Felipe Guardiola
My name is Felipe Guardiola, an Electronics Technician Petty Officer 2nd Class aboard the cutter Morgenthau and today started off like any other. My division and I did physical training this morning. I woke up to an overcast sky among my friends laughing, pushing, sitting up, crunching and sweating. After getting dressed and getting breakfast I was up on the mount and in my shop preparing for the upcoming gun shoot. My excitement for this afternoon's shoot was stopped by a rear breach bolt track plate. Ahhhh! What can I say about that? I love my job and all of its intricacies, but get let down so much by my Weapons’ system... I give her so much love, but she breaks my heart every time. What a dysfunctional relationship!

Technically speaking, today was supposed to be May 14. But due to the fact we are headed to the Philippines and crossing so many time zones, the day that was supposed to be the 14th turned into the 15th. I tried to think of my past May 14ths in my life and can only remember where I was. My last few are all a blur because my last two have been on board, but I can remember being in C-school and being a civilian living in Virginia working as an insurance agent...god I hated that job! I look back on them and I figure hell, if there is any day to lose, might as well be over the water on a bright and sunny day.

Elizabeth Mastorides.
I am the new Store Keeper aboard the Morgenthau, my name is Elizabeth Mastorides. I reported to the cutter on April 16th. I came straight from 'A' school, and prior to that I was stationed at Sector North Carolina as a non-rate.

I came to the Morgenthau only a week before getting underway on this CARAT patrol. This is my first time on a cutter so I don’t really know what to expect. I think that this patrol will be one of the most enjoyable things I’ve done in the Coast Guard because we get to see many foreign ports and countries that I'll probably never have the chance to see again. It is kind of hard having only 378 feet to live on for almost half a year though, especially with the same people, so I get a little land and home sick. But I am learning a lot; there is so much for me to learn coming from a land billet to a cutter. So it's only been a couple weeks and I'm still adjusting. I’m looking forward to this patrol and taking in everything it has to offer.

Samuel Sproul.
Sea Life. It's the 4th day underway and everything is going decently so far. Our venture started out with some rough seas and quite a few people getting sick. Luckily for me the seas have calmed quite a bit and I'm not one for getting motion sickness, so everything's been alright. I've been standing double watches since we left, and it’s not the most luxurious watch schedule. All in all it's not the worst thing in the world. Supposedly we're changing back to 1 in 4 rotations tomorrow which would be a nice change of events. That would make out watch rotation six hours of watch instead of two, four hour watches.

There are only a few more days until we reach Hawaii! I've never been to Hawaii before so it's a pretty exciting event for me. Anywhere we go on this patrol is going to be a new adventure for me and probably most of the crew on board. I've also been reading up on the different cultures in the countries we're going to. There's a lot of things to watch out for as far as safety, and also lots of things to remember not to do to stay out of trouble. I just hope everyone can keep their heads straight and keep their names clean. But on that same note, I know everyone's going to have a lot of fun.

Well that's pretty much all for now. I've been enjoying some Dinosaurs and Scrubs on my time off and catching up on sleep. The only thing left to do is wait. Hopefully they have a taco bell where we're pulling in Hawaii, because I've been craving tacos like mad. Oh well, another day another story.

~Operations Specialst 3rd Class Samuel Sproul

Brian Gogo.
The Beginning Of A Six Month Patrol At Sea. Yet another patrol is underway. Some crewmembers are frustrated and some are anxious, but the crew members who are determined and focused are the engineers. We’ve come a long way to get ready for what really can’t be prepared for. Not only the does the equipment have to be well-monitored, but a clear mind has to be present in order to safely execute this job. I’ve seen many people break because of the high stress levels that come with the life of being a “grease monkey.” The countless hours, working late and the constant wake-ups during the middle of the night are several factors that make some engineers lose control. With all the added stress, and no matter what the situation may be, the engineers onboard Coast Guard Cutter Morgenthau live by the motto, “Semper Paratus,” always ready! Not only as a division, but as a family we unite as one when times get rough.

There isn’t anything that “we engineers” can’t do. Life is truly a beautiful struggle, and at the end of our day we indeed see its true beauty and what it’s all about. This five month journey to an uncharted destination is just another reason for the engineers to show what we are really made of.

~Petty Officer 3rd Class Brian Gogo

Trish Jantzen.
My name is Trish Jantzen. I am one of the junior officer's onboard Coast Guard Cutter Morgenthau. I came here directly from the Coast Guard Academy and have been onboard for just about two years now. I will be transferring to MSU Cleveland at the end of June to be the Response Division Chief. Currently, I’m deployed with Morgenthau for a public relations patrol to South East Asia. My duties include, deck watch officer and assistant navigator. It is a wonderful opportunity for those us on board to see some of the world. I am very excited about visiting all the different countries.

While I'm excited about the patrol, I'm also excited about what's to come in the next few months. My husband and I are considering buying a house in Cleveland and getting a dog. So, while I'm here on this patrol, I'm also focused on my plans for this big move. I'm also nervous about my new job because it's completely different from what I do here. So that's it in a nutshell. I hope everything is going well for everyone back home.