I'm thinking of joining the coast guard but I need some info on it from the guy's that have been there or are there.

I want to do the boarding of the ships mostly and I know I have to be an E-4 before I can do that. What I'm having a problem with is what job should I take BM,GM or MK?

Now the only problem is that I'm not to interested in driving boats like I was told the BM do (I have never driven a boat before.)

If you can help me by telling me what ones get promoted the fastest and what there main jobs are on the boat? Thanks for the help.

"Anyone from the Coast guard out there? "


   nope.


[whacko]

Yep, I'm in the Coast Guard. Send me an e-mail at [email][email protected][/email] and I'll answer your questions as best as I can.

Jamie

I'm in the CG.  I do boardings, but not the type you're probably interested in.  I'm an MST (Marine Science Technician, or Master of Sexual Techniques, whatever) and I do boardings of foreign freight vessels to ensure compliance with international shipping regulations.  If you want to do law enforcement stuff, you'd be better off going BM or MK.   If you go GM, you might end up being in charge of keeping track of sidearms at an air station, and won't get to do much boarding.  

As a BM, you'll drive boats.  Most likely 41' Utility boats, 44' and 47' Motor Life Boats.  If you want to be a Boarding Officer, there's a school you go to where they train you how to do that.  As an MK, you'll learn to be a mechanic and work on engines.  Both ratings are very labor-intensive, and BMs and MKs are a dime a dozen (they're some of the most popular ratings).  The upside to this is that there are LOTS of jobs available all over the country.  The downside is, re-enlistment bonuses aren't very good and you're competing with a lot of guys when it comes to promotion time.

I suggest A) talking to a recruiter, or B) talking to Boarding Officers and boat crewmembers who are in the area you are interested in.  The actual guys in the field are gonna be a much better source of info for you than the recruiter (I've learned this from listening to everybody bitch about how their recruiter wasn't completely honest with them).  

Whatever you choose, good luck!

[i]Semper Paratus[/i]

[email][email protected][/email] if you have any more questions.

If you request to be placed on a boat will they do it?

I'm thinking of telling them I like to be stationed in the 7th district (FL and PR area) I was told that you could have where you wanted to go placed on your contract.

I would think that then recruiter was full of it if he told me this but he didn't! I was told to do this by guys that are in the Coast guard right now and that had done the same thing and got what they wanted.

Any truth to the rumor that you've got to be over 6' tall to join the Coast Guard...
...so you can walk back if the boat sinks? [:D]

You gotta be Navy!!!!

tayous1, Not sure if they are still giving the geographic region that you want. When I joined (13 years ago) they did. Any idea what rate you want to be? I'm an MK1 (E-6) if you have any guestions about that rate. I've been stationed on a 270' MEC, a 110' patrol boat, a 378' HEC, at a Motor Lifeboat Station (in Oregon) and am currently an Instructor at the National Motor Lifeboat School (NMLBS) in Washington. Here are a couple of web sites dealing with the Coast Guard. [url]www.uscg.mil[/url] and here is the link for the NMLBS [url]www.uscg.mil/hq/g-o/nmlbs[/url] If you have any guestions that I may be able to answer for you , feel free to call me at work (1-800-882-8921 ext. 396) and ask for Jamie. There are also quite a few BMs there who whould be able to answer questions about their rate.

Hope this info is helpful.

Jamie

I was told that the promotions for the BM and MK where hard to get because theses job are the most popular ones. Is that true?


The crappy thing is my requiter that I have only talk to a little on the phone has not been in work for the past week so I have a lot of questions to ask.

The problem I'm having is on choosing the job I want. I keep on thinking of the BM and MK but they don't sound like I'd like them.

But what I'm worried about is that I will not be placed on a ship if I take the GM then Then I wont be going any boarding at all!

Well I'm not in the CG but my brother in law is.

And he got to pick where he was to be  stationed at alright.  He had a choice of Michigan, Some crap about alaska, and another place on lake Michigan.  1000 or so miles away from where he really wants to be.

I've stayed with him and my sister at the CG station at ST. Ignace Michigan.  Helluva view of Makinaw Island from their upstairs window.  
More of a relaxed type of atmosphere as compared to other military. (don't get me wrong they do their job)  Hell, they even took me out on a 47' and let me drive it over to Makinaw Island and out under the Makinaw bridge.

Brother in law likes the LEO part of being in CG.  He boards vessels and such.  He seems to enjoy it.

Good luck tayous1.

As I am sure you can tell by my name I am also in the Coast Guard.  I'm an ET2 Electronics Technician.

fijfi, and Ikari have given you good advice and are probably alot better source of information on boarding teams.  However if you are interested in one of the technical ratings, drop me an e-mail and I will be glad to answer any questions.

One thing to keep in mind is that just about any rating can be part of a boarding team on one of the large Cutter's.  And while there aren't many ET jobs at small boat stations, staying on ships would not be very difficult, in fact you would probably be one of the detailer's best friends.

Reenlistment Bonuses are much nicer for the technical ratings as well.  I already received a zone A bonus a couple of years ago and I am now elgible for an even larger zone B bonus.

Get everything in writing from the recruiter, and ask as many questions as you can, especially from people with experience.  I did get a guaranteed district (district 7, Florida), however being a fireman in main propulsion on a 270 was not exactly what I had in mind.  Just be aware this is the military, and all your carefully laid plans may go to crap.