cadet blogs

On Our Toes

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

I am sitting here at 0013 or 12:13 for all of you civilians out there. It is Friday July 25th and the day I depart USCGA for the airport and my summer leave. Words really cannot describe my excitement at the prospect of a summer at home. As a third class, my summer has been significantly different from that of a Swab and 4/c. I have found that as time goes on at the Academy, life will only get better, theoretically. I am anxious about the new year beginning in a month and all of the responsibilities that will be delegated to me as a 3/c and mentor to the 4/c. This is an opportunity for roughly 480 cadets, 4/c and 3/c, to learn from each other and succeed together. We must work as a team, a life lesson I have learned since coming to the Academy.

I feel that I have learned a tremendous amount this summer, to the point of information overload, but then again they say your first year here is like taking a drink from a FIREHOSE. I feel this adequately describes the majority of our experiences – it just keeps all of us on our toes, I guess. I have had an interesting 3/c summer, one that I will never forget and one that will serve as a reminder of everything that I am grateful for. Before I left for the Healy, I had no idea how the operational fleet worked. I still have only a very small amount of experience compared to the men and women who serve every day. I must work hard every day to honor these people. The challenges that face Coast Guardsmen and women are daunting and never ending, this is what separates our service from others.

I cannot explain all of my experiences this past summer because I would not do them justice. I can only say that upon reflection of all that the Coast Guard does and all that I can do being a part of it makes me very proud and very honored.

More about Brooklyn.

Posted by Leann Strickland at 2/14/2012 2:10 PM