It was the familiar first day filled with shouting, head shaving, and many responses of "yes, sir" and "yes, ma'am."

The only difference was the faces.

The Coast Guard Academy's newest cadets, known as swabs, kicked off their academy careers Monday. Previously called "R-Day," for reporting-in day, the name changed this year to "Day One" to reflect that the swabs aren't just showing up and reporting in, but swearing in and committing to a lifetime service, said Lt. Charles Lumpkin, who helped organize the day's events.

There were 297 cadets accepted to the Class of 2021 including Trenton Robledo-Thompson, 18, of New London.

10 a.m.

Dressed in long white socks, blue gym shorts and a gray T-shirt, Robledo-Thompson waited to weigh in. His "Running Light," essentially the swabs' bible during their first couple of weeks at the academy, was tucked into his left sock.

A few minutes later one of the training cadre asked him, "Why do I already know your name?"

"I have a list for him too," another member of the cadre said.

Robledo-Thompson was asked to recite the mission of the academy. He began: "The mission of the United States Coast Guard Academy is to graduate young men and women with sound bodies, stout hearts and alert minds..."

11:20 a.m.

Swabs filed in to the cadet wardroom, where they silently ate their lunch. On Robledo-Thompson's plate was a meatball sub, two pieces of toast and a small pile of waffle fries. No vegetables in sight. Over yells of "hydrate" and "eat quickly," he scarfed down the meatball sub and then went to work on the toast and fries.

He finished his plate – except for the crust from his toast – and then pulled his Running Light out of his sock, lifted his right arm and began studying it, occasionally stopping to take sips of water. He would later say that drinking water allowed him to rest his arm.

12:40 p.m.

"You're going to start looking like you're in the military," a member of the cadre yelled as male cadets made their way into the barber shop to have their heads shaved.

They sat close together on wooden benches, studying their Running Lights until they were called to the barber's chair. The room was silent except for the buzzing of hair shavers, and the occasional direction from one of the barbers.

Two days ago, Robledo-Thompson had an afro, and wore his hair in a bun, according to his mother, Ruby Robledo. He'd also sported a beard for two years, she said.

With buzzed head and clean-shaven, Robledo-Thompson, whose first choice for college was the academy, looked as he did when he was 10, his mother joked later in the day.

3 p.m.

Raising their right hands, the swabs took the oath of office, pledging to support and defend the U.S. Constitution, "pretty weighty stuff," said Superintendent Rear Adm. James Rendon.

"And as I often say, it's one thing to take the oath. It's another thing to live it," Rendon said. "We are here to help you live it, and live it in the way of our Coast Guard, in the way of our armed forces of this great nation."

Family and friends were given just 15 minutes to say goodbye to their swabs. A crowd of people swarmed around Robledo-Thompson, including his mom and his dad, who is the principal of New London High School, two grandmothers, brothers and close friend, Major Roman, who woke up at 6 a.m. to send him off along with Nathaniel Skrabacz, also a swab from New London.

"I saw them all getting off the bus. I was amazed to see that they were all running off the bus. I thought it was a little bizarre," Roman said. "They had them working right off the bat."

j.bergman@theday.com