NJROTC Spring Break Trip: San Diego, California

During Spring Break 2011 the NJROTC of Nottoway High School gave twenty-seven cadets the opportunity to experience living aboard a naval base. We explored many naval facilities and still managed to have fun throughout the week. We bonded as a group and learned things that changed some of our lives forever.

Saturday April 23, was the beginning of our adventure. First, we went to Camp Pendleton Military Reservation in Virginia Beach, Virginia, which is a training facility for the National Guard and other Armed Forces. We unloaded our baggage in the barracks, where we were sleeping for the night. After an exciting day at Busch Gardens we assigned personnel for night watch and rested up for the day ahead.

On Easter Sunday we were up and ready by five-thirty a.m. We dressed in our service dress uniforms, cleaned our barracks, and were packed and ready for the day ahead. The female cadets were outside our barracks thinking “boys are always late”, when we discovered they weren’t late, but the girls were about two hours early.

After our Instructors inspected our barracks, we loaded the bus and headed for the Dam Neck Navy Training Station Galley in Virginia Beach. When we arrived we were greeted by a buffet, with a lot of options. I saw people with two-three plates, and all I can remember thinking, “This is one of the best Easter Breakfasts I ever had.”

Around nine, the cadets marched to an Easter service at Dam Neck Annex Chapel. It wasn’t a big congregation but their smiles and cheerfulness filled the room. Even though we weren’t members, they treated us like family and we all felt welcomed.

Later everyone prepared to board the plane. For many of us it was our first ride, and I think excitement outweighed nervousness. We checked our baggage in at NAS Oceana Air Terminal, and a while later we were up in the air. Being in the air and seeing the big fluffy clouds were like being in heaven. When we looked down all we could see were spectacles of buildings, the mountains and valleys of deserts, and the blue body of water was like a fantasy from another world.

After about six hours, we arrived in San Diego. On the way to the quarters aboard the naval station I was in awe. We saw the biggest ocean in the world. We snapped images of huge buildings, and the luxurious houses. About thirty minutes later we made it to our destination, The Navy Gateway Inn of Naval Station, San Diego.

The next morning we had to be in formation for breakfast by six-thirty. Even though I was tired, I didn’t have a problem getting up. By the time we got downstairs, I noticed all of us had a mutual expression on our faces. We all looked tired and grumpy, and if we would have known what our instructors had planned for us that day, we would’ve regretted staying up late.

We marched to 32nd Street Galley and ate breakfast. After we had full stomachs we toured The Naval Aircraft Repair Facility of NAS, North Island. They repair the communication systems, electrical systems, and the body of FA-18 jets for the armed forces. We explored the majority of their operation. The component that needs repair goes through various phases that are divided into cells among groups of workers. Each cell has its own function, and the component goes through each cell for a specific amount of time until the job is completed. The Naval Aircraft Repair Facility is the largest repair facility in the United States.

After we finished our tour, we visited the USS Midway Museum. We learned that the USS Midway served the United States longer than any other aircraft carrier, and it was the largest ship in the world when customized in 1945. Onboard we had a self-guided audio tour, which explained the life and history of the carrier and the sailors. We explored more than a handful of exhibits, including galleys, sleeping quarters, and the engine room. We learned more than we could imagine as we relived the lives of sailors we served our country. Later we went bowling and ate pizza at the huge bowling alley at
Naval Station, San Diego.

Tuesday we went to Assault Craft Unit 1 in Coronado, California. There we took a cruise on the Pacific with another group of NJROTC cadets from Florida, and viewed the attractive city of San Diego. Looking at the ocean and feeling the freshened breeze was like being in paradise, and at that moment I didn’t want to leave. In the midst of daydreaming we became knowledgeable about the work of ACU 1. Their job is to maintain and furnish assault crafts required for amphibious ships to move equipment and marines to shore during an amphibious assault. Even though their job is very time consuming, they took the time to give us an experience of a lifetime.

The next day, we visited the San Diego Zoo. When we first arrived we took the bus tour. During the tour we learned about organisms I never knew existed. Like the primates, and Lemurs who are native to the east coast African island of Madagascar. There are fifty species, and seventeen are endangered because of the destruction of their habitat. We also learned about Meerkats, who have a lifespan from twelve to fourteen years. They are immune to the poison of snakes and scorpions, and are the prey of eagles and falcons. We also learned that African elephants have larger ears than Asian elephants because of the climate in Africa. We then learned that the Capybara, a close relative to a chinchilla and a guinea pig, is the biggest rodent in the world.

After the zoo we went to the San Diego Padres vs. the Atlanta Braves baseball game at PETCO Park. The Padres lost to the Braves 7-1. Even though I’m not a baseball fan and didn’t know much about the game, it was a great experience and I would do it all over again if I could. Later that afternoon some of the cadets were tired and decided to go back to their rooms, while others went to the beach. They were disappointed because the water was cold and they couldn’t get in but, we enjoyed collecting shells and the sunset over the Pacific Ocean.

When I finally got home I couldn’t sleep. I had so much fun and so much to talk about. The trip was a success. We had more adventures and explorations than any teenager could imagine. We overcame many obstacles together, and became stronger as a group. We didn’t just have fun, but we learned a lot about the world and ourselves.