Let me start by saying that anyone who actually believes that being in the Coast Guard is as stressful as being in another service is nuts.
With that being said, there are of course pitfalls in the Coast Guard as well. Since you want to be a pilot, and that is what I know, I will share what I can.
Yes, you will deploy. Yes, you will be gone from home (not sleeping at home) quite often, and yes, you will have to do other things than fly. However, unlike other services, you will have a really good idea when you are leaving, when you are coming back and you will know what you will be doing in general for the near future. Things and plans do of course change but you will still have a general idea. That alone can alleviate a lot of family woes.
Of all the things that we gained by going into the Coast Guard, my wife enjoys not having to worry every day whether or not I will get "the call" that will send me around the world in less than 24 hours.
Just for a general idea of how much time you can spend with your family vs work, consider this. You will complete a normal five day work week and complete an overnight duty about 5-6 times a month so you will be away from home a day at a time for about 60 days a year. Depending on where you are stationed, you could be gone about 140 days a year on a ship. and when you are home you willl still be doing your monthly duties.
The days can add up, but again, you usually know quite a bit in advance when you are leaving, and when you have duty so you can work around it. You will have duty on some weekends so you might miss some family events. But usually the folks at the airstation will work with you to get you to those really important events as they will hope you will help them when they need someone to cover for them. Sort of a CG mafia.
Overall, the CG is very family friendly but like anything you still have to work to keep the family going.
Good luck in whatever you choose.
