You know I was told to come to this site so I could find out information about joining the coast guard, I have been interested in the coast guard and wanting to be a GM for a while but many of you guys are not helpful at all. you say your here to protect the country and save lives when you cannot even help some one who wants to share a part in what you guys do and from what I have heard I thought everything in the USCG was done as a team. I am really intertested to see how your attitudes here affect the way you complete your daily duties becuase I am making a assumption that those with poor attitudes on here most likely reflect there life.
I just figured to get the best information go to the source and the last thing I expecteded was to be Criticized.
It's hard to say how long you will be away from home, or an average time you will spend away from home. GM is a underway rate. Yes they do have shore billets but it is all a gamble wether you will get one or not. If you want to stay at home then I would suggest a diffrent job.
I have no intention of trying to stay at home I was just curious what kind of kind of time frames I would be looking at since I have a wife and small child.
there's no way to average that time. I have been underway 9 years out of the 15 I have been in the coast guard, 6 of those years as a GM. It’s being hard for my wife and kids. as long as your wife has the mentality and the strength to deal with all the problems while you are away from home (basically the ability to function as a single parent) you will be o.k.. if that is not the case it will wreck your life. we might sound bitter and sarcastic but we are being honest. Good luck !
Originally posted by wheatacre: you say your here to protect the country and save lives when you cannot even help some one who wants to share a part in what you guys do and from what I have heard I thought everything in the USCG was done as a team. I am really intertested to see how your attitudes here affect the way you complete your daily duties becuase I am making a assumption that those with poor attitudes on here most likely reflect there life.
I just figured to get the best information go to the source and the last thing I expecteded was to be Criticized.
I don't see anywhere where you were criticized. You were being warned that if seperation from family is an issue then maybe you should look somewhere else, and I provided you with the range in which you could be gone. You may think it was sarcastic but that is the truth, you could have a six hour workday and be home, or you could be gone for a year and half to Bahrain when you add in the training.
We do work as a team, and when one team member is wrapped up in missing his family, and not wanting to be deployed it hurts the team, and everyone else has to pick up the slack. Better you get an honest straightforward answer, with some attitude thrown in, now then to have us blow smoke where the sun doesn't shine and then you complain you "got screwed".
Originally posted by wheatacre: You know I was told to come to this site so I could find out information about joining the coast guard, I have been interested in the coast guard and wanting to be a GM for a while but many of you guys are not helpful at all. you say your here to protect the country and save lives when you cannot even help some one who wants to share a part in what you guys do and from what I have heard I thought everything in the USCG was done as a team. I am really intertested to see how your attitudes here affect the way you complete your daily duties becuase I am making a assumption that those with poor attitudes on here most likely reflect there life.
I just figured to get the best information go to the source and the last thing I expecteded was to be Criticized.
Son, if you can't handle the heat on here, which by the way is pretty standard stuff onboard a Cutter, then what's going to happen when the proverbial real **** hits the fan? What you perceive as hurtful comments stems from todays soft, pampered youth being raised by PC weaklings in our schools and other facets of life in general. Your best recourse to this type of general ribbing is to laugh it off and not take it personal. As far as your veiled shot at the replies you received and the corrolation they may have with regard to mine or any of my shipmates here abilities both on and off duty, keep in mind the old standard about ASSumptions. What the Chief told you is exactly right, there is no standard for deployments that you can bank on. The small boat sailor may show up for duty weekend expecting to hang out in the lounge then find himself on a SAR case for the next 12-14 hours. The Cutter on its way home from a 90 day patrol may find themselves diverted to stop a large boatload of Haitians from making landfall and end up with them strewn all over your flight deck for the next 4-7 days while you bring them back where they belong. The real question you have to ask yourself is, are you, and your family, ready to make those sacrifices or do you want a 9-5 job?
I am really intertested to see how your attitudes here affect the way you complete your daily duties becuase I am making a assumption that those with poor attitudes on here most likely reflect there life.
Actually you are misinterpreting the "attitudes" posted here. These "attitudes" are based on a reality which includes having to work harder and pick up other's slack because the others are more concerned with what is going on at home then in getting the job done.
After you work with those that do a half arsed job you may develop some of the same attitude.
You don't mention your age, but you should be warned that military service, with the possibility of lengthy deplloyments, is not the best way to ensure a relatively young marriage will survive. It can be extremely tough on relationships.
Post reminds me of a dependents cruise we did on a PB down south. My BM1 was asking all the folks on-board how many life jackets everyone needed? When he got to this P.O. from the Group the P.O. said something like myself,three kids and the Lord. The BM1 looked at him without skipping a beat and said "Well what size does he(the Lord)wear?" Needless to say the guy from the Group was not amused.
Where in any of the posts do any of us give the impression that we don't like the Coast Guard or our job? If you're graduating from college and thinking of joining I highly recommend going to OCS. My last piece of advice is to stop taking everything so personal. It's not always about you. Read my post, it's called "*****ing with you"! Like Sergeant Hulka said "Lighten up Francis".
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Originally posted by wheatacre: I am 22 years old and about to graduate with a CJ degree.
I know I may have pissed some off but i wanted real answers and it seems I got them.....
I am kinda getting the impression that many of you dont seem to like the CG, am i right or do many of you not like being a GM?
