In my son's case, he has gotten to travel to Spain, Portugal, Bermuda, Puerto Rico, Canada, and Alaska as part of official training.
He has been involved in Model UN which allowed him to go to Canada, Mexico, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C.
He has sailed on the Eagle, rode a cutter to Kodiak Island, Alaska, served on a buoy tender on the Great Lakes, and done an internship in Washington, D.C. relating to intelligence.
He has ridden a helicopter, been plucked out of the water by same, sailed a 44-foot ketch to Martha's Vineyard and Fisher's Island, been qualified in pistol and rifle shooting, learned celestial navigation, rules of the road and stood at the top of an 140 foot mast on America's only tall ship in active servce.
He has rowed on a medal-winning crew team after never having been in the sport before the Academy; been assigned to a major project involving the North Atlantic Coast Guard forum; done an ongoing study of fishery laws; got to pose questions to Attorney General Gonzales and other dignitaries at school forums; served as a cadre for Swab summer; written articles for the school newspaper; learned how to play golf and tennis (in the school's lifelong sports curriculum); and served as Ethics officer for Charlie Company.
He was scheduled to serve as an honor guard at President Ford's funeral before the family decided to hold a low-key memorial. He has served several times as an escort at debutante balls in NYC and Washington, DC.
He has the opportunity to attend graduate school at Coast Guard expense; he is considering either law school or international relations.
This may sound like braggin
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; perhaps it is, but it is just an indication of what the Academy has to offer.