Dining Out

Yesterday evening, the Detachment had its Dining Out event, which we do once a semester. For this event, all detachment members wear our dress uniforms, or the civilian equivalent suit and tie or cocktail dress and go out to dinner. We invite leadership from the Auxiliary to participate with us by sharing in a night that celebrates our hard work during the semester in a less formal atmosphere than our graduation ceremony.

The dinner was delicious, but more importantly, it was a wonderful opportunity for detachment members to sit and eat with each other. One particular event that happened at our table was that one member ordered an appetizer that he found unappealing. Another detachment member switched appetizers with him, making the end result that both members had enjoyable appetizers. Teamwork is not something that stays within the confines of a classroom or teaching environment. Instead, teamwork is a principle that we must each live in our daily lives with each other.

At my table, we were privileged to have our Flotilla Commander, Jim Clark, and our esteemed incoming Flotilla Staff Officer in charge of the Detachment, Todd Egnor. They both have extensively traveled, and some of the new detachment members were able to learn about experiences with the Coast Guard outside of the continental United States from these knowledgeable men. In particular, Mr. Egnor told us about his first experience working on the Barque Eagle. He was meeting the Eagle in a South American country to join the cruise, and he described his first view of the Eagle was from a top-floor outdoors restuarant overlooking the ocean. He said it was the coolest experience, knowing that the beautiful ship sailing into the harbor was his ride.

All in all, it was a wonderful evening. I love that this is a tradition of the Detachment!

Over a Few Pints...

I want to share a story from earlier this week. On Wednesday, after the detachment meeting, Andrew, Steph, and I went over to the Green Leafe to get a few drinks. When there, we ran into a whole bunch of both active and reserve Coasties who were in town for a conference on the Incident Command System. They were so interested to learn about what we were doing with the detachment program, discussed what they were do with the Coast Guard, and offered us help with the detachment. The lieutenant commander even sat down and bought us a pitcher!

This was not the only time that I have come across such caring among the Coast Guard. A few months ago during the district conference (Virginia, North Carolina, and Maryland), I was able to see the interaction between active duty and auxiliary Coasties. Everyone took an interest in the Detachment program, which they all believed was a great opportunity and wanted to know about exporting it beyond the College to other universities around the United States.

These two instances, along with the genuine sincerity among my fellow detachment and flotilla members, illustrate the bonds that are present in the Coast Guard family.

Enjoy the Super Bowl and/or the Men's Australian Open Finals!!!