USCG Training Center Cape May, N.J.: Alfa 181

Friday, January 23, 2009

Alfa 181

Posted by WWW.USCGBOOTCAMP.COM

Members who reported to Cape May on Jan. 20, 2009 formed as Alfa 181 today.

Please send letters to:

SR (FIRST AND LAST NAME)
A181/JAMES HALL
USCG TRACEN CAPE MAY
ONE MUNRO AVE
CAPE MAY NJ 08204-5083

Graduation Date: March 13, 2009.

Have a nice weekend.

USCG

264 comments:

«Oldest ‹Older 201 – 264 of 264 Newer› Newest»

Laurel said...: Mari,
coming all the way from EL Paso, texas. im sorry if you had said it earlier but where are you all from?; February 28, 2009 at 12:51 AM
flywatt said...: Anybody heard from the recruits today? I wonder if they'll get phone privledges today. . .; February 28, 2009 at 2:08 PM
Hannah said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; February 28, 2009 at 2:17 PM
Unknown said...: just hanging around the house waiting.. hope to hear soon!; February 28, 2009 at 2:29 PM
charndeb said...: I haven't heard anything today - anybody else here from their recruit??; February 28, 2009 at 2:38 PM
Deborah said...: talking to my son right now!; February 28, 2009 at 3:24 PM
flywatt said...: Good sign!; February 28, 2009 at 3:49 PM
mari said...: Laurel, we are coming from Ohio!! A nice 10 hour drive. Are you flying? We couldn't find flights that suited....

Just got off the phone with my boyfriend!! all is going well :) I know a few of them are going to get burgers soon and to watch The Pineapple Express tonight. It was so good to hear from him. We are all looking forward to graduation!!; February 28, 2009 at 4:51 PM
mari said...: Also, I know they have on-base liberty until 8:30 tonight. And there were about 5 phones. So hang tight!; February 28, 2009 at 4:54 PM
Unknown said...: wow still no phone call seems like it is getting late; February 28, 2009 at 5:56 PM
charndeb said...: I heard from my son. All seems great. They are busy hanging out. They'll get off base liberty next week.; February 28, 2009 at 7:41 PM
flywatt said...: Heard from my brother! Sounded good!; February 28, 2009 at 11:39 PM
Hannah said...: heard from my boyfriend last night! sounds like everything is going well.

Flywatt- what title do the recruits graduate with?; March 1, 2009 at 9:56 AM
flywatt said...: If they enlisted for 4 years, they will be a Fireman Apprentice (FA) or Seaman Apprentice (SA). If they signed up for 6 years, they will be a Fireman (FN) or a Seaman (SN).

FA/SA is E-2
FN/SN is E-3

I know my brother is going to be a FA, but I couldnt tell you what the other recruits got. I spoke to him ont he phone yesterday, he's really excited about going to Miami Beach! I'm excited about visiting him there.; March 1, 2009 at 11:11 AM
Deborah said...: Flywatt,

I know this sounds crazy and really probably should know this but what is the Coast Guard Chant or shout out whatever it is, I know I am not using the right terminology for it. Like the marines have hoorah. I am working on the quilt and wanted to add a shout out.; March 1, 2009 at 9:17 PM
Laurel said...: RI mom,
just looked at the quilt and towel. nice job. im sure your SR is gonna love it!

im so excited that i got the chance to talk on the phone with my husband for over an hour yesterday! because he was one of the last recruits to use the phone, he was able to stay on longer without having to give the phone up to another recruit. he sounds well and excited for graduation. he says that he knows he has changed but for the better, both emotionally and spiritually. im so thankful that all has gone so well for all our recruits.
12 MORE DAYS!!!!!!!; March 2, 2009 at 12:36 AM
flywatt said...: At my last unit, the Commanding Officer always threw the "hoorah" out there. Also, if you watch the movie The Guardian, they throw the hoorah out there quite a bit. But other than that, I'm not so sure we have a "registered chant".; March 2, 2009 at 5:25 AM
OCMom said...: I hear the CC like the song "The Best of You" by the Foo Fighters and plays it in the gym all the time. I know that doesn't answer the question, but thought I'd throw it out there in case you want to play it in the car to make them reminiscent of boot camp.
Oh, and it looks like Cape May has 6-8 inches of snow so far. All local schools are closed. This is the first time in 3 years we have had enough snow on my street for them to clear it. Hope they all have fun in the snow!; March 2, 2009 at 5:48 AM
flywatt said...: We almost got a foot in Connecticut! It was fun digging out my truck at 4am! Lol. Its still snowing out here, not quite as hard though.; March 2, 2009 at 10:53 AM
Deborah said...: Got about 14 here in Maryland, delayed my departure for Hatteras:(; March 2, 2009 at 4:01 PM
dean mcnash said...: Is anybody coastie going to the uss MIDGETT out of Seattle?; March 2, 2009 at 6:15 PM
flywatt said...: USCGC Midgett! That's my old stompin' grounds! I was there 7 months ago. Good boat, great crew! Mighty Midgett!

Midgett does both Alaska and South patrols. I was fortunate enough to do a world tour on that boat. Also did a high seas drift net patrol near Japan, and got to pull into Sasebo, Japan. Awesome. He's lucky!; March 2, 2009 at 7:15 PM
Shoshi/DebinTx said...: anyone else having problems with being quoted a state tax on hotel rooms of 14%? Wow!! This is outrageous!!!; March 2, 2009 at 11:40 PM
Laurel said...: Mari,
so glad you got to talk to your boyfriend. it was crazy hearing myhusbands voice after weeks of only letters.
its great that everyone got to talk to their loved ones.; March 3, 2009 at 1:23 AM
dean mcnash said...: flywatt, I have heard this duty is very tough from some and some people say it was there favorite job or most fun.USS MIDGETT; March 3, 2009 at 9:48 AM
flywatt said...: RE:flywatt, I have heard this duty is very tough from some and some people say it was there favorite job or most fun.USS MIDGETT

All units are what you make of it. There are two types of people that come out of bootcamp. The type that want to work hard, and do a good job. Then you get the type of people that bicker and whine about the work. The supervisors determine when the people are ready to go off to A-school. The hard workers go quicker, obviously.
The work on USCGC (U. S. Coast Guard Cutter) Midgett will be hard at times. The hours can get long, depending on the mission. But you gota learn to make the best of your down-time and port calls. You should encourage your recruit to make the best of it.
Will he be a Fireman or Seaman? I can give you a better idea of his job description with this info.; March 3, 2009 at 5:32 PM
mari said...: I was reading one of the journals yesterday, and the historian suggested a facebook group to stay in touch. I hope the Alfa's of 181 decide to make a group!! I thought that was a great idea.; March 4, 2009 at 9:43 AM
OCMom said...: I'm in for facebook. I am also keeping track of their progress and will be adding more info after graduation on the blog (click on my name).
Got a phone call today to arrange travel arrangements for after graduation. So great to hear how excited they sound.; March 4, 2009 at 8:14 PM
flywatt said...: Off base liberty today! Stay by your phones! I'm so excited about Friday, I can hardly wait! Look fowrard to meeting everybody at the Ugly Mug on Thursday evening! I'll be calling on Monday to give the resturaunt a heads up for approx 22 people, thats all the RSVP's I got so far. Anybody else interested in attending, please shoot me an email if you havn't already. flywatt@gmail.com Once again, thats the Ugly Mug on Thursday at 7:00 p.m. Resturaunt/bar atmosphere, cozy little place. Should be fun! See you in Cape May!

Off-subject here, but my cousin just got orders from BM A-school to ANT South Padre Island. Geeze, these kids are getting awesome assignments! I'm jealous!; March 7, 2009 at 5:49 AM
OCMom said...: Yes, I'm so excited about off-base liberty!!! I will be seeing my recruit and some of yours in about an hour.; March 7, 2009 at 7:54 AM
flywatt said...: Awesome. If I weren't stuck at work today, I would have made the trip to Cape May to hang out with my brother. I'll just have to wait!

Also, for all the readers on this forum, an RSVP is not required for the Ugly Mug meet and greet. The purpose is just to give the resturaunt a heads up. Please join us if you'd like!; March 7, 2009 at 8:51 AM
lpjoseph said...: Include us (2) in the restaurant count please! Our son, Blake, is going to the Polar Sea - ice cutter in Seattle. Looking forward to celebrating graduation with all!
Laura & Charles; March 7, 2009 at 9:49 AM
mari said...: Does anyone know what time their off-base Liberty is today? Can't wait until Thursday to leave for Cape May!!!; March 7, 2009 at 11:02 AM
flywatt said...: I just got a phone call. They will be off base for the majority of the day. I know my brother needs to be back on base by 1700 for watch or something like that. Not sure about anybody else.; March 7, 2009 at 12:17 PM
OCMom said...: Off base liberty is 9:00am to 8:30pm. We picked up 8 recruits including our daughter; March 7, 2009 at 3:25 PM
charndeb said...: Thank You OCMOm, you picked up my son, Charlie. He really appreciated it, and so do I. He sounded great, I can't wait to see him.; March 7, 2009 at 4:51 PM
mari said...: Got to talk to my boyfriend twice today :) Sounds like they are enjoying their time off base!! Can't wait for graduation now!!; March 7, 2009 at 5:25 PM
OCMom said...: This was Alfa 181's first time in public in their uniforms. They looked so sharp and were constantly reminding each other to fix their belt, shirt, or hat. They really do work as a team. They all seemed to be beaming as they came through the front gate starting at 9:15am. They were all so polite. At first I don't think they knew what they were allowed to do, but quickly warmed up to our family and they all became quite the chatterboxes. Telling me, my husband and oldest son about their experiences and ambitions. Every one is just so excited to be in the Coast Guard and looking forward to the future. I couldn't help but think how bright their futures will be with the determination a motivation they all seem to have. It was such a rewarding experince to be able to take part in this day with some of your family members. I am so looking forward to gradutaion. Alfa 181 is now in week 8!; March 8, 2009 at 12:52 AM
dean mcnash said...: Flywatt,my son is a seaman on the USS MIDGETT.The ship is going on the south patrol.; March 8, 2009 at 12:21 PM
flywatt said...: I just spoke with a bunch of my old pals on the Midgett on Friday. They're excited to get underway! South patrols are fun. He'll likely get to see Costa Rica. Last time I went on a south patrol, we stopped in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico and Costa Rica. It was loads of fun, we happened to drop by for spring break!

Seaman on 378' cutters drive the boat, quite literally. They stand helm watch (steer the boat) and lookout watch (on the tower keeping an eye out for other boats, glaciers, ect). They also do various other tasks, like helicopter tie-down, small boat detail (raising and lowering the go-fast boats), sanding, painting, cleaning. It can be hard work at times, but hard work pays off!; March 8, 2009 at 12:37 PM
OCMom said...: Dean McNash,
Your son is so looking forward to getting to Mexico to catch the cutter after graduation. Also looking to see Costa Rica. I think he was a little surprised to get out and see how the locals live. He said it was different from FL. Wait until he sees the rest of the world. What an opportunity! I was very impressed with your son. He has such high goals for the future. If you send me your email address I will send you a picture. eternalshopgirl@aol.com; March 8, 2009 at 12:49 PM
OCMom said...: Anyone worried about directions here is a brief. Follow the Garden State Parkway until it ends into Cape May. Follow signage for Coast Guard / Beaches. You will need to get into the left lane as soon as you see the first sign. follow signs, then you will see a USCG sign on the right, turn left on the next street Pennsylvania Ave (at the blinking light). This will take you right into the base where you will have to go through security.

P.S. Looking for families of Gray, Fullenwider, House and Aldrige. If you send me your email I will send you a picture. eternalshopgirl@aol.com; March 8, 2009 at 1:30 PM
Proud Mom said...: Have a great time at graduation, it is an experience you will never forget, our son was in Zulu and graduated last Friday, have him home for a couple of days, he has really changed, for the better :-)
Enjoy graduation.; March 9, 2009 at 9:50 AM
mari said...: Any tips for graduation??; March 9, 2009 at 10:15 AM
flywatt said...: re: Any tips for graduation??

Smile for the camera! :)

I called the Ugly Mug today. They've got the heads up that we'll be swinging in on Thursday at 7:00. I've got about 24 RSVP's and 6 "maybes". The person I spoke with said the resturaunt will probably be pretty empty, so even if we have a larger number than expected, we should be just fine. Should be a good time!

For those of you curious about the menu items, its a grill/bar atmosphere. If I had to compare it to something more popular, I'd compare it to Chilis. Menu items are anywhere from $5-$15 average. . .; March 9, 2009 at 12:00 PM
CactusBlossomsMom said...: I wanted to wish all the Alfa Friends and Family good luck and happy graduation this week!! Us Bravo friends and family will follow next week. Good luck and God speed!!!; March 9, 2009 at 6:18 PM
lpjoseph said...: I haven't read anything about dress for graduation. Coat & tie? Casual? Anyone know?; March 9, 2009 at 9:26 PM
mari said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; March 9, 2009 at 9:43 PM
mari said...: I had read on www.uscg.org that there were people in jeans and some wore a suit and tie. Personally, I am wearing a black dress and a sweater. I feel jeans are not "nice" enough. The recruits will obviously be dressed nice, so I think I should be too!! Thats just my 2 cents, haha. I would rather be too dressed up than not enough.; March 9, 2009 at 9:45 PM
OCMom said...: Mari, I totally agree with you. My philosophy is "It's better to be over dressed than under dressed". I think I read somewhere that it is church appropriate attire, but I guess some people wear jeans to church. When I went to my nephews graduation. Most men were wearing suits or khaki pants and a nice shirt and ladies were wearing dresses or dress pants. I think this is a big deal. Our recruits will be dressed up, and not comfortable with their shirt stays. LOL.; March 10, 2009 at 5:48 AM
Deborah said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; March 10, 2009 at 7:29 AM
Deborah said...: I think you should wear what you feel comfortable in. Whether it it be jeans or sweats, for all that matters, what you wear doesn't reflect the pride you have for your "Guardian". I think that your love one is going to be looking for your face not at what you will be wearing. Just MY personal opinion.; March 10, 2009 at 8:24 AM
Deborah said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; March 10, 2009 at 8:24 AM
cgmom said...: Sweatpants for a military graduation????? Sorry Deborah, but I think sweatpants for a United States Coast Guard graduation is very inappropriate. Jeans aren't much better. I understand people want to be comfortable but sweats and jeans are a little much. I think people can put a little more effort into their appearance than wearing sweats or jeans, but that's just my opinion......; March 10, 2009 at 12:49 PM
coastielover said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; March 10, 2009 at 1:04 PM
coastielover said...: To all, yes, Mari, OC Mom and UCMom, I agree also, something a little dressier would be for this occasion. Sweatpants are NOT at all appropriate. We are there to represent our Guardians. We reflect them.

Would you wear jeans to a wedding??

I think we can show some respect and dress up and show how proud we are. Just because you are allowed to wear jeans, sweatpants, PJ's etc....doesn't mean you should.

Sorry if this at all sounds mean, but once again we are just putting our opinions in here.; March 10, 2009 at 1:05 PM
Julia said...: Mari and CGMOM are right on! My son said he has to maintain a military decorum at all times and I know he would be horrified if we showed up in sweats or jeans for his graduation. Keep the sweats for the gym and the jeans for the Ugly Mugg gathering. If you're really looking for comfort, you can always wear a pair of elastic waist pants!!! Ha Ha!; March 10, 2009 at 1:18 PM
Unknown said...: Wow looks like the dress code has really sparked a discussion. I hope things don't get "ugly" at the Ugly Mugg!!! Just kidding... but I agree with Mari, OCmom, CGmom, coastielover and Julia: sweatpants and jeans are not appropriate for a military graduation. Leave them at home or in your hotel room, nobody looks that good in sweatpants! Again, just my opinion.; March 10, 2009 at 1:29 PM
Jim E said...: Wow, I guess if someone can't afford all these dressy clothes that you want them to wear I guess they shouldn't be able to see there son or daughter graduate. I thought putting people down for what they wear was a high school thing but I guess not. So if you wanted to put a ball gown on and go I good give a sh*t less, but don't put someone down if they don't dress up because you hollier then now people don't know there situation. Grow up people, I am glad your recruits can't read these blogs because I feel several would be really embarassed at some of the stupid things that are written on here.; March 10, 2009 at 4:21 PM
Deborah said...: Give me a break the sweat pants thing was completely blown out of proportion. When I wrote the comment about the sweat pants if you must know I was thinking of my father's situation who was diagnosed with Cancer and just spent a whole entire year in comfortable clothing due to his scars/scar tissue from surgeries and radiation. How uncomfortable clothing was to him. I honestly don't believe anyone would wear sweat pants but even if they do SO WHAT. Are you going to let that ruin your child's graduation? Wish sometimes people would think a little before typing information on this blog.; March 10, 2009 at 4:42 PM
flywatt said...: I'll be dressed like the recruits. It's not going to be comfortable at all, but its required for me to present his certificate. I'm thinking about wearing pajama pants under my dress pants, so I can be comfy on the 4 hour ride home. :); March 10, 2009 at 5:10 PM
Robin said...: Frankly, I think your kids will be glad you're there regardless of what you're wearing. I think you each know how your graduate feels about it, and that's all that matters. So dress in a way that won't embarrass him or her - if your kid doesn't care if you're dressed up, you shouldn't either. If it's important to your kid that you dress up, then do it. Jeesh. This day isn't about US, it's about OUR KIDS!; March 10, 2009 at 6:17 PM
RI_Mom said...: I just wanted to say ‘safe travels’ to all of you. We’re looking forward to being at graduation Friday. Thanks for sharing on the blog, and supporting Alpha 181!
See you all soon.; March 11, 2009 at 1:29 PM
mari said...: Leaving for Jersey in the morning!! See everyone at graduation. Good luck to all your recruits in their USCG careers!! Have good travels.; March 11, 2009 at 11:10 PM

«Oldest ‹Older 201 – 264 of 264 Newer› Newest»

RECRUIT JOURNALS

Journals are posted to USCGBOOTCAMP by close of business every Tuesday. The first journal for each company is posted in week three of training.

If a journal entry is not posted, it means one of two things, the company is in week one or two of training or the Web master did not receive a submission.

The journals were created to provide family and friends with a peek into the lives of their recruits. The recruit historians try to document the experiences of the company not individual recruits.

We hope you enjoy reading the journals and experiencing Coast Guard Recruit Training through the eyes of our Guardians in the making.

Friday, January 23, 2009

Alfa 181

264 comments:

RECRUIT JOURNALS

Blog Archive

Links