Finished With Engines (Part II of II)

     Once you get through the first license test, you know what to expect. With anxieties lowered, all you need to focus on in the material. And if you do not feel confident in the performance of your test, never look back once the test is over. I invoked this principle several times when classmates asked me about specific questions on exams that were already done. Triple-check your work: Transpositions of answers can sink an otherwise stellar performance. If you think you failed, count the number of questions you have no idea about (100% wrong), then add those questions you guessed between two choices (66% wrong), and figure out how many you are uncertain about (33% wrong). Add these up, with the proper proportions. When the final results came out, I was surprised by how accurate my metric served me. Call it Sawatzki’s Rule. 

     Monday was dedicated to Diesel engines, the primary mode of propulsion of merchant ships. The easiest subject was Safety, which I studied for. This was advantageous, as I finished first and had plenty of time to study for the next test, Generals. The toughest exam was Generals, and Electrical was an unexpected blessing. The final two exams were on Steam propulsion, which is present on older vessels, as well as in niche applications such as liquid gas carriers and nuclear ships. The class expected to do well, as much of our classroom instruction focused on elements of steam systems, from turbine design to thermodynamics.  

     On the final test, I did a full triple-check. This was the end, and there was no need to rush. Most engineering midshipmen pass all tests on the first round, but sometimes it is quite arbitrary who fails a single test. I bided my time by packing my belongings to take home. Lunch was catered from Chipotle, which was enjoyed by all. We were told to report to Wiley Hall at 2pm for the results to be posted, but there was a bit of a delay. During the meanwhile, classmates talked with nervous anticipation, never making plans for next week (so as to avoid a ‘jinx’). Results were posted just a few minutes before 4pm. 85% passed all seven tests the first time, and another 10% had one test to remediate in the next week. My parents had traveled from DC for the bell-ringing ceremony, so the stakes were raised on me passing the first time. Which I did: a low of 79 on Generals, and a high of 100 on Safety. 

     My mood was a bit subdued, in solidarity with those who were retaking their tests on the following Wednesday. But for those who were truly uncertain about their results, a passing result was cause for immense celebration. To me, ringing the bell was an effort in maintaining old traditions, tethered by my parents’ wish of a solemn event, despite efforts of the Academy’s administration to formalize, and tame, the occasion.

  

     After the bell was rung, and the tassel removed for the sake of peace-and-quiet, the local park was filled with gleeful seniors who earned their stripe. After sunset, the convoy filled the local firemens’ outfit. I had a fine dinner with my family in Roslyn, but upon the advice of my company officer, a 1977 graduate, I made sure to spend time afterwards with my Kings Point family of classmates. With the significant number of seniors beginning their travel on the next day, the celebrations ended fairly early, to the pleasure of the “townies” in Great Neck.  

All Boilers Firing (Part I of II)

The final trimester started in March with General Dempsey’s visit to the Academy, followed by St. Patrick’s Day and a celebration for 100 nights before graduation, all in the same week. License preparation books had been issued at the start of the year, and had been referenced on occasion to study for tests in other practical engineering courses.  But for now, the spiral-bound books, 1000 pages in total, sat on the shelf, as license exams were safely 75 days away. There were exact reasons why the festivities were packed into one week: Capstone and License Prep.

For senior-class engineers, Capstone in the third trimester is the culmination of a year’s worth of research, calculations and reports. Third trimester gives the opportunity to finish up on tasks left incomplete before Spring Break, as well as preparation of a presentation to industry specialists. We finished on April 9^th, and, with known intentions, the pace of License Prep picked up to fill the void.

The challenging part of License Prep was weekly tests. As engineers, you would aim to score an ‘A’ on Monday each week. That meant an exemption from the Wednesday test, so you had a full two extra days to study ahead for the next section of material. As we got acclimated to the material, the pages of studying each week increased from 40, to 60, to 80, and then 110 pages per week. Over the course of these 9 weeks, I took a day off for a high school reunion, and then a Saturday evening in the final week. Almost every waking hour was committed to productive use in the classroom, in the books, playing sports, eating, or it was mourned as lost. Midshipmen you never knew as studious were found in the library. As I had a private room, I took advantage of the sunlight and turned a dresser beneath the windowsill into a desk.     

As I mention in my last post, the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy is the only federal academy whose graduates must take these tests. In exchange, from the 1940’s to 2012, graduates received the equivalent of a warfare pin two years before junior officers from other academies. While graduates of the other academies had a relatively easy semester academically, and were now on “Post Graduation leave”, we were hunched over those license preparation books in our rooms, the library, or in the outdoor sun.  Saturdays were happy study days, as you’d feel as if you were prudent, and always hoped to get far ahead enough to enjoy the evening off-campus.

 Our license prep coordinator then prescribed a dose of rest and relaxation during Memorial Day Weekend, which started on Thursday evening after final exams. That was favorable news that I and a number of classmates took with a grain of salt. It was Fleet Week in New York. Haze gray ships were in the harbor, and Blue Angels were flying over the South Shore of Long Island. A question arose about saluting graduates of the same class, who happened to have an earlier commissioning ceremony. A bit of research uncovered that, in a change from days of old, Naval Academy graduates now share the same official commissioning date as NROTC graduates from other colleges.  

That rest and relaxation was anticipation for “self-disciplined 12-hour days” of studying. During the following week, I read through those three spiral-bound books again. I then read old notes, took practice tests, and read good textbooks on pertinent subjects: electric motors, diesel engines, and refrigeration. I even took a look at the sea projects I completed while sailing the world as a cadet. A strange mood enshrouded the senior class. We knew that the underclassmen were enjoying the sunlit evenings and neon nights with weekend passes, but we had a mission to pass these license tests that were 6-5-4-3 days away.  I never “talk shop” in the dining hall, but that was most of what I heard this week. To break the heavy mood, I’d ensure that I sat with a “deckie” major for meals, since we had no tests in common, and therefore had to talk of more pleasant things.

Eventually, it was Sunday night. I confided that I did the best I could with time I had to study, and said a prayer. License Week is when regrets come to hit, if you have blown away time. I prepared the materials I needed for the test ahead of time; placing calculator, ID, pencils, eraser, and a straight-edge in a Ziploc bag. In the morning, I gave fifteen cents to the Amphitrite Fountain, an age-old tradition. Someone had loaded the fountain with rubber duckies, each bearing the message “Good Luck”. That was a pleasant touch. We flocked under the Truxton Archade, and savored the moment, since one should not start a test in fear. We were about to cross a bridge that each graduating class has crossed, and complete the transition from midshipman to mariner. It was 7:45am on June 1^st, and we were ready to win this final game.

If I ran Annapolis

First, we should strike at the notion of the four-year do-as-you-please degree. Nowhere in the Code of Federal Regulations is Annapolis required to give history degrees. If you wish to study history, visit the library, which is open every day except Saturday. We will become a career-focused college, so kiss your physics degree goodbye. The Navy hires young brainiacs from MIT to figure that stuff out. You will finish three years on campus together as a class, then as you choose your warfare community, you will spend senior year learning your job. Surface Warriors will attend Kings Point in New York; Aviators will go to Embry-Riddle, and so forth. You can all come back to Annapolis for graduation day, unless duty calls. But first, second-semester seniors need to learn to keep their heads down, so we’ll give them a grand finale of tests right before graduation. Some of you like to play Division One Sports, and wish to be on campus for four years to do that. Well, let me tell you that you picked the wrong school if you’re here for sports. The needs of the service come first. Besides, you can apply all that free time to academics or the brigade.

There are a handful of exceptional midshipmen who do not enter one of the five big warfare communities. They go into intelligence, medicine, and graduate school, and will spend their senior year in Annapolis. As the last handful of seniors residing on campus, they can reminisce with older alumni about how things used to be in the past. Some of the dorm space left over will be used to house students of the new United States Public Service Academy. They’re the civilian-attired classmates in your classes. But there are benefits for you: Some more rooms will be given to midshipman officers to sprawl out. Also, If you like your roommates, you can keep them all year. Other dorms will be locked up, and become the source of ghost stories.

Month-long summer vacations are decadence that can be used to ready you for the fleet. For example, you Surface Warriors take a 6-week course after graduation. That should be completed as a midshipman, and you’ll still have two free summer vacations. To meet academic requirements from the Navy, the Coast Guard, and the United Nations, you will do some correspondence projects while on your training cruises. Make sure that your officer knows that it’s important that these projects get done; they should know not to work you more than 12 hours per day, so you have time to do your homework in the wardroom.

Plebes should learn how to handle mop and broom. You are never too busy, and there is dignity in all work. Midshipmen should say good-bye to Tricare benefits, and be required to carry their own insurance policy. They should also save up for senior year, when they might have to pay exorbitant New York rates. You should also learn how to fill out a worker’s comp. form, in case they are injured while playing sports. Be careful, though, as a bad-timed injury will cost you a fifth year at the Academy. Get used to more deep-fried food in the dining hall. It’s easier to cook, and saves money. Since you’re all active young men and women, you’ll be able to burn off the grease during the day. On that note, morning PT will be mandatory, since not everyone’s been going to the gym.

Johnson’s Rule of Scheduling states that Bancroft Hall (the dormitory) should be utilized year-round, and experience from Kings Point shows that teachers can teach 11 months per year, instead of 9 months. One-third of your class should do their summer training during Christmastime, while taking classes during the summer. Your superintendents should rotate on a 17-month cycle; likewise, other faculty and staff should retire or move on midway through the semester, since it’s easier to keep the classroom momentum going. To quickly implement changes without support of longtime staff, there are two phrases you need to know: “It’s WRONG!”, and if you need further explanation, mention the “Culture of Complicity”.

Some of these proposals are definitely controversial to those accustomed to doing things a certain way. As future military leaders, you have to adapt to changing situations. Annapolis, after all, is a leadership laboratory. That said, you also get to keep some of your quaint and arcane traditions that do not serve a training purpose, like climbing the Herndon statue. Make sure you do it in dress attire, to promote good order and discipline. As an outsider, you have to be mindful of existing institutions and cultural traditions. Risk of conflict is why it’s rare for the big-three service academies to let outsiders lead. Some of you brass captains have a length of rope, and wish you knew how to tie a knot around my neck. Here’s a deal: I’ll leave your Academy alone if you let my Academy keep doing its own thing.

Reclaiming Earth

It’s been 45 years since the first Earth Day. Look outside at the blue sky and clear water, and imagine life half a century ago. Look on YouTube, and you can find old films of rivers catching on fire from the sheer concentration of chemicals at the surface of the water. Find videos of Pittsburgh in heavy smog. Love Canal was associated with cancer. How did people allow this to happen? Wartime necessity demanded guns and materials. High marginal costs came at the expense of not just dollars, but public health. In the UK, London’s killer smogs of the 1950’s were a result of burning low-quality coal at home, a holdover from the war days. Suburban living offered an escape from city pollution. For the most part, environmental issues were handled at a local level, and by the initiative of local citizens wanting to protect quality of life. For one, President Eisenhower believed that river pollution was a state issue. Without environmental regulations, business and citizens entered a guns-versus-butter debate that sometimes required local sacrifice for economic good of full employment. | Even to social justice advocates of the early 1960’s, environmentalism was not an important onjective. In fact, focus on environmental issues was seen as a middle and upper class “distraction” from the civil rights issues of education, housing, employment, public accommodation, and voting. Along the decade, though, it became clear that environmentalism could cure aspects of injustice, including health disparities. In 1962, Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring brought attention to the unabated problem of pollution. What is the point of amenities if you can’t enjoy nature? Faced with the prospect of new or increased pollution regulations, a number of big-time polluters were willing to take low-cost measures such as smokestack filters, though they most certainly tried to shirk liability for previous damages. Lean manufacturing methods, developed in Japan, meant less waste and more reuse of raw materials, benefiting both the earth and the company’s bottom line. | Fast forward to today. To some greens, the deindustrialization of America is not the problem; it’s a solution. To some, the auto bailouts of GM and Chrysler represented everything wrong with car culture. Kswami Sawant, a Socialist elected to the Seattle City Council, calling for Boeing to retool its factories to make mass transit vehicles. (Boeing actually tried that in the 1970’s, but were unable to make good light rail trains). | Freeways were one visible aspect of the environmental movement. Providing efficiency to many, but unpleasantness to neighbors, they incarnated the guns-versus-butter debate on environmentalism. Just outside of Washington, DC, two miles of the Capital Beltway was built through an aquatic ecosystem without environmental review or engineered protections in the early 1960’s. In New York, Robert Moses came fairly close to putting a freeway through the Cast Iron District of SoHo. | Give the people clean water and good parks, and you’ll win support. Regulate citizens’ lifestyles, from bag taxes to mandatory recycling, and you can lose support fast. Ordinary citizens have certain limits on environmental rules that affect their way of life. In Maryland, chicken farmers were miffed about an impending law that would end the long-standing practice of using chicken manure for fertilizing fields, on account of ammonia run-off concerns. A so-called “Rain tax” on asphalt parking lots and driveways led to the election of a Republican governor there. This past legislative session in Virginia, the use of wood-burning stoves became an inalienable right. | What do we understand now that we didn’t 50 years ago? Resources are finite. Chemical and pH balances of stream are essential to the survival of fish and amphibian animals. Tilt this gentle balance, and you lose your ecosystem. In an era where business interests lead government, we need to hold leaders accountable for protecting swamps and wilderness for peoples’ enjoyment. Today, an educated person can make an argument for abolishing or curtailing the roles of the EPA, and not be chased off stage. This fact speaks for how far we’ve come in the stewardship of our environment. Reference: “Give Earth a Chance”, Adam Rome

The Tattoos They Wear

When my dad was a kid, the only time he’d see tattooed people showing off their ink was at the circus or the waterfront. When tiki restaurants passed for the exotic. Times may have changed, but sailors are still sailors. Richard Henry Dana wrote about the spray-soaked life of sailors on wooden ships in his 1840’s book “Two Years Before the Mast”. The dawn of the steel-built steamship literally took some salt of the occupation, but enabled a sailor to visit more ports of call in a career. Today, containerization cut down on port time, and placed ships miles from the city. Some would say the “professionalization” of the seafaring occupation- recognizing the shipboard workplace for the industrial environment that it is- affected the culture onboard ships. Indeed, increased training requirements meant that your shipmates were more likely family men and women looking to pay bills than young men pursuing exotic adventures. We will call the bygone time the “pre-Valdez era”; or what some older sailors call the “golden days”. I got to know many tattooed sailors. In one case, a full-body tattoo; in other cases, tattoos gotten under impaired judgment, and a lot of Sailor Jerry images. I don’t have any ink, but here are some guidelines for young sailors interested in the art: Faux Pas -Landlubbing plebes should not have anchors or compasses. Prior Navy and avid sailboatmen have earned the privilege. -Do not get a tattoo with your class year, because it could change (You might as well call it a jinx). -Swim class is a two-trimester requirement. Get a good artist. -Hangers and rubber stamps are for hanging and marking clothes, respectively. Do not use them as branding irons. It won’t make a cool story, either. Most common tattoos? Compass Rose Anchor Quotes from famous soldiers Family Crest Meat Tag (random selection of torso tattoos, often started in high school). Least popular tattoos? Tribal tattoos. Take up prime skin on biceps better used for nautical ink. Wisecrack tattoos. Even sailors know that jokes get old. Mom-in-a-heart tattoos. Mothers prefer a phone call. Saltiest element? Forgetting where the shirt sleeves end. Academy and Navy regulations do not allow tattoos to be visible in short sleeves. Solution? Wear a bigger shirt. Ink that is visible through white uniform. With two months to graduation, my classmates and I are grappling with what type of sea career each of us desires: More time to be with family Stateside, or more time in foreign ports? 25-year pensions or sea stories? Smaller crew with more responsibility, or larger crew with a less hectic pace? These decisions can change. Tattoos from Saesabo, Japan? In some way or another, they last forever.

Alternative Spring Break

One day last week, it was 80 degrees warm in Miami, just a two day’s drive south from New York to the end of Interstate 95. Instead of this appealing adventure, I spent time in DC with family. Here is what I did: Take Account It does not get easier than if you’ve done it before. On a previous break, I had put my writings and musical compositions into a filing cabinet. I’m pretty impressed that so much of it made the trip from the Saint Thomas Choir School in New York, and survived up to a decade in shoeboxes. Some works are not yet accounted for: these are digital files currently on my brother’s thumb drive. They have passed through two generations of computers at home, as well. Replicate Fire is man’s best friend and fiercest enemy. Over the ages, too many creative thoughts have been lost to fire, whether by accident or intention. However, it is becoming common practice for artists and writers to preserve minor works, perhaps inspired by the bidding wars on great artists’ scraps of paper. Poet Allen Ginsberg, for example, published a work containing several drafts of his controversial poem “Howl”. More likely than fire, there will be the accidental “oops” moment that a box of sentimental papers get thrown into the dumpster. “Papers” are emphasized, since it’s less likely for grandma’s knick knacks to be tossed. The best remedy is to have a duplicate. Binders are a good investment. It is worth the five dollars to be able to keep papers in order. It took some time to copy the odd-sized sheets of musical composition, but I feel good that I have duplicates. Giuseppe Verdi By my mother’s recommendation, I am watching a seven-part series on the 19th century composer Giuseppe Verdi. He is best known for a series of operas, from La Troubadour to Aida, and even non-opera goers will recognize some of the arias. Living a long life, his Italy went from Napoleonic control, to Austrian control, to independence. A national figure who gave Italy its national anthem, his funeral in 1901 was filmed on early motion picture. After gaining some success in his opera works, Verdi owned managed agricultural lands in his family’s provincial home town. Recreation Spring break gave me the right conditions to stretch the leg muscles. While the beginning of this past winter was alright in New York, February’s 28 days were chilly: 25 degrees Fahrenheit was a warm day. Indeed, Long Island Sound, a brackish body of water, was frozen, asides from a shipping channel. The ice at the edge of the Sound measured 8 inches thick at Kings Point, sturdy enough for the first game of ice hockey on campus. Although I am no fan of treadmills, only using them while on ships, I came to accept them as a necessary fitness measure during this cold February. DC’s more temperate 40’s to 50’s weather allowed me to enjoy the outdoors again. Sleep When finals week comes, I willingly sacrifice sleeping hours on the promise that I’ll make them up on the following week of break. So sleeping I have done: no alarm clocks. Discovery No secret to locals, Virginia has been eating the DC region’s lunch when it comes to economic growth. Seeing is believing. The first sign was the increase of reverse-commuting on my Interstate 66 (no relationship to the legendary Western road). Next came the towers of suburban Tyson’s Corner. They spring up organically, and resemble a modern skyline of an Asian metropolis. Then came sustainable transportation: Last summer, the Metrorail’s Silver Line, an elevated subway line, arrived. I took my first ride this spring break, to the thriving Tyson’s Corner Mall. I enjoyed sampling espresso at Nespresso’s store, and was surprised by the store’s brisk patronage. Being ahead of the times, Tyson’s Corner Mall is now both the anchor of a transit-oriented community, in addition to its role as a megamall.

Senior Year in 7 Easy Steps

If you are a plebe, prospective plebe, or plebe parent, check out this link for “Plebe Year in 8 Easy Steps”: http://www.serviceacademyforums.com/index.php?threads/year-one-at-kings-point-in-8-easy-bearable-phases.20218/ Plebes, don’t worry about the little details in here, it will befuddle your mind. Focus on short-term goals, and keep the big picture in mind. For others, read on. Congratulations! You have 36 months under your belt. Sea Year really did help to break up the time. You haven’t been on campus for a full year since plebedom, so the next 350 days might seem a bit long. But at least you know that you’ll have shore leave…(liberty is the landlubbing plebe word for it)…on the weekends. The stages below do not apply to Straight Deck majors. Those lucky 50 are rumored to and even sometimes feel bored. The time that others spend studying can be applied to networking with recent alumni on weekday nights. Yes, the shipping industry still retains some of the Mad-Men era charm of neat-dressed weeknight dinners with contacts. Joy When you get back from summer duties in July (or, if you’re lucky, summer break), pack a nice suit and tie, a Hawaiian shirt, and a favorite mai tai glass. Pick a roommate that you will share this year’s adventures with. You’ll need to start the year off on a good foot. Luau, Ring Dance, and 300 Nights await you in the first 30 days back. You’ll meet old friends from the other ‘split’ that you haven’t seen in 2 years. Soccer players will meet their wrestler friends. Old roommates reunite and forget the trivial trifles of the past. What a joy. “Ring Dance” is a rite of passage. I had a classmate, set-back from the Class of 2014 for a dubious reason. He was privileged to wear his class ring, and we could only wait to cross the bar. Leading up to this weekend, the plebes cheer the senior class on. I won’t go into deep detail, so that future classes can enjoy the mystique surrounding the weekend. As a dinner dance whose origins came from a different era of earlier elopement and marriage, there is a shortage of young women, and ladies from the second class are certain to receive an invitation. Then you have “300 nights”, paid for by class fundraising over the past 2 years, is the afterglow to the aura of “Ring Dance”. You have the freedom of choice. After sea projects are graded, most set-backs to the next graduating class, or dismissals, are the result of personal behavior. This contrasts with the plebe days, when even good students closely monitored their grade point averages to prevent the set-back. That said, a midshipman (other than perhaps the straight deckie) will fail classes if he or she uses all the liberty granted to seniors. Disillusionment Many faculty members are Kings Point graduates themselves, and live vicariously each year at this time. They will also cut the Senior class some slack so as to allow for full enjoyment of these events. But this first month comes to an end, and the faculty members remember their higher calling to uphold the academic reputation of the Academy. Project deadlines in quick succession, and tests, quizzes, and lab reports. For most engineers, first trimester senior year is the most difficult of them. There are times that I looked at the silver ring on my finger and thought about how I received in on credit. I would not earn the metal until graduation day: (for example, the Naval Academy limits midshipmen to wearing the class ring for 15 days after their ring dance). This lustrium ring is the battle ring, and worn day-to-day. The gold ring is for festive or solemn occasions, and retains an air of high dignity. Fall break allows Seniors 5 business days to catch up on unfinished business. While most beaks between trimesters are for pure R&R- no books- the Capstone project for engineers is a rare course that continues through two trimesters. Living in the Moment Under the trimester system, the 2nd trimester is chop-sueyed. It begins right at Veteran’s Day, stops two weeks later for Thanksgiving, resumes for three weeks, then cuts off for the Christmas and Hanukah holidays. Because of my engagement with the Choir and other activities, it was a busy time for me; a few late nights as well. But it was manageable, and temporary. Formal meals in Dress Blues and gold ring, swilled with egg nog. Christmas decorations in the barracks, and the 172 foot flagpole decked out in lights. As plebes, you go out on every liberty in Dress Blues, which I feel diminishes a younger midshipman’s reverence for this uniform. The city is festive this time of year, and most plebes enjoy the season as well. Grin and Bear Most of my high school friends were out-of-town for the Christmas break, so as far as social life, I was ready to go back to the Academy after running down my Christmas to-do list, and spending sufficient time with family. New Year’s was a festive occasion; because 2015 will be the year I graduate and start a career. The universal response to how long the break was: “too short”. Amazingly, you’re halfway through the trimester at this point. If you did well in classes up to this point, you have a solid footing. But the last 9 weeks of the trimester will come at you fast. Perhaps a snow day will give you time to finish up on homework. You have come to terms with the social contract of Senior life: work for the prize. Graduation is ‘just’ six months away. To convenience hard-studying Seniors, some beer-hearty midshipmen enjoy the privilege of pub night- yes, beer and wine on campus, and for seniors only. This is an anachronism and tradition that only small colleges have today. At the Academies which have it, the pub is a force protection measure: Based on research at the larger service academies, it was shown that an on-campus pub reduced DUIs (and subsequent expulsion from the Academy). Again, straight deckies will serenade the night away, and engineers tend to come in for a nightcap after 9:30pm. Deckie midshipmen look forward to the two three-day weekends before spring break. For southerners, and future Texas, the ski slopes of New England are particularly appealing. For the Class of 2015, it will be the first time to enjoy the Super Bowl in its entirety off-campus. For many, it will be the first Super Bowl as trusted adults. Last Hurrah As a plebe, spring break was a liberating experience: a time spent with newfound friends. The privileges of recognition were right around the corner, and regimentally-oriented Senior was foolish to enforce all but the most important plebe rules after Spring Break. As a second classman, spring break was a 3-day weekend between exams and the 3rd trimester on account of government shutdown earlier in the year. For Senior Year, it will be the last break as college students, and the last break that everyone is “available” for. After graduation, many go their own ways. The Deckies had laughed for the past 2 years, but they know that crying is around the corner… license prep. Victory is for the Prepared The midshipman’s 12th trimester is abbreviated, and ends around Memorial Day. This short trimester covers unfinished odds and ends. For me, this includes Naval Science and Firefighting. The short trimester is not so much as a congratulation for making it so far, but as preparation for what is ahead. There are some privileges for attending Kings Point over other Service Academies, but an easy exit is not one for Kings Pointers. Celebrations and TGIFs get quieter as this final trimester moves on. I predict that my 22nd birthday in mid-April will be one of those last Saturday evenings in Manhattan. What is the big deal? Coast Guard licensing: the final judgment week. It is possible to memorize the answer to every question, but the books are just too thick! You will have to rely on fundamentals. For midshipmen who have diligently paid their dues Senior Year, Preparation Week for Coast Guard License tests is just studying for a big test. For the others, it can be sleepless nights. The goal is to pass all tests on the first try, so that you can ring the bell of victory with all your classmates. In a turn of fate, Engineers are more likely than deckies to pass on the first time. In past years, I made pocket cash by driving victorious seniors to and from local watering holes. One teacher remarked that this night was the only time in his life he over-imbibed. Take into heart the term “Be Smart”. Don’t do anything stupid. Midshipmen have had their hearts broken through over-exuberance. You are too close to throw it all away. By the way, Coast Guard Cadets don’t take these licensing exams as a prerequisite to graduation. Satisfaction You finished. Share it with friends and family. Plan your choreography, and take a victory trip to Manhattan. When you get to your first “real” job- the one with a real paycheck- you’ll experience the sunken-stomach feeling of feeling inept: of being at the bottom of the totem pole. But now’s not the time to think about it. Look at the 18-year old incoming plebe candidates of the Class of 2019, and look in the mirror. See how far you’ve come.