cadet blogs

Dear Incoming Swabs of the Class of 2017,

I hope you are all super excited about becoming a cadet here at the USCGA. I know this time last year I had mixed emotions. I was excited about the opportunities that I would get to have, nervous about Swab Summer and upset that I would be leaving home. I'm sure most, if not all of you, are feeling the same things. Believe me, things will get worse before they get better. But I promise all of you can get through it. Just think of all the amazing things you can do at the Academy.

Now that I have a year under my belt here, I thought I would give you some tips for surviving Swab Summer.

1. So here is basically what you do during the day: wake up at 0530, run around and do morning calisthenics for an hour, then breakfast, then trainings, lunch, trainings, dinner, then more trainings and then bed at 2200. Trainings include summer math, honor trainings, sailing, an obstacle course, and intercompany sports. And then of course there is cadre time, where they can do whatever they want with you.
2. Yelling: My main tip here is to remember that the cadre aren't yelling at you to be mean, they are yelling at you to teach you. Don't take the yelling personally. Everyone is getting yelled at. When you get singled out, which you will, it isn't a big deal. Even the best swabs get yelled at.
3. IT (Physical Stuff): Yup, it’s going to be challenging, but anyone can do it. You just need to know you can do it. Nothing that they make you do will be impossible. It has all been done before and the cadre are going to be doing it with you.
4. Memorizing Stuff: I was possibly the worst person ever at memorizing indoc every week. I got yelled at everyday for not knowing it. It’s ok. But really try to learn it because later on in the school year you will need to know it to complete 4/c year.
5. There is some fun. Since I was there during the Olympics, we did our own "Swab Summer Olympics". We had a lot of inside jokes in my company. And my company got really close – almost like a family. We had a 4th of July dinner and we watched the fireworks, which was really fun too. And of course, you will also be on Eagle for a week at the end of the summer. This is a great time to relax a little from the stress of Swab Summer. But remember learn all you can while you are on board Eagle.
6. The Packing List: Don’t bring any more than you have to. However, a few small things you should bring that aren’t on the packing list are lighters, some food, band-aids and paper/envelopes/stamps. Some tips: buy the 2-in-one shampoo/conditioner, ladies please bring lots of hair gel (I mean that you will go through one bottle a week), and pack everything in a backpack or some bag you can wear on your back.
7. The most important thing I can tell you about the summer is to be mentally prepared and mentally sound throughout Swab Summer. That is how I got through the summer. I was ready to tackle the challenges I was faced with. I knew that I could do anything they tasked me with since so many people had done it before me. Just remember how many people have done the same thing that you will be doing. If they can do it, so can you. Also remember all the people whose spot you took. There are plenty of people who applied to be in the Class of 2017 who didn't make it. You are not only going through Swab Summer for yourself, but also for them. And finally remember all the amazing things you will get to do after Swab Summer in your future at the Academy and in the Coast Guard. Right now I'm heading down to Annapolis on a 44-foot sailboat going to participate in an ocean race, the Annapolis-Newport Race. I will be ocean racing until the end of June, then I will be on board Eagle for a month. Just think, you will be doing that in just another summer.

Class of 2017, GOOD LUCK! Don’t give up, remember how many people wanted your spot but didn’t get it because you were accepted instead. You have many awesome opportunities lying ahead in your Coast Guard career. If you have any questions, you can email me at Kayla.M.Ellis@uscga.edu. I'll gladly answer any that you have! Good Luck. And Go Bears!! I look forward to meeting you all in August!

P.S. Don't be afraid of the cadre. They aren't scary, I promise!!! They were my 3/c and they are awesome people.

More about Kayla.

This summer marks the second summer that I have spent at the Academy training to become a better leader and cadet. It’s called Swab Summer. The first time around I was a swab, unsure of what I was to do and what was expected of me. However, this time my shipmates and I are the leaders. We know what to do and how tasks need to be handled. After all, character and leadership has been engrained in us for the past two years.

I have anticipated this summer ever since I was a swab, wondering what kind of leader I want to be. When I was a swab, I had cadre whom I wanted emulate when I was put in their position in a couple of years. They were stern when they needed to be, but they were always fair. Like them, I want to be a mentor. I want to share my knowledge and experience with my swabs. I respect all of them for taking the Oath to protect and defend our Constitution, just as my class, the Class of 2015, did on Reporting-In Day on June 27th, 2011. With that respect comes responsibility. I am responsible for holding them to a certain standard and making them into fully capable cadets. On the other hand, I had a handful of cadre when I was a swab who illustrated the traits I do not wish to possess as a leader. It is because of these cadre that I know what leader I do not want to be – something that is equally as valuable as understanding the leadership qualities I desire to have.

Many do not know that when the Class of 2017 graduates and earns their commissioning, they will go out in the fleet to relieve the Class of 2015 from their first officer billets. I want to ensure that I have prepared the swabs with the fundamentals during their summer so that they may transition well into Academy life, and in the distant future when they report to their first assignment.

As you can see I am taking the responsibilities given to me this summer very seriously. I have earned the privilege to wear these shoulder boards and to train the incoming freshmen. If I know my class, and I think I do very well, my shipmates and I will be giving the swabs our maximum effort at all times – something that we expect from them as well. They have earned the privilege to be a swab at the USCGA, which is a feat that should not be taken lightly. However, the challenges have just begun. This will be a difficult, but highly rewarding experience for them. My classmates and I are ready to welcome the Class of 2017 in a few short weeks.

One last point that I had failed to mention above is that my brother, Phillip, has been accepted into the Class of 2017 at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy! I had the honor to present him with his appointment letter at his high school senior awards ceremony while I was home in Wisconsin on leave. I am so proud of him and the cadet he will become once he and his classmates endure the seven weeks of Swab Summer!

More about Victoria.

After having six different roommates during Swab Summer, I thought I was prepared to have just one during the school year. Instead, first semester I had two, both bloggers Allie Roesch and Caroline Miller. Second semester again I anticipated a quiet escape, but having only one assigned roommate, Christi Frost, did not last for long. Self elected company Kayla Ellis and Andrew Britton never ceased to make me smile this semester and I am honored to call them my unofficial roommates.

Sarah's video blog

More about Sarah.

This is a short video blog about Regimental Pass and Review ceremonies, also known casually as "drill". While the corps is scheduled to drill every Friday afternoon of the early fall and late spring seasons, the video was taken during the only two ceremonies that were not cancelled due to inclement weather this past Spring of 2013. The entire corps of cadets participates in drill, thus it is an integral part of cadet life.

Sarah's video blog

More about Sarah.

Just yesterday it seemed like I was leaving the Academy to embark on my 3/c summer. It’s hard to believe how a couple short weeks can change someone’s perspective on the Coast Guard! After being cooped up at the Academy for the better part of 10 months, it was great to get out into the operational Coast Guard. The summer started for me with my reporting to Coast Guard Small Boat Station Annapolis, Maryland. At first it was tough adjusting to working with the enlisted personnel at the station, but before long I was learning so much from the station’s members about both the operational Coast Guard and their personal experiences as enlisted members of the Coast Guard.

The first week at the station I spent focusing on becoming Communications Watch Stander qualified, which involved me sitting in the station’s Comms Center and learning how to respond to mariners distressed at sea as well as how the station ran operationally. The information was defiantly interesting and useful, but I was happy to be qualified within a week of reporting in so that I was able to get underway more at the station. I had several unique experiences while underway, including patrolling the Severn River as part of the protection detail for the President during his Commencement Speech at the U.S. Naval Academy. I also got to participate in boarding several vessels and conducting a field B.U.I. test (boating under the influence; the nautical version of a D.U.I) as well as getting underway for several search and rescue missions.

In addition, while in port I learned a lot about the capabilities of the Coast Guard 45’ and 29’ response boats. Even though I have been away from the Academy I have been keeping tabs on events there and wanted to offer a hearty Bravo Zulu to the Class of 2013 for their completion of the Academy experience and offer my best wishes for them in the fleet. It was also exciting to learn of the announcement that the Academy’s Lacrosse programs (both Men and Women’s) will become full varsity sports during the 2014-15 school year. Even though the summer has only just started it’s amazing the experiences I have already had, and can’t wait for my time aboard Eagle here in a couple of weeks!

More about James.