Ears to Hear

Reflections back to June 28, 1976 and forward to June 29, 2026

All epic adventures begin with a call. Jesus called the twelve, the Fellowship of the Ring was called to Rivendell, and the Reaping placed a call on Katniss and Peeta. Both you and I, in our respective times, received a call to the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. The story of the Class of 2030 begins.

I remember little of my trip to CGA. The only thing I really recall is that I traveled with Bill, who carries himself with intelligence, reserve and poise. I felt intimidated. With good reason, actually. Bill finished ahead of me in the class with dual engineering degrees, earned flag rank, and served as a district commander and Judge Advocate General. Bill remembers where we changed planes, where we landed, and that we stayed at the Holiday Inn in New London.

My problem was that I was always asking myself, “What’s next?” A functional habit in a way, but it caused me to fly right through one of the most important experiences in my life.

I have since learned to be more mindful of the moment. Instead of “What’s next?”, I ask myself, “What is being revealed in this moment?” and “What am I being called to do right now?”

This morning, I felt called to finish a Corps Conversations podcast I had started. Each episode is an interview of a successful alum by a 1/c cadet and a recent graduate. Their stories help me better understand the progression of the Coast Guard since my day. Today’s interview gave me a sighting on a topic of interest: imposter syndrome. In my day, we didn’t have words to describe that problem, but it was rampant. The ’07 grad talked about it as a shoal she navigated around. The ’26 cadet saw it on his stern quarter. That is a good news story.

The years of our calling have historical significance. The first cadets were called to the academy (then the Revenue Cutter Service School of Instruction) in 1876, which was 100 years before me and 150 years before you. We reported in when the nation turned 200 years old and you are called when the nation will turn 250. You will mentor the Class of 2080, who will be called the year our nation turns 300. Assuming we can keep the republic, as Benjamin Franklin famously called us to do.

Your individual USCG stories will start on June 29, 2026. Importantly, your Class of 2030 story will start then as well. All of your individual stories will come together into your class story. Each of you will have a claim to the failures and accomplishments of each other’s. To a greater degree than you realize, you will impact each other. So, I now smile when I think of what Bill did for the nation during his Coast Guard career as well as the political advocacy he still engages in. I also feel a surge of pride when I think of the Icebreakers, the female cadets of “80 who made history.

My classmates have some interesting stories of their travels to CGA. One first met another classmate from his hometown of Las Vegas at the same Holiday Inn where Bill and I were staying. Stu reports that his new friend had a bathtub filled with ice and ice-cold beer. It was good night. Another classmate caught a few Zs on a subway bench in NYC after enjoying a concert at Battery Park. He had been called to CGA from an enlisted assignment on Governor’s Island. The next morning, Amtrak delivered him to join us newbies lined up at Chase Hall. A female cadet decided to dump her then-boyfriend on the road trip to New London, only to meet her future husband in our ranks. Another visited a girl in Newport who might have become his girlfriend, but lost touch with her. All of these things happened for a reason, I am sure. Their stories are now part of our Class of ’80 story.

So, I call on you to learn each other’s stories and tell them yours. Take the time to mark the occasion and the reasons for your call to CGA. You are joining a long blue line that has served the nation with honor for almost 250 years.

Proudly,

Captain Robert Aleph