Is it ethical to buy a copy of the Running Light and memorize beforehand??

SamAca10

10-Year Member
Joined
Jul 19, 2009
Messages
1,045
I noticed on the facebook group that we can buy copies of the 2013 edition of the Running Light...however, I was wondering if it was unethical to do so? I mean, is it considered cheating your cadre members and fellow cadets?
Thanks!
 
once you get accepted the Academy you are one of my shipmates and maby my future CO and i would prefer my shipmates be prepared. soo in my opinion i say go for it study up everybody gets a copy of the helmsman for the enlisted bootcamp. :thumb:
 
I noticed on the facebook group that we can buy copies of the 2013 edition of the Running Light...however, I was wondering if it was unethical to do so? I mean, is it considered cheating your cadre members and fellow cadets?
Thanks!

From what I've been told, and read on these boards over the last two years, enjoy the time you have left having fun. And keeping up your grades of course.

At the Hail and Farewell picnic last June, our local Parent's Association handed out copies of the Coast Guard Mission....learn that and you'll have an easier swab summer. The Guardian Ethos as well...if you want more to do.

Have fun. Your senior year only comes once!

USCGA Cadet Mission:

"To graduate young men and women with sound bodies, stout hearts and alert minds, with a liking for the sea and its lore, with that high sense of honor, loyalty and obedience which goes with trained initiative and leadership; well grounded in seamanship, the sciences and amenities, and strong in the resolve to be worthy of the traditions of commissioned officers in the United States Coast Guard in the service of their country and humanity."


The Guardian Ethos:

I AM AMERICA'S MARITIME GUARDIAN.
I SERVE THE CITIZENS OF THE UNITED STATES.
I WILL PROTECT THEM.
I WILL DEFEND THEM.
I WILL SAVE THEM.
I AM THEIR SHIELD.
FOR THEM I AM SEMPER PARATUS.
I LIVE THE COAST GUARD CORE VALUES.
I AM A GUARDIAN.
WE ARE THE UNITED STATES COAST GUARD.
 
I noticed on the facebook group that we can buy copies of the 2013 edition of the Running Light...however, I was wondering if it was unethical to do so? I mean, is it considered cheating your cadre members and fellow cadets?
Thanks!

Page 5 of the Cadet Handbook (which will be sent to you when you accept your appointment) recommends that incoming Swabs get a copy of Running Light and read it.

If the CGA is recommending that you get a copy, you can be pretty confident that it is not considered unethical or cheating in any way.
 
Person-to-person, enjoy your senior year. Do not waste your last days of high school with your nose buried in the running light. Your cadre will notice if you already know all your indoc on day one, and that's not the kind of attention I would want if I were you.

Just sayin'.
 
To your question, it is not unethical. It is smart. Enjoy your time before you report. Reading the Running Light ahead will make things a little easier, but you cadre will find other ways to push you. There are those who know some of their stuff before the get there, if you don't try to make yourself out to be the "know-it-all" you should be fine.

I had a Running Light before I reported, but I mainly looked over it just to see what things were all about. The family past it around and laughed about some of the less PC stuff that used to be in it. I tried to memorize the mission, but that's it.
 
My daughter received and older copy from a friend..., WOW you have to have suppppppppper dupppppper vision to read it! LOL.. I saw them at the CGX when I was there.. 26.00 per book! yipes! LOL

she has glanced over it, but has not memorized it
 
Enjoy the remainder of your senior year. You'll have everything memorized within days anyway. Our daughter was glad she hadn't wasted her time memorizing the mission. She did recommend that you memorize the ranks of each of the branches of the service, or were at least familiar with them (from enlisted through officer). IHOO when she was tired, things like that got very confusing.
We asked her what her advice would be to all incoming cadets. She said, pack light, very light, with only the minimum of what you need to bring, get caught up on your sleep before you report, stop drinking soda/caffeine and start drinking water, show up in great physical condition and brush up on your trigonometry for the math test given during swab summer. For females, don't show up on RDay wearing makeup, perfume, nail polish, artificial nails, flip flops, heels or a skirt. You will be running off the bus, up stairs and hills :eek:
 
Also, show up with the few things you packed in luggage that works. You don't want to run around all day with a suitcase with a broken strap.
 
Ok, so it seems like I should be focusing more on enjoying senior year and getting in shape from what you guys have said. I'll try and learn the basic stuff then, like rates/ranks, Academy Mission, Guardian Ethos, and the General Orders for a Sentry...do you guys think that touches base? Thanks :cool:
 
Honestly, CHILL! Get into shape and relax. Relax will be a foreign word during the next 4 years. You'll have hours and hours and hours of holding that book out in front of your face.
Sometimes it's better to just learn it they way your cadre wants to teach it. And best advice, from this point forward fly way under the radar :wink:
 
Relax will be a foreign word past those 4 years. I say that, of course, while I'm on leave. :cool:
 
Page 5 of the Cadet Handbook (which will be sent to you when you accept your appointment) recommends that incoming Swabs get a copy of Running Light and read it.

If the CGA is recommending that you get a copy, you can be pretty confident that it is not considered unethical or cheating in any way.

Is this new??? We tried to order a copy but the bookstore was out last year. I didn't recall the paperwork saying to get a copy. Boy, we would have panicked if it did and we couldn't lay our hands on one.

But it all did end up being ok. Memorizing the mission and the ethos seemed to serve him well though...thanks LA parent's association!!
 
Is this new??? We tried to order a copy but the bookstore was out last year. I didn't recall the paperwork saying to get a copy. Boy, we would have panicked if it did and we couldn't lay our hands on one.

But it all did end up being ok. Memorizing the mission and the ethos seemed to serve him well though...thanks LA parent's association!!

No, not new. Printed in the section entitled "Getting Connected" in the Cadet Handbook for the last few years or so:

Coast Guard Academy Cadet Handbook 2009

Getting Connected
Congratulations! Accepting your appointment is a big decision. Getting to know your classmates and the Academy before you report is something you may already be wondering about. We recommend and encourage you to “get connected” with your future classmates and the Academy before Reporting-In Day. The more you know, the more comfortable and successful you will be after you arrive. Here are just a few ways to get ready:

Join the Class of 2013 Facebook Group and get to know your classmates now. This private group is just for people who have received appointments to the Class of 2013. You can become “friends” with your classmates and share your personal profile or just participate without sharing any personal information. If you don’t already have one, you will need to create a Facebook profile before you can join the group at http://www.facebook.com/groups.php?ref=sb#/group.php?gid=52596606128. Cadet Regulations currently prohibit Fourth Class (freshmen) cadets from using Facebook or instant messaging software.

Be a “Cadet for a Day” by visiting campus. By now you have hopefully visited the campus. If not, do it! Our two-day Academy Experience Programs begin in early February and run until the third week in April. You will have the opportunity to meet our faculty and coaches, eat in the Cadet Wardroom, and have meaningful discussions with current cadets. The Academy Experience also includes a comprehensive Q&A session for your parents and guests, so log-in to your profile on the Admissions homepage and follow the links to “Schedule A Visit” to learn more and reserve your visitation dates.

Attend a welcome aboard event hosted by your local Coast Guard Academy Parents Association Chapter. Each spring, the Parents Association hosts welcome aboard social events around the country for prospective cadets and their families. Either the Academy or Parents Association will notify you if there is an event in your area, so be sure to keep your mailing address, phone number, and e-mail address current with the Admissions Office. The Parents Association’s homepage is http://www.uscgaparents.org/

Read! Top picks for the Class of 2013 are the Running Light (most of which you will be required to memorize during Swab Summer) and Character in Action, by best selling author Don Phillips. A few copies of last year’s Running Light are available for $27.99 (plus S&H) from our Cadet Bookstore and Character in Action is available nationwide, but is also available for $19.99 (plus S&H) from the Cadet Bookstore. Phone orders can be placed by calling 860-444-8308; you’ll be reciting the Academy Mission and singing Semper Paratus before you know it!


:cool:
 
Last edited:
Having a Running Light ahead of time helped our appointee feel like he could prepare mentally in some way for Swab Summer. To him, it was like getting in physical condition to prepare for the challenges ahead. Why wait until you get there?

I agree that memorizing the RL shouldn't be of a high priority, but if it will help someone feel more confident under those stressful circumstances, why not?
 
Yes it is perfectly ethical--but creates responsibility

The original question was, is it ETHICAL to buy a copy of the Running Light and memorize it beforehand?
I say, yes it is perfectly ethical to buy or borrow a copy. No ethical issue is raised. The book is publicly available. Some public libraries have a copy--might be a few years old but much of it is ageless.

Memorization in advance? Sure, why not, if time permits and motivation is in that direction. The advice to relax today and postpone the pleasure of the Running Light is advice in the opposite direction--and equally good advice. So you get to choose from opposite advice. Neither is wrong. Welcome to the adult world.

If you choose to dig into the Running Light in advance then understand, you are not a "fly way under the radar" type of person. If you are in front of your classmates on this, it's not so you can stand out and get brownie points. If you are in front, you have a responsibility to cooperatively raise your shipmates--classmates--to your level. You will get to help them learn faster, more accurately, etc. If you are in front, you are a leader. Way kewl. That's cadet heaven. But it's never an ego thing. You'll need help from someone on calculus, or knots, or something. You always need help.

Stress? Well, Swab Summer is all about stress, becoming different, morphing into something new. Growth. Stress. Gotta love it. Well, maybe not love it. Let's say, embrace it with a good attitude.

Good luck.
TWW '79
 
Back
Top