NEW LONDON — North Stonington resident Lucy Smith stood in the cavernous space of Roland Hall on Monday surrounded by her fellow "swabs" as she prepared to shed her civilian life and begin the journey toward becoming a Coast Guard officer.
Smith, a 17-year-old Wheeler High School graduate and new Golf Platoon member, was one of 301 men and women of the Class of 2027 slated to arrive at the mist-shrouded campus for Day One of Swab Summer.
"This was the only military academy I applied for," Smith said. "I just want adventure."
In preparation for the 200-week, four-year cadet training program, Smith said she created her own fitness regime that included 90 miles of running each month and completing a half-marathon.
"Before every meal, I'd do 20 push-ups and seven pull-ups," she said soon after her platoon finished its check-in tasks. "My dad and brother both went through the academy, and they offered some advice. But I wanted to do this on my own."
For the next seven weeks, Smith and her fellow swabs will be put through a training program designed to strip away civilian habits and instill the kinds of leadership traits future officers are expected to possess.
Rear Adm. Michael Johnston, recently sworn in as the academy's 43rd superintendent, said his mission is to ensure the prospective cadets become "leaders with integrity."
"It's not about power, but completing the goal and mission of always being ready," he said, referencing the branch's motto. "On my own Day One, I came here as a natural introvert, nervous and scared that I wasn't going to make it. But on that first day, I met an extroverted classmate who helped me out of my comfort zone. I learned I was not alone."
The Class of 2027 is 37% female with another 34% coming from underrepresented minority groups, including eight from other countries. On average, about 93% of incoming swabs graduate and become officers.
As part of Monday's breaking-down-and-building-up phase, male swabs filed into the Chase Hall barber shop. While newbies waited for one of the five chairs to open, their platoon leaders — cadets entering their third year — wasted no time in correcting any signs of laxness.
Swabs, arms at right angles, held up copies of the "Running Light," the 139-page cadet handbook, while cadre members barked out a running series of orders related to foot placement, eye contact and verbal responses.
In the barber shop, Jackson Bauer, 18, watched as long hanks of his hair tumbled to the floor, a process lead barber Sandy Sullivan said usually takes about 10 minutes from start to shaved head.
"My wresting coach told me to grow (my hair) out before I came," said Bauer, a South Hampton, N.J., native. "He said it'd be more fun this way."
After uniform issue (two caps, obstacle course gloves, boat shoes and boots and other items), swab platoons marched to the Washington Parade Field where they were introduced to the pivot-and-plant rules of close-order drill.
This year's Swab Summer program served as an experiment of sorts, said First Class Cadet Emma Hupp, the cadre's battalion commander. The head cadet said the yelling and in-your-face exchanges that marked past first week exchanges between swab and cadre are largely — but not completely — being delayed a few days to allow newcomers a chance to acclimate.
"It's a way to reduce injuries, like shin splints, and increase safety," Hupp said. "We've got swabs coming in from across the country and overseas, many that might not be used to Connecticut climate."
Hupp, who conceded she's not a "big yeller," said the new roll-out process saw "good success" after being introduced at the Coast Guard's Cape May enlisted training center.
Mystic resident and new swab Luke Lambert, 17, said the academy was the only institution he applied to after graduating from Robert E. Fitch High School earlier this year.
"My dad is retired Navy and my sister is in the ( U.S. Secret Service), so the family has a history of service," he said. "I wanted to do something similar to what my dad did, without doing the exact same thing."
As swabs rotated through unfamiliar hallways, many of their parents gathered in Leamy Hall to await an afternoon swearing-in ceremony. Janet Hinson flew in from Seattle to accompany her son, Eli, for his Swab Summer start.
She said her son previously attended an academy summer program that gives prospective cadets a taste of what life as a cadet entails.
"Eli came out after and told me this is where he wanted to go," Hinson said. "When I asked why, he said this was all about humanitarian missions."
Hinson, who said she'd been "unapologetically crying a lot," on Monday, referenced her battle with Stage 4 cancer, along with the lessons she and her family were forced to learn.
"It's about knowing that no matter how hard something is, it isn't forever," she said. "And it's not chemotherapy."
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