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USNSCC Aurora Division Ships Log |
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To submit an entry for the Ship's Log, click on the button below to e-mail it to the Web Administrator either in the message itself or as a file attachment in text format (.txt). Entries should be no more than 125 words. Be sure to include the date(s) and title of your training or activity.
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30 March 2008 On March 24,2008 to March 28,2008, I helped at the Navy Recruiting Center in Aurora. The first day I was there I got to meet all the recruiters there. They taught me how to use their copy machine and where everything was in the office. On the second day I started to work. I made copies of so many things. I got to meet some of the people that were joining the Navy. They were enrolled in a new program called DEP. I got to go up to MEPs which was a long boring drive. The petty officers there told me about their boot camp experiences and what they do in the Navy. For the rest of the time at the Recruiting center I got to go out with NC1 and recruit people. It was very shocking to see how so many people don't know what the Navy is! Recruiting duty seems like a fun but difficult job. It is very rewarding to see so many people join. SN David Lange, USNSCC
13 March 2008 Petty Officer Leadership Academy (POLA), 26DEC07-1JAN08, Camp Dodge, IA POLA was a great experience. I learned how to compromise, counsel, and lead large groups of people. I enjoyed the fun games we did. There were numerous activities such as building a structure out of newspaper to hold a jug of water and linking our hands in a jumble so that we'd untangle ourselves into a circle ... ALL BLINDFOLDED and/or with NO TALKING. It was the most ridiculous thing at the time to me, but then I realized that it taught me how to communicate and work together with my shipmates. We watched good movies such as the Caine Mutiny and Shooter basically every night before taps (bedtime). The marching was tedious, long, and sometimes frustrating, but once I got the hang of it, I was so proud of myself. On New Year's, my friends and I went out into the snow, had a snowball fight, and made snow angels. Although I was far from home for the holidays, I still felt safe and happy with my friends. The training gave me a sense of accomplishment during graduation. I made two great friends who ended up living only 2 hours from me. Sea Cadets has given me the chance to make so many new friends and learn so many new things. POLA is one of my favorite trainings, but this summer I'm going to Basic Airman, which seems even better! SN Stephanie Cabe-Brookins, USNSCC
6 January 2008 Advanced Airman , NAS Lemoore, 17-30 June 2007 This was my second time attending at NAS Lemoore, California. We stayed at BEQ or Bachelor's Quarters which is similar to a dorm or mini hotel. Every morning we woke-up and had to be down stairs at 5:45 to get an early breakfast and catch the bus out to the hangers. Once again we were working with VFA-122 the "Flying Eagles". Most people there we very cooperative with the Sea Cadets. Basic Airman rotated shops within the hanger, but Advanced was out on the flight line with the Hornets the entire time. I learned how to launch and recover F/A-18 jets. A launch is to ensure that everything runs smoothly and the pilot is safe. If you've ever watched one it looks kinda like a dance. Upon arrival we were given a PQS to complete. It consisted of the requirements to become a Plane Captain. Some things were diving into intakes, moving the jet, refueling, and knowing all the information about the jet. By the end of the 2 weeks all advanced cadets took the Plane Captain test, but not all passed. Fortunately, I passed with a 96%. I made so many friends at this training! I talk to most of them on a normal basis. Every night we had a few hours of down time to talk to people from home, study, or hang out with friends. We attended a baseball game, went to Adventure Park, and had a Barbeque, and went shopping. Although this training was very relaxed, I learned a lot and it was very challenging. PO1 Amanda Glass, USNSCC
6 January 2008 FAA Ground School, Marietta, Georgia, 8-20 July 2007 Ground School is the most mentally challenging thing that I have ever done! It is two full weeks of studying the Private Pilot book from cover to cover. There was usually 10-12 hours of class per day, but we did have 2 days off. The people there were amazing, especially the officers! They helped the time pass more quickly. While we were there we went to the airport so people had the chance to fly. For most it was their first time. We also took a tour of Delta Airline's headquarters. I wasn't very interested in that but mostly everyone enjoyed it. Towards the end of the training the officers set up simulator time for us. The simulator was of a Super Hornet. The cool part was you could put yourself in any major airport from anywhere in the world. Now I am ready to take my Private Pilot Exam so I can earn my license and gold wings. PO1 Amanda Glass, USNSCC
1 December 2007 NSCC Recruit Training, RTC Great Lakes, IL, 16-24 June 2007 From June 16 to June 24 in 2007, I attended Recruit Training at Great Lakes Naval Base. I thought this was a great experience and I would do it again if I could. I had so much fun doing this and met a lot of exciting people. Most of the Aurora Division was in my division. The division was 002 and from what I've heard, it was the worst division. Besides that fact, it was a challenge for me because I have never done something like that before. All the events the division did together, like the swimming activity and man overboard, were great. We all walked about 2-5 miles a day, and that was something I think no teenager has done for 9 days. It was awesome and Mayer and Lange were basically my best friends. I had a great time and I hope to have more fun over the years. SR Edmund Solecki, NSCC
10 October 2007 Seabee Training at NGTC Marseilles, IL, 15-29 Jul 07 After Returning from Aviation Ground School in Georgia I went directly to Seabee Training. I had missed the first week of the training, which wasn’t too bad because they were rained out most of the time anyways. Most of the days were spent in the field working on tactical maneuvers and land navigation. Approximately 1 week into the training the cadets were issued M16s and SAWs. Unfortunately I got into some poison ivy and chiggers and was no longer allowed to go into the field. On the bright side, since I had a lot of spare time I took plenty of photos of everyone . The training itself was fairly relaxed. Each night we had approximately 3 hours of down time and were able to watch movies and enjoy ourselves. Like always I made quite a bit of long term friends and would recommend this training to any interested in field trainings. PO2 Amanda Glass, NSCC
8 October 2007 Naval Engineering at NAVSTA Great Lakes, IL, 8-20 Jul 07 This year I have been to two trainings, RTC and Naval Engineering. For Naval Engineering I learned a ton of things about diesel engines, gas turbine engines, and steam powered engines. Each class was fun and taught me a lot. In my opinion the best thing that we did at this training was DC (Damage Control), which is where you are in a simulated ship and you go in and water is gushing in everywhere, and you have to stop the leaks. One of the biggest things that made this training great was the camaraderie and teamwork, both were essential to get things done. For an example, you could help someone you didn't even know with something and they wouldn't get mad at you. Those were some of the best things the Naval Engineering training in Great Lakes had to offer. SA Joseph Mayer, NSCC
4 September 2007 Naval Engineering at NAVSTA Great Lakes, IL, 8-20 Jul 07 On July 8-20 I attended navel engineering at NAVSTA Great Lakes, IL. It was a really good experience. We learned about gas, and steam. We got to go through the DC simulator. It was a lot of fun. I was able to do a lot of great stuff. We did a lot of PT with the HT and it was a lot of fun. Everybody went to the Museum of Science and Industry and got to see the U-505. Did a lot of cleaning but made it fun. SN Richard Koehnke, NSCC
4 September 2007 NSCC Underway Seamanship Training Aboard the YP-671 Manatra, 22-28 Jun 07 On June 22-28 I was in the YP Manatra. It was a lot of fun. We sailed up to South Haven, MI and spent the night there and then sailed up to Grand Haven, MI. Learned a lot about the engines, knot tying, and navigating. If I had a choice to go back I would. We got 4 liberties, and before we left port to sail to South Haven we went to Navy Pier for 3 or 4 hours. We went on the USS Silverside from WW2 .It really was a lot of fun SN Richard Koehnke, NSCC
3 September 2007 Field Medical Training, Ft. Lewis, WA, 12-25 AUG 07 WOW, what can I say about Field Medical training?? Well, I can start off by saying that it was without a doubt, one of the hardest things I have ever done in my life, and I wrestle and play soccer! Not only was this training VERY, VERY physically challenging, but it was also VERY, VERY mentally challenging. At the end of the training, we racked up a little over a hundred miles that we either marched, ran, and walked. The medical course itself and its coursework was also very demanding; we stayed up on numerous nights 'till 2400 in the classroom learning. On top, of all that, we had to find time to study because we had about 3-4 tests each day on material we covered merely the day before! Not everyone from the division graduated because of either failed tests or non completion of required material. I am proud to say that I graduated and was also in the running for honor cadet; I look back on this training and am very proud ... but wouldn't do it again. SA Andrew Villarreal, NSCC
3 September 2007 Underway Seamanship Training, YP-671 Manatra, 20-29 JUL 07 The Manatra training was a very, very fun experience. We cruised all over Lake Michigan and went to different ports in Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin. YP-671 Manatra was a very small ship with very cramped quarters but we all found a way to manage and still get along with each other. We learned almost everything there was to know about a ship and how it's run, it was a very "hands on" training where everything was run by the crew of cadets. We pumped our sewage out, we took on water, we steered the ship, we moored the lines, we hoisted the flags; all of this, and so much more was done by us cadets with very little help from the adult officers or staff cadets. I really enjoyed myself aboard the YP-671 Manatra and strongly recommend this training. SA Andrew Villarreal, NSCC
3 September 2007 NSCC Recruit Training, RTC Great Lakes, IL, 16-24 June 2007 What can I say about boot camp? Well, it was a totally new and eye opening experience. There seemed to be times where I hated being there and then there were times where it was actually pretty fun. The part I guess you could say that I disliked the most was that we marched a lot and it got to become very repetitious. I liked the fact that the recruit training taught me how to be an organized person, how to have correct manners. I learned how to properly fold and stow my clothes, march in a military manner, and learn basic fundamentals of the Navy. We were; what seemed to be constantly, getting yelled at. We were always scared to look away from our manuals in the chow line from fear of being caught looking around and we were scared of talking in the chow hall; since it was also prohibited. My company soon became my support group and as the training progressed, we became a very tight group. All in all, RTC was a very valuable experience SA Andrew Villarreal, NSCC
23 August 2007 NLCC Sea Bee Challenge, Michigan, 13-14 Jul 07 When I went to Michigan for Sea Bee Challenge, it was quite interesting because when I saw the other cadets putting up the tents, I thought it was going to be a very long time and probably difficult too, but I was wrong! The next morning, we were told that we were going to fly airplanes, which were very fun to fly. Then, we had some fun with a soldier who was in a drug awareness program that informed us about drugs and what we should be aware of. Finally, on Sunday, we had made our own omelets and then packed up and went home. I was glad that I went because I learned new things and I made more friends and I hope I can go again next year! LC-2 Brandon Villarreal, NLCC
23 August 2007 NLCC League Orientation, Camp Dodge, Iowa, 23 Jun-1 Jul 07 This summer when I attended Camp Dodge, it was an amazing experience! I learned a lot of new things such as shooting an air rifle and how to handle it, and how to put out fires and what causes them. We learned other things in our classes that really helped us and they were very informative, explaining many things such as Navy history and how it had many effects back when it began and types of aircraft carriers. I was privileged to be RPOC during the week and I learned a lot about responsibility and how you have to learn and recognize your mistakes. I was also honored to be in Alpha Company this year because we accomplished many things and worked as a team to get the job done, which I am proud to say that I am happy I went to League Orientation! LC-2 Brandon Villarreal, NLCC
23 August 2007 USNSCC Seamanship Training, NAVSTA Great Lakes, IL, 8-20 Jul 07 Two weeks after I attended Boot Camp, I left for Deck Seamanship. For the first day we did nothing but clean and make sure our rooms were in shipshape. The next day, we were awakened at around 0530 to do a field day (clean) and head out to chow. Afterwards were classes, then chow, then classes again. Back at the ship, seamanship cadets spent their time shining shoes, ironing, studying, and watching oh so exciting History Channel shows. A lot of them were quite interesting. During the weekend we took a trip to Damage Control, where we tried to stop leaks in pipes. The rooms were flooded as we put patches on the pipes. For our team, we ran out of patches so we had to throw our actual bodies onto the pipes. It was a lot of fun. On Sunday we all went to the Science and Industry Museum in Chicago! I loved seeing the U-505 exhibit and eating ice cream with my friends. All in all, it was a great training. SA Stephanie Cabe-Brookins, NSCC
22 August 2007 USNSCC Culinary Arts Training, Hawks, MI, 29 Jul – 4 Aug 07 At culinary I had one of the greatest times of my life. The car ride there was 8 hours long and I ended up in Hawks, Michigan. Hawks is in the middle of nowhere and there are only 3 or 4 houses. Culinary was at Bethel Youth Camp where a League Orientation was also taking place. I have had no cooking experience until I went to this. We had to cook for about 80 people for every meal. There were 4 shifts, Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, and Snack. There were 10 of us so we worked in shifts of 5 people. It was nice because you had some time to relax or play sports. My favorite shift was lunch and snack. We cooked and baked all from scratch. It was awesome. I was allowed to sleep in until morning colors. On our free time we were allowed to play Baseball, Basketball, Mini golf, Ping Pong, Pool, and Fooseball. Our officers were extremely nice. They taught me a lot of cool things. After we cooked for a couple days we had a test. We had to plan a 4 course meal for the officers and a meal for the cadets by ourselves. It taught us a lot about teamwork and if we really knew how to work together. After completing that we felt like we could do anything. I really enjoyed this training and I wish I could do it again. SA David Lange, NSCC
22 August 2007 Underway Seamanship Training, YP-671 Manatra, 20-29 Jul 07 Well, this year marked my second 9 day cruise on the USS Manatra. We yet again went all over Lake Michigan, including stops in Michigan City, Grand Haven, and Milwaukee. All along the way, we were doing drills, like man overboard and fire drills. Everyone on the ship learned basic line handling and marlinespike seamanship. We were lucky to have fair weather the whole time sailing, and everyone was taught how to handle the helm, so all crew members can say they can hold their own! All in all, the cruise was another success! PO2 Dale Jackman, NSCC
20 July 2007 USNSCC Seamanship Training, NAVSTA Great Lakes, IL, 8 - 20 Jul 07 This summer so far, I've been only to seamanship training, July 8th - July 20th. Seamanship was a pretty informative training, lots of classroom and trainings in general. The first day was all indoc and cleaning to get our new home in shape. The second day kinda set the tone for the rest of the trainings. It started at 0515, started field day (cleaning our ship), then to chow. From chow, we marched to the Bosun's Mate (BM) "A" school and started our classroom trainings. After the first stint of class, we march to lunch, and then back for more classes! When classes were finally over, it was back to the ship to straighten our rooms, laundry, and clean more. After which we went to evening chow, went home, and pretty much chilled out. That was how all the weekdays went. But the weekend was a blast. On Saturday we hit the wet Damage Control (DC) Trainer, which is where we go into a controlled room that starts to flood, and we have to work as a team to stop the flooding. It was fun getting totally soaked! Sunday, we were fortunate enough to be able to go to the Museum of Science and Industry. We were allowed to see the U-505 exhibit. Also a fun time. But to sum it up, it was a good time, from seabag inspection to packing back up. PO2 Dale Jackman, NSCC PS: I want to extend my gratitude to all the staff, instructors, and shipmates that made it worth while. CO, XO, MIDDY, Flanny, SIS, Rosie, Pretty Shoes, Hurt, and of course my Lumberjadck brothers and Commander Cox, Lumberjack Regional Director.
8 July 2007 NLCC League Cadet Orientation, Camp Dodge, Iowa, 23 Jun - 1 Jul 07 My experience at League Orientation was a very memorable one. I enjoyed being able to learn how to spray a fire hose, and to shoot an air rifle in the prone position (lying down). In our classes, we learned the types of fires and how to put them out, how to treat a victim by just using first aid, Navy slang, US Navy history, how to tie basic knots, and other information on the Navy. In my company, I was awarded with the honor of becoming RPOC (Recruit Chief Petty Officer). Toward the end of League Orientation, I had learned to take the hits of mistakes that I had made and move on. One thing that I had over my shipmates, was that I already knew all of my General Orders of the Sentry. So to keep my company strong, I helped them with it. I can proudly say that I graduated as both RPOC and Honor Cadet of the Honor Company, Charlie Company. LC-1 Caitlyn Brookins, NLCC
3 July 2007 NSCC Recruit Training, RTC Great Lakes, IL, 16-24 June 2007 This summer I went to recruit training at Great Lakes. I was scared when I heard about boot camp from everyone but once I was there everything was alright. I was in Division 002. We had some problems with the cleaning but in the end we pulled it together and we got better at it. We received wonderful haircuts but my head was shaved before I got there so they couldn't cut much off. The food was very good and it made me try new things that I like now. Recruit training was a blast except for the classroom time. I met lots of new people that I'm still talking to today. SA David Lange, NSCC
26 June 2007 NSCC Recruit Training, RTC Great Lakes, IL, 16-24 June 2007 I have just started my career in the NSCC and hope to continue over the next years. I went to boot camp with the idea that it would be horrible and tough. But, even though it was tough, I really liked it. It really introduced me to the teamwork needed and how much each and every person has to commit themselves in order to get through. There were a few shipmates that I did not take a particular interest in, but that did not matter. You ended up being friends in the end anyway. I learned a lot, and there are many things that will stay with me for the years to come. I am so glad that I went, and I encourage any future cadet who is attending Great Lakes Boot Camp to not be scared and to concentrate on the message, not the delivery. SA(t) Russell Hornbeck, NSCC
26 June 2007 NSCC Recruit Training, RTC Great Lakes, IL, 16-24 June 2007 Although this training lasted only 9 days, it was the most influential experience of my life. The first few days I was scared; Approached by chiefs and petty officers, I didn't think I was ready to be yelled at so often. I learned not only attention to detail, cleaning the compartment, and keeping military bearing, but I learned how to put the core values of honor, courage, and commitment into practice. I enjoyed learning how to tie basic knots and call cadence. Being the AROC (Assistant Recruit Petty Officer, second in charge) I was given the opportunity to put my leadership skills into practice. Around the last few days of the training I began to have a lot of fun. If I could, I would do it all over again. I am proud to say that I came to this training as a recruit, but left as not only a cadet, but an Honor Cadet for Honor Division 001. SA Stephanie Cabe-Brookins, NSCC
25 June 2007 NSCC Recruit Training, RTC Great Lakes, IL, 16-24 June 2007 Some things that I learned at boot camp were military bearing, how to clean the barracks to a point of military excellence, and how to make a rack, fold my clothes, and stow them. But most of all the biggest things that I learned were teamwork which is the only way that you can get through boot camp at the top, and the biggest thing of all that I learned was a sense of pride for myself, my unit, and for the United States Naval Sea Cadet Corps. Some things that I learned in the class room aspect of the training were how to abandon ship and then how to survive at sea after doing so. I learned how to put out fires, the different classes of fires, and damage control. I learned the different parts of the ship and terms for them, and how to save a man who went overboard and what to do when he goes overboard. Another thing that I learned was how to march in large formations and how to do left turn. The last thing that we did was take the last tour of the Navy’s closed Battle Stations legacy. The only thing that I didn’t like about the boot camp was that we didn’t get to use the SAMT (small arms marksmanship trainer). Other than that the RTC Great Lakes boot camp was a great experience and I would recommend it to anyone interested in joining the sea cadets. SA Joseph Mayer, NSCC
25 May 2007 NSCC Surgical Technician Training, Naval Medical Center San Diego, CA, 1-7 April 2007 Any officer or sea cadet in the program who knows me, knows that I am medical bound. Every training that I have gone on, and every sea cadet thing I have done (with the exception of POLA), has to do something with medical. In saying that, it made sense for me to go to Surgical Tech., San Diego. I had wanted to attend this training for years; since I first heard about it. I finally got the opportunity to go over this year's spring break. It was absolutely amazing. The very first day we dissected a lamb's heart and a human brain. Honestly, how many people can say they dissected a human brain? The next day we dissected a cow's eye. We also got to dissect a cadaver leg. We did a mock surgery and observed in the O.R. I really liked how everything at this training was hands on 100%. I recommend this training to anyone who is interested in the medical field. If you can't handle seeing/smelling "gross" things, or are just looking for a training to advance, this isn't the right one for you. PO1 Rachel Erb, NSCC
14 April 2007 On March 26, 2007 to March 30, 2007, I worked at a navy recruiting center. It was a really cool experience. The first 2 days I was getting used to things, making phone calls, and cleaning the office. The next couple of days I went out with some of the recruiters and got a lot of people to join the navy. Everybody there liked me and liked how well I did my work. My last 3 days we had a lot of chiefs coming in everyday and stayed there all day. And till this day I still keep in touch with the petty officers at the recruiting center. SA Richard Koehnke, USNSCC
2 February 2007 From Former Cadet, now HN Brad Erickson: I joined the Sea Cadets during Junior High to learn more about military life and if it was for me. It turns out it was -- I am now at Field Medical Service School, Camp Johnson, North Carolina. Throughout my time in the Cadets I gained a lot of useful knowledge for later on down the road. I reported to USN boot camp on 19JUN06 at Great Lakes Naval Station. When I arrived I noticed that I had something the others did not have; knowledge. I already knew the rank structure, drill/marching, how to make my rack, and fold my clothes, which helped a lot. Since I already had this knowledge, I was able to help my shipmates with things they didn't know how to do yet, or didn't understand. The Sea Cadet program is a great program for young adults to join if they are considering joining the military or to learn more about the military. I know I took a lot from being in the Cadets, and hope to help with the Cadets at my next command if there is a division near by. HN Bradley Erickson, USN Field Medical Service School Camp Johnson, North Carolina
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Click Here to see Ship's Log for 2007 (MS Word Document)
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