One of the best parts of CGA for me so far was going to CG units 3/c summer. My summer was interesting because I was originally supposed to go on Eagle, but that changed because of Covid; I went to Cape Disappointment in WA and, instead of Eagle, I had the Stratton (WMSL) in Alameda, CA!
There were many aspects of Stratton that I liked. Although we did not go underway, I liked that we were stationed at Base Alameda since it had a large CG exchange, basketball courts, and a nice waterfront to sit along. Another aspect I liked were the tasks we did for deck department. It might sound strange, but I enjoyed painting, priming, grinding, and power washing parts of the cutter. One of my most memorable experiences was working with 4 other cadets from my class to offload these really heavy lines our first day working aboard. It was so heavy that the 1/c had to give us a helping hand!
Other memorable experiences included being part of two cordons: one for a temporary PAC Area Commander and another for the permanent one, VADM Fagan (now ADM and Commandant!) I had the honor of meeting (then) Commandant ADM Schultz (who also happened to take Civil Engineering and is from CT).
My most memorable experience at Cape Disappointment (which did not disappoint) was getting OC pepper sprayed. While the feeling that my eyes were on fire wasn’t pleasant, there is a sense of comradery that experience instills when you do it at the same time as others at your unit. Even though it wasn’t fun, I’m glad I did it then and would do it again if I had to.
