Coast Guard Graduation is an exciting time for new trainees and their families to celebrate all that they have achieved during their time in training.
Graduations have been re-opened to the public, after being closed for some time due to COVID. However, the ceremonies can still be viewed via the Coast Guard’s Facebook page if you’re unable to attend in person.
If you are able to make it to see your favorite “Coastie” graduate, let’s see what you need to know before attending the Coast Guard Graduation ceremony.
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Coast Guard Boot Camp Graduation Dates 2023
| Company | Boot Camp Start Date | Boot Camp Graduation Date |
|---|---|---|
| N203* | February 21, 2023 | April 28, 2023 |
| O203 | February 28, 2023 | April 21, 2023 |
| P203 | March 7 2023 | April 28, 2023 |
| Q203 | March 21, 2023 | May 12, 2023 |
| R203 | March 28, 2023 | May 19, 2023 |
| S203 | April 4, 2023 | May 26, 2023 |
| T203 | April 11, 2023 | June 2, 2023 |
| U203 | April 25, 2023 | June 16, 2023 |
| V203* | May 2, 2023 | July 7, 2023 |
| W203 | May 9, 2023 | June 30, 2023 |
| X203 | May 16, 2023 | July 7, 2023 |
| Y203 | May 23, 2023 | July 14, 2023 |
| Z203 | June 6, 2023 | July 28, 2023 |
| A204 | June 13, 2023 | August 4, 2023 |
| B204 | June 20, 2023 | August 11, 2023 |
| C204 | June 27, 2023 | August 18, 2023 |
| * Indicates a new 10-week program |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Where is the Coast Guard boot camp graduation?
The Coast Guard holds all of its training and graduation ceremonies at the Coast Guard Training Center at Cape May.
This base is located in New Jersey and can be easily accessed by the Cape May airport as well as access from many of the nearby Philadelphia airports.
Unless noted otherwise, the graduation ceremony will take place on base and will require you to drive there to get access to the ceremony.
You’ll want to make sure you are using a map to get to the base as the peninsula it is located on has many small roads and turns to get confused by.
Here’s a map and directions to the main gate:
Address for the main gate: 1 Munro Ave., Cape May, NJ 08204
Traditional Graduation Day Events
Thursday
- 5:30 pm: Harborview Dinner **
Friday
- 08:30 – 10:00 am: Family Breakfast **
- 09:10 – 10:15 am: Spouse Meetup and Family Social
- 11:00 – 11:45 am: Graduation Ceremony
The two days of graduation you would normally experience with your trainee get kicked off on Thursday night with dinner at the Harborview on base.
There is a company commander meetup, friends and family social, a Q&A session, and a cash bar.
On Friday morning, you can return to Harborview to enjoy breakfast with your trainee. After breakfast, you’ll enjoy a guardian/spouses meetup and more time for family and friends to socialize, plus another Q&A session for those who didn’t attend dinner the night before.
The graduation ceremony itself starts promptly at 11:00 am and lasts about an hour.
The ceremony wraps up just before noon and is not too much of a commitment for any friends or family coming to watch the ceremony.
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Who can attend Coast Guard boot camp graduation?
The Coast Guard is one of the more family-oriented branches, as they pride themselves on a sense of community and coming together to celebrate.
Usually, everyone on the base wants to make sure trainees are able to have their families by their side for the graduation event.
While there has been no strict number of people that can be invited to come and watch the graduation ceremony, everyone will need to be accounted for beforehand as access to the base is strict and does not allow unregistered people onto the base.
Your recruit will provide a list of invitees, who must bring a valid form of identification. The base has asked that any unvaccinated visitors wear a mask and observe a 6-foot social distancing while on the base.
What should I wear to Coast Guard boot camp graduation?
While there is no formal dress code for the graduation ceremony, there are a few factors to keep in mind before choosing your outfit.
The first thing to consider is the fact that all of the trainees will be in their dress uniform,s as that is required by their branch for ceremonies like graduation.
With all of the hard work they put into getting through training at the base, it would be nice to respect their dedication by wearing nice clothes if you feel comfortable doing so.
You also want to dress in a fashion that is appropriate for the weather and the amount you may have to walk on the given day.
The graduation ceremony can be held both inside and outside depending on the weather, so dress knowing that you may be outside on a nicer day.
How do I get onto the base at Cape May?
With the address we linked to earlier, getting onto the base itself shouldn’t be too much trouble as it is one of the few things located on Cape May.
Where you really need to plan in advance is actually getting you and your family onto the base to see the graduation ceremony.
Most bases like Cape May will require the trainee to submit a list of who they want to send tickets to for graduation as well as provide some basic identification information.
Once the base has a list of guests for the ceremony, they will need to see your own identification before being allowed to enter the base.
You will likely be given some form of identification badge when on the base as they need to keep tabs on all their guests and have an easy way to identify you.
You need to make sure the base has you on their list or there is a good chance they won’t allow you in due to the fact they don’t have any proof of who you are.
Make sure you also give yourself ample time to get to the base as they are very strict about how long they allow guests to arrive before not letting anyone else onto the base.
Where can I watch a live stream of the graduation?
The current circumstances have led many bases to resort to live-streaming graduation ceremonies to keep the risk low for both the trainees and guests.
These rules are always changing, so it is always smart to check with your trainee to see if your upcoming graduation ceremony has been moved online.
Regardless of the circumstances, you can live stream the graduation event from the base’s Facebook page
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Conclusion
Graduation for Coast Guard trainees is always a special time that will be remembered for many years to come.
We hope this information has allowed you to understand a bit more about the entire process so you can go into the graduation ceremony ready to celebrate with your trainee.
References
Born and raised in Woodbridge, NJ, he graduated from the New Jersey Institute Of Technology with an MBA in eCommerce.His hobbies include beach volleyball, target shooting, and lifting.
Rob is also a Commercially rated pilot and Certified Flight Instructor (CFI), with over 1,500 hours of flight time.
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