CAPE MAY, N.J. – The Coast Guard’s only enlisted basic training center marched into social media after it published its first Facebook page Wednesday at 8 a.m.
The staff of Coast Guard Training Center Cape May published the Facebook page with the hope it will be a hub for photos, videos and information about the activities aboard the training center. The crew here will mark the transition into Facebook with a cadence contest, which will ask the public to choose their favorite original cadence beginning Monday, Sept. 17, 2012, at www.facebook.com/ USCoastGuardBootCamp.
The cadence contest solicited original cadences from the training centers 412 employees, and the top five cadences were decided upon by a panel of senior Coast Guard officers aboard the installation. The top five will be sung by Coast Guard Recruit Company Bravo 187, videotaped and posted to the training center’s Facebook for the public to vote on the Top Cadence of Coast Guard Boot Camp 2012. For more information on the contest and cadences, visit Recruit Journal.
“We see our Facebook page as a tool to engage in two-way communication with our audience and hopefully build a higher level of trust and understanding,” said Capt. Bill Kelly, the commanding officer of Training Center Cape May. “It’s our mission to secure the trust of those family and friends who entrust us with the care of their loved ones.”
The site will also be an informational resource for potential recruits waiting for the opportunity to attend Coast Guard basic training, and it will provide information and imagery to better prepare them to the meet the demanding training environment. This includes a videos and photos from all phases of training.
“Typically, about 15 percent of recruits will either be reverted, re-phased or washout of training, and our hope is to connect with potential recruits early so they are prepared for the mental,
physical and emotional rigors of training before arriving,” said Cmdr. Owen Gibbons, the executive officer of Training Center Cape May. “We pride ourselves on facilitating a demanding training environment for our recruits, but we always strive to give recruits the tools they need to succeed.”
Training center staff also hope to use the Facebook page to connect with authorized beneficiaries such as military retirees or other servicemembers living or vacationing in the Cape May area, so they have up-to-date information about events, services and benefits available to them aboard Training Center Cape May.
