NEW LONDON — Members of Hotel platoon lined a hallway in Chase Hall at the Coast Guard Academy on Monday, arms at a 90-degree angle in front of their faces as they studied their pocket-sized training handbook, called the Running Light, while waiting to get haircuts. The air conditioning had broken, and they would soon be drenched with rain on top of sweat.
They are among the 302 members of the class of 2026, called “swabs” for the summer, who showed up Monday for Day One, their indoctrination into Coast Guard life.
The cadre — the people training them, made up of cadets entering their third year at the academy — yelled at them when they mixed up “Yes, sir/ma'am” (used to answer questions) with “Aye aye, sir/ma'am” (used to respond to orders). The cadre yelled, “Do not look at me! Do not look at me!” And when another platoon passed through, the cadre yelled, “Move it! Move it! Move it! You're wasting my time!”
Platoon leader Matthew Reheuser effortlessly shifted from a shout to a smile as he stepped away to talk to a reporter. Monday brought back memories of his own Day One, when he experienced the culture shock and wondered, “What did I get myself into?”
The incoming class is 43% women, the highest ever, and 38% students from underrepresented minority groups. Among the 302 swabs are nine students from other countries: Dominican Republic, Philippines, Vietnam, Honduras, Palau, Guyana and Taiwan.
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