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Carry On and Looking Forward to Summer

(The Cadet Experience, Class of 2013) Permanent link All Posts

WE JUST GOT CARRY ON! For all of you out there wondering what the heck that means, it means that the extraordinary class of 2013 no longer has to square corners, keep our eyes in the boat, walk in the center of the passageway, take the long way to class because we’re not allowed to walk on certain sidewalks, march in section during the workday, etc. (the list goes on and on). After nine and a half long months we can finally act like normal people, and let me tell you, life is sweet. I mean, I’m sure I’ll miss awkwardly staring at my classmates across the table at dinner and only speaking to ask for a napkin (note the sarcasm), but it sure is nice to be able to have a conversation with friends while eating dinner and actually talk to new people. 4/c year is difficult and often tedious, but everyone who has graduated from the Academy has gone through a similar experience, so if nothing else, it allows you to bond over the common complaints. Chase Hall has gotten a whole lot louder now that we’re allowed to listen to music, watch movies, and talk in the passageways, but I like it. It’s spring (the campus is gorgeous and nearly everywhere you walk you can smell the deliciously intoxicating scent of blossoming trees) and everything seems more alive. Only a week of classes left before finals, and after that everyone heads off to their summer assignments!

Speaking of summer assignments, on May 8th I leave for Santa Rita, Guam, where I will be aboard the USCGC Sequoia, a 225-foot buoy tender. After spending about five weeks there, I’ll head to the Eagle along with about half of my classmates. We’re meeting “The Dirty Bird”, as she is affectionately known, in Mexico and then sailing up to Texas and over to Florida. I can’t wait!!! One thing that I really struggled with when I was deciding if I wanted to come here was the fact that we only get three weeks of summer leave. In some ways that’s hard because I really would love to spend more time with my friends and family relaxing, but when I think about the incredible opportunities that I’ve had so far and that I will have in the future, there’s really no comparison. Last summer we all underwent an amazing transformation to become members of the U.S. military and made incredibly close friends. This summer, I’ll get to see what life is really like out in the fleet (in Guam!) and sail around the Caribbean on America’s Tall Ship. And oh yeah – rumor has it we might get to meet Jimmy Buffet.

More about Julie.

Posted by Leann Strickland at 2/14/2012 9:10 AM