I know this post is really, really long overdue, but I got a Skribit request that I write it, so I thought it was about time I got around to doing it.  I’ve mentioned Emory Rice day before, where I described the planned itinerary for the day and gave a brief description of what the day is.

First off, the marching competition.  First Company was, naturally, the first company to march.  I’d like to say that we did well, but I’d be lying.  We pretty much fell on our faces.  It didn’t help that there was a ship going through the canal while we were marching that happened to blow its whistle right as the company commander would give marching commands, but there are no asterisks in these competitions, so we weren’t given any leeway in scoring because of it.  We messed up a couple of times, but my personal favorite was when we were given the command “to the rear march” (everyone pivots 180 degrees at once, resulting in the entire platoon marching back the way they came) right at the ship blew its whistle, at which point the back half of the company turned and the front half kept marching because they hadn’t heard the command.  The entire thing was pretty classic.  We came in last for that part of the day.

During the day classes continued as usual, with one exception: dress-down tickets had been sold for the day, so the majority of cadets were in civilian clothes.  We usually have two or three dress-down days each semester, with the proceeds from the tickets going to a local charity.  I’m not sure where the money went for Emory Rice day, but I believe it was a charity.

That afternoon after classes we had a field day.  The school had rented a number of field activities, such as a rock climbing wall, a jousting table, a dunk tank, and a number of other things.  Various clubs and groups at school had their own activities as well.  The ROTC program set up an obstacle course on Cadet Beach, which I didn’t do but heard that it was pretty good (First Company won this event!).  In the mess deck, we had a cookout which was a nice change from the usual routine.  Unfortunately, it rained that afternoon or the cookout would have been outdoors.  That night they showed a movie in the gym, giving the cadets the choice of what movie to watch.  We chose Boondock Saints.

Emory Rice day was a lot of fun, and a great way to mark the end of the year.  I’m looking forward to it again next year, but hopefully it won’t rain again!

Only 24 hours until we’ll be leaving for the year!

Happy Father’s Day everyone!

My dad is a remarkable man.  He is the father of two, and a devoted husband.  He is also retired Army officer of 23 years.  His encouragement and guidance have helped me determine and soon achieve my goal of becoming a member of the United States Coast Guard, as well as most other achievements in my life.  I am proud that he is my father, and can only hope to be as fine a man, officer, and citizen of this country and world as he is.  Thank you, dad.  Happy Father’s Day.

You probably thought I’d forgotten about the Photo of the Week this week, didn’t you?  Not to worry, I had simply been outside enjoying the day and was waiting to post it when I thought other people would be back inside too.  I know it’s a Friday evening in June, but there may be a few people reading it tonight, you never know.

Anyway, this week’s picture is actually one I took last fall after being at the Academy for only a few weeks.  It’s probably one of my top three favorite photos that I’ve taken of the Enterprise so far.  I really like the way the sun hits the ship, making everything light up & glow.

I’ll try to continue this segment for the next few weeks until I go to boot camp, but since school will be out next Tuesday it’ll have to all be old material like this one.

After seeing a post on Peter Stinson’s blog Tidewater Musings, I thought I’d see if there were any other people in the U.S. with my name.  As it turns out, not only are there no others with my name, I apparently don’t have it either!

HowManyOfMe.com

There are 0 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

Last night, the mess deck staff put on a Finals Breakfast from 2300 until 0100.  I guess they figured that most people would be up that late studying, so they’d give us an opportunity to take a break and grab something to eat.  It was pretty good: scrambled eggs, french toast sticks, bacon, sausage, tater tots, and the usual assortment of breakfast sandwiches and omelettes.

There was a very good turnout; just guessing, I’d say that over half the corps of cadets showed up.  I happened to be studying for my Coastal Navigation final today (I’m taking a study break this morning to write this), so it was nice to have an excuse to get out of the room and refresh.

Finals will be going on starting today through Tuesday.  I only have my Coastal Navigation final this week; all my other finals are on Monday, which is kind of a drag.  No big deal though, I’ll have all weekend to study so I should be fine.

Countdown until expected departure for the year: 6 days, 3 hours, 39 minutes!

“Wait a minute Christiaan, this school year’s not even over and you’re already talking about next Sea Term? What’s up with that?”

Since Sea Term is such a large undertaking, as soon as we return from one the planning begins for the next one.  One of the biggest decisions that has to be made is what ports of call we will make.  Fortunately, the cadets get to have some input on this decision.  A few weeks ago, there was an open meeting for all cadets going on Sea Term 2009 to vote on the choices the Sea Term planners had narrowed down.  The decisions then had to be finalized, and we now know which ports we will be stopping in:

1. Nassau, Bahamas
2. Tampa, FL
3. St. Thomas, USVI

Due to the price of fuel, we can’t go as far afield as was possible in previous years, which is why we’re not too far into the Caribbean, let alone South America or Europe.

As I’ve mentioned on here before, along with some of my readers, I’m planning on going into the Coast Guard.  In fact, I’m making that happen very soon.  I’ve been speaking with a Coast Guard recruiter, and last Thursday I went and met with him.  We discussed options, available Reserve positions in the area, and my goals as a Reservist.  I am very serious about doing it, so I scheduled an appointment to take the ASVAB and get a medical examination for this coming Thursday.

As it stands, I’ll be going to boot camp this summer, reporting some time in early July.  While I’d love to be able to make regular blog entries while I’m there to give a glimpse of what it’s like in near-real time, I won’t be allowed to do so.  However, I will make posts periodically between now and then about the enlistment process, and my preparation for boot camp.  I’ll add a category to the Log Book for Coast Guard Reserve so you can follow that if you’d like.

There are a few interesting facts I thought people who are interested in joining the Coast Guard (Reserve) might like to know:

• If you are an Eagle Scout, you can enlist directly as an E-3 instead of an E-1.  For those not familiar with the miliary rank and pay grade system, that means a higher enlisted rank (Seaman instead of Seaman Recruit) and higher pay right off the bat.
• If you’re in college, you can be eligible for up to $4,500 per year in tuition assistance, plus additional money from the G.I. Bill.
• Almost all enlisted rates have involvement with law enforcement, regardless of primary mission.  So, if you like to cook but still want to have to opportunity to do the cool stuff you see in Coast Guard videos and posters, you can probably do both!

I’ll discuss the ASVAB and medical exam more after I get back from it on Thursday.

Semper Paratus!

While it’s not a photograph taken on the MMA campus or of a ship, it still has relevance to maritime activities.  My family has a summer place in Maine on the Sheepscot River, which is the body of water shown above at sunset.  In addition to the river being a large lobstering area, it also happens to be one of the heaviest concentrations of lighthouses in the United States - 4 or 5 all within a few miles of each other!

This week is the last full week of classes for the semester, marking the beginning of the end. Starting on Wednesday next week, final exams will be given.  We’ll be having closed-door study hours on the freshman decks to allow us to study without disturbances, and prepare for finals more effectively.

We’re also making preparations to go home for the summer.  As part of the procedure for closing out the semester, we have to fully clean the company, as well as our rooms, to an Admiral’s-like level.  Once the company and all the rooms are cleared by the company officer on the last day, we are free to go.  Obviously this is a major priority with cadets!

Since the regular regimental routine for freshmen is all but over for us, I’ve been giving some thought to what we did this year, and what we’ll be doing next year.  We dealt with a lot of structure and commitment this year, most of it pretty frustrating (cleaning stations in the morning & evening, musters, study hours, etc.) and seemingly in the way.  However, as much as we may have complained about it, we all had that in common, which I’ve come to realize has really helped bond us as a company, and as shipmates.  That’s not to say that I enjoy those things any more - I don’t, especially cleaning stations - but simply that I can appreciate them for their effect on us.  Next year we’ll have almost no regimental obligations, short of inspections and morning formation.  We’ll basically be regular college sophomores with uniforms.  It’s going to be nice to have more freedom and responsibility, but at the same time it’s going to be weird not having somebody looking over our shoulder constantly.

Anyway, enough personal reflection.  Countdown to expected departure: 11 days, 15 hours, 12 minutes!