A little over three months ago, I loaded up my car and headed off on a grand adventure. It’s almost humorous for me to be writing this because the most common question I heard when I arrived: “How did you end up here?” Well let me tell you- I don’t know whether or not it’s because both of my grandpa’s served in WWII, my cousin and boyfriend currently serve, or the fact that I absolutely love history and the freedoms we have benefitted from living in this country. But, I’ve always had this feeling that someday I would be serving those who serve us. Why the Coast Guard Training Center in Petaluma, CA? Honestly, it’s just where I ended up after months of submitting resumes and completing phone interviews; so, only God can answer that question.
Whatever the reason is that I ended up here, it has been such a great learning and growing experience for me! Personally I learned to live on my own, away from everyone and everything I knew, away from my close knit support system, away from weather that made sense to me, and normal civilization. The base is located about 30min west of the nearest town, and I say town because that is all it is. We are completely surrounded by farmlands and vineyards, no matter where you look there will be rolling hills and cows. This was a drastic change of scenery to my normal Mesa, Arizona life of neighborhood streets and mountain views. People on base are generally friendly, but you must make an effort to talk to them more than the passing “hello.” Which took a lot for me at first because I was still getting used to the new lifestyle of eating when told, dealing with marching formations, and knowing how to address people correctly. Eventually I got the hang of it and have made some amazing friends and networks during my time here, I am almost sad to leave and say goodbye.
Professionally this internship has given me a huge step in the right direction! Within my first week here I was exposed to upper management meetings and briefings, at the time they felt a bit overwhelming, but now I can look back at the notes I took and have the knowledge to accompany them. Every single planning meeting I had the opportunity to leave my mark on, I made sure I did. Once I got over the fear of sharing my ideas, I ended up having a positive impact on the advertising and marketing campaigns for events and promotions within the MWR. I was trusted enough to have a master key to my office building. As well as being given the annual Easter event all to myself, planning for 300 people, with a limited budget. I have seen and been a part of the effort of planning and implementing large and small scale events. Each day I was taught something new, and if I made a mistake I was given positive reinforcement and the opportunity to fix it efficiently and correctly.
Specific growth examples during my time here include many episodes of trial and error. When creating the website I had to spend hours formatting the html to look exactly the way my supervisor had described in his vision. While ordering all of my supplies for the Easter event, I used Fun Express as my supplier. My supervisor has an account with them, and has used them for the last few years for holiday parties. He had yet to have issues with them, which seems to be the perfect reason that anything that could go wrong for me, did. I had to call and change the quantity of my order twice because when it went through on the internet something in their computer system changed the price per quantity at the same time I was ordering. Then when I finally received my order, toys I needed for the Easter baskets were missing. So I called back again, luckily they allowed me to add on to the order for all of the trouble I had. It wasn’t all bad trial and error though; my designs for marketing and advertising were accepted (with and without modifications) and are now utilized around the base. The online calendar I created has been added to the mandatory list of places for the MWR events to be advertised; I also held a training session on how to update and add events to the calendar.
During my time here the Coast Guard implemented new weight standards. It was great for me to see because it reinforced multiple things I had been taught in classes about the need for recreation. The new program offers, personal fitness training, group fitness training, meal plans, as well as spiritual and emotional wellness opportunities. Often when dealing with recreation you will be referred to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, which is a pyramid, starting from bottom to top: Basic Needs, Safety Needs, Love/Belonging, Esteem, and finally Self-Actualization. In the Coast Guard the basic and safety needs are taken care of through a steady job, paycheck, and benefits. Love and belonging are gained through friendships, family, and in the Coast Guard’s sense- duty to one another. Esteem in the Coast Guard has much to do with their rank, but even more their passion for their job and sense of fulfillment and respect given by others. The last item, Self-Actualization, has to do with a person’s own morality, problem solving abilities, and is sometimes referred to as peak experiences.
Learning the history behind my department (MWR) also allowed me to learn the history of the Coast Guard, and I absolutely love the Guardian Ethos: “I am America’s maritime guardian. I will serve the citizens of the United States. I will protect them. I will defend them. I will save them. I am their shield. For them I am Semper Paratus. I live the Coast Guard core values. I am a guardian. We are the United States Coast Guard.” Within this specialized community, I have been able to see how recreational opportunities can enhance this guardian spirit. Seemingly simple opportunities for them to get off base and enjoy something such as skiing or a baseball game, is in no short an escape for them. Recreation uplifts the spirit and morale, and without it, where would our guardians be? It comes as no surprise to me, after living in this environment, that “espirt de corps” is an item of high importance for all military commands.
All of my supervisors took me out to Olive Garden on Thursday for my "goodbye lunch." They were so nice, they even gave me one of those reloadable debit cards for gas money to get me home! Then today, I recieved an official letter of appreciation from the base commander, Captain Hall, complete with a TRACEN Petaluma Folder and Commander's Coin! It was really awesome.
