The "A McCaskey Swab Doing What She Was Told To Do...Or Not To Do!" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Reading one of my favorite columns in my local newspaper, Jack Brubaker's column in my Sunday LancasterOnline newspaper known as "The Scribbler."  One of the stories in the column today was titled "McCaskey Swab."  Began with...Surviving as an incoming swab at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy means trying to remain invisible.  That was barely possible for Mali Richardson.  Richardson had recently graduated from McCaskey High School, in the city of Lancaster, in the spring.  She is now completing a seven-week summer boot camp at the academy in New London, Conn.  Barry Richardson, Mali's grandfather, reported:  "Swabs are kept under constant stress.  For example, they have seven minutes to shower, take care of hair and dress."  Much of this stress comes from upperclassmen serving as platoon commanders.  In a letter to her Millersville parents Scott Richardson and Yara Graupera, Mali said this:  "Our platoon commander was really mad because no one could spell his name.  He yelled, literally ... one person here went to my great-grand-daddy's high school."  The platoon leader's name of course, was McCaskey and his great-grandfather would have been John Piersol McCaskey (1837-1935), namesake of the Lancaster City High School.  McCaskey served as a high school principal as well as Mayor of Lancaster.  Barry Richardson says Mali doesn't know her platoon leader's first name or any other information about him.  "Swabs do not ask questions," Richardson explains.  "When he said someone in the platoon was from McCaskey, Mali said nothing.  Swabs do not volunteer!   They keep their head down and try to stay out of trouble.  Can't imagine how scared Mali was that particular day during boot camp. What would you have done in that situation being a girl and being told not to talk unless being told to talk.  I assume she, at one time in the future, did talk to her commanding officer and tell him she was scared to say anything at the time.  Who wouldn't be scared!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.