Boozing Cadets Are Disciplined
The school has cracked down on two rounds of cadets since August
Friday, Oct 23, 2009 | Updated 7:24 AM EST
Dozens of Coast Guard cadets are busted, accused of underage drinking and drug use.
Almost all the Coast Guard Academy cadets from a summer ocean-racing program are in trouble because they tossed back drinks and smoked pot, school officials said.
What put 29 cadets in hot water are accusations that cadets who are under 21 were drinking during a summer sailing program while the boat was in port, the Day of New London reports. The other three, who are seniors, are accused of not stopping the partying.
This comes after school officials kicked out nine sophomores in August who were accused of using or possessing cocaine or marijuana.
Because this is a military academy, the punishments sound much harsher than they would be at a non-military campus: loss of liberty -- which sounds pretty harsh -- demerits and extra work hours.
"I'll do everything in my legal means to make sure that these cadets, as future officers, are the right people to uphold the law," Capt. John Fitzgerald, commandant of cadets told The Day.
He called the incidents "disappointing but it's just a blip on radar. It's something we need to address, but we'll move on and continue to put out outstanding officers."
In an e-mail received after our original story ran, someone claiming to be a member of the team denied the fact that anyone smoked marijuana. He wrote, "The simple fact is that yes there was underage drinking. We have all been masted and awarded punishment to that nature."
The announcement comes as the school participates in National Collegiate Alcohol Awareness Week this week. Oops!
Posted Thursday, Oct 22, 2009 - 11:46 AM EST
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