cadet blogs

For the 3/c, the week after finals marks the start of their cadre summer. While other classes go out to the fleet to experience the underway lifestyle, the third-class cadets stay onboard the Academy for at least one extra week, getting trained by the Cape May Company Commanders (CMCCs) on how to be effective cadre. This week marks the culmination of the months of preparation 2015 has done in advance of our cadre summer.

I’m not going to reveal too much, because it is one of those experiences that you want to experience firsthand. For a week, the CMCCs, who train the Coast Guard’s recruits at Training Center (TRACEN) Cape May, take charge of each company, like Swab Summer. We spent the first morning reorienting ourselves, and remembering what it was like to be a swab. Remedials suck—I really can empathize with the swabs now. After a few days of “reorientation” (aka IT, remedials, and stress), we really dig into the meat of 100th Week: leadership development.

Part of 100th Week involves meeting with the Leadership Development Center (LDC) staff, the CMCCs, and other such instructors to learn more about leadership and how to apply it to the task of training swabs. These classes have been lots of fun and very informative. Lastly, we have had several opportunities now to meet as cadre sections to develop our leadership and command philosophies. These are important, because they will guide us as we guide the Class of 2017 to success this summer. Working with multiple type-A personalities can be frustrating at times, but the lessons we are learning now will make Swab Summer a much better experience for all involved.

I don’t know what happened, but I wasn’t really nervous about being a 2/c cadre until this week! Before 100th Week, I assumed that I could do it: yes, it might be difficult at times, but I thought I was smart enough and confident enough to assume responsibility and get the job done. Now, having gone through just three days of training so far, I’m not so sure… There are so many things to do, and so much responsibility. This summer really will be a leadership challenge, both for me and my shipmates. I guess what my cadre told me is true, “If you think you’re ready, you aren’t. If you are seriously questioning yourself, you’ll be fine.”

I rapidly come to the conclusion that I cannot wait for 100th Week to be over, so my classmates and I can pin white shields on our shoulders. With these white shields come so many more privileges and responsibilities: civvies (civilian clothing for liberty) AND cadre. After 100th Week concludes, I depart for three weeks of leave and a Holocaust study program before returning to New London for the rest of my cadre summer. I’m really excited—I just can’t really describe the feeling. You would have to experience it for yourself to understand how I feel… Good luck to 2017, and see you all in just a few short weeks!

More about Peter.

Wow... We really made it. The class of 2016 really made it through 4/c year. The seemingly endless year is over. So, you know some days you just get really nostalgic and reflective. Well, now that the school year has come and passed, I have been doing that a lot. This has been, guaranteed, the biggest year of my life in terms of change, and we are about to be thrown into the real world for the summer.

A year ago I was getting ready for, quite frankly, a summer I wasn't looking forward to. My world of sailing and going to school only when I wasn't traveling was nearing its end as I prepared to go to the CGA for Swab Summer. I knew what I was getting into and I knew it was going to be worth it in the long run, but I wasn't totally stoked about not going to "normal college."

Now, looking back, I see that I was honestly just worried about not getting the same experience as my friends. But that's not me, and I wouldn’t change this year for any of that. The friends I've made and my teammates are closer than I think you could get at any other college. We have all been through so much together, so many ridiculous things – squaring, yelling at inanimate objects, and cleaning on Friday nights. It's not always fun, and I thought I would hate it, but seeing the light at the end of the tunnel now puts everything in perspective.

It is the last day of class, and I feel like I still don’t even have a chance to come up for air. I’m dead exhausted, but I’m so excited for the summer that I know I can get through it. Spring semester was definitely a lot more chaotic and stressful than the fall for me, but it’s over. I made it. The summer is definitely an experience that I will not forget. My friends at other colleges will never get opportunities like my classmates and I get at the Academy. I have friends going to operational units in Hawaii, Guam, Puerto Rico, Alaska, and everywhere in between. I will be staying around good old Chase for a while, participating in post-season sailing leading up to national semi-finals in Florida, and hopefully qualifying for finals, and Summer Ocean Racing. My classmates and I get to spend our entire summer on the water at some of the coolest places. Personally, I think that beats working to try and pay off student loans.

Sometimes, it is really easy to get buried because the work never stops, but the end is here and we made it! My first year of college is over, and it went by faster than I could have imagined.

As always, feel free to send me any questions at Christina.M.Frost@uscga.edu.

More about Christi.

It’s strange to think that it is almost over. I know I will miss this place (or at least the people) when I am at my next unit, but for now I am just really, really excited to be graduating.

I was sitting at dinner, talking with a 2/c cadet about graduating and they asked me if I felt ready to be an Ensign. I said yes. And while that might sound pretentious, if after four years of training to be an officer I was not ready, I think that would be something to worry about.

There is a common misconception that you need to enter this place as an officer. When I first was accepted to the Academy, my greatest fear (aside from the lack of sleep) was that I was not ready to be an officer. My father informed me that you come to the Academy because they see potential for you to become the most junior of junior officers after four years. For those of you who are questioning if the Academy is the place you want to go to and are questioning if you are able to become an officer, remember you don’t enter these gates as an officer. It takes four years, and if you have put in the effort, you are prepared to leave as one.

This phase of my life is ending and I know it has made me into a stronger, more confident person. The kind of person I wanted to be when I reported in. And as strange as it is for it to be ending, it is really exciting to be able to look both back on the past four years, and forward to the many that lie ahead. t

More about Jessica.

Welp. As I look around at my half-packed up room inside Chase Hall, I can proudly say that I’ve made it through two years of academia at the Coast Guard Academy. In my time here, I’ve accomplished far more than I thought I could prior to arriving here. For instance, I’ve taken 75 credit hours of classes in only four semesters, which is an absurd amount that only service academies can give you the pleasure of taking in such a small amount of time. Although my GPA isn’t exactly where it was in high school (nowhere near it, actually…oops) the transition into collegiate-level academics has proved to be quite the experience, and finally with my foot in the door, I can see some good advancement in my GPA.

Athletically, I couldn’t be more proud of our lacrosse team. We finished a regular season best 10-1, beat Stonehill to get to the PCLL Tournament Final…and then lost to our rivals, Briarcliffe, 9-7. It was one of the most nerve-racking games I’ve ever been a part of. Despite the setback, we were still granted an at-large bid to Nationals, and the team will be heading down to South Carolina next week to play in the MCLA National Tournament!

Militarily, things only got better and better for me as I progressed here. Starting as a 4/c with demerits falling everywhere, I now have three semesters of no demerits, and will be getting my second silver star for military excellence for the past semester. On top of that, my roommate and I were selected as Masters-At-Arms for Echo Company, so we’ll be running our department-specific incoming 4/c as they progress from swab to cadet.

So overall, after two years here, things really have shaped up. Being halfway done with my time here at the Academy is a unnerving thought, as it feels like just a few days ago I was getting screamed at by 1/c Sykes to keep my eyes in the boat. Well, in just a few weeks, I’ll be yelling at some swab myself. 2/c summer is coming quick!

More about Sam.

So here I am, another typical Saturday morning at the USCGA for a 4/c. Avoiding the long list of homework I have to tackle over the next 48 hours, I decided to clean up my room (I promise this is totally normal!). In cleaning my room, I found a box of letters I received over Swab Summer. It was so weird to read them all and realize how quickly time flies. I mean, in about a week I will be on my 3/c summer assignment. I felt like I would never become a 3/c and I would be squaring and yelling at clocks forever! My 4/c year is quickly coming to an end – THANK GOODNESS…I mean, oh darn – how sad! Just kidding, 4/c year can really be a bummer. But honestly, as long as you take everything with a grain of salt you should be fine. I decided to dedicate this blog to giving some of advice from what I learned from my past summer for all of those out there anxiously awaiting your own Swab Summer 2013. So, here it goes:

1. Do NOT take anything too seriously. Respect your cadre and learn from them, but don’t overanalyze the comments they may make. They’re there to point out everything wrong you’re doing, but that’s only to make you a better 4/c. Do not think you are a bad person for doing something wrong because at some point you WILL make a mistake. Learn from them, and grow from them. Most importantly, don’t let it get you down.
2. If you feel like you want to quit, just remember everything that made you want to come here in the first place. Keep in mind how proud everyone is of you back home, and never lose sight of the goals that you have.
3. Learn to be flexible. Sometimes things don’t go the way you planned and be ready for that. This one may not make much sense right now, but once you’re here, you’ll get it!
4. Please, only bring what is required on the packing list…really…take this one to heart. Don’t be lugging around unnecessary things on R-Day.
5. If you ever feel like you want to up and leave and just “be normal” or go to “normal college,” please re-think that. Give this place a shot and never quit. Yeah sure, other college kids get to sleep in and wear what they want to class (if they feel like going), but how many of them get to be on the fast track to leadership within the Coast Guard? How many spend their summer training to save lives and make a difference in the world? Swab Summer may feel very inconsequential to your overall officer career, and it might be in the whole scheme of things, but it’s where we (cadets) all have our start, so I think that’s pretty darn significant! Just keep in mind the impact you will have one day within the USCG while you’re doing your pushups because you looked down for 1/5 of a second. :)

As always, if you have any questions about cadet life or Swab Summer (because that was me just a short year ago!) feel free to ask at Allyson.J.Roesch@uscga.edu.

Good luck to all the future swabs and AIMsters this summer!

More about Allie.