The U.S. Coast Guard Academy Class of 2019 reports to the campus on R-Day, June 29, 2015. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Cory J. Mendenhall.
NEW LONDON, Conn. – The United States Coast Guard Academy welcomed the Class of 2019 during Reporting-In Day Monday, June 29.
287 U.S. citizens and four international students took the oath before family, friends, and Academy personnel to officially begin four years of undergraduate study, military training, and preparation for entry into the U.S. Coast Guard Officer Corps. The class represents the largest incoming class since 2011.
“You have begun a journey, together, to become part of the ‘Long Blue Line’ of Coast Guard officers who for 225 years have worked to provide safety, security, and stewardship to our nation and humanity,” said Rear Adm. James Rendon, Academy superintendent.
Rendon delivered his remarks during the swabs’ swearing-in ceremony Monday afternoon on the Washington Parade Field.
“You’ve just taken an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States…pretty weighty stuff,” he continued. “It’s one thing to ‘Take’ the oath, it’s another thing to ‘Live It.’ We are here to help you live it, and live it in the way of our Coast Guard, in the way of our Armed Forces of this great nation.”
The Academy determines admittance solely on merit. The incoming class features a number of high-achieving students from across the country and includes a diverse international contingent with students from Honduras, Georgia, and Malaysia. The 287 U.S. citizens include 33 percent from underrepresented minority groups and 35 percent women.
Reporting-In Day marks not only the beginning of the cadets’ four years at the Academy, but also the start of Swab Summer. Incoming students work through a mentally and physically challenging seven-week program, led by second-class cadets, designed to prepare the cadets for the stressful, high-profile missions they may encounter as commissioned officers in the U.S. Coast Guard.
