NOVEMBER-182

Monday, 23NOV09

The morning started with a fire drill, feels good to know exactly what to do when the alarm goes off, and to know that the sailor to your port or starboard doesn't need you to hold their hand.  Today we had First Aid/ CPR class the entire morning, this was Lifesaver INDOC. We had the entire morning doing EMS drills and learning how to dress wounds, from first to third degree burns, broken bones, smoke inhalation, compound fractures, electrocution, amputations, and everything in between.  Nothing like afternoon chow right after some gruesome battle dressings. After we fueled up we slapped together mannequins for some CPR practical, some emergency response, and some airway recovery drills. We were told stories about how basic knowledge of these lifesaving techniques has sent some recruits out mere months into the fleet already saving lives, from infant to elderly. The late evening we were granted time from Chief Howe to contact our units and snip off loose ends so we are fully prepared for the not so distant, hectic future.  We lined up late in the evening and received all the hundred or so letters that have massed up from this weekend’s supply of mail. Week 07 is a hectic but welcome time for NOVEMBER, we like getting to know more about our Company Commanders, we are excited for looking sharp in our dress uniforms, and we can't wait to meet our excellent hosts during Operation Fireside (Thanksgiving). Morale stays high, and we aim to keep it locked up tight.

Goodnight, NOVEMBER-182

Tuesday, 24NOV09

Rushing around here in week 07 is wearing NOVEMBER company out. From the moment we wake up we are leaving fire trails in our stead. We had an early Seamanship class down at the docks with our new instructor BM3 Stoltz. Our new instructor taught us proper methods of chocking a mooring line to a pier (parking a boat).  We used this knowledge to fire lines off the side of the training cutter outside seamanship with the call "Heads up on the pier" we heaved rescue line across the docks attempting to bulls eye close to the cleats, bollards, and chocks (dock and deck fittings used for mooring and securing line) on the dock. It feels good to stand out in the brisk Jersey air and work on our sailor techniques.  Directly following chow we had our close order drill test with our Section Commander Chief Heinzman.  We performed flawlessly... that is until he told us how well we did... then we were ordered back to the barn to prepare for afternoon class and we had a complete meltdown.  Chief Heinzman's first 10/10 award quickly turned around on us as we marched off in the wrong direction. The afternoon was spent with a work-life program teaching us do's and don'ts as well as suggestions and helpful information on how to live clean and healthy lives. HS1 Allen met up with us directly afterwards, she taught us some helpful tips and information about our medical health.  The evening was spent on work detail with Seaman Trimpe cleaning the Gym.  The rest of NOVEMBER cleaned and contacted their units during the evening.  We have a busy tomorrow to get to.

Goodnight, NOVEMBER-182

Wednesday, 25NOV09

Today in NOVEMBER world we had quite the busy day.  For some E-1s it was more workload than they have had in all their time here at TRACEN.  The morning started once again with a race out to Seamanship to meet with BM3 Stoltz. We spent the morning having recruits pair off at the mooring station and the chock man (or woman) as we had our line handling test.  The test went well, although we could use a bit more practice we are starting to look like sailors.  The recruits who are filling billets at STA (small boat stations) and 110s (patrol boats) headed down to Goff hall for some pistol practice on the new state of the art training simulator.  They then headed down to the range to become qualified marksman for their law enforcement and boarding futures.  The rest of NOVEMBER spent the morning till chow competing in line handling drills and contests for the Seamanship award. Travel plans were arranged for those going directly to class “A” school with Ms Peggy while Mr. Garcia took appointments for those of us arranging a government move so that our HHG (house hold goods) are well looked after.  The evening was spent getting haircuts again.  This time however we weren't just shaved and sent on our way, we got the old high and tight cut, the traditional United States Military cut. We are feeling a lot more like Guardians and a lot less like hapless robotic recruits. Morale is up and down, when we do well it's hard to get excited anymore, it is expected we do well, when we do poorly the blow is more severe because we should know better by now. NOVEMBER is partaking in Operation Fireside tomorrow. We will be heading to sponsor families and being cared for while we are away from our loved ones.  We may not have the joy of seeing our families around the holidays and Aunt Pearl's pumpkin pie, but we are eternally grateful to these families for taking us into their homes and cooking us wonderful meals, giving us a place to feel the comfort of home during the would be lonely holiday.

Goodnight, NOVEMBER-182

Thursday, 26NOV09

Happy Thanksgiving from NOVEMBER-182.  Today was an extraordinary day for NOVEMBER company as we participated in Operation Fireside.  We headed after chow in pressed operational dress and shiny boondockers to head to the chapel where we met Commander Barrett (our local catholic priest) who partitioned us into groups to go to our hosts.  The recruits went all over the New Jersey area. Some went to the VFW and the local Moose Lodge, some to local families; even HS1 Allen took some of our shipmates to her home where they smoked a turkey.  Some recruits joined Veterans for a local high school football game the Eagles Vs the Mustangs (our team was way on top).  The gracious host families constantly insisted we relax and have a great day off, although we complied partially with their wishes and had a great time, we still volunteered for dishes, serving food, taking out the trash, and anything we could find to do to stay useful.  Many of the veterans sternly insisted that we take it easy, they told us stories from WWII to Vietnam to Iraq and we eagerly listened to their tales of bravery in service of our great nation.  We watched football with great fighting men and women and some enlisted Guardians. We were constantly befuddled by thanks from all these wonderful people who helped us attain phone calls to our loved ones, play games, pool, and darts, eat delicious meals and relax during a stressful time in our training careers. The thanks we received was for merely volunteering to serve our country, some thanks that these veterans never received themselves even after they had already given their tours of service.  We felt such honor in wearing our uniforms and in seeing the blinding smiles of these great Veterans as they looked upon a new generation of service men and women.  We could do nothing but thank them back for the great deeds they have done and the hospitality we received making us feel at home when we are still so far from it. This was truly an honor and a great operation, and we can't thank all those who helped make it happen enough.  We missed our families on Thanksgiving this year, but we reflected on what we were thankful for, and we are thankful for our loved ones, our veterans, our country, and the Coast Guard. Semper Paratus.

Goodnight, NOVEMBER-182

Friday, 27NOV09

Today was the Final Exam for the academic side of boot camp here at TRACEN.  Most recruits did very well on the test and we are still waiting to hear if we earned the Academic Pennant for our Guidon.  We got the go-ahead from Chief Howe for our off-base liberty.  Most of NOVEMBER company has planned a movie, brainstormed foods we have not yet seen here at the Galley, and planned purchases of "Go-Phones" so we can spend most of our free time catching up with our families.  This off-base trip isn't a vacation throughout; we have to keep our uniforms in good order, respond politely and evenly to all the wonderful people who live outside the training center, and not to do anything crazy. After all the American people are our bosses.  During the afternoon we marched down to Goff Hall for the last time to turn in our M-1 Garands, but, before turning them in to the GMs we gave them fond names (from 'betty' to the 'terminator').  It was sad to see our little pieces of history go. Most of NOVEMBER saved the serial number on the back of the piece to look up its history sometime in the future.  During the evening the awards were announced for our shipmates who showed improvement and achievement throughout the course of training here at Cape May.  Some shipmates had Manual of Arms competitions, some participated in the physical fitness award. All these awards will show the sailors special recognition during our graduation ceremony just 01 short week away.  We are all excited for our loved ones to come see the beautiful training center here (and hope the weather permits) as well as introducing you to our Company Commanders, who are responsible for transforming us from our former bewildered and directionless selves, into Guardians.

Goodnight, NOVEMBER-182

Saturday, 28NOV09

The day started with chow and a quick brief from YN1 Durrant about the Do's and Don'ts of off-base liberty.  We then marched down to the gates of the training center and 'flew' off into anxiously awaiting taxis.  The taxi services knew the drill, they were very helpful and knowledgeable about the area and helped NOVEMBER get where we needed to go. Most of NOVEMBER went directly to the Wal-Mart and picked up 'Go Phones' so we could traverse through our day with contact from our loved ones.  We enjoyed the local Wawas (excellent convenient stores which most of us want to take with us to our next duty station), got coffee, and figured out the lay of the land.  Most of NOVEMBER went to local motels for a "base camp" to store their belongings and watch some college ball, to take a earnestly awaited shower, or even to catch up on some sleep we lost AT-FP watch standing.  We spent some time at the theatre watching movies and relaxing, enjoying popcorn.  The day was extremely relaxing for the recruits, some were once again yelled at by off-duty permanent party members, not for acting crazy, but for snapping to attention and standing too rigid in lines.  Most of us were greeted by the local population with friendly handshakes and waves from cars while traversing through traffic, and in the local eateries some recruits had a few things paid for by thankful citizens.  We feel we are receiving gracious however undeserved respect as we are anxious to get out there and live up to the name Guardian.  We looked sharp enough in our dress uniforms that we stood tall and militarily representing our organization.  It was fantastic to be able to have a free run at phone calls as we answered long awaited questions from our loved ones and asked a few of our own.  The day was a success and everyone was back with plenty of time to spare as no one wanted to be AWOL (Absent without leave) for even a second so close to Week 08.  We are excited to close out week 07 and for our last off-base run tomorrow. We hope the weather holds out and we can sing loud cadence about our long awaited trip home.  Thanks to all the residents of the lower New Jersey area for taking care of us.

Goodnight, NOVEMBER-182

Sunday, 29NOV09

Today is our last Sunday we will be spending here at Cape May The last time we will enjoy our divine hours polishing and ironing in the squad bays, attending church services, and forlornly our last cadence-filled Sunday run. Also added on the agenda was regimental watch, a week 08 duty to walk security during Divine Hours.  With our last week just around the bend we are very proficient now at using our limited resources to get things polished and pressed throughout the squad bays.  We finished off our divine hours with time to spare, donned our physical fitness gear and eagerly lined up bayside (facing towards the off-base gate) to enjoy our last off-base run.  The cadence was excellent as we sung about Yogi Bear, Spiderman, Superman, lifesaving, cold winds, and much to our predilection, graduation. After the run we were very happy to find out we achieved the Seamanship Pennant, for earning above a 90% company average at Seamanship. The Final Pennant, for earning a 90% company average on the final.  The Physical Fitness Pennant, for everyone in our company passing physical fitness. Finally we earned the Company Commander Pennant, awarded to us by YNC, YN1, and DC2.  We were extremely motivated receiving this pennant more than the academics, or physical fitness, not because those are not outstanding and stirring achievements, but it gets us pumped to know NOVEMBER's Company Commanders have faith in our ability. We made our way once again back to the nightmare of Sexton Hall where we initially got off the bus, this time it was to pick up our civilian bags we left behind many weeks ago, most of NOVEMBER can't even remember what we brought with us, it will be a nice surprise when we can dig back into them this coming Friday.  The evening hour we had a debrief with DC2 Sutton, he answered some questions, told us a good deal of advice about life in the fleet, and gave us a kick off point for our careers as Guardians.  Week 08 here we come, early wake-ups, hectic schedules, and great reward. NOVEMBER can't wait.

Goodnight, NOVEMBER-182

Blog

Monday, 09NOV09

Today started with a morning run, 04 laps around the quad.  The morning run is the perfect start for some and a horrible awakening to others.  The brain is willing but the body is sometimes still counting sheep.  Today however we were in the zone as we started week 05 here at Cape May.  After the morning run we made our way out to the pugil-stick arena down by the track.  NOVEMBER suited up head to toe, donned our helmets, decommissioned flak jackets, mouth guards and entered the arena.  We were enabled to shake our military bearing and cheer on our shipmates as they combated each other toe to toe in vicious melee.  Two recruits enter, one recruit leaves... then another recruit leaves shortly after being declared the victor. It was nice to see our company commanders encourage as well as jeer at recruits who were either too intense, or not nearly passionate enough.  We were able to leave the aggression we expelled on the pugil arena, as we returned to clean ODUs and collected ourselves to finish the day gaining knowledge at seamanship. We learned how to properly don PFDs (Personal Floatation Devices) as well as survival gear packs for harsh weather.  The rest of class was spent learning about how to properly respond during SAR scenarios, Rescue 21 responses, VHF/FM (high frequency) and general radio etiquette.  We haven't yet tried it but now have the means to apply proper response techniques. The night went a little sour later in the evening, as we let some details by us.  Our teamwork thrives but our attention to every detail needs to be finely polished, just like our boondockers (boots).  Mail call came with an abundance of letters from our loved ones; we thank you for every word.  Then NOVEMBER retired to its nightly routine of disbursing to cleaning crews, watch crews, historian crews, and those anxious for the night's sleep.

Goodnight, NOVEMBER-182

Tuesday, 10NOV09

The days are different now that we've entered week 05, and our confidence level is starting to augment our performance.  Petty Officer Sutton and Petty Officer Durrant were able to leave us well enough alone, while we made some of our own deadlines, paid attention to the schedules and started to act professional during long days and a stressful agenda.  They aren't done micromanaging us yet in some areas, as we are not all the way there; however NOVEMBER is turning the corner.  We spent our mornings fitting into our Bravos and tropical blues (dress uniforms). This lasted from morning chow all the way till lunch, as we shuffled in and out of the tailor shop looking sharp and professional as ever.  Trying on the uniforms we will wear at the finale of training started to make everyone feel as if we have started to head down 'the other side of the mountain', the steep incline of INDOC was left far on the other side, and without supervision we have started to "lock it up"(stand fast).  Afternoon chow was rifled down and we made an expedited march down to seamanship.  Seamanship consisted of very important training evolutions. We were able to launch MK-79 and MK-124 emergency signals (smoke flares, light flares, and signal flares). This knowledge could mean the difference between civilians, shipmates, or even our own life.  The rest of the afternoon was spent mock drilling radio rescue scenarios between a small boat station and a rescue life boat.  The Company Commanders are starting to push the gas on required knowledge as we are now a senior company, it's our responsibility.  The Battalion Commander inspection is tomorrow, as well as ESPNs film crews touring our base doing a special on training facilities for Veteran's Day.  This isn't going to help NOVEMBER sleep tonight, between the stress of an inspection, and the pressure to not look foolish on national television. We'll be grinding the caps off our teeth and reporting to dental by Thursday.  Wish us luck, we'll need it.

Goodnight, NOVEMBER-182

Wednesday, 11NOV09

Veterans Day, a day we honor the people of America who have shed a part of themselves so that we could maintain justice and the American way.  The air was crisp and furious today at Cape May just like our American fighting men and women, tropical storm Ida is moving in, and we are tasting a bit of our working weather.  Our Battalion Commander inspection was postponed due to an ESPN special airing live today on national television right here in TRACEN.  Check for us online if you missed the live broadcast this afternoon. We sounded off in the gymnasium on behalf of the Coast Guard while some of the enlisted permanent party members asked and answered questions about the training program.  The network toured around TRACEN and filmed the full experience showing how an average “Joe” turns into a Guardian.  The whole experience was surreal, our company has already had an astonishing adventure, between a Q&A with the Vice Admiral, to National Television, and we don't even get our orders until tomorrow. The main highlight of the day was Chief Howe's inspirational speech, and we don't take lightly to that fact.  Living in cities all over the country from San Diego to Chicago to right here in Jersey we all pass veterans by on the street every day, from our grandfathers in WWII, to our fathers in Vietnam, and our brothers and sisters in Iraq and Afghanistan we don't give them enough due credit.  We are charged today as members of the armed forces of the United States. Before we take benefit from the fights our forefathers have fought and died for, we need to take a moment to thank them. To carry on the legacy of a great nation and represent professionally on behalf of the future generations, and to put forth the extra effort in our lives and duties.  "An ounce of sweat saves a gallon of blood." -General George S. Patton. Happy Veterans Day. 

Goodnight, NOVEMBER-182

Thursday, 12NOV09

Today the squad bays were filled with murmurs before reveille as NOVEMBER was ripe with anticipation to hear word from their new duty stations (or cutters).  Many recruits woke up early and lay in their racks like kids on Christmas morning waiting to see what they got.  What we got was a tropical storm.  Ida was raging through Cape May blowing the squad bay to and fro with 40-60 knot winds.  The day continued through the storm as we were not allowed to falter our steps or turn away from the freezing rain stinging our frozen gobs.  We made our way through the day practicing Manual of Arms while we left Munro only to go to the cybex gym, chow and a couple classes.  Risk management class was next and it flew by as it was taught by our seamanship instructor Boatswains Mate Second Class Humphrey, one of our favorite instructors as he is a very knowledgeable and experienced seaman. During class we learned how easy it is to assess risk quickly and to make a dangerous situation several times safer in the time it takes to tie your shoes.  The wait at this time was killing us as we entered finance class. We thought that this would be the moment of truth as we waited through credit management, savings, retirement funds, and special armed forces benefits.  The class ended and we filed out back into the rain, we practiced more manual of arms sheltered from the tempest. Petty Officer Durrant broke up our study session with a reminder of what happens when we let our guard down, lose attention to detail, and not maintaining our immaculate squad bays. So from 2000 to 2100 we played emergency clean up drills and scraped every hair from the head floors (washroom).  Finally after showers, we learned where we will all be stationed. Don't worry folks you will soon learn where your loved ones will be sailing.  We get phone calls soon, and you will hear all the details. The anticipation we pass on your way. Enjoy. 

Goodnight, NOVEMBER-182

Friday, 13NOV09

Another beautiful day in the military this morning as we woke up for more Health Services Technicians poking and prodding us. Today we received our small pox vaccine, don't worry our new scars aren't from our company commanders pounding us into the dirt, just a side effect from the multiple sticks from a bifurcated needle. Tropical storm Ida is still hanging around, not a big deal for a Guardian marching in time into 60knot winds, but it does make for a bit of extra swabbing (mopping the deck).  Today we learned more about our orders, our first station, and where we will be reporting to, and living once we get there.  It's exciting for some recruits who are glad to be out on their own for the first time.  It's also making some of the junior recruits anxious for the same reason. Most of us joined to "get out of the house", some of the stations in Hawaii, Guam, and Alaska can ensure that happens.  Spending time on some of the High Endurance Cutters will even be a floating home for several months at a time. NOVEMBER might not have gotten to fit the billets that we wanted as our first choice, but that hasn't put a sour look on a single recruits face.  Everyone seems ecstatic to fit the roles that the Coast Guard requires.  We might not have all been stationed in tropical paradise, but hopefully there is a long career ahead of us to take a gander at seas across the world.  The rest of the day was spent wondering and preparing for the dreaded inspection by Battalion Commander Senior Chief Health Services Technician Wong.  Many of our boondockers which were once glassed to perfection and ready for inspection are now waterlogged from our friendly neighborhood tropical storm.  We were given ample time to fix our discrepancies by our Company Commanders, so there are no excuses for not pulling it together at 0830 tomorrow. Better get a good night sleep.

Goodnight, NOVEMBER-182

Saturday, 14NOV09

As I'm sure we have mentioned before, Saturdays are not the prime time for relaxation here at TRACEN, in fact they compose strenuous activities and stressful situations into the hardest days of our week.  Wake ups was no different than any other day, but soon after we were put to work ironing our operational dress, polishing out the scuffs in our boondockers and preparing for Senior Chief Wong as our inspection. We lined up outside Munro Hall and Senior Chief made his way out to us.  He was not as intimidating by his demeanor as he did not slam us into the deck with push-ups, but the way he carried himself demanded our respect and every recruit in NOVEMBER stood statuesque. Both Senior Chief, and Chief Howe were pleased with the results, as none of us were "Jacked Up" (looking like we got hit by a wrinkle grenade), and the inspection, although there is always room for improvement, was a resounding success.  We then discussed with Senior Chief and identified all our struggles, and set goals for the future of NOVEMBER. We were told INDOC weekend from the start that our company commanders were the best TRACEN had to offer, therefore we are expected to be the best, and to that goal we will settle for no less.  After our spirits rose from an inspection we cleaned and polished and studied while waiting to make phone calls home for some travel planning and first unit reporting.  The afternoon was a little more downhill as it usually is.  "Build 'em up, knock 'em down" as they say, we want to be confident not cocky, knowledgeable, and always improving.  YN1(Yeoman First Class) Durrant is the perfect outlet for this, we marched to rapidly changing close order drill commands till our blisters had blisters. 01 inspection down, plenty to go, and tomorrow we get back to work, after 'Divine Hours' that is.

Goodnight, NOVEMBER-182

Sunday, 15NOV09

Today started out smooth as Sundays here normally do, being the only time we have to relax from the normal rigid experience.  Petty Officer Sutton was on NOVEMBER watch today, instructing us and leading us through our working day.  Divine Hours went trouble-free and efficient more so than in previous weeks. We are starting to act as if the proverbial "on switch" has been jammed into the working position. It was a topic of discussion during our free time amongst most recruits that there seemed to be more hours in the day. Troublesome past weeks in which we struggled to use our free hours wisely, cramming, ironing, polishing, folding, letter writing, and the like seem to be behind us. At this point in our progression we are becoming more proficient, and it now takes almost half the time to become mission complete.  In the galley the same demeanor was noticed, some tried to slow down their pace and still found themselves finishing food like it was going out of style.  Our schedule has been changed slightly due to our last minute national television experience. We had a surprise visit to the Cybex gym where we were pushed to the limits on the exercise bikes. The male squad bays have been divided into two sections, main muster squad bay and secondary squad bay, this afternoon to this evening we gathered our belongings and 'mixed it up' a bit, switching half the racks in the primary to the secondary.  Some days the primary and secondary squad bays don't have a lot of time together, this evolution will give us an extra spin on how we mesh and some recruits who have not become as tight will now get the chance.  Most of NOVEMBER was disappointed that we did not partake in an off base run this Sunday. Throughout the squad bays we have found ourselves muttering the words "We applied with no hesitation, we earn our pay at a Coast Guard Station" and other cadences provided to us by YNC Howe and YN1 Durrant during our previous run. Week 06 is just around the corner and small mistakes will suffer even more dire consequences, as by this time in training we should be more focused on our practical training and the Manual of Arms test, than hygiene remedial.  We are all looking forward to finding out more about our First Units and firefighting instruction. Here we come week 06.

Goodnight, NOVEMBER-182

Blog

Monday, 02NOV09

There are some really exciting things happening this week. First is our range test with a SIG Sauer small arm, followed by company pictures. Miles down the road of success we will remember these 08 weeks.  We have been anxious to get to week 04 to get heavy into seamanship, SAR, and firefighting.  There is a sense of family building in the close ranks more and more every day. It is our responsibility to clean the entire Munro Hall, as we are currently the only company taking residence. Along with our cleaning duties, we have polishing, studying, shaving, brushing, laundry, religious services, as well as these hours being the only time we have to read letters.  The weather here has been strange, sometimes it rains the same day its 70 degrees this late in the year.  The erratic weather has been a challenge, but we are Semper Paratus (Always Ready). No snow yet, but here comes our month.

Goodnight, NOVEMBER-182

Tuesday, 03NOV09

Today we finished up all the remaining pictures and small arms practice, lunch and safety measures at Goff Hall and The Range (The Firearms and Firefighting building here at Cape May). The pictures went well, and we all look sharp, as we ordered many pictures on behalf of our family’s sake. Our small arms practice however did not go as well  many of the recruits learned their limitations at the range, it's not as easy as it looks in Die Hard, senior recruits believe that given another opportunity after familiarizing themselves with small arms would qualify, or even rate marksman. We became anxious to shoot and we began to make any of a myriad of simple mistakes. Although we are not independent, we have been given more responsibilities, and most of the day we are working towards functioning without the direction of our direct superiors, as they will not always be around to hold our hands.  The company now has a multitude of responsibilities, including but not limited to clean-up, historians, photographers, brass polish, shoe polish, watch duty, color guard (responsible for paying homage to the red white and blue), drill team, religious petty officers, yeoman (the book keepers), the guidons (the recruit charged with carrying NOVEMBER's colors) laundry crew, and the squad leaders (charged with keeping us in check) the list goes on and on. We've come a long way from our lazy beginning, and we may have a long way to go, but most of us look at this task with new reverence as we are not only learning how to save lives, but to live them.

Goodnight, NOVEMBER-182

Wednesday, 04NOV09

The dreaded Wednesday, physical fitness test day, to see if we have to be rebuilt in order to serve the needs of the service.  Surprisingly 90% of our company remained triumphant after the test and will not have to worry about all the physicality of boot camp... at least until tomorrow. I suppose we can attribute our success to our Company Commanders, everything they do is for a reason, 40 years of busting recruits' butts they know that enough IT (incentive training) and all these physical tests will be a cake walk. Tomorrow is seamanship; most of the sore recruits are excited for some new knowledge as we all have push-ups down to a T.  After the physical tests, we spent a good deal of time polishing our polishing techniques, reading our loved ones letters, and cleaning the squad bays, as well as cleaning out Quebec company's new living arrangements, followed up by a visit from the Chaplin who lead those faithful in a prayer and told us a bit about the outside world we so sorely miss. Another day down, less than a month to go.

Goodnight, NOVEMBER-182

Thursday, 05NOV09

Good things come to those that show up to get them.  Today, we had two great events that we were looking forward to all week.  Having our Vice Admiral and Master Chief Sponsors show up and speak with us about what's going on in the world of Coast Guard, and getting to write our dream sheets.  The Admiral and Master Chief showed up wearing their flight suits which was great.  They were very attentive to our company and answered all of our endless questions.  We thank them for that and for honoring us with their mentoring.  We also voted today and are trying to jointly schedule our company picture with the Admiral and Master Chief.  We are all keeping our fingers crossed.  Then the dream sheets were finally written.  The entire company, with a very few exceptions i.e. (people with guaranteed jobs), wrote down the 12 geographic locations we request to be stationed.  From exotic places such as Hawaii, to possible danger in the Middle East and finally to complete isolation in Alaska.  The world is now our oyster (or at least will be after boot camp.)  We won't find out till about week 06.  Lastly, another dreaded event is about to occur tomorrow, our mid-term exam.  We were just studying and writing notes so don't worry too much, but wish us luck anyway.

Goodnight, NOVEMBER-182

Friday, 06NOV09

Good morning, now, go run a mile.  After our physical fitness test Wednesday the run this morning felt like a leisure stroll.  Today we took the dreaded midterm; plenty of butterflies in our stomachs were masked by our military bearing, as we dare not make a move in hopes of making our way into week 05.  After "Pencils down."  We made our way back to the squad bay with mixed emotions about our exam. After a dismal start to our manual of arms practice with our M-1s, Chief Howe entered with the Scantron results of our mid-term examination.  NOVEMBER averaged just over 95% and earned an award pennant for our guidon. After the good news and an impressed Chief left, we were happy to continue practicing our Manual of Arms to perfect another part of our training here at Cape May. Hopefully when all is said and done here, we will have a copious amount of awards hanging below our colors.  After chow we made our way to the gym for a Cybex gym workout.  After such a frenzied week, we come again to Friday, to see another company graduate off base, and we stand exhausted... at attention.  After a quick sea shower and we changed again into our ODUs (Operational Dress Uniforms) we headed to our neighboring Healy Hall and donated blood for the Red Cross.  We found out that a certain % of volunteers was required to earn yet another award pennant, we met the quota.  The evening blurred by with cleaning, muster, showers, granola bars, and more polishing and ironing.  The last few minutes of the evening we devoted ourselves to reading and writing a few letters to our loved ones, and then if you've heard the news we had a prayer and moment of silence for our fallen servicemen and women of the United States Army. Our hearts go out to their friends and families and we pray for the wounded to make safe. Time for taps.

Goodnight, NOVEMBER-182

Saturday, 07NOV09

We started the day with an unexpected compliment from Yeoman First Class Durrant about our improvements with close order drill movements.  This brightened our morale, and the morning seemed to be progressing well. The morning and into the afternoon evolutions we spent our time learning more about proper procedures to First Call, Attention, The National Anthem plays (Retreat in the evening), and Carry-on IE procedures for Colors. We spent a good deal of time learning proper techniques and both offensive and defensive forms for pugilism class, an Esprit De Corps class in a melee environment teaching us what it is like to not only be hit, but be in a high adrenaline situation while taking charge of our emotions.  The afternoon to evening evolution was where we all fell apart. Chief Howe gave us a uniform/required knowledge inspection on the quarterdeck (the senior enlisted/officers deck), it wasn't nearly as bad as what we had to look forward to back in our own squad bays. We had Chief Operations Specialist Heinzman (our Section Commander) pay us a visit for inspections. Three 'F's under our belt for both the male squad bays and the female squad bay. Very disappointing turn of events to end the evening.  Tomorrow is free time, which I can guarantee will be spent getting ourselves squared away to ensure that we learn from our mistakes. Time for Taps.

Goodnight, NOVEMBER-182

Sunday, 08NOV09

This Sunday was by far the best day so far in recruit training.  Hands down.  The morning started with a "Fire Fire Fire" drill that sprang NOVEMBER into action, only to shortly find out that the drill was meant for our new neighbors QUEBEC-182. So back to bed for a half hour, then our quiet 0600 wake up by the watch staff, and we moved equally as fast to prepare for morning muster.  Everything went particularly smooth into our 'Divine Hours' the morning was spent writing letters for our snail mail service, and preparing our ODUs and boondockers for the Battalion Commander inspection.  We ended our free time shoveling chow down, then we got on line in front of Munro Hall for an off-base run.  The run was the most surreal experience we've had here at TRACEN, it was done in formation, in step, with cadence supplied by Petty Officer Durrant, Chief Howe, and our Section Commander Chief Heinzman.  We ran through the local housing while our civilian neighbors watched, some with cameras, some standing with their children waving, while cadence was provided about everything from coast guard pride, no pain no gain, to beating up Spiderman. The run ended far too soon for most recruits as NOVEMBER seemed to have in addition to second winds, third, and fourth winds, granted by the sense of pride we felt showing off our Guardian spirit.  After the run we lined back up in front of Munro Hall, where we were elated to be presented NOVEMBER Company's Colors, a cross checkered sea blue and white. The company rebounded from one of the worst days for morale, to the best. It was hard for some recruits not to smile, but we maintained our military bearing. Petty Officer Sutton joined us after the run, and was our teacher for the rest of the day, he taught us about performance evaluations and went in depth on how to succeed when we reach the fleet.  This advice was much appreciated by the recruits as it should put us days ahead.  Week 05 is just around the corner, and we are planning on escalating the discipline level to the Nth degree to avoid the "Week 05 Dive", as it was described to us.  Overconfidence, lack of discipline, putting our guard down, and dust bunnies are our enemies now.  Bring on 05.

Goodnight, NOVEMBER-182

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N-182 HISTORIAN LOG

WEEK Ø3

Monday, 26OCTØ9

Today in the world of NOVEMBER-182 we spent most of our day either in dental appointments, working out on core strength exercises, or eating delicious meals at chow.  All this began after a Ø1 mile run at Ø6ØØ.  The classroom was the main event for the evening; we spent our time with Senior Chief Snyder a seasoned member of the United States Coast Guard with more years under his belt at the mast, than we have in our lives.  Great wisdom was bestowed upon us, especially about sexual harassment and how it can become a serious impairment to our lives at sea.  The company is in turmoil as week Ø3 began today.  Some of our shipmates have disappeared from the ranks, and the only thing left are their stripped empty racks.  R.A.M.P was instituted today, we couldn't tell you what it means, all we know is that our stomachs were full of butterflies when the list for 'candidates' was read off. You leave, and you either come back Schwarzenegger, or not at all.  We are all pulling for our shipmates to make it back to NOVEMBER Company unscathed.  We miss our loved ones more and more as our joints ache but every morning at revile we are motivated to push harder hearing our National Anthem played and our colors wave.  More and more every day we may miss our loved ones, but we are reminded that it is them that motivate our strife.  Between company pride, the love for our nation, the longing for our loved ones, and bacon at breakfast, fail doesn't make it into our vocabulary. Our vocabulary has changed a bit though as things that we once called something else now have new names and new meanings.  A pen is no longer a pen but an 'inkstick'.  Bunk beds are now called 'racks'.  Tennis shoes are called 'go fasters' (our personal favorite).  Our ball caps are now  'covers'.   It's the little things like that which make us think of home and how all of you will react to the new way we do things and say things.  We will still be the people you love we will just be the people you love that now protect you each and every day.  We'll just come with a new view of the world from our office atop a mast in the big blue.

Goodnight, NOVEMBER-182  

Tuesday, 27OCTØ9

Nothing says "good morning" like a nice stroll down the fire stairs in gym shorts in Jersey weather, simulating what it would be like to be burning alive.  I guess if you think about it, that’s the only real way to prepare for the real deal.  I think it woke NOVEMBER to its senses; either that or we were too busy rushing from chow to class to have any more incentive training.  Today was survival float training.  We donned what looked like arctic cold weather gear but for one exception, it floats.  After shuffling along in a warm pool deck we tossed ourselves 'overboard' simulating sea water survival scenarios and learning how to stay not only warm, but alive.  Should the worst happen we learned float positions including huddle positions to prolong survival at open sea should we have to abandon ship, or are blown over the deck.  Everyone took this very seriously, and even the Chief was impressed with our interest in real-deal drills.  Sometimes I think that those of us that make it to latter weeks of training in NOVEMBER will thrive, as learning drills from our gym instructor Petty Officer LaKose, and a Chief AST (Aviation Survival Technician) seemed to revitalize everyone's hopes for success in the United States Coast Guard.  Whenever you see recruitment posters you see ASTs hanging in gale winds from orange whirly-birds hauling unlucky sailors from the unforgiving sea, meeting one face to face was humbling.  The latter parts of the day we're filled with classroom lessons.  We learned about the history of the Coast Guard, from its humble beginnings, and the caliber of people who founded this great organization.  We learned about Douglas Munro, the coast guard hero whom our home 'Munro Hall' was named.  He was a coxswain (at the wheel of the boat) during an unsuccessful marine siege, the troops of our United States were pushed back to the beach, at the helm Munro split the shore with his boat shielding the retreat and laying down suppressing fire, putting his own life at risk in order to save scores of lives. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor as he gave his life for our great nation.  I think this speaks volumes of the organization we are attempting to be a part of.  Stories like these spoken from great life savers, of great life savers, after weeks without electronic entertainment, in a world of television, and digital entertainment, shows you the kind of history your missing out on, watching reruns.  I don't think there was an inattentive eye or a posture not square, while listening to epic stories about such memorable vessels, people, and death defying rescues. You can have your satellite television; the Coast Guard will give you something to watch.

Goodnight, NOVEMBER-182

Wednesday, 28OCTØ9

Today was just like any other day-except for one big difference.  In our personal fitness class we were shown how to do the exercises we are going to perform that will allow us to pass or physical fitness test.  Those exercises consist of pushups, sit ups, and a run.  Now before we say anything about how difficult these things are you have to understand how much we have been busting our butts in order to do this.  We thought that our Company Commanders were just making us move to discipline and knock some much needed sense into us.  Now we can see very different.  Today some comments were made like "If our CCs hadn't been so rough on us I don't think I would to do it." Or my favorite "Man, our Company Commanders have made us strong!".  Needless to say many of us were very surprised to see just how far we have come in a short time as we now have a new hope for our future.  It will not be easy as we are very green still, but things are coming together finally like a puzzle that just couldn't be figured out.  In this puzzle though some of the pieces need to be forced to fit in.  Not with finesse, but with fear of our Company Commanders and lots of exercising. Today we also were reminded of a tradition that takes place here in Cape May.  Families from the surrounding area come to the training center on Thanksgiving and pick up anywhere from one to four recruits for the entire day.  We get a home cooked meal a chance to use a telephone and computer.  These things are now the staples of missed technology here in NOVEMBER-182.  The simple ease of a couple keystrokes can get you into contact with your family and other loved ones.  Ten simple digits on a telephone and you can talk to anyone in the United States.  At first the company seemed to miss their video games and televisions.  We are starting to learn a lot about not only the Coast Guard, but about ourselves.  Priorities are shifting in the company and things are becoming more precise.  I could go on and on.  The last thing I want to say today though is remember what I said about the Thanksgiving tradition.  You may get in contact with your loved ones a little sooner than you think.  Keep sending the letters and keep sending your love, it is much more appreciated than you know.

Goodnight, NOVEMBER-182

Thursday, 29OCTØ9

FIRE, FIRE, FIRE! The way we've experienced the mornings here at Cape May. Ø53Ø and already donning our go-fasters to rush down to the parade field and take a muster (crew accountability).  The goal here is to be able to secure the building and take count of NOVEMBER in 12Ø seconds; well... we have at least groggily managed twice that.  Week Ø3 has flown by, our total roster number has already dwindled to 6Ø from our original 66 recruits, and nearly 2Ø recruits we're sent to dental for extractions.  When they tell you boot camp is like pulling teeth, no one expected it to be in a literal sense.  With half the roster on 'light duty' (limited workout participate by doctors order) or R.A.M.P it’s a good thing that this week entails mostly classroom sessions.  Seamanship classes started today, a seemingly mile march down to the beautiful docks, that most of us only saw for the first time today.  It's surprisingly striking weather here, and catching a glimpse of the sunrise during our incentive training is always a treat, even if we're hugging pavement doing push-ups.  Walking down to the dock for seamanship we were greeted by Boatswains Mate Second Class Humphrey, a very knowledgeable experienced professional seaman.  As most of the instructors here, he is a bit more relaxed than our CCs, his relaxed attitude didn't stop us from maintaining our military bearing, and classroom etiquette.  We started learning all the maritime terminology for the components of our docks, and vessels. This training is a breath of fresh air for NOVEMBER's morale. As we progress in weeks we get further and further from marching to and from the parade field, and closer to the sea, our big blue office.  Secretly the company is starting to think, that behind their fierce exterior our Company Commanders have a strategy to test out military resolve and self discipline.  Both DC2 (Damage Controlman Second Class) Sutton and YN1 (Yeoman First Class) Durrant have now told mirthful anecdotes to break recruits into damaging their calm, a few times they have succeeded and the seaman recruits have pushed the deck.  Even Chief Howe has made a quote here and there to try to split our sides. We strongly believe that sometimes although they are very serious in their demeanor, they know they are being humorous.  All the more reason to fear and respect them, as their experience shows after every day they invent a new way of testing us.  Tests that we've upped our success rate exponentially.  Be a week Ø3 act like a week Ø8, that’s the goal.  After a glorious meal, we learned more about our rates and ranks as a Senior Chief joined us at the chow line.  The Galley is set up so that the recruits file in incognito, and file out directly past the "CC" table (the company commanders and senior enlisted rates table) if you do not exercise speed, efficiency, and proper military drill, you're walking the green mile.  Some recruits found a new rate waiting for them at the end of the line, as the senior chief helped 'motivate' us on our way back to Munro Hall.  Ostensibly safe in our squad bays we began a five minute drill, enabling the 'light duty' folks to stretch their bored muscles, by a session of rack making. Several failed attempts to make sixty beds in Ø5 minutes later, we finally prevailed, much to our chagrin Company Commander, YN1Durrant was weary of saying "Strip em" "Make em" "Strip em" "Make em" and had departed down the stairs on business and never saw our triumphant Ø5 minute victory.  Hopefully this experience will help the pokey shipmates maintain the 'sense of urgency' that has been taught to us throughout training.  It's hard to say on a large vessel or a small boat station; when you will just be getting to bed, sitting down to chow, or preparing for the morning muster, when disaster can strike and a tired, dirty, hungry Guardian will have to spend countless hours on a SAR (search and Rescue) forgetting selfishness and embracing our Military Code of Conduct.  Bring on the weekend.

Goodnight, NOVEMBER-182

Friday, 3ØOCTØ9

Most jobs you would pray for Friday night to come along, to go out with your friends, and kick back as the five day week comes to a close.  We however always have Saturday to look forward to, and then again Sunday evening.  The morning started with a run around the beautiful parade field of TRACEN. Some recruits made their way to the ward for Sick-Call; blister packs, cold meds, lozenges, and other small luxuries were dished out to fight the ongoing cold season.  Chow time was uneventful for the first time in a long time, the food tasted first-class as usual, but extra sweet when you don't make a common Galley mistake.  The procedures put in place during chow time enable all hundred some recruits to get in and get out as quickly and efficiently as possible, however if you make a mistake, your quick to be called on it, and then to answer your daily required knowledge.  Luckily we survived breakfast without any casualties. We hurried on to a classroom seamanship class to learn how to identify the various vessels we could quite possibly be navigating in less than two months.  Everything from the ice breaking vessels in the northern districts to the response boats that fly out of The National Security Cutters and small boat stations to stop smugglers and pirates in southern districts. Unfortunately we learned that The United States Coast Guard had troubled in the water, as a C-13Ø Fixed wing aircraft collided with a Marine Corps helicopter early this morning resulting in all hands lost.  Our hearts go out to their families and loved ones, and far beyond the shock of hearing of military members lost on the news a few months ago, in the comfort of our safe homes, today we felt the ache as it was our brothers and sisters. We could hear the anger and frustration in our Company Commanders voice as they no doubt took the blow deeper than ourselves.  We shoved off to seamanship later to learn more required knowledge about knots, ties, and fastens, bringing us back to the roots of a basic boatswain. Late in the evening we were treated to meet the elite face of the Coast Guard organization, The Honor Guard.  These are the elite, the people who defend our colors as their holy grail, who honor our fallen, and protect our world’s leaders.  The few who make it among these ranks, started where we did today, as a few recruits stayed behind to try to make the cut, and join these immaculate military professionals. Short, flatulent, non-disciplined folks with two left feet need not apply.  After it was off to swab the decks, eat our cold fighting granola snacks, mount the racks, and think of our loved ones.

Goodnight, NOVEMBER-182

Saturday, 31OCTØ9

Happy Halloween! Today is supposed to be a festive day with candy and scary ghouls.  What do you think Coast Guard recruits are doing?  That’s right we are training and working our butts off to make sure that all of our loved ones will be safe and protected on their holidays.  So while everyone else is eating their candy and having a good time we were tying our Ø5 basic knots today which are the clove hitch, the slip clove hitch, the bow line, the square not, and the round turn with two half hitches.  If you don't know what they are your recruits will be happy to show you when they get home.  Today was also full of surprises as our Commanding Officer Captain Thomas came onto our Quarterdeck (a place designated for ceremonial purposes, and a hallway between squad bays.) and was dressed up like a witch or some other equally impressive black dressed woman.  We got the opportunity to trick or treat from her as she had a bowl mounding with delicious goodies.  Most people savored every bite they got and with good reason.  We have not had candy of any kind now going on Ø4 weeks.  Speaking of which this marks the half way point for boot camp.  Many of us can see the light at the end of the tunnel and some of us are stuck in utter disbelief.  Out Squad Leader Seaman Recruit Hoff just told me today that tomorrow is his one year wedding anniversary and he is missing it for boot camp.  I've never seen a man so sullen after a realization like that.  The best part is that he has been keeping his military bearing and discipline the entire time despite the heartache.  He is truly an inspiration to all the recruits here in NOVEMBER company.  Many look to him for direction and he is constantly answering questions from every recruit as well as the tasks the Company Commanders have for him.  We are all very thankful for him and we hope you share in that sentiment.  Tonight we also get an extra hour of sleep as daylight savings time is helping us with that. The next week we have our personal fitness tests to get through so the rest will be much needed and used.

Goodnight, NOVEMBER-182 

Sunday, Ø1NOVØ9

Today as we woke we knew only 2 things this is the last day of Week Ø3, and that our sleeves on our Operations Dress Uniform had to be rolled down.  Normally we have them rolled up mid-bicep, but today as it was the first day of November, and due to regimental regulations, we start to keep them rolled down.  This doesn't sound so bad and in fact is a lot less worrisome than the rolls however; some of the recruits have never seen an iron before, much less know how to use one.  The trouser legs and sleeves of our operations dress uniforms require, for inspections sake, a crease in the pant leg.  Running with the pleat all the way down to the ankle front and back.  Many were having difficulties with this and others know exactly what to do.  The sleeves have a crease as well running from the top of the shoulder with the seam down to the cuff.  Needless to say after a hard Ø1 to Ø2 hours for some these uniforms really start to look sharp.  On the agenda today was Ø2 important training activities.  First was the range where half of our company went to learn the basics of shooting.  The other half was learning Manual of Arms.  The cadence and movement of our pieces during drill.  This went over pretty well even considering the barrels are lead filled (you can imagine why).  After the piece movements we were taken onto the Quarter Deck to learn about assignments.  Where are we going to go after basic?  This was the only time YN1 Durrant has spoke even the slightest bit casual.  We were all a little shaken by that, however also impressed that he could do that but still keep his stern military bearing.  All of us lucky enough to hear his experiences were in total awe of what he has experienced.  It's what we all hope to experience. Talking about cutters, buoy tenders, islands, exotic people, and the overall experience of his many years in the Coast Guard.  He let us know the inside and outs of all the "stuff" our recruiters said to us.  He said that it was all true however in some cases we were given a disservice in some areas.  That's okay for some of us though.  Everything still became exciting for us.  Thanks to the Coast Guard, there are avenues open to us that would otherwise never have happened.  We will get to do things no one else in the world can do for free.  They can do it but in some cases it may cost thousands to tens of thousands of dollars.  We are truly blessed to be part of this service.  We hope to continue on our training to pass boot camp, so we can experience things that should be experienced, and not forgotten.  Wish us luck as week Ø4 starts tomorrow.  We may need it because it only gets harder from hear.

Goodnight, NOVEMBER-182

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N-182 HISTORIAN LOG                                                 Week 02

Monday  19Oct09

Today was the start of week 02 and let me tell you this is nothing like we thought it would be.  Most of us, if not all of us had a different idea of what we were getting ourselves into. We all thought it would be much easier.  It is not easy.  Let me rephrase that.  It is very easy to do what they ask, but not easy to remember to do it all at the same time, all the time.  For instance today we worked on marching.  It was easy to do, but not all together.  We could not keep in step and in a straight uniformed line.  It sounds easy to do, but not easy when you have to do it all together.  We as a group could not stay in step with each other or keep our straight lines like instructed.  Our Company Commanders routinely let us know that we weren’t doing what they instructed and we weren’t working as a team.  They made us pay for every mistake. We all know it’s for a reason even though we don’t know the true reasons yet.  We feel confident that we will, hopefully sooner rather than later, pull together as a team and start earning the honor and privilege of wearing the uniform of the United States Coast Guard and proudly serving our country.

Tuesday, 2ØOCTØ9

Oh the things that happened today; Marching, eating, marching, sitting, standing, marching eating, standing at the position of attention.  The position of attention entails puting your feet at a 45 degree angle heels together thumbs on your trouser seams fingers together in their natural curl while straightening your back and keeping your eyes forward ignoring completely any distraction, in some cases including the sweat rolling down your face.  It was buckets of sweaty fun.  Company morale is starting to waiver.  We learned a new definition of teamwork today, as when one recruit fails, we all fail. Duty and discipline became the name of the game as one mistake led to another until late when the moral was down at its lowest point we were able to muster together as a complete unit.  Many of the recruits have been jokingly asking why they signed up for this; I suppose this is a normal phase in a recruit’s life. The trail is long and the journey will be difficult but we can already feel ourselves changing with the stormy weather here in New Jersey and we can't help but ask ourselves what more change will we undertake, and in the end will we be changed forever?

Goodnight, November-182

Wednesday  21OCTØ9

It always gets worse before it gets better and the night is darkest before the dawn. The company had a bad day today, whether it was a question of exhaustion or the lack of discipline we all face, we could not seem to hold things together.  In this business every second counts, and seconds mean lives.  As it stands now "the days are long but the weeks are short" the motto we learned our first week, and holds true in the second, as we have transformed so much already from "civilians" to what we are now (whatever that is, or you can call it!).  We are entering a new frontier, where we are setting our differences aside and learning that our purpose now is to be Guardians of a blue world.

Goodnight, November-182

Thursday,  22OCTØ9

Breakfast may have been a blur of food, however shortly after our trip to the gym we were delighted with more surprises than just the typical new training exercises. Today was a very unique honor for any company.  We were able to meet a Vice Admiral in the Coast Guard.  Some Coasties never get the privilege to stand in the presence let alone participate in an open dialogue with a high ranking officer in the Coast Guard.  It turns out that we are now going to be sponsored by him.  Also present was his right hand man which happened to be a Master Chief (highest ranking of the enlisted ranks) from Coast Guard Headquarters.  After that however things got a little more blurry as we were rushed from classes to more reprimand, training, and more haphazard moments during the untypical day.  One person forgot to turn left then one person forgot to turn right and then we had to pay it all back.  We proceeded to sweat out more than we ever thought possible in a single day let alone a week at times.  The former couch potatoes are now starting to become almost carved out of steel as we pay for every mistake as a company.  The missing component at this time is teamwork.  We need to come together or we will just fall apart at the seams and right now the threads aren't that strong.  We need to tighten this up and we need to do more; remembering everything we do is relatively easy.  Doing it all at the same time under all the stress is the very hard part.  On a lighter side however the chow (food) here is very good.  In a military setting we get plenty of time to eat but not much time to savor. While thinking about the weeks ahead we lose sight of the moment and things begin to crash down all around us.  We lost our military bearing late at night and paid for it dearly by having to move all items from our rack (bed) one at a time from our sea bags back to our racks like mice trying to move a mansion.  Lessons like this teach us how important it is to observe all aspects of guardian training even the ones that seem the most insignificant.  Still we try to remember the power of the second as it only takes a few to determine whether someone lives or dies.

Goodnight, November-182   

Friday,  23OCTØ9

This morning we woke up to our first successful fire drill and company muster, we were all astounded that 66 recruits were as organized as we turned out to be. Then afterwards we decided to take a brisk jog around the parade field, and by brisk jog I mean fast run.  Later came a little incentive training since we seemed to forget our discipline and military bearing.  Breakfast is later this week, almost two hours after we wake up.  The food here always surprises us, especially after some nice morning cardio. You can pile your plate a half foot high and be surprised when 1Ø minutes later your stomach is still rumbling.  We started our watch training today, and are preparing to start our own self reliant security.  This for some recruits is a huge step into adulthood and others wish we had more than our wits and a lead filled deactivated M-1 Grand (Piece/Rifle) to defend ourselves in case of the unforeseen.  Our first full repetition weight session was today, leaving tired and  aching.  All for the best, what better life is there than "three hots and a cot" and leaving each week more capable than the last.

Goodnight, NOVEMBER-182

Saturday,  24OCT09

Today did not go to well for our company.  Good old NOVEMBER-182.  We did it again (by thatt, I mean upset our company commanders).  Well what can we say for ourselves except tomorrow we should be better.  The company is really down in the dumps these days as the loneliness and isolation sets in.  We all miss family now far away from us and even worse is the reminders of our life outside the military and some of the amenities we may have taken advantage of:  Sleep, work, Playstation,  XBOX or Wii what have you, hugs from friends, talking to mom and dad, girlfriends, boyfriends, husbands, and wives.  Even so that would be the problem we face.  Holding on to life as we knew it or letting go of who we were to become who we are going to become, Guardians.  Well, some of us will with this company and others won't be so lucky.  Then again, isn't this all a test?   Like a long job interview that you get paid for.  The company is losing sight of why we are all here and many still aren't taking it seriously.   The company is just taking a little time for the mind and thought process to catch up.  Whether it is good or bad, hard or easy we are becoming a family; a family that will one day join an even bigger family and do some of the greatest good that could ever be possible.  Service to our country but even more than that is the service to the men and women of our great nation.  Just service.  Service is the means by which all people should live their lives.  Service to others and then service to yourself.

Goodnight, NOVEMBER-182

Sunday, 25Oct09

Sunday is 'divine hours' day; these hours are our own personal free time, the only time we happen to get all week. We spent most of the time ironing for the first time in our lives; some recruits however spent their time in Sunday's religious services.  The rest of the time was spent cleaning off and polishing our boon-dockers (boots) or situating our racks for inspection, after all we represent America’s maritime guardians.  Today we were inspected by our Lead Company Commander and learned about personal values, and comparing our own, to those of the coast guard.  We decided to try to impress him today by being not only on time, but early for all time objectives, however sometimes things don't go as planned, and we showed we don't quite have the 'right stuff' just yet.  The military discipline desired is a little ways away, but tomorrow is a new week to try to get ourselves fit for duty.  Bring on week 03. The recruits in the squad bay wanted to send a special greeting of love and longing to our loved ones as this week we have started to have time to think of them.  Maybe not a lot of time, but more than in the past. It's hard not to count down the weeks before we get to see all of you again. Some people are counting harder than others.

Goodnight, NOVEMBER-182

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