Week 04 was, by far, ECHO Company's most productive week. For starters it seems like this is the first week ECHO did something right. The entire company passed the Mid-term exam and our squad bay inspections with high marks. Also, 23 out of 24 shipmates in remedial swim passed the swim test with less than 2 weeks of extra swim lessons.

   Despite these successes ECHO-186 still has some glaring weaknesses. We limped through our Physical Fitness Test with nearly half the company failing at least one of the events which included timed push-ups, sit-ups and a 1.5 mile run. We also continue to struggle with marching and look like a herd of tranquilized cattle when moving through the regiment. Additionally, we took our first marksmanship class this week and learned that most of us can't hit the broad side of a barn, failing to earn the marksmanship pennant for our Guidon.

   We furthered some of our competencies in Coast Guard practices and traditions through a Helm simulator and our Colors class. In the Helm simulator, recruits got exposed to the basics of navigating a cutter or small boat. We also learned the proper way to raise and lower the National Ensign and all pennants associated with conducting morning and evening colors. We also formed two colors teams that will be responsible for performing the colors ceremony next week.

   The highlights of this week were definitely our first pugil stick bout and filling out our "Dream Sheets". Boot camp builds a lot of tension and frustration amongst recruits that must be vented somehow. Both the recruits and the Company Commanders alike enjoyed the many beatings being handed out in the pugil stick ring.

   When completing the Dream Sheets recruits squeezed their hopes and dreams into an intensely meticulous 8-1/2 x 11 sheet of paper where we hope to influence the region and type of unit we end up at.

   We head into week 05 anxiously waiting learn the fate of our orders after boot camp and preparing to knock off the "Back Nine" of recruit training. Till next time this is ECHO-186 signing off.

Week 02 Summary:

 Week 02 Brought many new challenges for Foxtrot Company, as we are still trying to learn to work as a team.  This week we learned how to properly identify and address personnel within the Coast Guard, and many  of us are having a hard time transitioning from the "sir sandwiches" that we had become accustomed to during our first week and a half of training.  We have also started to wear our Coast Guard Operational Dress Uniforms which was a nice change from the physical fitness sweats that we had been wearing during our forming week.  Toward the end of the week we all participated in a swim assessment in which we were required to tread water for 05 minutes and swim approximately 100 yards. Some of the people in the company struggled with this and are now required to attend mandatory swim class in the morning.  This requires that they be ready to swim by 0515!!! This makes for an early morning, however I am sure they will be better at not only swimming but getting up early as well. This week we were also introduced to performance trackers.  Performance trackers are used to identify individual deficiencies, and many of us have acquired a hefty stack for forgetting items such as required knowledge, and for not responding correctly.  Our Company Commanders are firm but fair, and I have no doubt that we will be ready for week 03 on Monday morning!

Mon 23Jan12

The morning started with a fire drill, then ran topside to get ready for weight training at the gym nothing like pumping iron first thing in the morning. Afterwards we spent time marching around the regiment singing cadence. Once back home we hit the showers, got into uniforms, and stepped off for chow. Next we headed back to the house and split into two groups. Half went to class on first aid and the other went to a practical CPR class. In first aid we learned about heat exhaustion, hypothermia, types of bleeding, and how to treat these symptoms. In CPR we learned how to administer CPR to an adult, child, and infant. After class we practice manual arms for a little bit just before noon chow and once we arrived at the galley everyone was pumped up for food from the busy day. Next we headed home and started our cleaning and did another round weigh-ins. For the rest of the day we were able to take care of our permanent duty station requirements like making phone calls and sending emails. Once time was up we started evening routine, read mail, said prayer, and hit the racks.

 Tues 24Jan12

The FIRE, FIRE, FIRE alarm clock without a snooze button went off to started our productive day. After taking care of the morning routine we went to chow and went directly to seamanship class where we learned and practiced line handling. We practiced docking a vessel to a pier for about 03 hours. Next we went to lunch and then straight to the gym where we had our last official water circuit work out with our instructor. everyone pushed hard through this swimming exercise with a sense of pride and duty. After gym we headed home and prepared for our dress uniform inspection by the Battalion officer and we did very well. After the inspection we had our long awaited close order drill test which we were nervous about because we have practiced very little. We achieved a 09 out of 10 which is not bad at all based on weather and other conditions of the day. Next we went to evening chow, came home, started evening routine and hit the racks.

 Weds 25Jan12

As usually the fire drill got us pumped for the day ahead of us. We came topside commencing morning of hygiene and uniforms, then formed up outside for morning chow. Breakfast consisted of mouth watering banana pancakes, sausage links, biscuits and gravy, and eggs. After chow we headed to seamanship to continue our training on line handling while some of us went to the range for those going to operational units such as small boat station and patrol cutters. Afterwards we had lunch then after that is when things went south for Charlie company. Once back at the house we were informed that we had failed a squad bay inspection  and consequently losing our colors and all of the earned privileges that came with them. Then we were evicted from James hall, packed all of our belongings, then moved over to Healy hall. Then we were informed we were not staying in Healy Hall, and therefore moving back into James Hall. So we carried all of our belongings back to James Hall only to discover that the senior company completely destroyed our squad bay by redecorating the walls, floors, and windows with shaving cream, toilet paper, soap, and shampoo. Once back to the squad bay we started cleaning the mess. This taught us the value of teamwork to complete a mission that we could not have done by ourselves. After a very long night of cleaning Charlie finally hit the racks with an attitude of anger, pride, and motivation.

 Thurs 26Jan12

Today was a productive one. Waking up to a call of reveille was exactly what Charlie needed. We started morning routine and sent out laundry. Then we headed to chow for some waffles, eggs, and bacon. Next we headed back to the house to finish cleaning the abomination the senior company had left for us. Then we started to take care of all of our permanent unit problems, so we went to use the computers and phones, and we went to administration to finish scheduling moving arrangements. Then we had a class where we reviewed and finally signed our orders. Next was lunch and then a class on STD's, protection, contraception, and self exams. This was definitely a class that Charlie wont forget. Although some recruits were a little thrown off our instructor taught the class in such a relaxed, fun way. Once back at the house we cleaned, ran abandon ship drills, and did very well according to our Lead Company Commander. This helped us earn our colors backs along with all the privileges that came with it. Next we marched to chow like we were 10ft tall, bullet proof, echo 01 robots. After chow we came home started evening routine, had prayer and gladly hit the racks.

 Fri 27Jan12

Fire drill to start our busy day. Today was the Graduation for Bravo 186. Therefore we had a major time objective to get ready, get to chow, and vacuum down our food. Next we split into 02 groups, one was graduation detail to help at graduation and the other who stayed back cleaned and took the final exam on the computers. This was a new version of testing because it was fast, easy, and gave you a countdown clock to see your time. Afterwards we went to chow and enjoyed our lunch. Then our shipmates returned and we basically started getting our uniforms ready for off base liberty tomorrow. We did this till evening chow. Once back home our lead company commander sat us in the squad bay class room, pulled up a chair and gave us his debriefing. It was an awesome feeling Charlie had for our lead company commander to tell us to relax and actually look at him and listen to his story of why and how he got into the coast guard and how he is able to sit before us. It was an open floor for discussion, questions, answers, and laughs. We felt honored and privileged to have a normal conversation with our lead company commander, and a lot of us appreciate and respect him more because of it. Afterwards we started evening routine and hit the racks looking forward to off base liberty.

 Sat 28Jan12

The Fire, Fire, Fire drill was this morning. Off base liberty morning that is and Charlie was pumped. We rushed back topside after incentive training and started morning routine then we stepped off for quick morning chow wasting no time. Once back home we changed into our dress uniform and began uniform inspections, once done Charlie signed out and was gone!!! We were gone from 0900 to 2100 a full 12 hours of normalcy. Everyone broke up into groups, marched to the cabs, and hit up Rio Grand. First we went to Wally World AKA Wal-mart where we bought track phones and phone cards to call our families. We bought candy, energy drinks, and all kinds of things we've been deprived of for the past 02 months. Next we went to Starbucks got hyped up on expresso then went to Five Guys for some pure meaty burgers yum, yum. Then we went to the movies where we watched Underworld 4 in 3D. it was awesome and action packed especially with things flying at your face. Some shipmates even rented hotel rooms where they relaxed, watched TV, called family and friends, and caught up on sleep. When it came time for dinner the groups split and got sushi and other went to a sports bar where we enjoyed the juke box and TV. When the time came we hopped in the cabs and headed home to the regiment, signed in, and began evening routine. Today was an amazing a blissful day for Charlie. Amazing for the great time we had and shared and blessed for freedom granted to us and privileged to represent the US Coast Guard.

 Sun 29Jan12

Nothing like a fire drill and incentive training to start our Sunday. Once topside we got ready for chow where we had eggs, biscuit and gravy, and oatmeal. Then we marched home and started our divine hours where we ironed uniforms, got our racks inspection ready, wrote mail, and went to Chapel. At Chapel we gave the younger companies advise on boot camp and spiritual guidance on how to get through it. Next we went to chow and then started our big day which consisted of our last Company run. Everyone couldn’t wait to march around Cape May in double time singing cadence alongside our Company Commanders. When we got back we jumped in the shower and got back into our Operational Dress uniforms, grabbed our pieces and marched to Goff Hall to turn in our pieces and say bye and farewell. Afterwards was evening chow which we were all hungry for after the company run. Once we got back home we had 02 more debriefs with 02 of our Company commanders. It turned out that both of them are really genuine down to earth people, and have a cool sense of humor. They told us their stories of how they got to where they are and showed us a side of themselves that we were all happy to see and experience.

Next we started evening routine and hit the racks for taps. 

17Jan12

And I was right, today as not the most pleasant day.  Well the morning and night were terrible but the day went well.  Normally if we have interesting class during the day, it comes with one or two that are boring.  Our class on safety could have been boring but our instructor was great.  While telling us about safety he also told us stories from his career, good and bad.  You can tell that some stuff you experience will stay with you forever, even if you don’t want it to.  Now I try not to write from my perspective alone but that is hard when you don’t really talk to anyone because you can’t.  Personally I loved the two classes on Coast Guard history.  I would have loved to have a whole week of them.  So many heroes have come before us.  Hopefully that sinks in with some people.  Like Master Chief Carlson said. “You should shake at the fact you are living in a hall named after Douglas Munro”.  Indeed we should, indeed we should.

 18Jan12

It’s sad when you think it is completely normal to get woken up by a man yelling in a bull horn but we are getting to that point.  Today started off with some nice IT right after morning muster.  Then came some more rack making remedial.  Oddly enough it was linens day so we had to rip all the sheets off once we were done.  After morning chow, guess what, “Sniper Position, Take”!  Some people need to get with the program.  Classes were good today.  Petty Officer Simcox was qualified for an instructor thing which meant he had people in the room judging him.  Everyone behaved well it seemed.  And like all our other Company Commanders he taught the material very well.  Coast Guard Roles and Missions.  It’s funny how people that constantly yell at you can also get you so pumped up and excited about the future.  The other classes weren’t boring, just dry.  We did have the honor of retired Master Chief teach our class on Advancement in the Coast Guard.  There are mixed emotions on how the night ended.  The good, we made it through another day.  We seem to be growing as a team and working more efficiently.  The bad, we have lost a couple recruits.  The weak ones seem to be getting weaker, regardless of the thought of RAMP or reversion.  The future is unclear for Delta-186.  I believe we have it in us to be the best company here but some can’t yet see what I see.  We are Delta-186!

 19Jan12

What a day!  Minds are now in their racks rebooting from the today.  It started off pretty normal with fire fire fire and some 0530 IT.  A difference was a little extra pep in some peoples step.  We seemed to be making our time objectives, if not we were much closer than normal.  After morning chow was a bike workout.  There was some regrets on the faces of those who loaded up on food prior to.  Later we had class on Code of Conduct and Standards of Conduct.  Both being important things to know.  The pride from those classes was apparent.  High point of the day was marching down to Seamanship.  The bay is beautiful, many of us are wishing for an extended march.  To gain more skill at COD and just see what this place looks like.  Seamanship class was great!  The building and grown are really cool.  Can’t wait to spend more time there.  Even though we just learned some terms, it felt like we were really getting started.  After evening chow we ran a boot drill to learn to always square knot our shoes when not in use.  Our RAMPERS came back tonight.  Finally the family is back together again.  We got to learn some more Manual of Arms, God that is some cool stuff.  Tonight was a first we made all of our time objectives.  To end the night we went out for some IT by Petty Officer Bailey.  In a weird way it almost felt like a reward for doing a good job today.  We are either learning what we need to or just losing our mines.  Maybe a little of both!  Delta-186 OUT!

 20Jan12

Today words can’t really describe.  Of course we had class which was really fun.  The hours between 2100 and 2200 will be remembered forever.  For some it may have meant nothing, for others it could have been a new thought.  For the rest it made me remember the person I truly am.  It was just forgotten in this new lifestyle but it was always there.  It was repeated in the songs.  As the songs played, the pain from sniper position went away, or at least wasn’t apparent to my brain.  I hope some got the message.  It’s about U.S. not US.

 21Jan12

 What a different kind of day.  I mean different for us.  It started with wonderful sound of the bull horn.  No matter how many times it happens it still is a shock.  It was nice to come in from the rain for muster.  Rack making drills like always took up our pre chow time.  The difference came after chow.  We went straight to Seamanship.  God the things we learn down there are cool.  We were at Seamanship all day.  On the way back from Seamanship, at the end of the day, we dumped our back packs for an inspection.  It was mind blowing that some got in trouble when we just had an inspection the day before.  We then got to work on Manual of Arms on our own.  Then it was time for some performance tracker remedial.

 22JAN12

 I don’t even know anymore we could be up on a mountain feeling like we doing well and then another it’s like indoc weekend again. Today was going pretty well during divine hours. Many took time to get uniforms pressed and racks organized for inspection on Monday. After midday chow we went for a workout on the bikes lead by Chief Ruchser. He will make you sweat. He should run all of the bike workouts. Unfortunately we still have some recruits with the company who couldn’t follow the simple direction of stop picking up your canteen. It was clear that this made Chief Ruchser upset. I knew the rest of the day was going to be bad. In the next 03 weeks, I have been here I never seen him look upset even when dealing with poor Recruits. I always see him laughing.  I was right. What followed was the worst remedial session we have received. We ended up with another inspirational sniper position. Personally, I would have no problem ending every night like that and thinking about this great country. We got to sing Semper Paratus today on the quarterdeck. Without a doubt one of the high points of boot camp thus far. Here is hoping for a good tomorrow.

 23JAN12

 Today was the first day off double delta. Delta had to be split into two groups for class purposes. The armory can only handle a certain number of recruits.  I am starboard side so a description of day at the range will have to wait till tomorrow. Petty Officer Simcox was in charge of this morning. He welcomed us into week 04 with some new additions to our Incentive Training routine. The Plank and dead cockroach, which is like the V, do in physical fitness. Fun stuff! Good news is that we are definitely getting louder. Our voices echo a lot longer that they did even last week. After chow we split into our two sub companies. Starboard went to the classroom in 252 for a class on commitment. Man these classes are getting better. We are in the military now. Our job is to save people in peril and protect good things, people, and ideals even if it means making the ultimate sacrifice of one’s life. Classes like that make you realize that everything we go through here has a purpose and is very necessary to get us ready for the possible dangers ahead. Later starboard got to set up their USCG accounts. Wow a computer, not sure we can remember how these things work. We managed. Our instructor said we would be back a lot in the future once we get our orders which is next week. Gosh time is flying by. After lunch we had colors class. We learned how to properly observe and carry out morning and evening colors. Then we got to go outside on a beautiful foggy cold day and six recruits performed both while the rest of starboard watched. What a great experience. People say being in the military has its perks.  But no amount of health care, dental care or whatever can come close to the amount of knowledge you gain about things regular civilians don’t know about. After dinner Petty Officer Bailey took us to get our pictures then in uniform. Although it consisted of buttoning three buttons of a dress shirt and two buttons of a sport coat (bravo). Clipping a tie on and slapping on an old cover. It felt good to see that side of you in the mirror. It was a quiet night for D-186 sounding off page 212 “Self Discipline” was the worst of it but sometimes people need a reminder to act right. Even with that Delta is coming together. We will be the best!

 24JAN12

 The day at the range well it’s obvious but I will say again that we woke up to PO Garza’s blow horn. Fire Fire Fire plus a not so pleasant siren.  Whatever, you get it over it. It is weird to say but this place is a lot like child birth. Everyone says because child birth is so traumatic and painful that the body makes you forget. Many nights I find myself reading the days schedule to figure out what to write. I retained all the information I just can’t remember what we did even meals become hard to remember. Well enough about that. The range was a lot of fun! Well it’s more the inside of a classroom. Here at TRACEN Cape May we use simulators to teach basic marksmanship skills. We first went over firearm safety and then it was time to shoot. The creators did a great job. The weight was right on. They even had a compressed air system that moved the slide after every shot. Not close to what real recoil is like but you get somewhat of an idea. Our group did we some did not score a qualifying number but many shot at a marksman level.

 25JAN12

 Exactly 30 days from today Delta-186 will be graduating basic training. Who will be a member of D-186 is still up in the air. Especially after today. Not a great day for Delta. It started off normal with fire drill and IT. We had two classes in the morning. One was on enlisted ratings. It was good to finally here about it from someone that was one not the internet and two not a recruiter trying to embellish different aspects of each rate. The second was on housing very boring but necessary to know.

 26JAN12

 What a day. It’s almost hard to even write about. There were some good things but the bad washes them away like waves and writing in the sand. For the readers sake I will touch over the good. We got to go to seamanship today which is always fun and interesting. The high part was that on the way there and back PO Bailey taught us a marching song. What a blast! We also got to make our wish lists for the first station. We worked on manual of arms before chow. It went reasonably well but we still need to work on our snap and pop. Next week is thought to be when reversions start.  Many are hoping some will leave us. If we didn’t have the best Company Commanders on the planet.

 27JAN12

 Today was once again another roller coaster day for Delta-186. Today was our midterm exam. Some were a little but all finished with plenty of time to spare. When we got back we had to do some sniper position because one of our shipmates get in trouble talking on the ladder well. Then came the shock of the day. PO Bailey made us move half the people from main muster to secondary and vice versa. The one constant in our lives now gone. The bond between rack mates can be pretty strong. For me he is a younger brother.

 28JAN12

 Man I wish PO Garza’s megaphone would run out of batteries as would the rest of Delta-186 but I guess it’s like an alarm on a cutter. Today was pugil stick fights. What a crazy experience. Most of the fights were friends vs. friends. Then some were making a point that others needed to shape up. It was fun to see our CCs in a different light. They were hyped up on all the craziness. When it was over right back to CC mode.

 29JAN12

I am going to start this entry a little different normally I go in order but tonight is worth talking about. PO Bailey normally comes in and talks to us on nights that he is here. Tonight was not different. He told us on nights that he is here. Tonight was no different. He told us about the week five dive where recruit companies fall apart. Divine hours went well but we did miss an easy time objective set by PO Simcox. It was a stupid mistake. After lunch we went for our first off base run. You don’t know the feeling unless you go to a recruiter and enlist. 

   Week 03 started off with a bang as we were woken up with "fire, fire, fire" it was then we realized the gloves were off. We started the day with morning incentive training on the cold concrete. Something we have not done yet due to the weather conditions in the morning. We soon realized how unmotivated and lazy some us were. Later that evening we had our first official rack inspection. Our squad bays(Main Machinery Room, Auxiliary Machinery Room 1, Auxiliary Machinery Room 2, and Aft Steering) were invaded by men wearing red and gold shoulder ropes. These men are superiors to our Company Commanders and have the power to ruin your life on the spot. We all quaked in our boots as they scoured our racks and uniforms and drilled us on our required knowledge from the soul-less stare of their aviator sunglasses.

   A few of our shipmates failed the inspection and were sent to the much feared Recruit Aptitude Motivation Program or as we know it R.A.M.P.. Ramp is a three day suffer fest that is like the boot camp for boot camp. This intense program was designed to help them find the discipline and motivation they were deemed to be lacking. Our hearts went out these fallen brethren. All of these recruits were lucky enough to pass ramp and return to the company as legends. Men and women who were sent to the brink of hell and made it back alive. Not all recruits are this fortunate as we learned this week with the addition of several new shipmates who failed RAMP and were reverted into our company.

   A few more shipmates endured another flavor of special suffering this week when the U.S. Coast Guard relieved them of their wisdom teeth. These chipmunk cheeked recruits have been deprived of the joy that is known as chow time, one of the very few pleasures of boot camp.

   This week also marked the beginning of Seamanship class, a subject we will be studying for the rest of our stay at Cape May. This class has been the first time someone has shown us what the hell we'll actually be doing in the Coast Guard.

   Sunday divine hours gave us a chance to catch our breath and rally for the next week. Each week strengthens our belief that we can actually make it to the end. Till next week ECHO-186 signing off.........

BRAVO 186 Week 7 Blog

       It took six weeks, but we finally earned our colors. Marching has taken on a new element, cadence singing. We may not be musically inclined, generally speaking, but we sing our hearts out.

      The excitement of getting our colors was quickly stripped, and we had a staring contest with the drill hall bulkheads that same night.

      The classroom has always been something of an oasis for us, and we spent most of Monday learning about CPR and first aid. Our relaxed attitudes vanished when a fire alarm sounded while we were showering. We had no choice but to run outside with whatever mismatched clothes we could find. The wind was like ice as we stood outside, sockless and covered in soap. However, we all agreed it was an entertaining way to end the day.

      The weather here is unpredictable at best. We wake up to snow and ice one morning, rain the next, and often find ourselves in comfortable sunshine. Most of us would be content to avoid the cold weather altogether. Bad weather leaves us in doors all day, and it becomes more tiresome.

      When the rain passed on Tuesday, a massive rainbow cut the sky and raised our downtrodden attitudes. Seeing the geese, sunrises, sunsets and the cape may night skies all help in balancing our stressed minds. If boot camp does anything, it gives a person gratitude for things taken for granted.

      Our close order drill test finally came, and we were more than ready for it. As our company commanders tell us "One thing Bravo knows, that's how to march." We received a perfect score. Around Cape May. One challenge is followed by another. We set our focus on the final exam, which we took on Friday. The hardest thing academically speaking, is staying awake in class.

      Off base liberty came on Saturday, and it was everything we thought it would be. Awesome! We watched movies, ate bad food, and slept. We aren’t sure what to expect in week 08, but we continue to be Semper Paratus! Graduation here we come.

                        Strange days are behind us.

                        We've shot the gauntlet through.

                        We've sought life and salvation,

                        He's made our souls true.

                        Into the change we stretch

                        Across the unknown

                        To take part in adventure,

                        And traverse the blue foam.

                                    -SR MCMAHON, M.B.

Mon 16Jan12

We started the day off strong with a fast pace fire drill with a quick workout before we came back inside. We shot topside made our racks, changed, and got ready to step off for chow. They always have the best food to start the day off on a goof foot. The morning was filled with seamanship class. This week is all about firefighting. Today we learned about different fire extinguishers, how to classify a fire, and firefighting equipment. This week we will actually be fighting fires for practice and for our test. After our long morning of seamanship we marched to chow, had a magnificent lunch, and went to another class. Here we filled out a questionnaire to see where we stand in out mental, physical, and emotional health. We will receive the results back next week and find out what we need to work on. Afterwards we went to the gym for our swim work out. Next we stopped by the house, shinned our boots for a while and heading to evening chow which included meat ball subs, pork loins, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and all kinds of fruit. After chow the rest of the night was pretty good, we did an exercise that was kind of like the game telephone. We were given a radio transmission and we could say it once to the person next to us. It had to make it all the way day to the vary last recruit. This was to help us learn about good communication skills, receiving and giving correct information if we ever stand watch out in the field. Then we practiced manual of arms a few last times before our big test. We look pretty good so we should do well if we keep it up. Now we are ready to hit the racks and take one more step forward into week 06.

 Tues 17Jan12

As we ran  down the ladder for the fire drill, everyone was in a hurry because we wanted to start the day of on a good foot. Due to rain puddles being on the ground the was no incentive training so we hurried topside and started our morning routine of hygiene and getting into our uniforms to step off for morning chow. Chow was fast then we marched back to the house to practice  manual of arms for our big test today. Then off to seamanship for some firefighting. Today we received fire extinguishers to put out actual fires. Then we were shown how to put on the gear we would need if we ever had a fire emergency and checked to make sure everything was secured. This took all morning then it was off to noon chow. After we ate we went home and practiced once again manual of arms for our test, next we got our physical fitness gear together for a weight circuit work out. When we got to the gym we hit the weights on a new level of expectation from our instructor and increased the weight along the number of sets. Afterwards we had a travel class where we finalized our decisions on our travel arrangements for our graduation. Once back to the house we had a weigh in. we all had to weigh ourselves and see if we were overweight or underweight and to be able to set something up to fix accordingly. T6he rest of the night we spent field daying the squad bays and our quarterdeck. Then we got our mail, said our prayer and finally hit the racks.

 Weds 18Jan12

Today was definitely a fast paced day, seeming as thought we just kept going from one thing to another. Throughout the day our company was divided in half. Half went to seamanship and half went to receive their military Identification Cards and talked to career counselors about their future in the coast guard. Finding things out such as the area of our station, what's the live style like, work life, and things to just expect when we get there. At seamanship the other half had their firefighting practical training in an actual real life simulator to combat fires with full gear on from air tanks, masks, clothing, everything! Awesome experience you can't get at Disney or Universal studios. Afterwards we went to noon chow to eat some great food to give us energy to last for our manual of arms test we practiced and practiced for and now it was finally here. Before we knew it, it was over and we were waiting to hear the results of our test which was a perfect score of 10 out of 10. Everyone was filled with excitement and our Company Commanders were well pleased with the results. We owe our debt and gratitude to the the company commanders who spent their time with us day after day to prepare us for this and gave us the told to succeed. We spent the rest of the day doing more minor activities such as trying on dress uniforms, cleaning squad bays, making our racks and another chow. Charlie is definitely pulling together and it is really starting to show. We just need to stay locked on and try our hardest to earn our colors.

 Thurs 19Jan12

Fire fire fire were the first words of the day. Before we knew it we had already sprinted outside and found a piece of real estate for incentive training. The rest of the morning was just like yesterday with the company being split up just now things are opposite. After noon chow the company was back together and was ready for another round of Pugil stick matches. We tried to get new opponents sow e wouldn’t be smacking around the same people. You could here charlies cheers and screams across the regiment. Afterwards we had a class of different ways we could transport ourselves, family and belongings to our new duty stations and how the government will pretty much pay for everything and move you themselves. Afterwards we had our evening chow and the night started to wind down with shining of our boots, fold clothing for graduation, uniform maintenance, and cleaning squad bays. Tomorrow will be exactly 02 weeks until graduation and we become part of the fleet. We can see the prize but can't lose focus.

 Fri 20Jan12

Charlie companies busy day started with an expected fire drill and continued with a fast paced morning. After getting ready we went to morning chow to scarf down our food so we could all make it to medical in time to have those who received it get their small pox shot checked out. After medical the company marched back home to prepare themselves for the duties that were set before them the night before. Including work detail and pack/ luggage watch for Alpha -186 company because it was their graduation. That missio0n took away half of the company. The other half stayed behind to get things ready for on base liberty, gathering info, and calling our permanent units. Later on in the day after noon chow we had a swim circuit class which was challenging. The rest of the day was pretty much preparing ourselves for our on base liberty and our permanent unites. Including an awesome and intense incentive training and fire drill session from one of our company commanders. We needed the day with nightly routine, mail, prayer, and called taps to hit the racks with excitement for on base liberty tomorrow!

 Sat 21Jan12

This morning Charlie company was woken up by its Lead Company Commander with no Fire drill which was a nice way to start out on base liberty day. Once we were done getting ready we went to morning chow where we were served a well balanced Coast Guard breakfast of eggs, sausage, French toast, and grits. After chow we went home to work on our time management with some time drills of changing in and out of different uniforms on the fly. Along with a surprise rack inspection which earned us an incentive training session. Then we were given time to work on our on base liberty uniforms for inspection before we left. When noon came we went to chow and afterwards we had the privilege of being taken to the bay and taken on tours of 87 ft patrol cutters, small boats, and small boat station. Was good to get a real life feel of what we were to expect. Next we went to the house got ready for our liberty and had the inspection. Once done we were officially liberated! A lot of us went to the exchange to buy necessities, went to harbor view club to have some awesome sports bar food, and majority of the time we all spent our time at the phone banks calling our families and enjoyed talking to them in a regular tone of voice, and some of Charlie went to the on base movie theatre to enjoy nice quite time watching Contagion. Once 2100 came we were all back, hit the showers, prayed, and called taps. It was an extraordinary day for Charlie!

 Sun 22Jan12

Fire fire fire and incentive training to start our lovely day of Divine time. Once we hit topside we commenced morning routine of uniforms and Hygiene and stepped off for chow. Afterwards we came back and commenced Divine hours where we all had time to fix our racks, iron uniforms, shine boots, and dress shoes, write letters and go to chapel. We went to noon chow and had an awesome filling lunch which there's never any complaints about the Galley food. Then we came back to the house and got dressed in our Dress uniforms for inspection, we all felt great about ourselves in our uniforms. Once that was over we got ready to hit the gym for a swim circuit work out since we couldn’t go on a company run due to poor weather. After gym Charlie came home and got ready to run a practice test for our Close order drill test held by all of our company commanders. Once the test was done our Lead company commander gave us a speech on how the practice test went and where we needed to improve but overall did pretty well, next he went into saying how we have done well on all our inspections, tests, exams, and how we handled ourselves very well on our on base liberty. Hearing these things Charlie Company a High moral spike in themselves and before we knew it he had us about face and there it was CHARLIE COMPANIES COLORS RIGHT IN FRONT OF US! All of us practically gasped when we saw them and tried with all our being to hold in our emotions. Then we heard the AMAZING words "Go get them they're your you EARNED THEM" the entire company burst with emotion of excitement with screams to the top of our lungs running to the Colors. We Held them up and chanted at the top of our lungs CHARLIE, CHARLIE, CHARLIE and marched around the regiment holding the high and marching 10ft tall bullet proof no longer marching to cadence but marching while SINGING cadence. This was a day that not enough words could express and a day that Charlie 186 will never forget!

17Jan12

And I was right, today as not the most pleasant day.  Well the morning and night were terrible but the day went well.  Normally if we have interesting class during the day, it comes with one or two that are boring.  Our class on safety could have been boring but our instructor was great.  While telling us about safety he also told us stories from his career, good and bad.  You can tell that some stuff you experience will stay with you forever, even if you don’t want it to.  Now I try not to write from my perspective alone but that is hard when you don’t really talk to anyone because you can’t.  Personally I loved the two classes on Coast Guard history.  I would of loved to have a whole week of them.  So many heroes have come before us.  Hopefully that sinks in with some people.  Like Master Chief Carlson said. “you should shake at the fact you are living in a hall named after Douglas Munro”.  Indeed we should, indeed we should.

 18Jan12

It’s sad when you think it is completely normal to get woken up by a man yelling in a bull horn but we are getting to that point.  Today started off with some nice IT right after morning muster.  Then came some more rack making remedial.  Oddly enough it was linens day so we had to rip all the sheets off once we were done.  After morning chow, guess what,  “Sniper Position, Take”!  Some people need to get with the program.  Classes were good today.  Petty Officer Simcox was qualified for an instructor thing which meant he had people in the room judging him.  Everyone behaved well it seemed.  And like all our other Company Commanders he taught the material very well.  Coast Guard Roles and Missions.  It’s funny how people that constantly yell at you can also get you so pumped up and excited about the future.  The other classes weren’t boring, just dry.  We did have the honor of retired Master Chief teach our class on Advancement in the Coast Guard.  There are mixed emotions on how the night ended.  The good, we made it through another day.  We seem to be growing as a team and working more efficiently.  The bad, we have lost a couple recruits.  The weak ones seem to be getting weaker, regardless of the thought of RAMP or reversion.  The future is unclear for Delta-186.  I believe we have it in us to be the best company here but some can’t yet see what I see.  We are Delta-186!

 19Jan12

What a day!  Minds are now in their racks rebooting from the today.  It started off pretty normal with fire fire fire and some 0530 IT.  A difference was a little extra pep in some peoples step.  We seemed to be making our time objectives, if not we were much closer than normal.  After morning chow was a bike workout.  There was some regrets on the faces of those who loaded up on food prior to.  Later we had class on Code of Conduct and Standards of Conduct.  Both being important things to know.  The pride from those classes was apparent.  High point of the day was marching down to Seamanship.  The bay is beautiful, many of us are wishing for an extended march.  To gain more skill at COD and just see what this place looks like.  Seamanship class was great!  The building and grown are really cool.  Cant wait to spend more time there.  Even though we just learned some terms, it felt like we were really getting started.  After evening chow we ran a boot drill to learn to always square knot our shoes when not in use.  Our RAMPERS came back tonight.  Finally the family is back together again.  We got to learn some more Manual of Arms, God that is some cool stuff.  Tonight was a first we made all of our time objectives.  To end the night we went out for some IT by Petty Officer Bailey.  In a weird way it almost felt like a reward for doing a good job today.  We are either learning what we need to or just losing our mines.  Maybe a little of both!  Delta-186 OUT!

 20Jan12

Today words cant really describe.  Of course we had class which was really fun.  The hours between 2100 and 2200 will be remembered forever.  For some it may of meant nothing, for others it could have been a new thought.  For the rest it made me remember the person I truly am.  It was just forgotten in this new lifestyle but it was always there.  It was repeated in the songs.  As the songs played, the pain from sniper position went away, or at least wasn’t apparent to my brain.  I hope some got the message.  It’s about U.S. not US.

 21Jan12

 What a different kind of day.  I mean different for us.  It started with wonderful sound of the bull horn.  No matter how many times it happens it still is a shock.  It was nice to come in from the rain for muster.  Rack making drills like always took up our pre chow time.  The difference came after chow.  We went straight to Seamanship.  God the things we learn down there are cool.  We were at Seamanship all day.  On the way back from Seamanship, at the end of the day, we dumped our back packs for an inspection.  It was mind blowing that some got in trouble when we just had an inspection the day before.  We then got to work on Manual of Arms on our own.  Then it was time for some performance tracker remedial.

 This week the recruits of ECHO 186 have formed as a official company here at training center Cape May.  We have moved into our new home here and are learning how to perform basic tasks such as eating and getting dressed while attracting as little wrath from our Company Commanders as is recruitly possible.

This week has held many challenges such as rude awakenings to "Fire Fire Fire" drills at 0500 sharp and grueling incentive training drills.  These tasks, though sometimes frustrating and painful, are imperative to this company becoming the efficient, well-oiled machine our Company Commanders expect it to be.  Expectations like these are what it takes to become members of the Coast Guard, a goal we all signed up to achieve. 

It has not all been negative, however, and encouraging words from Cape May Chaplains and our Company Mentors have given us the strength to push on into the next week.

03JAN12-04JAN12

      Sounds of laughter and conversation filled the bus as we made our way from the Philadelphia Airport to Cape May, NJ. All of that stopped once we saw those yellow triangles and the men in those round hats. We soon would know them as Company Commanders. Oh crap was the first thought in our minds as we were running off the bus trying to follow the loud but simple instructions. The loudness seemed to make them infinitely more difficult to carry out for some. Finally, we were brought inside for a long night filling out paperwork. Little sleep was had for any that night, not knowing what awaited us the next day. Unfortunately it was a full day of paperwork and medical. Most uneventful besides starting to learn how to march. Always was present was the mind blowing instruction and correction.

05JAN12

     Equally uneventful with more paperwork and medical. Although the men got their heads shaved and we all went through the uniform issuing process; even though, I was in a warehouse, it felt great to be in our uniforms at least for the few seconds before we took them off to have our names and U.S. Coast Guard sewn above the breast pockets.

06JAN12

     We all awaited the afternoon on Friday. The day we would finally meet the company commanders that would be leading us through the next eight weeks. We were lucky enough to get moving speeches by not only Captain Kelly but others in our chain of command. Speeches that spoke of patriotism, life saving, and of course hard work. We ended with our company being handed over for our training. Here we go!! Fire Fire Fire are the words we will now fear forever. Not because there is a fire, but because we are either about to be Incentively Trained as a group or be given niner zero seconds to get up three flights of steps to the main squad bay. Then came drills to get our rack squared away. Of course this took hours when it could have been minutes because of lack of speed, something we need to work on. Speed could in fact be the word of the entire weekend running drill after drill after drill, over and over. Continuously missing time objectives. This did not sit well with our Company Commanders: Petty Officer Williams, Petty Officer Simcox, and Petty Officer Garza. Hopefully the message is going to start sinking in.  Even though we spent a lot of time sweating, we also were learning a great deal. Marching being the main favorite of most in the company. It is a very good team building exercise. Everyone must contribute so that the formation looks good.

10JAN12

     Was our first core workout at the gym. Wow, what a workout, for those who gave it their all probably lost a couple of pounds in sweat alone. It was also the day indoc weekend was officially over and we are accountable for the knowledge that we have learned thus far. The night ended with a speech from Petty Officer Bailey.He told us that he wanted us to be the best company for some it was another reason to push to be better.

11JAN12

     Any thoughts that could have been had about the day were killed by two things Recruit Aptitude and Motivation Program (RAMP) and Remedial Instruction. After running Remedial after Remedial, sleep was greatly appreciated by all.

12JAN12

     Fire Fire Fire, once again was our wake up call to start the day. Today was going to be a very enjoyable day for some and a very frightening day for others. Today was our swim test day. This was our first time being in the water at Recruit Training. The instructor explained that we would be jumping off a platform 1.5 meters from the water and then swimming 100 meters around the edge of the pool. Sounds simple but with the added factors of no distinct swim lanes and no goggles greatly increased the difficulty. Personally it felt like small city pools where everyone goes. You could not swim one stroke without someone hitting your leg or cutting in front of you but if your ship is sinking you could run into a similar situation. Thursday also brought us into some more classes. At this point in training most classes are just informational and kind of dry. Although today held two pretty enjoyable classes. One was about mixing work and life and how the work life office could help us with different issues. The class was made more enjoyable when the instructor told us that he was a former Company Commander. Not only that but he trained Petty Officer Bailey. He sure did an outstanding job. Although short, Saluting class was awesome. Saluting is something everyone associates with the military and now we know when and how to properly use it. Recruits continue to resist the system and we all are learning from it. Our discipline drill has been done so much some don’t even look at the words. They have been burned into our brains, now hopefully we can show that we have some of it.

13JAN12

     Apparently the discipline drill did not take because Petty Officer Simcox noticed someone spitting on the Parade Field. Not only that, none would own up to it, so after breakfast came another round of the discipline drill. Please God let it work this time. Today our workout ended up with us in the pool again. This time doing 20 yard sprints across the pool. Again, constantly being scratched and pummeled by fellow Recruits. Before and after the swim Petty Officer Simcox took us for a march to practice our moves. We are definitely improving from the company we were a week ago. We marched down the road to the ocean. You could just see over the dunes. My future! Obviously the thought that was going through many a Recruits mind. Later in the day we had some more classes. One about how we should brush our teeth. Maybe this is why it is called basic training. The other was a class on terrorist threat levels by our own Petty Officer Garza. Finally we all know how that color chart works and what it means. It also was interesting to know what different measures were taken under each threat level. How do you make someone learn the correct way to sign in and out of a log book?  Run the sign in and out remedial.  We are hoping this is the last time for this.

14JAN12

     Today’s wakeup call was a little different that the last couple of days because we did not get back topside. So we had to run it again. Today was colder that it has been since we got here. You could see it on the faces of the southern and western Recruits. After our very early morning breakfast we came back to Munro Hall to run a drill we had not run before. This one was to teach us how fast we could actually change from PT gear to ODUs. Later we went out and had a meeting without mentors about their experiences in the Coast Guard. It was great!!! Both people have a wide range in careers. After they talked to us for a while they opened up the floor for questions and there were a lot. All different because they were about our future in the Coast Guard and not complaining about boot camp training. After lunch they came back to Munro Hall with us to talk some more and answer more questions. Then we went over to classroom 101 and had a class with Petty Officer Bailey on military customs, specifically when saluting. Good stuff to know! Later was time for remedial training to reinforce deficiencies of the Company. People have got to stop touching their faces. You can tell people are because half the company has crud. Today we definitely became a better team and showed more discipline than ever. This was evident because we got to shine our boots and start working on organizing our racks and learned some basic moves with our pieces instead of getting incentively trained. Let’s hope day like this become less rare.

15JAN12

     It was cold today! The wind coming off the ocean bites at your face that early. To those of us that grew up with winters like this it is revitalizing and wakes you up. I have not mentioned chow yet and that is a travesty. Chow is a vital part of our day. The nutrients and calories keep us moving and the fact that it always tastes great does not hurt either. The staff deserves high praise for keeping our tanks full. Once back from morning chow we ran rack making drills. Some rack mates are getting really fast. Today had another workout on the schedule. Petty Officer Bailey took us to the gym for a cycle workout. He definitely pushed us harder that the trainers did earlier this week. After it was time today for some people’s action at the gym. Guess what?? More remedials. By the end of training we will have the shoulders and arms of gorillas. We had a class on personal values. It was good; some people are realizing their values are right in line with the Coast Guards. Wow I forgot about divine hours. They go from 0800 to 1300 every Sunday. We are thankful for them. Many Recruits read letters from loved ones and scribbled out letters to send out. The time was also used to organize our racks, work on ODUs and shining boots. Getting ready for our inspection tomorrow. People are stressing out. Even those of us who you would not call the problem recruits are scared of the chance of going to Ramp. The night ended with the highest note we have had yet. Petty Officer Bailey told us he was complimented on our marching ability. He said we looked really great and were better than the week 08 company. You could feel the excitement in the room even though everyone had a straight face. Let’s hope this makes us keep pushing to be better. We are Delta-186.

16JAN12

     If we knew how the day would end we would have never wanted to start it. The day started off pretty normally. We even got an extra 15 minutes in the rack. I say in the rack instead of asleep because almost everyone was awake. Looks like our internal clocks are catching up to our crazy life. We ran fire drills multiple times and also ran rack making drills. After morning chow we had our water survival class. What an experience! We learned how to properly put on the suits and actually got to try them out in the water. Now granted the water was already 80 degrees but we got the point. The rest of the day was full of pretty boring classes. It was nice to learn about the differences between the Montgomery GI Bill and the Post 911 GI Bill. The other classes were about sexual harassment and sexual assault. Don’t do it was the message to be taken from those classes. Tonight is when the stuff hit the fan. I am talking about a truck load and a jet engine. Petty Officer Garza informed us that he had cleaned our squad bays because the Section Commander was coming for inspection. Our heads looked like a tornado went through them and we had only a couple minutes to clean. Chief Howe brought along some other Section Commanders to help inspect and look for Ramp Candidates. Fear was so thick in the room you could smell it. Racks being inspected and required knowledge questions being asked. All anyone could do was stand at attention and wait their turn. Sadly some of our shipmates will not be with us for the next couple of days but hopefully they will return to us without whatever got them sent there in the first place. Our Company Commanders were not happy with our performance which we paid for at the end of the night and I have a feeling we will be paying for the next couple of