Posted on 05/23/2005 7:54:14 AM PDT by coder2
My 17-old son (HS junior) told us over the weekend is thinking of joining the Coast Guard.
It was a complete surprise; he spoke of the Marines before, but never the CG. We did some research on the net and even went to the Coast Guard Academy website.
He's a great kid, all boy though (lol), is bored with school, but has a 3.7 gpa. Will be taking the ACT test next month. Great in Math & Science, but doesn't like English much. Plays varsity sports and is extremely strong physically.
We have been a little concerned over the past year 'cuz he hasn't really shown much interest in going to college, but I do realize that this is normal (just strange in this house), and attributed it to his boredom with school in general.
So I asked him why he felt that if he went to the Coast Guard Academy, what would be different.. And he made us proud when he said that it would be different because he would be doing this to serve his country..
So anyway, that's why I thought I would turn here to see what you guys thought. There is no local recruiter around, closest is about 200 miles away.
Looking for advice as to whether he should go in as enlisted, or try to get into the CGA, etc. General thoughts about the Coast Guard, sources to go for more info, etc. That kind of stuff.
Any advice/thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
Regardless of which branch he chooses, it is something that can serve him well.
When I graduated from High School, I was not college material, did not know what I wanted to do. My parents wanted me to go to medical school...:)
When I told them I was going to join the Navy in 1975, they were both pleased. We were a military family, my father was a 30 year veteran of the USN, so they knew what I was getting into.
The Navy taught me some very important skills, and I have to say, really made me what I am today (after, of course, what my parents did) It taught me how to take orders, work with others, do things I didn't like, take intiative, and appreciate life. The USN also taught me leadership and responsibility, which all branches do.
For example, I worked as a flight deck troubleshooter for an attack squadron on a carrier. One day, one of our planes had an oil leak, and I was trying to fix it, when I felt a tap on my shoulder. It was one of our CPO's asking me how long it would take to fix is. When I said I thought it would take "a few minutes", he said, "The Air Boss wants to know, because the captain wants to know how much longer we have to keep this course..."
Only later did it hit me. Here I was, a 20 year old troubleshooter, and an entire carrier task force, billions of dollars of ships and equipement and tens of thousands of men, was waiting on me to say yea or nay.
I chose not to stay in the Navy. I had done too much traveling in my life, and wanted to put down roots. But I never regret it for one minute.
Good. Keep him focused. He sounds like the kind of people we need to lead us into the future.
Tell him I'm a WAFI!!! That stands for Wind Assisted F&$@ing Idiot.
I'll be looking for him next time when I pitch pole my catamaran.
If your son is looking at entering as an enlisted man, I would advise the Marine Corps for him. Of the services, the Marine Corps by far offers the best realistic and useful training for their enlisted personnel. Note that I am a former Army officer, so this is not branch pride speaking out. If he were going to go through college first, I would recommend ROTC and Army, but for the enlisted path I think the Corps is the way to go.
There are other majors, but math, science, and engineering courses are a must even if you major in Sociology.
Prayer Request for Coast Guard Rescue that is Underway in Oregon
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/805652/posts
Posted on 12/12/2002
Here is a perfect example of what the Coast Guard faces everyday.
The crew ( 3 men 1 woman) on this case received medals about 6 months later.
Did you mean harder to get into, or harder to get through.
Not that it means anything, just curious.
Sociology major !!! ROFL --- never in a million years would he do that...
I'm going to bookmark this and have him read it.
I wish there was an auxillary or some one that he could be talking with in town, but we live in the middle of Minnesota with nothing near here.
Meaning is it just the same, just with training ? or does the ROTC change things for the normal individual.
I guess what I'm getting at, is that I somewhat consider most colleges today a complete waste of time and money (and this coming from a college graduate). So much liberalism and socialism run amuck.
"I wish there was an auxillary or some one that he could be talking with in town, but we live in the middle of Minnesota with nothing near here."
Try this
http://www.cgaux.org/cgauxweb/public/tbjoinaux5.shtml
But maybe we can take a trip this summer to check it out.
I really want him to learn as much as he can and be as informed as he can be about this. To me, this means he is making a long-term commitment and he needs to be sure.
He agrees, so that is half my battle, I guess.
I'm talking about inspections offshore for fishery violations, not dockside safety inspections.
Where do DEA officers and Marine Fishery officers stand in the chain of command aboard a CG Cutter?
I'm a retired Captain 200 ton...25 years...Tugs, crewboats, longliners and Coastals. I had many dealings with the CG from the Grand Banks to Nicaragua and Trinidad to the Gulf of Mexico. I've always hated having my vessel boarded, my crew held on the bow under armed guard(SOP)while the BO went through my logs, licenses and permits while the rest of the boarding party crawled through my holds, my crew quarters and even the personal drawers in my cabin.
I tolerated this because(besides their bow mounted .50 cal.) they are some of the bravest men alive and have saved quite a few of my peers lives in storms that are unimaginable to anyone who has never been in one.
4 times over the years they airlifted injured crewman off my vessels...saving ones life.
And there was that one incident off the west coast of Cuba in 1981....
I graduated CGA in 88. Did a tour on a Polar Breaker, one in a Marine Safety (then it was a Marine Inspection Office) Office in NYC, then one in Seattle in Marine Safety.
The education at the academy is absolutely top notch. Classes of less than 30. Great labs, limited number of majors, which means far better curricular content in each major. They also get funds for research from the Feds. The early work in diffential GPS was done at CGA, and CGA got to test and work with the early TMS series digital signal processors. We always had the best stuff.
Lack of outside distractions, great discipline, work ethic enforcement, and a TON of other kinds of training are all pluses. Ronaldus Maximus gave me my diploma, and while I was there three other Presidents came to speak. So did Admiral Stockdale and William F. Buckley, Jr. too.
I learned how to sail there too. Did quite a bit of sailing on someone elses nickel. Also visited all seven continents and over 60 countries. The education was simply incredible, and serves me every single day.
As for making the CG a career - well, you gotta want to do that. CG officers are NOT risk takers by any stretch of the imagination. If you go in, get your education, do your 7 years (5 in my day), and position yourself for post grad school (only the best throught the CG - Harvard, Yale, Stanford, etc.)
The guys I graduated with that are in and happy went into niches: intelligence, aviation, admiralty law - with an eye to doing something like that when they get out.
In the CG, it is very hard to battlefield distinguish yourself for promotion to flag rank. Normally you 'ticket punch' your way from billet to billet - going only to the right billets in some semblance of right order - to make admiral.
The enlisted guys get the best jobs hands down. In the CG you can get electrician school, crypto school, machinery school, aviation machinist school, etc. If you are looking for adventure, you can go to a motor surfboat station, or go after your Coxswain's pin.
Our stations are generally very good, and generally in great places in the country or the world.
In all, you could do worse than the CG. I'd definitely steer my kids in that direction if they had decision making disorders about what they wanted to do with themselves.
The CGA - no question about it. Hard to get in. In my class 7000 applied, 300 selected, 157 graduated. I'm the son of a janitor, so the crack about elitists using the school to send Biff to are inacurate. It was very tough, so if you were there because you were a 'fortunate son' then you were'nt going to last Swab Summer, more than likely.
Here's another thing: You don't need to be appointed by a Representative, Senator, or President. You can make it in on essentially guts alone. Strength of your portfolio is all you need - no political connections required.
Alumni, as in all schools, gets a bit more consideration but it isn't a deal breaker for getting in. I got in from a not-very-distinguished public HS in California.
My grandfather also served on the U.S.S. Bayfield in WWII. Small world.
All branches of the Armed Forces have advantages and disadvantages. What it usually comes down to is family tradition and the goals of the person considering service.
I'd say get him to get specific goals in mind, and then talk to members of the branches he is considering. Talking to current active duty people is best.
But remember, enlisted have a total duty obligation of 6 years total, you can do more but you don't have to, (usually,not counting "stop loss"). BUT on the other hand, Officers serve for LIFE at the pleasure of the President.
In other words once you are discharged as enlisted, you are done, (with the noted exception).
You are never completely discharged as an officer (unless you have been hurt and henceforth unable to preform duties, or kicked out, as with a dishonorable).
Just things to think about.
If he likes looking at the world from the inside of a ship he should go Nav. (They say, "see the world", they don't say they'er going to let you off the ship to actually touch the thing.)
If he's "at least 6ft tall?", (a Navy joke, I can't help myself), "so he can walk ashore if his boat sinks", and likes being a shallow water sailor, (smaller ships/cutters and boats), he should go Coastie.
The difference WAS; Big outfit, Blue/deep waters, Warships and associated missions.
Vice Small outfit, Brownwater/shallow/coastal waters, Coastal patrol vessels and associated missions.
It depends on what he wants really.
Good luck, and God Bless you all.
CG Rescue Swimmers, IMO are the bravest, guttiest people, alive, bar none.
I think one of the hardest things he's considering is whether to go in as enlisted or to try for either the CGA or ROTC.
He's got a good GPA and is in the top 15% of the class (large school). I would think he would do very well at CGA, but then again, it's up to him to actually do it.
My only concern is his indifference to school now. But I know he is bored even with talking some of courses he does. So a more focused approach in school (with no disruptors/slackers) sounds good to him.
But it's kinda hard to tell from your post, which do you think is better, going in as enlisted or trying for CGA. You mention that the enlisted get the best jobs !!
Probably didn't word this the best, but I know I'm clear enough... Thx..
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