October 20, 2010
We arrived in Atlantic City, NJ today to attend Annie's graduation on Friday, October 22nd. We are so ready to see this day arrive as I'm sure Annie is as well.
She received her "fit for duty" clearance earlier this week and is very excited to finally be rid of the "ugly green belt" you have to wear when you're on modified duty.
We are so proud of Annie for hanging in there and making it to graduation, even if it is 5 weeks later - I just think it shows true determination.
I know Friday will be a very emotional day for all of us as we watch her graduate. She made a comment to me on her phone call during off-base liberty about how wonderful it felt to have strangers coming up to her and saying Thank You for serving your Country....... I felt a sense of pride when she told me that as I know she did as well!
Two more days Baby Girl! We love you...........
Mommy xoxo
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Coast Guard Recruit Company Zulu 183 weekly journal posted Oct. 20, 2010
10 Oct
We had divine hours today. After afternoon chow we went on a 03 mile company run off base. It was fun singing cadence and seeing all the people watch us jog together. The run was easier than the first time. After the run chief Johnson showed us some good websites that we can use to look up any information we need to know about the coast guard. We practiced a little close order drill and did uniform maintenance for the rest of the night.
11 Oct
We did CPR and first aid drills pretty much all day today. We learned how to dress open wounds, bone fractures, electrical shock victims, and victims of cardiac arrest. They even provided rubber intestines and a fake chopped off hand for us to pretend to dress. We also practiced with splints and doing CPR with manikins in the gym. A fun part was when we learned the two safety drags to use when rescuing someone. One of them is when you tie the victim's hands together and put their arms around your neck (while they are on their back) and then you sort of bear crawl as fast as you can to drag them to safety. The other one was to drag the victim by their shirt, holding the head with your forearms. It looked so funny watching everyone do these drags. We had our week seven weigh in today. Almost everyone made weight and a ton of us were surprised by how much weight in muscle we gained! We have ten days left and everyone is counting down now. Drill was ok tonight. Except one of our shipmates got their scalp scraped by the bayonet stud when we were practicing throwing the pieces to each other! She was bleeding a little but she's fine now. It was a small cut. That’s all that happened for today.
12 Oct
Zulu had another great day today. First we had seamanship class and learned how to moor lines. Then we took the final and we all averaged a 92% so we got the seamanship pennant! We also had a contest to see who is the best seaman. It was a mix between tying knots the fastest, mooring lines, and labeling two charts with different types of lines on them the fastest. When we got through with that, we had our tropical blue long uniform inspection and our close order drill test. We did awesome on both. We passed the uniform inspection (which is either pass or fail) and we got a ten on the close order drill test! Then we had drill practice and apparently the rest of Zulu completely trashed alpha's squad bay while they watched! I have no idea why they did but the drill team was pretty upset that they missed out on all the fun! We still have to earn our off base liberty with general knowledge tests so that’s what we're working on now.
13 Oct
Today the active duty people who were stationed at small boat stations or patrol boats got to go off base to the live range and get marksmanship qualified. It was at the police academy. Only a few of us qualified since we weren't used to shooting a real gun. But two of the females shot at sharpshooter level! Nobody got expert. We had our squad bay inspection today too and we got a 52! The highest score is 55 so we did awesome! We were so worried about it.
14 Oct
Today Zulu had a class on the work-life program and a class on sexually transmitted diseases. That one was awkward but hilarious at the same time. The rest of the day we did administrative things and made phone calls to our units to get ready for out report dates. Zulu is pretty much ready to graduate. Our final is tomorrow and we have seven days left! We can't wait!
15 Oct
Today we took the final. Everyone passed except two people but they'll retake it tomorrow and hopefully pass. We also turned our pieces in and the females got to talk with Senior Chief Martinowski and ask her a bunch of questions. We got to see another side of her which was really cool since everyone on the regiment is scared to death of her. Then we ran the confidence course again and everyone did way better than last time! Tomorrow we have our off base liberty! Everyone is so excited! Hopefully nobody does anything stupid and gets reverted all the way back to week one. We'll see what happens.
16 Oct
Wow. Today was the best day ever! It was so nice to get out on the town and just relax with our shipmates. First everyone went to Wal-Mart to get the 20 dollar prepaid phones and then we all went to Starbucks to charge them, call up our families and sip on a bunch of pumpkin spice lattes. Our group pretty much chilled for a couple hours there and then went to downtown Cape May to walk around the shops and check out the good places to eat. We ended up having pizza on the beach at Blue Moon, ice cream at Uncle Charlie's, and dinner at Carney's. We talked on our phones the whole time and the day went by way too fast!
We had divine hours today. After afternoon chow we went on a 03 mile company run off base. It was fun singing cadence and seeing all the people watch us jog together. The run was easier than the first time. After the run chief Johnson showed us some good websites that we can use to look up any information we need to know about the coast guard. We practiced a little close order drill and did uniform maintenance for the rest of the night.
11 Oct
We did CPR and first aid drills pretty much all day today. We learned how to dress open wounds, bone fractures, electrical shock victims, and victims of cardiac arrest. They even provided rubber intestines and a fake chopped off hand for us to pretend to dress. We also practiced with splints and doing CPR with manikins in the gym. A fun part was when we learned the two safety drags to use when rescuing someone. One of them is when you tie the victim's hands together and put their arms around your neck (while they are on their back) and then you sort of bear crawl as fast as you can to drag them to safety. The other one was to drag the victim by their shirt, holding the head with your forearms. It looked so funny watching everyone do these drags. We had our week seven weigh in today. Almost everyone made weight and a ton of us were surprised by how much weight in muscle we gained! We have ten days left and everyone is counting down now. Drill was ok tonight. Except one of our shipmates got their scalp scraped by the bayonet stud when we were practicing throwing the pieces to each other! She was bleeding a little but she's fine now. It was a small cut. That’s all that happened for today.
12 Oct
Zulu had another great day today. First we had seamanship class and learned how to moor lines. Then we took the final and we all averaged a 92% so we got the seamanship pennant! We also had a contest to see who is the best seaman. It was a mix between tying knots the fastest, mooring lines, and labeling two charts with different types of lines on them the fastest. When we got through with that, we had our tropical blue long uniform inspection and our close order drill test. We did awesome on both. We passed the uniform inspection (which is either pass or fail) and we got a ten on the close order drill test! Then we had drill practice and apparently the rest of Zulu completely trashed alpha's squad bay while they watched! I have no idea why they did but the drill team was pretty upset that they missed out on all the fun! We still have to earn our off base liberty with general knowledge tests so that’s what we're working on now.
13 Oct
Today the active duty people who were stationed at small boat stations or patrol boats got to go off base to the live range and get marksmanship qualified. It was at the police academy. Only a few of us qualified since we weren't used to shooting a real gun. But two of the females shot at sharpshooter level! Nobody got expert. We had our squad bay inspection today too and we got a 52! The highest score is 55 so we did awesome! We were so worried about it.
14 Oct
Today Zulu had a class on the work-life program and a class on sexually transmitted diseases. That one was awkward but hilarious at the same time. The rest of the day we did administrative things and made phone calls to our units to get ready for out report dates. Zulu is pretty much ready to graduate. Our final is tomorrow and we have seven days left! We can't wait!
15 Oct
Today we took the final. Everyone passed except two people but they'll retake it tomorrow and hopefully pass. We also turned our pieces in and the females got to talk with Senior Chief Martinowski and ask her a bunch of questions. We got to see another side of her which was really cool since everyone on the regiment is scared to death of her. Then we ran the confidence course again and everyone did way better than last time! Tomorrow we have our off base liberty! Everyone is so excited! Hopefully nobody does anything stupid and gets reverted all the way back to week one. We'll see what happens.
16 Oct
Wow. Today was the best day ever! It was so nice to get out on the town and just relax with our shipmates. First everyone went to Wal-Mart to get the 20 dollar prepaid phones and then we all went to Starbucks to charge them, call up our families and sip on a bunch of pumpkin spice lattes. Our group pretty much chilled for a couple hours there and then went to downtown Cape May to walk around the shops and check out the good places to eat. We ended up having pizza on the beach at Blue Moon, ice cream at Uncle Charlie's, and dinner at Carney's. We talked on our phones the whole time and the day went by way too fast!
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Annie's 1st assignment - USCG Cutter Dallas, Charleston, SC
We are almost there! Annie is continuing to heal and is scheduled to graduate October 22, 2010. She received her first assignment and will be on the USCG Cutter Dallas, which is stationed out of Charleston, SC.
The USCG Cutter Dallas (WHEC 716) is one of only two Coast Guard high endurance cutters on the East Coast. The Dallas primarily patrols the Caribbean for counter-drug operations that include identification and prosecution of suspected drug traffickers. The ship's crew also keeps watch near the Cuban coast, patrolling for Cuban-American protesters' vessels and illegal migrants at sea. The Dallas often hosts Coast Guard cadets, officer candidates and foreign nationals for hands-on training. The Dallas also assists in humanitarian efforts when requested such as the Haitian Earthquake earlier this year.
Coast Guard Recruit Company Zulu 183 weekly journal posted Oct. 12, 2010
04 OCT
Today we learned about fire chemistry and how to put on a fire suit. Those suits are so heavy! We also had a cybex workout and then a class on how to wear our dress uniforms. It was a pretty normal day busy with classes. It rained the entire day. Drill team had a rough practice tonight though. We're having a tough time getting in sync with the moves, and coming up with an original routine for graduation. We named the Zulu colors Eleanor. She has her own rack and we tuck her in every night safe and sound.
05 OCT
Zulu had a busy day today. We had firefighting school again and we all got to put on the fire suits, oxygen masks and all the other gear that comes with the uniform. A couple of recruits even got to put out a fire with the different types of extinguishers. We also had our manual of arms test today and got a 9 out of 10 on it! Then we went to the gym and had a swim circuit workout. The last class we had was to finalize our travel plans for after graduation. We're still doing well as a company and are getting along better.
06 OCT
Zulu got their military identification cards today. We also enrolled in the Montgomery G.I. Bill. We had a class on carrying on the coast guard legacy, and we got refitted for our dress uniforms. It was another busy day, but normal as far as not getting in trouble too much.
07 OCT
We had an awesome firefighting class today. We got to put on the fire suits, masks, and helmets and use the fires hoses! It was cool to feel how powerful the hoses are and experience how you actually fight a fire. You have to stay low and keep your hand on the hose the whole time, and do the same when you back away from the fire. We had more pugil stick fights today but I wasn't there so I don't know how it went. We practiced for the graduation ceremony tomorrow and that’s pretty much it.
09 OCT
Zulu had a pretty awesome day today. We met the Master Chief Petty Officer Of the Coast Guard! Everyone was so nervous to be in his presence but we did good. He gave us his best advice for when we get out to the fleet. Have fun, love what you do, and work hard. He also said we should remember his motto "Live for today, save 10% for tomorrow." His speech was very inspiring and Zulu was so grateful to have the honor of meeting him! After that we took a tour of one of the 210' cutters on base. That was a lot of fun. It was the first time being on a ship for some of us. Petty Officer Bedford gave us the tour and answered a bunch of questions for us. After the tour, we finally got to have our on-base liberty! The first thing we all did was go to the exchange to buy candy, chips, and soda. Boy was that a dumb idea! We all had major stomach aches and hour later and felt like crap for the rest of the night! It was so nice to just relax though. And eat without being paranoid and stiff until we walk out of the building. We all got to call our family and friends too! That was the biggest reward of all. Talking to them made us feel like we weren't in boot camp anymore. It was a great escape and once again reminded us why we're here. Last stop was the Harbor View club. We were surprised to find two pool tables, a juke box, and a bunch of other games to play! We just thought it would be a normal restaurant so we were on cloud 9 having a blast, telling stories, and eating real food. But we kept our "A" game and stayed respectful. As far as we know nobody got in trouble. And we actually got excellent reviews from a lady at the exchange who said we were one of the quietest groups she's seen in a long time, and a lady at Harbor View who said we were awesome! We had to give ourselves a pat on the back for that. Everyone came back on time and no man was left behind. Great day. Mission complete!
Today we learned about fire chemistry and how to put on a fire suit. Those suits are so heavy! We also had a cybex workout and then a class on how to wear our dress uniforms. It was a pretty normal day busy with classes. It rained the entire day. Drill team had a rough practice tonight though. We're having a tough time getting in sync with the moves, and coming up with an original routine for graduation. We named the Zulu colors Eleanor. She has her own rack and we tuck her in every night safe and sound.
05 OCT
Zulu had a busy day today. We had firefighting school again and we all got to put on the fire suits, oxygen masks and all the other gear that comes with the uniform. A couple of recruits even got to put out a fire with the different types of extinguishers. We also had our manual of arms test today and got a 9 out of 10 on it! Then we went to the gym and had a swim circuit workout. The last class we had was to finalize our travel plans for after graduation. We're still doing well as a company and are getting along better.
06 OCT
Zulu got their military identification cards today. We also enrolled in the Montgomery G.I. Bill. We had a class on carrying on the coast guard legacy, and we got refitted for our dress uniforms. It was another busy day, but normal as far as not getting in trouble too much.
07 OCT
We had an awesome firefighting class today. We got to put on the fire suits, masks, and helmets and use the fires hoses! It was cool to feel how powerful the hoses are and experience how you actually fight a fire. You have to stay low and keep your hand on the hose the whole time, and do the same when you back away from the fire. We had more pugil stick fights today but I wasn't there so I don't know how it went. We practiced for the graduation ceremony tomorrow and that’s pretty much it.
09 OCT
Zulu had a pretty awesome day today. We met the Master Chief Petty Officer Of the Coast Guard! Everyone was so nervous to be in his presence but we did good. He gave us his best advice for when we get out to the fleet. Have fun, love what you do, and work hard. He also said we should remember his motto "Live for today, save 10% for tomorrow." His speech was very inspiring and Zulu was so grateful to have the honor of meeting him! After that we took a tour of one of the 210' cutters on base. That was a lot of fun. It was the first time being on a ship for some of us. Petty Officer Bedford gave us the tour and answered a bunch of questions for us. After the tour, we finally got to have our on-base liberty! The first thing we all did was go to the exchange to buy candy, chips, and soda. Boy was that a dumb idea! We all had major stomach aches and hour later and felt like crap for the rest of the night! It was so nice to just relax though. And eat without being paranoid and stiff until we walk out of the building. We all got to call our family and friends too! That was the biggest reward of all. Talking to them made us feel like we weren't in boot camp anymore. It was a great escape and once again reminded us why we're here. Last stop was the Harbor View club. We were surprised to find two pool tables, a juke box, and a bunch of other games to play! We just thought it would be a normal restaurant so we were on cloud 9 having a blast, telling stories, and eating real food. But we kept our "A" game and stayed respectful. As far as we know nobody got in trouble. And we actually got excellent reviews from a lady at the exchange who said we were one of the quietest groups she's seen in a long time, and a lady at Harbor View who said we were awesome! We had to give ourselves a pat on the back for that. Everyone came back on time and no man was left behind. Great day. Mission complete!
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Lyndsay's letter to Annie............... 7/25/10
A letter to Annie, written by Lyndsay Spencer, a wonderful friend since pre-school. I found this letter on Annie's bulletin board and wanted to share it..........
Click on the letter to enlarge it....
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
My thoughts........................
October 6, 2010
Well, Baby Girl, only 16 days to go! I can't believe you're so close now. I know that it has been an incredibly challenging journey so far and the fact that you are still hanging in shows the determination and drive that you have. YOU WILL MAKE IT! Not only will you make it, but you will continue to learn and grow as you continue your journey.
I look forward to seeing you and the changes I know have occurred....... both mentally and physically.
I love you with all my heart and remember................ "I'll love you forever I'll like you for always, As long as I'm living My baby you'll be."
Mommy xoxo
Well, Baby Girl, only 16 days to go! I can't believe you're so close now. I know that it has been an incredibly challenging journey so far and the fact that you are still hanging in shows the determination and drive that you have. YOU WILL MAKE IT! Not only will you make it, but you will continue to learn and grow as you continue your journey.
I look forward to seeing you and the changes I know have occurred....... both mentally and physically.
I love you with all my heart and remember................ "I'll love you forever I'll like you for always, As long as I'm living My baby you'll be."
Mommy xoxo
Coast Guard Recruit Company Zulu 183 weekly journal posted Oct. 5, 2010
27Sep
Today was weird. I can't tell if it was good or bad. We got 100% on our uniform inspection (According to Petty Officer Bailey). And we made all of our time objectives this morning...But our general knowledge and responding correctly was horrible! We got up in a weird funk this morning. Zulu is starting to feel that week five nose dive coming on. WE had the pugil stick fights today and it was awesome! We celebrated the anniversary of the death of Douglas Munro today (the only coast guard medal of honor winner). The regiment took the time to appreciate one of the greatest heroes in coast guard history. Anyways, I've come up with a few things you realize when you're in boot camp. You know you're in boot camp when: Sleeping in is waking up at 6:00am on Sundays; Your hair is so stiff it could deflect bullets (females); the most exciting part of your day is when you get to eat your granola bars (we call them our yum yums); the females get mad when you leave the toilet seat DOWN; You start having nightmares about people with smokey bear covers; shaving your legs is a privilege; you're capable of falling asleep while standing up; and you definitely know you're in boot camp when you forget your first name. That's basic training for you!
28Sep
Zulu had a pretty good day today. We were issued our dress uniforms and shoes. We had a few classes. The seamanship class was fun. We got to shoot flares and different signaling devices. We also practiced our radio communication skills on walkie talkies. Chief Johnson said we're doing ok for week five and if we stay on track we won't do the nose dive!
29Sep
We just got our orders! It was so cool. We went outside to the end of the parade field and one by one our names were called by our company commanders and they told us our orders. Then we ran up to the bell, rang it three times, and repeated back our orders! There were a few people who got stationed in Alaska, a few in Hawaii, and one in Guam. They were all stoked! I think everyone is pretty much happy with their stations except a couple people. Zulu is so relieved to know where we're all going and we only have 22 days until the journey and the adventures begin! We learned how to properly dawn a life jacket today, and had a competition to see who could put one on the fastest.
30Sep
We got to do a little research today on our units. Everyone was really excited for that. We also got to make a 5 minute phone call to tell our families where we were stationed! Two new recruits were rephrased into Zulu company. Both females. And we're still doing really good for week five. Nothing too bad has happened yet. We still don't have our colors yet but we're close. Zulu can see them coming our way within the next week or so. On baser liberty should be coming up too next Saturday if we keep up the good behavior and we'll get to make as many phone calls as we want! But we have to earn it. Hopefully we will.
01Oct
Zulu had their smallpox vaccinations today. Two shots on our right arm and then we got jabbed 15 times on the left! Surprisingly, it didn't hurt too bad. We went on another company run today right after dinner, and we had a class on travel plans and how to get to our stations. We have an art crew now and they will be designing t-shirts for Zulu company! Everyone is looking forward to seeing the outcome.
02Oct
Zulu got their colors today! We were so surprised because Petty Officer Bailey usually doesn't give them away until after the manual of arms test during week six! But he said both him and Chief Johnson agreed that we deserve them, especially since we didn't do the week five nose dive. We ran the confidence course today for the first time. That's part of how they presented the colors to Zulu. The course was pretty tough and a lot of people had a tough time getting over the wall and climbing the rope at the end. So when everyone finished, Petty Officer Bailey asked who couldn't climb the rope but was close. We raised our hands and he picked someone and told the company if that person could get the colors, then we could have them. Zulu did a right face, and there they were. Hanging from the top of the rope were the Zulu colors! So we all started running across the field screaming and chanting for our shipmate to climb up there and get them! It was an awesome feeling! We were screaming the whole time. We could tell it was getting tough. But she pulled through and got all the way to the top! So we sang cadence with our colors and pennants back to the front of Healy hall. When we got there we attacked the hall, which means we ran all the way to the top floor screaming at the top of our lungs the entire way back to our squad-bays! That was pretty fun too. Today was the best day! After that we talked with our mentor for a couple hours and got to ask him a bunch of questions, and we had choir practice too. Now we just have to make it through week six to get to our on base liberty on Saturday. So that’s what we're looking forward to now.
Today was weird. I can't tell if it was good or bad. We got 100% on our uniform inspection (According to Petty Officer Bailey). And we made all of our time objectives this morning...But our general knowledge and responding correctly was horrible! We got up in a weird funk this morning. Zulu is starting to feel that week five nose dive coming on. WE had the pugil stick fights today and it was awesome! We celebrated the anniversary of the death of Douglas Munro today (the only coast guard medal of honor winner). The regiment took the time to appreciate one of the greatest heroes in coast guard history. Anyways, I've come up with a few things you realize when you're in boot camp. You know you're in boot camp when: Sleeping in is waking up at 6:00am on Sundays; Your hair is so stiff it could deflect bullets (females); the most exciting part of your day is when you get to eat your granola bars (we call them our yum yums); the females get mad when you leave the toilet seat DOWN; You start having nightmares about people with smokey bear covers; shaving your legs is a privilege; you're capable of falling asleep while standing up; and you definitely know you're in boot camp when you forget your first name. That's basic training for you!
28Sep
Zulu had a pretty good day today. We were issued our dress uniforms and shoes. We had a few classes. The seamanship class was fun. We got to shoot flares and different signaling devices. We also practiced our radio communication skills on walkie talkies. Chief Johnson said we're doing ok for week five and if we stay on track we won't do the nose dive!
29Sep
We just got our orders! It was so cool. We went outside to the end of the parade field and one by one our names were called by our company commanders and they told us our orders. Then we ran up to the bell, rang it three times, and repeated back our orders! There were a few people who got stationed in Alaska, a few in Hawaii, and one in Guam. They were all stoked! I think everyone is pretty much happy with their stations except a couple people. Zulu is so relieved to know where we're all going and we only have 22 days until the journey and the adventures begin! We learned how to properly dawn a life jacket today, and had a competition to see who could put one on the fastest.
30Sep
We got to do a little research today on our units. Everyone was really excited for that. We also got to make a 5 minute phone call to tell our families where we were stationed! Two new recruits were rephrased into Zulu company. Both females. And we're still doing really good for week five. Nothing too bad has happened yet. We still don't have our colors yet but we're close. Zulu can see them coming our way within the next week or so. On baser liberty should be coming up too next Saturday if we keep up the good behavior and we'll get to make as many phone calls as we want! But we have to earn it. Hopefully we will.
01Oct
Zulu had their smallpox vaccinations today. Two shots on our right arm and then we got jabbed 15 times on the left! Surprisingly, it didn't hurt too bad. We went on another company run today right after dinner, and we had a class on travel plans and how to get to our stations. We have an art crew now and they will be designing t-shirts for Zulu company! Everyone is looking forward to seeing the outcome.
02Oct
Zulu got their colors today! We were so surprised because Petty Officer Bailey usually doesn't give them away until after the manual of arms test during week six! But he said both him and Chief Johnson agreed that we deserve them, especially since we didn't do the week five nose dive. We ran the confidence course today for the first time. That's part of how they presented the colors to Zulu. The course was pretty tough and a lot of people had a tough time getting over the wall and climbing the rope at the end. So when everyone finished, Petty Officer Bailey asked who couldn't climb the rope but was close. We raised our hands and he picked someone and told the company if that person could get the colors, then we could have them. Zulu did a right face, and there they were. Hanging from the top of the rope were the Zulu colors! So we all started running across the field screaming and chanting for our shipmate to climb up there and get them! It was an awesome feeling! We were screaming the whole time. We could tell it was getting tough. But she pulled through and got all the way to the top! So we sang cadence with our colors and pennants back to the front of Healy hall. When we got there we attacked the hall, which means we ran all the way to the top floor screaming at the top of our lungs the entire way back to our squad-bays! That was pretty fun too. Today was the best day! After that we talked with our mentor for a couple hours and got to ask him a bunch of questions, and we had choir practice too. Now we just have to make it through week six to get to our on base liberty on Saturday. So that’s what we're looking forward to now.
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