Video of Coast Guard Recruits Arrival in Cape May for Boot Camp
For the 35 men who arrived at Cape May's Coast Guard Training Center Tuesday, life will never be quite the same. At least the next 53 days of boot camp will be remarkably different. This video from the Coast Guard Training Center shows the recruits arrival in Cape May.
A video from the Coast Guard's only training center, right here in South Jersey, shows the nervous group of men being greeted by their Company Commander for the first time, carrying their civilian luggage as they march off in formation to begin their first week of Coast Guard boot camp.
The military life web site, The Balance, describes the first day of Coast Guard this way...
No matter what time you arrive at Cape May, your first day will not end until about 0030 (12:30 a.m.). Once you hit the racks on that first night, you won't have much time for sleep. A Company Commander will be screaming and yelling at you at 0530 (5:30 a.m.).
You will begin your adventures with the Coast Guard upon arriving at Philadelphia International Airport. Once you arrive, you are required to retrieve your bags, then report immediately to the USO.
When the bus arrives at the Recruit Processing Center on Cape May, you will be greeted by your Company Commander (CC). It may not be the friendliest of greetings, but you'll know you've arrived.Next, you'll begin the in-processing tasks. You'll be issued a book known as the "Helmsman," and anytime you are not actively doing something, the CCs will expect you to be reading this book. You'll spend your first hours of boot camp filling out forms and giving a urine to test for drugs and alcohol. Women will also be given a pregnancy test.
Virtually every task you're ordered to do is timed; five seconds to write a name on a tag, ten seconds to find the paperwork, etc. And a Company Commander provides cadence, like a countdown. If you make a mistake, you will be yelled at. It's that simple -- mistake equals yelling.
It's all part of the process to build a disciplined member of the Coast Guard.
Good luck to the latest recruits for the U.S. Coast Guard during their boot camp experience. Here is video of the new Coast Guard recruits arrival in Cape May...
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