07-08 Calendar
NAPS History

Helpful Coastie NAPSter Info
By Kaye Hollifield, a Coastie Parent
2005 was an awesome year for our NAPSter Coasties and much of the information posted here is helpful to everyone at NAPS but the Coasties, because they are in the minority, sometimes face small additional challenges. First, they must leave home earlier to attend a week at New London. What happens there?

At the USCG Academy your NAPSter will be fitted and receive most of their uniforms. I remember that they didn’t receive certain uniform jackets until later in the fall and had to march without them. I believe that was Parents’ Weekend. No matter, they looked great to us! They will also receive academic testing and counseling. A positive attitude about all that’s going in is a major plus. On the physical side, they will be doing intramurals and staying active a lot. If your cadet candidate hasn’t gotten the message about going in good shape, heaven help them! The CG group will bond and that’s good because when they arrive at NAPS they will be sprinkled throughout the battalion.

The Coastie NAPSters will arrive by bus from New London EARLY on the morning that everyone reports to Newport. If you are going to see the swearing in and want to see a gorgeous sight, arrive early enough to see them get off the bus in those beautiful uniforms. They look spectacular! Be sure to leave early enough to report to the gate in time to get your parking permit to enter the Newport Naval Base. There’s a sign up from the circle that directs you to the house where these are issued. You will need to know everything about your car so take license number, registration, driver’s license, etc or you’ll have to go back for it. They left New London at 6AM last year and arrived about an hour later.

Later on at swearing in day, you won’t have an easy time picking them out because they quickly change into the same tees, shorts, covers (caps), and lace ups and get shuffled into the great Navy mass. At this point we found binoculars helpful as we watched them form up and march around before the actual swearing in process. You’ll have a question and answer period in the afternoon, they’ll get sworn, and then you’ll get to see your Coastie for about 15 minutes. They’ll be and look different but they will have had a week more to get in the right frame of mind than the others because of that week at the CG Academy together. Be positive and let them go when they want to go. Allow them to get on with it! The weeks of Indoc will be tough, but they’ll be bragging about surviving them for a lifetime.

Coasties, let me say a little more directly to you about Indoc. During NAPS Indoc the cadre will try to break you down. They do this to "rebuild" you into a new way of thinking. Just try to keep a low profile and be in good shape before you start. Our Coastie make it through the five weeks facing the challenges head on, but he was fit and in good shape to do it. You WILL sweat and you WILL stink. The mental game is the hardest. The cadre changed the combination to his lock and he just did without whatever was locked up and went on. After Indoc they got all that kind of mess straightened out. The cadre was so nice to them after it was all over. It was like “kiss and make up!” Remember, it's a very, very serious game!!

Your Coasties especially need to receive lots of mail and make it positive. During Indoc, do not send care or “goodie” packages. Your cadet will have to face the cadre over that! There are members of both the Navy and the Coast Guard in the cadre. (What’s the cadre? They are upper classmen at the respective academies sent to run the Napsters legs off, drive them nuts, and push, push, push them.) After Indoc, mail away!

Also there will be Coast Guard officers on staff at NAPS throughout the year. And there is a fall (if I remember right!) trip to the USCG Academy as well. This lasted for several days and was a real treat. In addition, the CG Academy coaches and other members of the Academy staff frequently make appearances in Newport so they are very supportive of their NAPSter Coasties.

Your Coasties know that they are the “odd men out” and the Navy candidates will keep them reminded of that. It’s the way of things when there’s a minority. The fact that they go to class every day in different uniforms makes them stick out. Just let your cadet vent and be supportive. Be prepared for all that to cause them to question their Coast Guard choice. We had a wonderful network of Coastie parents we put together from posts to this parent forum and we kept in touch via email. I suggest you do the same because it really helps. Our group worked very hard to make sure that the “pecking order” was balanced and reminded our Coasties that their career path was every bit as important as the one their Navy counterparts had chosen. Interestingly, the USCGA requires a 2.4 GPA for the NAPS year; Navy 2.0 for admittance to their respective academies. Best advice: Expect to put up with this and make lots of great Navy friends in spite of it!

Be advised, there will be prior enlisted within the battalion some of whom are over 21. Please advise your Coastie to stay away from underaged drinking, to concentrate on studies upon which liberty is based, to tell the truth no matter what, and to keep physically fit now and while there. Screwing up on these things will secure your liberty and can get you placed on restriction. How would you like to miss your Thanksgiving leave and have Christmas leave curtailed? It really has happened.

There will be three trimesters and a class ranking will be announced in the middle of the first trimester. Make your top classmates your FRIENDS! Get academic help if you need it. It’s there for you. Tutors can also be acquired. Liberty is based on GRADES!!

About having a vehicle: I’d say send them with one if you can. Our Coastie had his little car with him the whole time so he learned Newport quickly. He had to take his car registration and insurance info with him to the USCGA and they had everything straightened out from there. He then followed the bus to Newport. Having a car was a real plus as most did not have one at least not at the beginning. He was treated better by his NAPS peers because of having a car - as you can imagine. But he didn’t let any of them drive him crazy over using it either. The car coin does have two sides.

About money: A guardian account will be set up and money withdrawn each pay period towards the $3000 entry fee at the USCGA. We just got our Coastie’s balance due on his entry fee and only $278 is owed of that total. That’s wonderful now but managing money still isn’t easy. With this withdrawal, Coasties are not getting as much as they think they will. And Newport can be pricey, the food at the mess gets old, they have to have that CD, etc. Hopefully, you will want to reward good progress with some financial support!

The year ahead is a challenging one especially for Coasties but the rewards that come at the end of it are AMAZING. The cadet candidates who just graduated have been informed that they will be placed in greater levels of leadership and responsibility than those entering the academy directly during swab summer (including their week on The Eagle). It is an amazing preparation. We consider our Coastie’s year there a very positive investment.

You are about to begin a challenging adventure. The path ahead isn’t always easy but your Coastie chose it! Support their choice every way possible. You are parents of stellar young men and women who will be learning to lead and serve their country in a vital and often unheralded manner. I salute you all.

Kaye Hollifield
James NAPS 2005, 2009 USCGA
Lincolnton, NC 28092
Mhollifiel@aol.com

Helpful R-Day Info

Greetings Coasties!

First, congratulations on the near completion of your NAPS year. The efforts you have made are about to be rewarded. Many Fourth Class roommates of last year's NAPS Coasties have been VERY grateful to be living alongside classmates whose work habits and drive are much more refined than theirs! Without any Navy distractions and in a matter of just weeks, you will actually experience an unencumbered view of the prize ahead of you buoyed by your year of thorough preparation. The roughest seas are truly behind you!

• If your state or regional USCGA Parents' Association has a picnic for incoming swabs that you can attend, be sure to go and take your parents with you if at all possible. Check at http://www.uscgaparents.org and look for the nearest local chapter in the drop-down pick-list near the top of the page.
• Don't be late on R Day--get to New London with plenty of time to relax prior to reporting; try to come the night before and go to the various parent/cadet functions.
• Eat a good, plentiful breakfast. You'll be busy and it will be a long time until lunch!
• Be on time or, better yet, early! There's limited parking due to construction. No matter when your company is to report, go early to the line-up while each company is taken in. You will be greeting lots of friends and cheering each other on to the envy of those reporting who look “lost” and don't know anybody. Now, that will feel good!
• Be as mobile (and comfortable) as possible. Bring your uniforms on hangers in a good (i.e., reliable) garment bag with a sturdy shoulder strap. We purchased James' at the academy exchange with the academy logo ahead of time and it was great for this. Exchange contact info: http://www.uscga.edu/campus/bookstore.aspx
• Be prepared to do a lot of standing in line, waiting, carrying a heavy load, and quick goodbyes. Do all of your serious talking before you get there. You will be taking your fourth class photo and swearing in later in the day, so there is a lot of shuffling about. Fortunately, you're used to it.
• Bring as many uniform and uniform items as possible and remember what you brought. Make a list. This will save money charged to your white card and avoid duplication. (Expect some duplication: this is the military; avoid what you can.) You get white card money back in the long run so keep charges there down whenever you can.
• Don't bring winter dress uniforms. You won't need these at New London. They are heavy and, if you should ever need them, you can get them sent to you later.
• The twelve pair of underwear do not have to be white. But you better bring those tacky white tube socks!
• You can expect the same-old, same-old in swab summer that you "enjoyed" at indoc but it will be easier! They'll be asking you stuff the first week or so that you most likely already learned. Review it, of course, and be solid on it.
• Come physically prepared. You know this but these insider tips will put you on the fast track. Some practice with yoga will prepare you for some unusual exercises in morning cals that require you to get into awkward positions and hold them for much longer than is comfortable. Also, if you are not a proficient swimmer, take a swimming class while on leave and swim often.
• To prep for your Eagle trip you'll be told to bring nice liberty clothes. Translation: Khakis and polos are fine.
• Also about the Eagle; if you have a fear of heights, be prepared to say "No" but be willing to try mounting "the Royal" (145') if you can. The dolphins that often accompany the ship can be seen best from there.
• If you don't have a decent camera, you'll regret it. BUT, be sure your camera is one with a strap or some means of securing it. You'll want to take it up with you so you can take a shot of your feet from aloft to send your parents AFTER you get back.
• If you wear glasses or contacts, get a copy of your current prescription to keep in your vital personal papers at all times along with a birth certificate. This in addition to whatever documents they told you to bring for the academy. Semper paratus also means have backups!
• When all classes report back to the academy, you'll be told to secure everyone in your company's signature. Some will play hard to get. BE DILIGENT and START EARLY. Do NOT fail to do this or any other order. Athletes are NOT exempt.

Also, some hints for NAPSter Coastie parents:

• First, here's the link to the USCGA Parents Association. http://uscgaparents.org/

There's a just completed FAQ link ( http://uscgaparents.org/faqs.html ) there that is very helpful and comprehensive!

• The 2010 listserv is not yet up and running. I suggest you join the 2009 listserv and watch for news about when the 2010 goes up. Your class listserv is THE BEST resource for all your questions; not your cadet!! They are much too busy.
• If there's a local chapter USCGA Parents' Association picnic for your NAPSter, make every effort to go EVEN IF your cadet can't. This is your chance to learn more about your local chapter, to get plugged in, and to start networking for all sorts of mutual benefit.
• Parents, expect your cadet to be nervous and excited! They have had a taste of what's to come, but there are still a lot of new things to worry about! Be supportive and really encourage your cadet to stay at Swab Summer until at least they go on the Eagle. That wonderful trip aboard the Eagle changed many a cadet's perspective toward the entire program--they loved it!!
• There will be a small fee to complete the processing of your cadet that is over and above what they have saved at NAPS--send that fee to the Academy early--you don't want your cadet to worry about where the fee is in their mail system.
• Get there early on R-Day for a good parking place and visit the Exchange.
• You won't want to leave the academy grounds once you secure a parking place. SO, if you have a means to place snacks and drinks in a cooler in your vehicle, it's an added convenience especially if there are younger ones accompanying you. If there is room, throw a couple of lawn chairs in. You just might be glad you did.
• Take pictures of other NAPSters and post them on any of the many photo web sites to share with NAPS parents who aren't able to make the trip. You can submit a link to your photo sites using the form at the very bottom of this page of the USCGAPA website ( http://uscgaparents.org/chapter/photos/index.html ). There aren't picture pages like you've grown to love at NAPS, sorry! But this is a fairly good alternative for sharing photos.
• Join your national and local associations right away and pitch in with your support. You get back a gravy train of rewards but our cadets reap the huge benefits of association activities.
• Currently, the dates for CGA Parent's Weekend 2006 are September 29-Oct 1. See you there!!

As usual, if you have any questions, I don't mind you emailing them directly to me ( mhollifiel@aol.com ).

Best wishes to you all!

Kaye Hollifield
Lincolnton, NC
James, NAPS 2005, CGA 2009