NEW LONDON — Just about a month after the U.S. Coast Guard Academy’s Class of 2024 shed their cadet status and became junior officers, a fresh group of swabs on Monday began its 200-week journey at the military academy.
But there the morning induction process was much different than past years when the walls of the Roland Hall alumni gym echoed with the screams of instructors exhorting nervous rows of trainees.
Instead, cadet trainers carried clipboards affixed with precise script pages that they recited line by line ― no more on-the-fly yelled instructions ― as the swabs lined up to be weighed and measured before marching off to a series of induction stations.
Jon Heller, deputy commandant of cadets, and senior cadet leadership spent the last few weeks fine-tuning the new entry process with the goal of eliminating the old “shock and awe” boot camp-style of welcome.
“We don’t want the shrieking and yelling, but rather a directional tone,” Heller said. “One of the Coast Guard’s core values is respect, so why bring in that level of intimidation? But it’s still intense.”
Rear Adm. Michael Johnston, now in his second year as academy superintendent, predicted the changes would produce positive results.
“I’ve had bosses that screamed and bosses who’ve been respectful,” he said. “And my performance has been affected by both those types of leadership, with the respectful kind giving better outcomes.”
The 298 members of the Class of 2028…
