was pretty light on the class schedule, but we had lot of business to take care of: small pox checkout, travel arrangements, career counseling, uniform corrections, etc. This was defiantly a week in which business was taken care of.

A very important checkpoint had been reached this past week: we've earned our colors. Every company carries their corresponding pennant, or flag, on the guidon that goes with the company every time they leave their squad bay. It allows other companies and permanent party members to know who is marching. The Kilo pennant represents us as a company and until just a few days ago, we had not earned the right to carry our own colors on our guidon. Each Lead Company Commander has to give his or her own seal of approval on the company before they are allowed to carry their colors and each Lead Company Commander has their own set of standards. The morning of our On-base liberty we were assigned to go through the surrounding neighborhood and pick up litter on the streets and on the beach. Our Lead Company Commander, AMT1 Quiggle, took a moment to talk to us about the recent loss of life due to the collision between a Coast Guard HC-130 plane and a Marine Corps helo. It is always a sad day when life is lost, but his words really hit home because we realized that not only could the people we were standing next to be killed, but we ourselves could lose our lives in what will now be our everyday work environment. Petty Officer Quiggle went on to discuss why accidents like this happen and how each person needs to be on top of their game. His words reminded us to remember that we are a part of something much greater than ourselves and the entire system fails if one person doesn't do their part. Petty Officer Quiggle gave us our colors because he saw that we were finally coming together as a team and working together to make sure that EVERYONE is on the same page. It's said time and time again: you're only as strong as your weakest link. Here in Basic Training, being the 'weakest link' just means they'll be pretty strong because they will be pushing the deck. Out in the fleet, being the 'weakest link' could cost lives and there's no amount of pushups that could ever make right that wrong. It was a great honor to receive our colors because that means we are expanding out past Kilo-182 to becoming a true Guardian. Since receiving our colors, I have to say, we do walk around a little bit taller.

After our morning of cleaning, were we given the rest of the day to go eat whatever junk food we wanted at the Exchange and hang out at the Harborview Lounge area where you can play pool and watch whatever game is on. To be honest, most of us spent our time making phone calls home and contacting our next unit. It was a much needed break. The best part was that we actually got to hang out with each other, laughing almost the entire day. It was one more thing that has helped to bring us closer together and we are all a better company for it.

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"The Ready Position, Hiyeah."  The first whistle blows.  02 padded, adrenaline-filled recruits charge each other with Pugil Sticks in hand.  The crowd of awaiting recruits cheer and enjoy the chance to let loose around the Pugil Cage.  We spent an afternoon, Saturday, learning basic rules, proper stances  and approved offensive and defensive movements.  The purpose of Pugil Stick training claims to be an outlet to channel controlled stress, but I think it's also so our Company Commanders can watch us beat each other with giant Q-tips.  Not too many of us have ever been in a genuine fight, so now most of us have a better idea as to what we're capable of.  The matches are so fast and such a blur of padding and slobber (due to the required mouth piece) that most recruits don't even know who won by the end of their own fight.  It's defiantly a new way of interacting with the people we rely on so heavily in our everyday life. 

The taste of graduation became a little more palpable when we were sent to Uniform Distribution center Tuesday to pick up our dress uniforms.  We got our first quick glance at a new batch of Guardians in the mirror.  Of course, the real highlight of our week was when we received our first Coast Guard Assignment Thursday.  Miraculously, as much as 90 percent of the recruits got their first pick or, at least, their first choice in districts.  Most got land-based units, whether they asked for them or not.  For those stationed on Cutters, the process for going out of country begins: passports, more inoculations and, of course, more paperwork.  As the reality sets in, our minds can now focus on the rest of our training, maybe.  We're still practicing for our Manual of Arms and Close Order Drill test coming up this week.  We had just passed our Uniform Inspection Friday with a score of 55 out of 60.  Chief Hampton went as far as to say we looked "Outstanding."  And when you look sharp, you feel sharp.

A few other highlights this week: we learned how to communicate over the radio (which as non-rates, we will be doing a lot of), learned how to put PFD's on ourselves and others and the basics on housing on and off our assigned units/bases.  We spent Sunday afternoon doing an off-base company run where we ran in formation and sang various cadences.  All in all, everyone really enjoyed the group exercise.

Our task of nightly watches in Sexton Hall (where the newly arrived recruits, now the new Oscar Company) was a genuine responsibility.  If anything is going to go wrong, it's going to be in Sexton Hall.  We had to walk our post as though we were looking after our own, because in reality--we are.  We are taking baby steps towards gaining more responsibility.  Some of use still have a hard time understanding that we're no longer the same person that we were when we arrived, but we still have a couple of weeks to go.  Coming up on week 06, our company still needs to step it up and fine tune pretty much everything we do.  Nerves are getting stepped on, but as they say: don't take things personal, especially from our  own shipmates mouths. If you leave here with anything, it's certainly going to be thicker skin. 

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Our Lead Company Commander took the time to give us advice regarding our first assignment, which has let loose a flood of questions. "What will I do?", "What are the chances of getting stationed near home?", "How often will I be with my spouse?" All of these questions are pertinent, but we still have another couple of weeks before they will be answered. For the rest of us who don't have responsibilities to loved ones, we just want to make sure that we don't get stuck in the middle of nowhere shoveling dirt for a year (or longer.) Reality has started to set into most minds that they won't be stationed at home, they are now property of the United States and will go where ever they need us.

We've started to learn more about the Coast Guard history, helping to give a backbone to the structure we will be depending on for the next some years. The Seamanship classes we've started are teaching us knots, vessels and ship nomenclature. We even got to use the 'Helmsman Simulator', teaching us how to steer a ship. The next couple of days we will be at the range, learning how to use firearms properly and safely.

Though there are lots of new events running across our path at lightning speed we still miss home and relish the time for mail dispersal every night. Each letter, note and post card helps to remind us why we're here sacrificing so much. Even though we are sad to be missing birthdays and walking siblings to school, those letters keep us connected to our own personal reasons as to why we signed our name on that dotted line, so keep 'em coming.

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KILO-182,

The reality set in of what we were about to endure as we sat nervously on the charter bus from Philadelphia, mostly quiet conversations and a few small giggles could be heard. Only 02 hours prior we had met each other for the first time in the Coast Guard Recruit lobby of the Philadelphia Airport, where laughter and jokes could be heard from all the way down the hallway. It was a good start to something that we had all excepted as going to be hard, quite possibly the hardest thing we would endure, both physically and mentally. We all knew our fate and our contract was signed, literally.

Then there we were, at the front gate. "Bring on the pain" whispered from someone sitting nearby. Who would be singled out first? Who would get their ego stomped on before we even got inside the building? Who would go home first? No one comes to Basic Training hoping to go home, but we all know it happens. The next 03 days were a blur of yelling and running and confusion and sitting as still as a statue (no matter how much you wanted to itch that nose, you better not if you know what's good for you.) Actually, all of those things are still happening; we're all still yelling as loud as we can, still running around like crazy people, still sitting as still as a statue and are still pretty confused about most things going on around us. None of us anticipate that feeling going away anytime soon.

The medical exams ensued for days; we were stabbed, poked, prodded, interrogated and herded like cattle to make sure that we were fit for the pain that our Company Commanders were about to rain down on us. Then the day came where we were to take our final oath and meet the men or women that were to rule our lives for the next 08 weeks. A tornado of yelling blue uniforms with Smokey the Bear hats on was on us before we could blink. We now belonged to them and they made sure we didn't forget it. Week 01 was gone before we realized, even though our brains were bursting with a ton of knowledge that we HAD to retain...or else I.T. (Incentive Training, aka lots of pushups, sit ups, crunches and squats) would be in your future. Week 02 was halfway done and the company, now known as Kilo-182, had more responsibility and pressure placed on each person, individually and as a unit, than we had ever expected.

We are now into week 03, watching some people leave the company for various reasons. Some had medical issues that held them back, others had attitude issues that would hold the company back and others that say they can't make it another day are finding themselves still in their rack each night pushing themselves to their new limits. Our teamwork is slowly improving, but getting everyone on the same page is the most trying part. You can only control what you do with your own body and that's all you can do and controlling yourself is the only way to make it through to the next day. We have seen three shipmates leave so far (Discharged), because they wouldn’t push their self to a new level even if it was for the greater good of their family, or them self. We have to pull it together if we want to get through this.

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