,,,,

[Foriegn power]

,,,,

[michelim21]

When I began my journey to enlist in the military I called a USCG recruiter and was told for enlisted that the wait was about a year to a year and a half before going to their boot camp. You also needed to score a min. 75 on the ASVAB.

[powderedtoastman]

I just finished my 6 year enlistment in the Coast Guard. It was awsome, fun, I got to travel, and they have a federal law enforcement program which I HIGHLY reccomend. If you can get into a deployable unit, or JTF you'll have an awsome time. I scored 79 on the ASVAB and qualified for every rating except Marine Science Technician(Duck Washers) I ended up becomming a PS, which is now ME (Maritime Enforcement)

[Grassninja]

Not in the coast guard, but this recommendation is universal: If you're about to graduate college then be an officer, especially if you're thinking career.

[doc1buc]

Officers are such an outdated notion.

[CWUSCG]

Im a guardian. Enlisted a little over a year ago. Im about to get deployed to Bahrain in July. Joining the CG was the best thing I ever did! Since times are hard and employment is down, military recruiting quotas have been at a stand-still. I'm not sure about officer routes, but i know bootcamp has at least a year+ wait. Talk to a recruiter and ask about OCS and other commisioning options. The CG is challenging, espcially underway. Its a good time. Not everybody can say they chase pirates in the Carribean for a living. ; )

[doc1buc]

Ashton?

[professorhard]

I know that member cgseanp1 is in the coast guard, he may have some helpful insight for you.

[Argonaut]

My daughter is in the USCG, She was graduated from New Mexico State before she enlisted. They are taking very few OCS applications from non prior service people. They want you to have a year in service as an enlisted and have your commanders recommendation to get into OCS. She is headed to OCS and flight school this year. One of my other son's is leaving for USCG basic in a couple of weeks (he is also a grad) and will be applying to the rescue swimmers school. It is a great service, My daughter says the only way she will be an officer is if she can fly, otherwise, Officers are only paper pushers and never really get close to real operations. She is on the boarding team right now and loves her work..........and the Sig 40 cal. It is not easy to get in......and is taking a year or so.

[doc1buc]

Officers' are pretty much a useless notions in today's Military.

[Doheny]

Officers' are pretty much a useless notions in today's Military.

Officers are such an outdated notion.

Ok, we get it, you don't like officers. Move along, go crap on someone else's thread.

.

[The Director]

Officers' are pretty much a useless notions in today's Military.

Explain?

[doc1buc]

Officers harken back to a time when the average enlisted person was an under-educated backwoods farmer who had a 4th grade education. Officer's were needed then to conduct planning, preparation, and basic math skills. Today's enlisted corps not only maintain's a technical expertise, but the majority of them are working to the same or greater level of higher learning than their traditional "betters". Non commisioned Officers, middle to higher ranking enlisted, are the back bone of the military. You could wipe out every commisioned officer from O-1 and up and the military would still run. The word of the day, in any branch of service, is when something that is completely redundant, asanine, or way over-budgeted comes down the pipe and needs to get done, some officer with nothing better to do, is trying to make him or herself look good. Usually at the expense of their enlisted. Hence, Officers are a useless and outdated notion.

[The Director]

Officers harken back to a time when the average enlisted person was an under-educated backwoods farmer who had a 4th grade education. Officer's were needed then to conduct planning, preparation, and basic math skills. Today's enlisted corps not only maintain's a technical expertise, but the majority of them are working to the same or greater level of higher learning than their traditional "betters". Non commisioned Officers, middle to higher ranking enlisted, are the back bone of the military. You could wipe out every commisioned officer from O-1 and up and the military would still run. The word of the day, in any branch of service, is when something that is completely redundant, asanine, or way over-budgeted comes down the pipe and needs to get done, some officer with nothing better to do, is trying to make him or herself look good. Usually at the expense of their enlisted. Hence, Officers are a useless and outdated notion.

An interesting observation - one I think I concur with. I was at a CSMR course this weekend. They were training a national guard unit on civil disturbance techniques, crowd control, etc.

The NG platoon was comprised of 15 or so soldiers headed by a SFC. This in turn was being trained by a CSMR platoon of about the same number of soldiers headed by a 1SG.

Interestingly, two days of training were undertaken by these two groups. Towards the end of day 2, a lone Major walks up, shakes the 1SG's hand, presents him with a plaque of appreciation, and rapidly departs.

I ask an SPC - who was that?

"That's the guard unit's commander"

I was floored. He was there for five minutes. Didn't care to even observe the training, learn it himself, or even supervise. I was then made aware of the frequent scarcity of officers in these situations.

I would've at least thought the NG platoon would've had a 2LT observing the whole time at least for edification purposes.

[CWUSCG]

Since you're interested in law enforcement, there is a new rating for that. Maritime Enforcement specialist. aka: ME. Ask your recruiter about it. I can tell you this: If you choose to enlist without a guarenteed A-school, be prepared to be a non-rate for a while. Most of the A-school waiting lists are over 8 months in length. Ask your recruiter about a guarenteed A-school upon completion of bootcamp. The ME a-school wait is over 18 months! And you have to attend an A-school to make petty officer.

There is always the striker program to consider, which is "on the job training." And you can only strike certain rates. The bad thing about striking that I have seen is, you can wait up to a year or more for a promotion. People who attend A-school have priority over the ones who strike their rates. Advancement has become very slow in the CG, due to the number of people and billets.

I was stationed on the USCGC Dallas. She's a high endurance cuter out of Charleston, SC. Now im getting deployed to Bahrain for a year.

If you chose to enlist, go out to sea. When you fill out your dream sheet in bootcamp, go for a Cutter. Granted, i spent my first 6 months in dry dock wondering what the hell i got myself into, but once we got underway and caught 3 tons of cocaine in the Caribbean, a Cutter what the CG is all about.