Utah Ski Trip '08

Well, I'm halfway thru the winter trimester (aka "The Dark Ages"). Midterms went well (I think...), and I made it home without too much hassle despite a pretty nasty winter storm that pummeled NY on the day of my departure. It was definitely good to see the fam, and relax at the old Roswell domicile for a few days before headin out to Utah.

The trip out there went surprisingly smooth, something very rarely experienced by the Bradley clan. Lost bag, missed flight, iPod left on the plane…its always something. Day One involved settling in at our 7-day alpine home.

Day Two (first day on the slopes) was absolutely gorgeous. Primo skiing conditions. After a full day of shreddin’ such runs as Payday, Treasure Hollow, Fool’s Gold, Gloryhole and Silver Queen, everyone’s quads were screaming at them.

Santa brought a blizzard to Park City on Christmas Day. The storm made for some epic powder, but the pelting snow and wind were a little much for some. We all seized the opportunity to thaw and grab a hot cup ‘o Joe in the lodge after carving it up. After a very wet and windy day on the mountain, the fam enjoyed Christmas Dinner in downtown Park City.

On Day Four, we decided to mix it up a bit and venture out to The Canyons, another well-known ski area in Park City. The lift lines were packed with vacationing families and locals taking advantage of the fresh snow. We met up with Jeff Petway, one of Ryan’s fraternity brothers from Auburn, who now works for backcountry.com and is an avid backcountry skier. He took us off the beaten path and lead us through some awesome powder stashes!

On Days Five and Six, the clouds rolled out leaving us nothing but clear skies and great snow. We decided to ski Park City Mountain for the duration of the trip, due to the mere convenience of being so close to the lifts from our condo. Coincidently, Erik Henden—a company mate of mine from the Academy—also happened to be in PC on vacation. I was able to meet up and ski the day with him. Good times.

The trip was a much needed break for all, and an awesome way to spend Christmas. Certainly sad to go, but I don’t think any of us would argue coming back next year!

National Debutante Cotillion & Thanksgiving Ball '08

I had the privilege of attending the National Debutante Cotillion in DC this year. The event, hosted every year at the nation’s capital, is a gathering of beautiful young ladies from around the country, and strapping young lads (such as myself) from selected service academies and military institutes. In attendance this year were cadets and midshipmen from the Coast Guard Academy, West Point, the Naval Academy, The Citadel, Maine Maritime Academy, and of course Kings Point!



A group of ten of us drove down the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. We were able to get a team movement (“TM”) approved, so the Academy provided us with an 18-passenger government van. Considering the taxpayers were funding our petroleum, and we had government plates protecting us from any prowling law enforcement, we turned a 6-hour road trip into a 3-hour one.

Wednesday night there was a welcoming dinner and cocktail party. Both events were held on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol. In fact, the after dinner party was held in the same room that some of the Watergate proceedings took place. Those of us who had been chosen to escort debutantes, myself included, were paired up with our dates. Because it is such an exciting event for the debs, it is not uncommon for them to bring their families and an entourage of rather attractive friends. As a result, it was open season for those of us who did not have dates.

That evening, and for the rest of the week, we set up base camp at the Washington Hilton. I would like to extend an apology at this time to any of the patrons who might have been staying on the fifth floor during that week. The shenanigans and rowdiness that took place were of epic proportions. But, I suppose that is to be expected when you take 200 of the most competitive young men in the nation, isolate them on one hotel floor, and throw good looking young women into the equation.

Thanksgiving for me was spent with my good friend John Murphy (aka “Murph”) at his family’s house in Fairfax, VA. Murph and I were assigned to the same ship during our second sailing period, and are also in the same company at the Academy. Momma Murph cooked up some fantastic Turkey Day vittles. Although I would have loved to have been home with my own fam, the Murphy’s certainly took care of me!

Friday night was the main event. After enduring 3 hours of pictures, I was fairly confident my face would be stuck in the cheesy smiling position it had been molded into since 2000 (8pm). At 2300 (11pm) they served a pretty ritzy dinner. The kind that require like 10 forks and 7 spoons….bread plate on the left, start outside and work in. The dinner was followed by spinning the ladies on the dance floor as the live band jammed. Sorry to disappoint the Metallica fans out there, but Enter Sandman was not on their play list. The formal ball ended at 0300 (yes…morning) only to be followed by an after party until 0600 (again, morning) with pizza, beer, and a DJ.

By the time Saturday rolled around, the entire gang was feeling a tad rough needless to say. Some of the rowdier individuals in the group managed to shatter a picture and break the leg off the chair in our hotel room the night before. No worries, these items were promptly swapped out with the West Point room down the hall. Hey…we’re still NAVY midshipmen! That evening we had to muster up the courage to attend the fair well cocktail party, and as you probably already guessed, that was followed by an after party.

When Sunday rolled around, there was no conceivable amount of monetary currency on Earth that would have gotten us to stay for another night. Tired, broke, and with no clean laundry, the gang saddled up in the G-Van for the depressing 6 hour drive back to New York. It did in fact take us 6 hours this time, as a storm cloud seemed to follow the van the entire trip back. I always seems to work like that. Good times were had by all, Kings Point was represented within the highest traditions of the Academy, and we will certainly be invited back next year!

Welcome To My Blog!

Hello friends and fam! If you’re reading this, then you have successfully found my blog on life here at the Academy. I regret not creating one of these things sooner (i.e. my Plebe year), but to say that I have been busy would be a gross understatement.

I'll try to recap the past 2.5 years so that everyone is in the loop:

(The military, maritime, and medical fields all have their own special lingos. I will try to translate this slang, which I have become well versed in over the years, into plain language.)


The real fun began on 06 July 2006 when I reported aboard for indoctrination here at the United States Merchant Marine Academy. "Indoc" is the two-week-three-day-and-a-wake-up transformation process that strips Joe Teenager of anything he once knew about the world, and programs him with the necessary skills and knowledge to survive in a military atmosphere. Uniforms, marching, physical training, self-discipline, "ma'ams and sirs," service etiquette, and leadership were just some of the many topics implanted in our noggins during that 17.5 day hell period.
Life as a "Plebe" (freshman) was action packed. I was not yet worthy of having the simple luxuries entitled to the upperclass. Sodas, vending machines, cell phones, music, movies, civilian clothing and napping were strictly off limits, and I didn't dare venture more than six inches from the starboard (right) bulkhead (wall) while walking through the barracks (dorm). Anytime I approached a corner, you better believe that I came to a halt, assumed the position of attention, executed a crisp left (or right) face, stepped off with my left foot, and proceeded on my way. This maneuver known as "squaring a corner," is one that every Plebe masters.

The end of Plebe year was a rather exciting time for the Class of 2010. In February, we earned the respect of the Regiment and were officially "recognized," an initiation tradition as old as the school. In the spring tri-mester, my entire class was sent to the Merchant Seamen Fire Training Academy in Earle, NJ. As a pre-requisite for sea duty, each midshipman had to complete a shipboard firefighting course.
The end of the 06/07 school year marked the start of my Sea Year. The Academy's 4 year program is broken down into 3 years in residence, and 1 cumulative year at sea aboard commercial and military vessels. This "Sea Year" is broken up into a 4 month cruise during the Third Class (sophomore) year, and an 8 month cruise during the Second Class (junior) year.

For my first sailing period (4 months) I sailed aboard two different ships. The first was a type of ship called a "Ro/Ro," so named for its ability for wheeled cargo such as cars and trucks to roll-on and roll-off via the large ramps extending from the ship to the pier. Some of the stops included: Charleston, SC, Puerto Rico, Tunisia, Kuwait, and Beaumont, TX. My second ship was a container ship. For those of you wondering what a container is, imagine the trailer part of an 18-wheeler, minus the wheels. Now picture 2,500 of them stacked 6-high on a 1,000 foot long ship.
My first sailing period was completed in November of 2007. Upon my arrival back in Kings Point, I was greeted with a battery of tests over all of the topics covered during my sailing experience. Seamanship, cargo operations, ship structure, navigation, and ship handling are a few to name. I was back just in time for the "Dark Ages," the cold, gloomy and depressing winter tri-mester dreaded by all mids.

Before I knew it, the winter tri ended, and it was time for me to hit the high seas once again. Luckily for me, I was able to take a nice 3 week break prior to shipping out. During this time, I got to attend Ryan's winging in at NAS Corpus Christi. It was a much needed visit with family and friends, and certainly a proud moment for the Bradley's! Just after my 20th birthday (March), I joined the USNS Patuxent for my first assignment of my 8 month cruise. The Patuxent is an oiler operated by the Navy's Military Sealift Command. MSC is a civilian-run Navy auxiliary that directly supports the active duty fleet. During my time onboard, I was involved in 64 UNREPS (underway replenishment) with vessels from over 10 countries including CVN-75, USS Harry S. Truman. Other missions included Flight Ops, and maritime interdiction training with the US Navy SEALS. Very cool! Ports of call included Spain, Greece, Italy and Poland. Not too shabby...

My fourth and final ship was yet another container ship, this time operated by Maersk Line, Limited. The scenery was a little different this go-around with stops in LA, Oakland, Dutch Harbor, AK, Japan, Korea, and an 8 day shipyard stay in Guangzhou, China. The picture at the top of this blog is me standing under the propeller of the Sea-Land Lightning in dry-dock.


Now, with Sea Year complete, I am back at school and nearly halfway through my Second Class year. It is hard to believe that time has flown by so quickly! I have just recently survived the second batch of exams and projects, this time with a more advanced ciriculum. Subjects included electronic navigation systems, maritime business, trim and stability, and advanced navigation. Glad to be done.

The majority of my free time is spent operating as a medic with the local volunteer fire department. The Vigilant Fire Department offers fire, rescue, and emergency medical services to the town of Great Neck/Kings Point. Midshipmen EMT's (emergency medical technicians) from the USMMA constitute nearly 80% of the department's EMS division.

It is my intention to keep this blog as up to date as possible with all of my experiences here at school. I have 2 more weeks to endure before I head home for winter leave, and a much needed break to spend some time with the fam!