Life as a Coast Guard Officer

[efini_kid]

hey guys,

I was hoping to gain some information on life as a Coast Guard Officer and Aviator. Has being in the service had a detrimental effect on your family life? Does the USCG go on long tours of duty like the other services? If so, how long are the deployments?

The reason I ask, is I will be staring my third year of college in the spring and want to be an officer in teh military but I am in a serious relationship. I plan on proposing to my gf in 2010 and I just want to gain some knowledge on what life will be like in teh beginning of an officer career.

 

[Brunes]

hey guys,

I was hoping to gain some information on life as a Coast Guard Officer and Aviator. Has being in the service had a detrimental effect on your family life? Does the USCG go on long tours of duty like the other services? If so, how long are the deployments?

The reason I ask, is I will be staring my third year of college in the spring and want to be an officer in teh military but I am in a serious relationship. I plan on proposing to my gf in 2010 and I just want to gain some knowledge on what life will be like in teh beginning of an officer career.

Your question is pretty general...but any military service is going to have some effect on family life. "Detrimental effect" is entirely up to you- You need to understand that it will take work and she will need to understand that it's going to be different/take sacrifice. The Coast Guard is great for personnel from everything I've seen...and the job in the military is great.

The "long deployments" for the CG are the ship tours for the helo guys- and those range 2 weeks to 4 months. You may also deploy to AirFacs (remote stations to special events/certain time periods or to support other Air Stations during busy times or major events (like the Katrina response)

The other thing you have to keep in mind is that you will be a Coast Guard Officer first and a pilot second, and that's once you pick up a spot. You may get sent to another job/unit before you get picked up for flight school.

 

[CoastieFlyer]

Previous post pretty much answers it. From the fixed wing side, deployments are benign compared to the helos since we can't sit on the back of boats.

Even at the busiest fixed wing units, I'd venture to say you may deploy a few weeks at a time, 2-3 times a year. Guys may be going more, but they are probably volunteering for it. At other units, you may deploy once a year, if any. Just depends on where you are at.

I will say this, though. I've never heard a Coastie say that their deployment schedule was causing hardship with their significant other.

 

[Gatordev]

I will say this, though. I've never heard a Coastie say that their deployment schedule was causing hardship with their significant other.

That may be true for the Aviation side, but in the spirit of full disclosure, the TACLETs are run pretty ragged. I know, not a first tour job, but they do deploy a lot.

 

[CoastieFlyer]

That may be true for the Aviation side, but in the spirit of full disclosure, the TACLETs are run pretty ragged. I know, not a first tour job, but they do deploy a lot.

Very true...I was speaking from an aviator's perspective only. Life on a boat=crap in my opinion! :icon_wink

 

[zippy]

I will say this, though. I've never heard a Coastie say that their deployment schedule was causing hardship with their significant other.

Biggest complaint I've ever heard from a Coastie pilot about their deployed life was that they couldn't drink on their 2 week deployment... Sounds like you guys have a pretty sweet gig.

 

[HercDriver]

It suits me well.

I fly the C-130 and usually deploy for 2 weeks about 3-4 times a year. This is enough to get me out of the office, away from the phone, and just do operational stuff, which is always fun. The mission is great, and I work with some fantastic people in our crews.

Also, the drinking on deployment, for C-130 guys a least, is unit dependent.

 

[efini_kid]

I fly the C-130 and usually deploy for 2 weeks about 3-4 times a year. This is enough to get me out of the office, away from the phone, and just do operational stuff, which is always fun. The mission is great, and I work with some fantastic people in our crews.

Also, the drinking on deployment, for C-130 guys a least, is unit dependent.

thanks for all the answers guys. If I look more into the coast guard, I would be going for aviation, hence why I am on this board. growing up I wanted to be a jet stud, but lately I have been looking into more of the maritime patrol sector. How has your career been as a Herc driver? If I do decide to apply for Coast Guard, the C130 would be my goal aircraft.

 

[efini_kid]

Also, I have been looking on the USCG website about their aviation programs. If I were to apply for OCS, would I not be preselected for a designator before attending? I guess what I am asking is, Do they let me know what I will be doing upon completion of OCS? so I would get no say in it at all?

 

[sardaddy]

There is a way to be preselected for flight training but it has very specific requirements on where you went to college, plus the program is going away. You apply for OCS. Once in OCS you can apply for flight training or any other jobs available at the time. I wouldn't say you get no say in job selection, but you aren't exactly in the driver's seat either. You will compete for jobs with your fellow candidates so the better you do in training the better chance you have of getting the job you want. You will find out what you are doing after OCS about midway through the program. If you don't get picked up for flight training in OCS you can continue to apply for a few years afterwords.

As for tours of duty or hardships, having served in two services the hardship really is minimal but there are difficulties as well. Pilots can be deployed for six months at a time but that is now fairly rare. Generally you will be looking at deployments of 45 days or less. However, when you are home you are still gone quite a bit. How long that is depends on where you are stationed.

Some units deploy quite a bit, others maintain other facilities that have to be manned and all maintain ready duty crews. So while you may not be overseas, you won't always be home for those important events either.

As a pilot you can expect to stand a 24 hour duty every three days, so 10 days out of the month you are not sleeping in your own bed. Often the rotations are better but don't plan on it. Similar to a fire house I suppose. Some locations send their pilots for two weeks to an air facility where they man the ready there. So they are gone two weeks about every other month and when they are home they are still standing the ready duty. Point being, we may not be deployed overseas somewhere but your family life will still be strained more than a civilian 9-5 Monday through Friday job.

 

[kito]

Also, I have been looking on the USCG website about their aviation programs. If I were to apply for OCS, would I not be preselected for a designator before attending? I guess what I am asking is, Do they let me know what I will be doing upon completion of OCS? so I would get no say in it at all?

I'm in the same boat as you (applying for OCS), so take what I say with due caution. However, with that said, from what I've seen, it is very important to keep in mind that in the Coast Guard, you will be a CG Officer first, and (maybe) an aviator second. I know this is true for all the services, but it seems to be doubly-so for the CG. It doesn't seem at all uncommon for people to spend a tour doing something else before getting their slot in flight school. If you don't want to be anything other than an aviator, I could imagine that being pretty tough.

I'm sure others here on the board will provide more knowledgeable insight, but this is the vibe I've been getting so far.

 

[Uncle Fester]

If you're not comfortable with not being in control of your fate, the military might not be the best career for you.

That being said, while my info is second-hand at best, from talking to my Coastie friends and associates, there really don't seem to be too many shitty officer jobs in the CG. I'm sure sardaddy and the rest may have a differing perspective.

 

[Renegade One]

I know I'm being a dick here, but the USCG isn't a part of the military.

Military Services = Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps

Armed Services = The 4 military services + USCG

Uniformed Services = The 5 armed services + NOAA and PHS

Look, it's not critical to national defense, but might as well get it right.

 

[eddie]

I know I'm being a dick here, but the USCG isn't a part of the military.

Military Services = Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps

Armed Services = The 4 military services + USCG

Uniformed Services = The 5 armed services + NOAA and PHS

Look, it's not critical to national defense, but might as well get it right.

NOAA goes to sea, so ok fine. Why does PHS have Navy ranks?

 

[sardaddy]

Actually renegade one you are incorrect.

Chapter 14 of US code clearly states: The Coast Guard as established January 28, 1915, shall be a military service and a branch of the armed forces of the United States at all times. The Coast Guard shall be a service in the Department of Homeland Security, except when operating as a service in the Navy.

So by law we are a military service. You can have your opinion and feel we aren't but you are still wrong. We are not part of DoD though. We have the same military authority as other services, we have members in Iraq and Afghanistan but we also have law enforcement authority here in the states. Something the other services do not. That is why we are kept out of DoD.

If you really want to argue it, feel free but you will still be wrong. It isn't critical to national defense but YOU might as well get it right.