~~My Boot Camp Baby~~

Coast Guard Recruit Company November 184 weekly journal posted Feb. 22, 2011

	TRACEN Cape May, N.J. U.S. Coast Guard
November 184 weekly journal Graduation 3/11/2011
Monday was valentine's day for everyone else, but for everyone here in Cape May it was just another day. After fire, fire, fire, we headed to take out our frustrations on each other in the pugil ring. Unfortunately that ended abruptly leaving us wanting more. With the extra time we had, we headed back to the Bunker to work on our inspection ready uniforms for the inspection that didn’t come. Our colors team successfully presented for their first time today. We had 02 classes, Flags and Pennants, and Radio Communications. We started Sexton Hall watch that night. This is where the new shipments of recruits come every Tuesday night, a very important time with many Company Commanders present. As a company we have a big sense of pride and accomplishment in ourselves and each other. Family bonds are being formed. Tuesday the majority of the morning we spent at the Uniform Distribution Center being fitted for our Bravos, Windbreakers, and other important dress uniform items. The other half of the day we spent at Seamanship shooting off flares and smoke signals. Ending our day with a long anticipated ODU inspection by our Battalion Commander, which we passed with flying colors. A 60 out of 55, never been done before. Go ahead and ask around, best company on the regiment, November-184. Wednesday kicked off with MOA, coming up week 06 is our MOA test so we need lots of practice. We had what could be our last life cycles work out, something we surely won't miss. Then we took a relay race run around the track. After that we went to Seamanship to learn about PFDs and how to properly wear and store them. Once back at James Hall we had a fun filled evening of Remedial Sign in/ Sign out drills. Saving us was the Chaplin reminding us of the life outside of TRACEN Cape May and the light at the end of the tunnel. Thursday is the day we've long awaited. All morning long our company commanders teased us with the knowledge that our orders were in, but we couldn’t know yet. We had an important class on financial management. Evening came and our lead company commander told us to line up outside with our pen lights, gloves, and watch caps. He marched us to the beach where we met up with our other company commanders and section commander. As we knelt in the sand, facing the crashing waves of our future offices, they came together, calling us up one by one, reading off our new destinations. As our heads were spinning, they marched us even further down the beach to where our colors stood proudly waving. Screaming behind us was our lead company commander, letting us cut loose, taking off in a sprint and raising up our flag in triumph. That night we came together not as 111 different recruits but as one unified machine. It was the panicle moment of our basic training experience so far. Friday some of us got to check out our units at the computer center. Others called their units, and some even got to call home. Most of us are pleased with our orders, but there are those of us who are disappointed with their orders. There were even more vaccinations, Small Pox and Yellow Fever. It's going to weaken our immune systems for the next 04 weeks. We ran through the MOA test routine. We are getting sharper every day. As we march we are started cadences. Each company commander has their own unique style. Saturday was a bit of a disappointment. We were supposed to run the Confidence Course, but the extreme windy conditions proved to be too much of a hazard, preventing us from doing the course. Hopefully Sunday after our run on the beach we will tackle to the Confidence Course. It's been calling our names. Our Mentor, Master Chief Bordell, came to visit us again. He answered all of our questions about our units and gave us insight into the life of the Coast Guard. It gives us something to strive for, talking to someone who has climbed their way up the Coast Guard ladder. We finished up with more shipmates calling their units and families. Ending the day with yet more MOA. Another week has gone by, we still can remember getting off the bus at Sexton Hall all scared and not knowing what to expect. Now we look at new recruits and then we look at ourselves to see how far we have come in these past 05 weeks.