Today was a short day of work for the cadets, but very rewarding.
Group B was divided into two groups. The first group worked at the Umatilla Veterans’ Village. They began the day with some morning yoga, taught by the Habitat staff. After yoga was the dedication of three of the homes for some of the veterans in the community. The team worked on the landscaping around the homes in the village. Some of those homes were built by some of the rates and their classmates back in 2017 and 2018. A plaque dedicated to the work of these Maritime cadets is emplaced by the village flagpole.
The second group began their day in Wildwood. Wildwood is a community that is well below the poverty line. This is where many Habitat Preservation projects take place. Most of the cadets painted one of the neighborhood homes, while others conducted small “odd-jobs” around the area. Some pressure washed a home to be painted tomorrow, others painted doors on various homes, and one group even constructed a fence. Wildwood was an interesting and eye-opening cultural experience for the cadets. The area poverty-stricken and more economically depressed than most of New England.
Both groups met at the Veterans’ Village for the cookout lunch provided by the Knights of Columbus. After the lunch we made our way back to the compound for a small opportunity of excellence (a quiz, in Professor Cadwalader’s terms). After the quiz the cadets will enjoy two lectures. The first will be on Epidemiology and Bioterrorism from 1/C Sullivan. She will be followed by Professor Coonan, who will speak about Pollution Response and the Coast Guard’s Incident Command System.
After the classes are completed, Group B will have the rest of the day free, to enjoy their time together and get much needed rest for some more work tomorrow.
