JULY 2009

If at the beginning of my “cadethood” you would have told me that my cadet career after 4/c year would fly by, I would not have believed you. If you would have told me that the summer before my senior year, I would be on a 420’ icebreaker with four other amazing firsties making our way up the coast of Alaska, I would have laughed at you. If you would have told me that some of the most valuable leadership experiences I would learn in my life would be when I was 21 years old, I would have wondered what you were talking about. If you would have told me any of these things, I probably would not have taken you seriously.

I spent this past summer aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Healy, whose home port is Seattle, Washington. Healy is the United States’ newest and most technologically advanced polar icebreaker. I was with four other first class cadets and a few third class cadets (sophomores) as well. We met the cutter in Dutch Harbor and travelled to Juneau, Alaska, where we made our way back down through the inside passage to Seattle. While in Seattle, we completed TACT, which stands for “Tailored Annual Cutter Training”. It is pretty much an “audit” in civilian language. During TACT, Navy and Coast Guard evaluators come on board for three weeks and run the cutter through a series of drills—fire, flooding, toxic gas, loss of steering, navigation, engineering, etc. It was an incredible experience. As cadets, we were thrown directly into the evolutions and were forced to help the crew as much as possible, even though we were still new to the cutter. We also had the chance to see the Junior Officers (JOs) at their finest, completing complex tasks during high stress situations. The JOs excelled in their positions and set great examples for us. I have never met such hard working people in my life. From Seattle, we made our way up and around the coast of Alaska. We made stops at Seward, Dutch Harbor, Nome and eventually Barrow, the northernmost city in America! Alaska is the most beautiful place. I spent the entire summer on Healy and had the best summer as a cadet.

Not only was I with great firsties, but I met some of the most insightful enlisted crew members. They were so welcoming and helpful. Both the crew and command truly made a positive impact on my view of the Coast Guard. I now realize how important it is to have good leadership in order to set the tone for the entire crew. If someone at the top is failing to complete their job, has a bad attitude, or is in any way harmful to the well-being of the ship and crew, the entire crew is affected. While on CGC Healy, not only did the crew impact us, but I believe we left an impression on the crew as well. Kasey, Clare and I brought a new perspective and enthusiasm to the cutter, which was obvious during our time on board. Not only were we able to approach learning with an open mind, we also knew how to integrate humor and sarcasm to our every day ventures. While most of the time we felt a little lost, we coped by laughing at ourselves and perhaps our awkwardness. By the end of our voyage, the crew had grown to accept and appreciate us. When leaving CGC Healy, several members of the crew and command commented that they would greatly miss us. This make leaving CGC Healy even harder.

Keep on smiling…it’s contagious :D

1/c Caitlin Cunningham

Caitlin.B.Cunningham@uscga.edu