Howdy,
my name is Gabriel Courage and im currently SA E-2 active duty cg stationed at the USCGC Osprey. have been lucky in that i have been able to experience many different aspects of different rates but i havent had much experience with gm other than my last range quals (got expert rifle/pistol :3 ). i guess im looking for more land based billet information and afloat billets with less time at sea. am currently married and dont exactly think 3 months afloat would be healthy for us but the needs of the service may overide that anyway. anyhow, one of the reasons i looked into gm was that as stated before was that on an 87' the crew does preventative maintenance on weapons. during which i found that i enjoy the maintenance itself on weapons and wouldnt mind at all if i litterally cleaned weapons for my entire term. im not as interested in the law enforcement side as much and think that id like to get my SAI at some point. couple questions
1) how well does the SAI qualification translate to the outside world (will i be able to find a job without retraining.)
2) is advancement through the ranks stagnant as with aet or can you achieve rank decently.
3) what are land billets like and what kind of work does it entail.
4) and any other information about the rate would be helpfull and my email is open for reaching me. (gabriel.s.courage@uscg.mil)
i know that at some point somebody has asked these questions but at any point id apreciate any help.
thank you

Alright mate, since you've been in the CG for a small chunk of change, please let me shoot it to you quick and strait as this has been spun in several threads already:
-GM is in fact a SEA going rating!
-The Coast Guard IS a SEA going service!
-If you feel that 87' life at sea has been too much, you may wish to explore some other type of uhhhhhh, land based job in the Coast Guard.
-If you do make the choice to come to GM School, pack your sea bag----really.
-In the mean time, please take the time to look into the Tracen Yorktown web page (google it). There you will find a link to GM.
You can also look at the main CG page and look for GM where you will also be able to find a really cool video done on the best rating in the Guard (yes, GM).

In short, open the books, surf the web, do the homework, explore your options/priorities and goals with the wife and move forward.

Best of luck, mate.
By the way mate, nothing is more important than "I".

GMCS Wilbert
School Chief, GM School

quote:

i guess im looking for more land based billet information and afloat billets with less time at sea. am currently married and dont exactly think 3 months afloat would be healthy for us but the needs of the service may overide that anyway.

Perhaps you should have thought about the possibility of going to sea before you enlisted in a sea going service. I guarantee the "needs of the service" will trump your needs/wishes.

Gabriel here again...
i do realize that it is a sea going service, my only point was that id PREFER a land based billets, i do know that more than likely i will be going to sea and im good with it. but my questions about the said land based billets are still there because i do know what the seaside of gm rate does but i didnt know what landside did. and more than anything else i wanted to know about the SAI qual because when i do leave the service will it get me a job as an sai say for a police force or is the gm rate not going to carry into the civillion world..i am sorry for not making my original post clearer but i would still like to hear my questions answered......and i do love being on an 87' cutter, its actually fun stuff. ^^

"Howdy-Gabriel"....."Senior Chief" here,
I don't think I missed your point at all but, I think you may have missed several of mine.
You made the comment that you know what GM's do at sea. Uh, I don't really think that you do.
GM's go to sea and work on guns. They don't spend their time just cleaning guns but teach folks about maintenance, operation and troubleshooting. GM's also teach pyro as well.
Now...you seem dead locked on being a GM ashore. Here's where I really suck the wind from your sails: Do you know how to balance a check book (down to the last cent)? Do you know how to write a long Coast Guard message/MILSTRIP without a single error (really-no errors)? Are you willing to go out in the driving rain/**** poor weather to read thermometers and count bullets? How about a nice long drive into the office at o-dark thirty when the alarm goes off (because of the **** poor weather as previously mentioned)? That's some of the cool stuff that those land based (SAI-guys) get to do! You see lad, those land based guys have to issue and receive all those bullets that they hold on hand to train with. They usually do all the fun stuff I mentioned ONLY AFTER a full day out on the range (doing that SAI training you so yern for). Oh yeah, they're out on the range ALL day in that....**** poor weather I menioned previously.
So....as I hope that you can see, SAI is not just as simple as "hey, come on, I'll take you out and teach you how to shoot". There's MUCH more to it than that!
The job of a GM is rarely glorious! Difficult? Sometimes. But far-far from simple or glamorous.
Now I must leave you with a parting shot: most of what I have told you here in my reply is easily found by
-looking it up on the web
-going out and talking face to
face with a GM.
If you are willing to work really hard, in a school that is much more...regimented than most, come and see us. But when and if you do, you should know that there will be folks sitting beside you who may probably hold more time in service and sea time than you. That "usually" puts them ahead of you in the picks process.
If you are not comfortable/in a position with family to go to sea....please...reconsider being a GM.
My current class got their picks today and...MOST of them are....going to sea (which warms the cockles of my heart)!
Best o' luck where ever you decide to go from here.
-Senior Chief-

quote:

but my questions about the said land based billets are still there because i do know what the seaside of gm rate does but i didnt know what landside did. and more than anything else i wanted to know about the SAI qual because when i do leave the service will it get me a job as an sai say for a police force or is the gm rate not going to carry into the civillion world..

My son is Lead Firearms Instructor for the Maricopa County Adult probation Dep't. He is also a lead Firearms Instructor for the state of Arizona. In those roles he not only teaches the use handguns, shotguns and rifles, he also teaches the use of Tasers, various unarmed defense, building entry, etc.

A CG SAI will not automatically be qualified to assume a similar position in the civilian world. You would need additional skills, quals, and experience.

The vast majority of law enforcement firearms instructors are sworn officers/agents. They often get these positions based on seniority and/or demonstrated skill (shooting/instructor abilities). The only non-sworn firearms instructors I have seen during my career are at academies, but here again most were previously sworn.

An SAI qual will not directly transfer to a civilian police agency but may help you get a firearms instructor position. Having been an SAI, I can say that it did help me obtain a collateral duty firearms instructor position with my agency but I still had to go through the FLETC firearms instructor training program to become certified.

I have looked in to being a part time SAI when I was stationed at a sector (that didnt last long). Everyone that I talked to said that I would have to get their certification before I could work there. So in other words, no the Coast Guard SAI qual will not open doors automaticaly, you are still going to have to do something else for someone else if you want to be a SAI with that company. It might help you out but it is not going to be given to you.

-years ago, I took my SAI quals up the chain with the NRA. That got my foot in the door with them and their Police Instructor Certs. Again....that was many years ago.
-I then took those quals and went to VA-DCJS and got their quals too. I taught private security fire arms and did some civilian instruction (one on one) on the side. Great $$ as a part time gig but the hours were garbage and COMHOUSELANT was not thrilled with most nights/weekends on the range.
Now days, I just do some volunteer stuff for BSA as I'm a Scout Leader with them.
It's a good way to network but....like most anything else in the big round marble-you're gonna have to work for it!

quote:

am currently married and dont exactly think 3 months afloat would be healthy for us

Heck after being married for a few years, you and your wife will be counting the days until you get back underway!! Just kidding... You think being U/W is bad...I look at those Sector GM's that are SAI's and they got those poor folks running ragged around shooting stations through, oh and delivering ammo and pyro, picking up broken guns, make sure your paperwork is accurate!! It doesn't matter what rate you go, you work hard, you'll do good. Go for the quals and training that will help you in the Coast Guard and your unit first, worry about civilian jobs when you're close to the end of your enlistment and it's crunch time. Heck, the way the economy is now, police and fire departments are having hiring feezes or laying off the newest people. At least with the CG you're guarenteed 3 hots and a cot, and if you're going to get fired or layed off from this job, you know it's coming from a long way out!! Like teach said, do your research, choose your rate...choose your fate. Best of luck to you shipmate!!

quote:

Originally posted by Teachguns:
-years ago, I took my SAI quals up the chain with the NRA. That got my foot in the door with them and their Police Instructor Certs. Again....that was many years ago.

I was able to do the same thing circa 1997 and have maintained a Police Handgun/Shotgun instructor qual with the NRA-LEAD since then. They have continuing education requirements (something like 24 hours of instructor/firearms training every 3 years)but I usually attend various firearms training for my agency anyway, so it isn't an isssue.