Good Evening All,
Today was our last full day of Orientation. The Cadet Candidates have all learned and improved themselves so much over the past 9 days, and are looking forward to fully becoming members of our Regiment after Graduation tomorrow.
Here are your updates from our Company Commanders:
1ST COMPANY
Family and Friends of 1st Company,
The canal run is a tradition practiced at Mass Maritime every year, where the entire class of Cadet Candidates line up on Academy Drive and run to the Bourne bridge and back on the last PT of orientation. This run was a blast, and my Squad Leaders worked hard to motivate the group through cadences. Although it was too foggy to see a sunrise this morning, it was still beautiful and motivating.
The day consisted of a lot of drill practice and room prep. The youngies had their first room inspection immediately after lunch. Although there were a lot of failures it was beneficial for the Cadet Candidates to learn and they will hopefully grow from this experience.
The night continued with graduation rehearsal after dinner. We ran through the script, and what to do if an award is received. Some awards include exam scores, PT scores, Squad Leader of orientation and more. There are also Company awards such as firefighting, esprit de corps, and Admirals Cup. We then went right into the marching competition, and it went WAY better than I thought. The afternoon was stressful, because the Youngies are checked out and tired. However they really locked it up and are ready for tomorrow.
I want to conclude my blog entries by saying thank you for following myself and my Company’s journey through orientation. I am so excited for my Youngies and the parents to reunite for the first time. I still remember how happy I was to be done. One piece of advice is to come back. It seems simple, but coming back for the first time was probably the most difficult decision I had to make. Trust the process, lean on your ship mates, and ALWAYS step out of your comfort zone. Be proud of yourself for getting through this, and I want to see every face return on Monday.
Very Respectfully,
1/C Jessica Hinds
1st Company Commander
2ND COMPANY
(To be added)
3RD COMPANY
It was a long and busy day for the Cadet Candidates . They started their morning with the canal run. Every company formed up on Academy drive and did a two mile cadence run along the canal. It was a motivating morning for the youngies.
After breakfast, the C/Cs showered and headed to Admirals Hall for some final remarks from the Commadant, Captain Dillon. Following the briefing, the Cadet Candidates went back up to the 05 deck and tried on their classroom black uniform and learned how to iron their uniforms. Uniform pants that still needed to get tailored were sent to the bookstore for immediate alterations.
Following lunch, the Cadet Candidates stood their first personal inspection. Two members of the Regimental Staff came to the 05 to conduct the inspections. The youngies spent a lot of time outside today, practicing drill for the marching competition that got moved to tonight at 2000. The Cadet Candidates focused on perfecting the drill moves. 3rd Company won intramurals today. They played dodgeball against 6th Company and won! Another win for 3rd Company.
After dinner, all companies attended the orientation graduation ceremony practice on the football field. All companies went over what they are expected to do for tomorrow’s ceremony. From there, it was time for the marching competition. 3rd Company marched on the field with pride, looked sharp, and did a good job. I felt very proud to march the platoon this evening.
Tonight, the Cadet Candidates were sent to bed at 2130. Its their final night of orientation and they all know that tomorrow will be a very exciting day. They have learned so much over the past 10 days, but the work does not end here. They still have a long way to go, but they are on track for success.
Very Respectfully
1/C Sophie Strano
3rd Company Commander
4TH COMPANY
The last full day of Orientation was a busy one for the Cadet Candidates, as they were out and around campus for a majority of the day. The Cadet Candidates completed the Canal Run early in the morning, their longest run of the Orientation time period. After morning meal and morning formation, the Cadet Candidates prepared their rooms and uniforms for their first Regimental Inspections. These inspections were conducted by members of the Regimental Staff, and give Cadet candidates an idea of the level of cleanliness and neatness expected out of them all year.
4th Company closed out intramurals on a high note, beating 1st Company in water polo. The Cadet Candidates were extremely motivated for the match, and came away with very high morale after the big win.
In the evening, 4th Company completed a run through for tomorrows graduation ceremony. Immediately following that, the Company marched in the Orientation Marching Ceremony. The staff was extremely happy with how all of the Cadet candidates performed, and proud of all of the work they had put into their marching all week.
As Orientation winds down, the Cadet Candidates should be extremely proud of themselves and everything they have accomplished this week. While the work is certainly not over and this whole year will be a challenge for them, myself and my staff are eagerly looking forward to watching their continued growth and successes at the Academy.
Very Respectfully,
1/C Jack Mulligan
4th Company Commander
5TH COMPANY
Greetings to all!
Our second to last day was a success! Today was a packed day for our cadre and cadet candidates. We started the day with a successful PT session. This morning we lived on the tradition of the Canal Run. This consisted of the entire regiment running down across campus and along the cape cod canal. It was a joy to see all the happiness and the echoes of cadences as we made our way through campus and down the canal. The motivation was high as the cadet candidates are eager to their completion of Orientation 2023.
After morning meal, we made our way over to Admirals hall to hear some closing remarks from Captain Dillion and Commander Deegan. Following their meeting, the CC’s heading back to the dorms to do room and uniform prep for their inspections later today. As far as patio went, today was their last patio and they had the opportunity to impress the regimental staff. We marched on with a Connor Mcgreggor walk and then performed a song in front of them. The CC’s had a blast and felt very relieved after finally finishing patio.
Inspections were followed by noon meal, where the regimental staff has the opportunity to inspect the Cadet Candidates rooms. It was a big learning curve for all the CC’s and the standards were set for the rest of the year as this will become a big part of their first year at the academy.
The rest of the evening consisted of drill practice leading up to the marching competition after dinner. We were all very proud of their great performance as they looked very sharp in front of the judges and the other companies.
TAPS was played and the CC’s were sent to bed for their last sleep of Orientation 2023. Their experience was one like no other and it will finish on a high note with the graduation ceremony commencing tomorrow.
Very Respectfully,
1/C Michael Riehl
5th Company Commander
6TH COMPANY
Good evening,
Today was a good day for 6th Company. We began the day with our normal wake-up, but I decided to play some music to help them get up today. They thoroughly enjoyed this, and I will be doing it with a bigger and better speaker tomorrow for the final wake up of orientation. We started the day with the tradition of the canal run. Each Squad Leader sang their own motivational cadence, and I even had the privilege to sing one as well. As we ran along the canal, the sun rose above the horizon and it motivated myself as well as the rest of 6th Company to have a great day. After the run, the Cadet Candidates requested we do a motivational push-up party, and I can never deny that. When that was over, we practiced our marching before morning meal. We began to teach them the specialty extracurricular moves that hopefully helped us tonight in the marching competition. The moves are complex, but will award us points and hopefully set us apart.
After morning meal, they had their closing remarks from Captain Dillon and Commander Deegan about what a great job they had all done throughout orientation and expressed their happiness for the way orientation had been conducted. Although I was not at the meeting, I can speak on the fact that they, as well as all academy personnel are very happy for the candidates who will be graduating tomorrow.
Following the meeting, the C/C’s began their final preparations for their first regimental inspections. They had roughly an hour and a half to prepare their rooms, their lockers, as well as themselves for an inspection. Although I did not speak directly to the inspectors, my staff told me that they needed a lot of work. This is typical, as they are still learning how inspections are done. We hope to fix this issue as a Company and produce stellar cadets and impeccable rooms.
6th Company suffered a difficult loss to 3rd Company today in dodgeball 2-1. With this being said, 6th Company did not go down without a fight. C/C Browne did a good job today with getting people out. C/C White and C/C Gaudiano rallied the troops with their relentless effort to keep 6th Company in the game. Unfortunately, their efforts were not enough as we fell short of the wins.
After evening meal, we had a graduation rehearsal so that we can look sharp in front of the audience tomorrow. 6th Company hopes to walk away with some more decor on their guide on this year.
Now the good part. The C/C’s from 6th Company knocked the marching competition out of the park. Win or lose, I am emphatic about their constant effort and collaboration throughout this entire process. They worked very hard time and time again and executed every move they knew on the field today. I explained to them that we gave it everything we had, and if it was not enough then so be it. I truly believe that we put in the time and the effort to win the marching competition, however that is up to the officials judgement and score sheet. We are keeping our fingers crossed in 6th Company, but nonetheless to say that I am beyond proud of each and every one of them is an understatement.
Todays CCPL was C/C Accord. She has been a very vocal leader for the company and I believe she has inspired many to use their voice and push themselves further than they thought they were capable of. She did a good job today of taking charge when needed and leading others by her example.
The leadership trait of the day was collaboration. Collaboration is the art of individuals coming together, pooling their talents, and working as a cohesive unit to achieve common objectives. It’s a testable r to the idea that the sun is often greater than its parts. Within a collaborative framework, diverse skills, viewpoints, and experiences harmonize to foster innovation and problem solving. In a world where technology has taken over, and introversion plagues society, it has never been more important that we can have the ability to collaborate with one another and express our concerns or ideas. 6th Company has proven they have the ability to collaborate with one another. This has helped the success of the group, as they can play into one another’s strengths and make the team better. I find no better way to conclude this blog than the words of C/C McQueen the other day which strive from an African proverb, “if you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together”
Very Respectfully,
1/C Michael Nogueira
6th Company Commander
7TH COMPANY
This morning the cadet candidates started their day with a short run down the canal and then moved directly to their morning meal. From there, they had water survival training until 1400, practiced more drill, and had intramurals against 2nd Company playing frisbee. After dinner, the regiment ran through a practice of the orientation graduation ceremony. Directly after the practice, all companies participated in a marching competition in which Company Commanders directed the platoon of cadet candidates in several stationary movements like hand salute and parade rest, as well as marching maneuvers like column left/right, to the rear, and side step. I am proud of how far these cadet candidates have come since the beginning of orientation, and I look forward to what the future holds for them at this academy. It has been a pleasure to watch them mature and grow as a company, and none of it would have been possible without my team of Squad Leaders and Senior Staff working tirelessly each day to install the values of the academy into each and every one of them. As mentioned, they have come such a long way since our Meet the Cadre ceremony and their futures are bright.
Very Respectfully,
1/C Luke Dawson, 7th Company Commander
