Coast Guard Reserve Basic Training
Candidates for the Coast Guard Reserve must complete the Coast Guard's eight week basic training program before being assigned for duty. Reservists and active duty Coast Guard personnel attend basic training at the Coast Guard Training Center in Cape May, New Jersey. The training period gives recruits a general understanding of the skills necessary for military service. Recruits also train in a particular field to support the Coast Guard's several missions around the country.
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Description
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Basic training is a mix of practical skills and classroom instruction. Classroom instruction includes an orientation into military customs, skills, Coast Guard history, and the Uniform Code of Military Justice which is the military legal system. Practical training includes exercise in extinguishing fires, learning to fire a pistol, damage control, seamanship, handling heavy lines, and using survival equipment.
Belongings
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The basic training recruit handbook indicates that only specific items are permitted while in training. For instance, personal hygiene items, phone cards, wedding bands, and a watch are some of the basic items recruits are allowed to have during basic training. Female recruits are also permitted certain items including birth control, hair ties, a hair dryer, and a minimal amount of makeup. Items considered contraband include pornographic materials, tobacco, alcohol, magazines, newspapers and food.
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Knowledge
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Recruits are required to learn basic Coast Guard knowledge. Chief among these pieces of knowledge are the 11 general orders of the Coast Guard, which each recruit must memorize. Recruits must also learn the military and nautical terminology they will use throughout their careers in the Coast Guard.
Customs and Courtesies
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Recruits also learn the proper military customs, courtesies, and bearing expected in a military environment. One of the first skills recruits may learn is the proper way to salute a superior officer and the correct way to address other military personnel. For example, commissioned officers are addressed by their rank or "Sir" or "Ma'am" as appropriate. Enlisted personnel are addressed by their rank. Recruits also learn rank structures and their chain of command.
Physical Fitness
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Like all the other branches of the nation's military, the Coast Guard emphasizes physical fitness. Recruits are expected to meet a series of physical standards in order to graduate from basic training. For instance, male recruits must complete 29 push-ups in one minute, 38 sit ups in one minute, run 1 1/2 miles in less than 12:51, and pass a swim test. Female recruits are required to complete 15 push-ups in one minute, 32 sit ups in one minute, run 1 1/2 miles in less than 15:26, and also complete a swim test.
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References
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