Graduation - 19 June 2009
Good morning, friends and family. Welcome to Cape May. Good morning Oscar Company, Welcome to the Coast Guard.
My first task this morning is to wish someone a happy birthday. Now, don’t worry we’re not going to be singing! The US Army is 234 years old. That’s even older than me or Chief Ruchsher.
Since 1775, the Army has defended our nation with honor, courage and commitment. From our deployed soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan to those who work in flood relief and other national emergency situations, we say thank you for defending this nation and earning the right to wear the uniform of our country. We are proud to serve alongside you… Happy Birthday, and Hooah!!!
There’s a lot going on around the Coast Guard… from the latest headlines:
From Pensacola, FL: Coast Guard search for a cruise ship passenger, a 50 year old woman 75 miles off the coast.
From Hawaii: Three Coast Guardsmen are aboard a U.S. Navy ship on a voyage west of Hawaii to enforce rules governing fishing in federal waters.
From Oregon Coast: The U.S. Coast Guard rescued two brothers, 6 and 7 years old and their dog from a 300-foot ravine.
From Canada: We’ve made US and Canadian joint law enforcement teams along the maritime border permanent.
Coast Guard Port Security Unit 305 returned home from a six-month deployment to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
From Louisville, Kentucky: The Coast Guard has cleaned an oil spill that leaked an estimated 1,200 to 1,500 gallons of diesel fuel into the Ohio River.
From San Juan: The Coast Guard and reps from the Dominican Republic Navy discovered illegal migrants traveling to Puerto Rico aboard a 20-foot grossly overloaded boat, and reportedly had been at sea for more than six days after becoming disabled and adrift.
From overseas: We have six ships still serving in Iraq and a ship that just left Libya, the first time a ship of the US military has visited in over 40 years. This same ship, working for Commander, Fifth Fleet has been working off the Somalia Coast, detaining pirates and letting commercial shipping transit safely through the area.
In Alaska, the Coast Guard completed its sixth 2300 mile flight in support of Arctic operations and exploration.
This is some of what Oscar Company can look forward to when they get to their first duty station. Your Coast Guard is on watch all over the country and all over the world.
While here at recruit training, they’ve learned how to stand a watch.
They learned how to work together, and they had some fun along the way. Interestingly in our lunch together yesterday, one shipmate told me he wished that boot camp was longer. Now I told him that I could make his wish come true, but in hindsight, he guessed that he’d rather get to his first unit instead. I also heard stories of loss of things like military bearing, the creation of the newest Cape May recruit hair salon that begins with gel and ends with more gel, and the testing of the capacity of uniform pockets to hold far more gear than they were ever intended.
They may have been smart but they were also a little slow, according to their company commanders. Again, I think they were just slow so I might keep them here longer because they love recruit training so very much.
Oscar, if you remember when we first met just a short seven weeks ago, we talked about three words.
Commitment, courage and character.
I encouraged you to make a continual commitment to improving yourselves and one another.
I told you to graduate from recruit training that it takes courage…
courage to try things that you had never done before, and courage to overcome adversity, homesickness and dealing with one another in such close quarters.
Finally, we talked about the importance of character… doing the right things the right way, even when no one is looking.
You’ve done well in your voyage through recruit training displaying commitment, courage and character. You’ve begun to understand what it means to be a Guardian.
In the Guardian Ethos it says that for the maritime public that we serve, we will protect, defend and save them.
Oscar Company, you can never forget. Not only does this apply to the public, but it applies to one another. You must protect, defend and save your shipmates. You must be their shield.
Your time has come and your mission is complete. You got off that bus and you were a mess. And now here you are, and you are amazing!
As you leave us today,
Do your best at your unit, have a good attitude and some fun along the way.
And remember to check your pockets… you’ll never know what you might find!
Semper Paratus.
- Captain Cari B. Thomas
Commanding Officer, USCG Training Center Cape May
2 comments:
Congratulations Oscar 181 on your graduation. After all your hard work you finally did it.
It was said that to graduate you needed commitment, courage and character. As you move on to your first unit you will need that same commitment, courage and character that you have all shown you have .
Good luck and best wishes to you all.
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