Through the cadets

​My experiences with the USNSCC has been an awesome time, and if I could go back in time I'd
do it again. The people I've met and the places I've gone have just been some of the best times
of my life. I started out just like anyone does as an E1 with no experience whatsoever in 2019,
just before covid, and I was trying my best to hold onto all the info I was given. Then I went to
Recruit Training in 2021, aka RT. That was the only time where I've ever been going and not
thinking about what I've been doing. I didn't have the time to think either. It was just go go go
and then sleep. Then go on watch, then go back to not thinking. After that, then I went back to
my home unit and applied that knowledge to what I was doing already and I took off with it. After
that, I went to Petty Officer Leadership Academy, and had one moment where I had broken
down because of something that happened between two of my shipmates. After that all
happened, I became a P02 and I went up to Washington's Puget Sound for a drone training,
which was as fun as flying a drone can be, and the final day I ended up trying to fix my drone.
One of the wires popped out of the motor and caused it to stop spinning the rotor blade. After
that, I ended up doing POLA again at my officers suggestion. After another year of POLA, I
ended up going back to the Sound to staff an RT, and that went about as well as I could have
expected for my first staffing experience. At that point I was an E6 (PO1) and had my chief
Coursework done. All I had to wait was for my time in grade, and then I'd be a chief. Once I saw
that I was a chief, I was shocked and excited. As soon as I actually got pinned as the 6th chief
my unit, I knew I had done it. I had completed the program and could enlist as an E3. I just had
to finish my years out, and I'm ending it at Rileah, staffing POLA. If anyone has any questions,
go ahead and hit the Ask The Chief button! I'd be happy to answer any questions that are within
reason. If it's about what happened my first pola that made me break down, I'm not going to
answer that. - CPO K. Bullard