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Cadet LifeCadet Journals  | | Caitlin Cunningham Chisago City, MN - Class of 2010 MAJOR: Marine Environmental Science FAVORITES: Food Jalapeno Poppers, Ice Cream Books The Mark of the Lion Series and Redeeming Love (both by Francine Rivers) Sports Wakeboarding, Snowboarding/Skiing Bands Relient K, Pepper, and Colbie Caillat Role Models Jesus Christ, my parents |
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OCTOBER
Hi, my name is Caitlin Cunningham, I am a fourth class cadet here at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. I am from Chisago City, Minnesota and graduated from Chisago Lakes High School in 2006. Ever since I was young, I had big dreams. My future careers ranged from a hairstylist or psychologist to a helicopter pilot for the Coast Guard. The movie, “The Perfect Storm” sparked my interest to be in the Coast Guard. I started researching in middle school about what kind of future it would offer. I visited a couple Coast Guard stations on the Great Lakes and was very ambitious about pursuing this aspiration. Every year at the Minnesota State Fair, my family would visit the military booths with information about becoming a pilot. I discovered the Academy in eight grade when I was researching for a Career Pathways project. I didn’t fully understand what it was back then, but I knew that it was where I wanted to go, and here I am!  I went to the Academy Introduction Mission program, a.k.a AIM, the summer between junior and senior year of high school. AIM is a week long program designed to show you what Swab life is like. It is packed with activities the Cadre (2/c cadets who are in charge of you), throw at you. We did a lot of great things like calisthenics at 0610, which is physical strength and flexibility training, sailing, engineering project etc. You can read about that stuff on the website. When I arrived at AIM, it was intense. It was a slap in the face. In the short time of a week, it children were transformed into porcelain doll soldiers. The week is filled with a lot of yelling, spewing Indoc (what you need to memorize), standing on the bulkhead (the walls in Chase hall or whatever building you are in), squaring every corner and meals (making 90 degree turns, walking against the bulkhead in the P-ways (hallways), and staying in the middle of all passageways, keeping your eyes in the boat (straight in front of you), and meeting new people. Everyone is in the same boat, young and naïve kids having their time managed by total strangers. Swab summer is a lot like AIM, just longer. I reported-in for Swab Summer on July 3, 2006. I don’t remember all of the details of the day, since you are running on adrenaline and nerves, but you underwent checking in, uniform issue, class picture, swearing-in ceremony, and then the final good-bye to your parents if they were able to come and see you off. You are not allowed cell phones, jewelry, civilian clothes, or i-pods. The things that keep you going are your internal motivation, the supporting people in your company, and letters from home. You have to learn how to work as a team the moment you set food in the barracks. The picture is my sister, Erin and I during the 10 minute “good bye”. See I was getting my smiles out while I still could! During Swab Summer, I made lasting friendships, experienced home-sickness for the first time in my life, learned how to be a true team member, and developed thankfulness for the life I have been given to live. I truly believe this is where I belong. My company, Delta, experienced so much over the summer together. Our week on Eagle was a blast. We sailed from Portsmouth, New Hampshire to Boston, Massachusetts. For the first time we got liberty (time to go out and do what we please… basically “freedom”) in both ports. In Boston, a whole bunch of us got into a Red Sox game free because we were in uniform. I had one of the best times with people over the summer that I’ve ever had in my life. We stayed in a cheap hotel for military personnel and got to explore the city. Soon this time came to an end and we returned to the Academy for one last week of indoctrination before the academic year. Until next time, have a great week and good luck with everything, God Bless.
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Section Links
| | Cadet Lingo The military is known for its heavy use of acronyms and jargon and USCGA is no exception. Here, we offer a DICTIONARY to help you feel right at home. |
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