Hi, thanks for reading my post.

I will be going into OS A-School around the same time my wife will be scheduled for going to Basic Training.

She is interested in the BM rating.

My question is two-fold: In order to get co-located with her, or at least have the best chances, what needs to be done? Secondly, after graduating A-School, if I get a billet on a cutter as opposed to my preference of something land-based, how long are the cutter terms? I'd hate to be on a cutter for 2 years or more while she's somewhere land-based. We'd never see each other.

I understand she will fill out a dream sheet with her top choices for geographic locations. I'm thinking that I will need to fill one out as well (we're both going to put the same choice). Then again, maybe I won't be filling one out since I'm going into an A-School.

Any responses would be greatly appreciated.

Our main concern is being stationed as close as together as possible.

Thank you.

I'm no expert on the subject, but I wouldn't be surprised that one of you will be on a cutter while the other is on land if you expect to be co-located. If you both want to be on land to be co-located, it really narrows the options of where you can be stationed. Also, I suggest getting on a cutter right out of A-School, I understand that you don't want to be away from the wife, but if you plan to stay in the CG it will happen eventually and getting on a cutter earlier in your career is better than later IMO.

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I'd hate to be on a cutter for 2 years or more while she's somewhere land-based.

Yet you knowingly joined a seagoing service that has lots of ships.......

Not to mention it may work the other way around. You being shore based while she is off on an extended deployment and hitting the liberty ports with her shipmates.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Ex_CG_GM,

maxtek is correct, getting a cutter early (as an OS3) is not only better, but it makes it easier, and you'll get u/w eventually anyways. So do it before you have kids.
As for the colocation looks like you have your expectations a little high already. Take whatever billet you can get if you want that to happen, once you start getting picky the detailer will less likely be happy to work with you.
But for advice to help you out, when you get your picks out of A-school, pick the units with A TON of units near by that way the detailer has more to work with when they try and get your wife with you.
Does your wife have guarenteed BM school? b/c from what you wrote it looks like she'll have graduated bootcamp and be at a unit already before you even get out of school.

Thank you for all of your responses so far.

My wife is not planning on going to BM school. She's interested in striking right after boot camp.

Maybe the best course of action is to have her pick the dream sheet locations during boot camp while mentioning that I'm in OS A-School?

I appreciate the advice on selecting high-density units. I didn't even think of that. That should definitely up the chances even a little bit. We both ideally want to be in the West Coast, particularly in California.

We understand that there are no guarantees for co-location. We may be away from each other for a bit and we're preparing for that scenario mentally and emotionally. Good thing children aren't in the equation yet! That would be tough. Seems like a cutter billet would definitely be worth it in terms of where I want to get to in the Coast Guard, it just sucks I might have to sacrifice seeing my wife. Getting it over and done with early in my career will probably be the best thing in the long run.

Does anyone know how the cutter terms work and what (if any) their minimum deployments are (2 months, 3 months, 1 year, etc...)? Does the cutter return to shore often so coasties can spend time with their loved ones before deploying again on the ship, or does all outside communication occur with mail, or internet (if it's even allowed and available on the cutter)?

Thanks again for responding!

Hope it all works out for you, I'm married member to member and just recently got co-located last month!
Make sure your wife gets the info out that you are an in OS school so when the time comes that she gets a billet hopefully they will have figured it out and pre-stage her in a location they plan on billeting you. Alameda is a great place for a co-lo. as an OS you can go to the ships, sector, district, vts, and camspac and there are equally as many places for an SN to strike BM, stations, sectors etc.

Most billets are 4 years, with the occasional 3 year tossed in here and there. Depending on the size of the cutter, deployments can range from 2 week to 2 months. I don't know the patrol time for the new security cutters, but 378's typically stay out for 2 months and are in port for 2 months. And every once in a while one of them will take a 6 month trip. As the boats get smaller the patrols get shorter. Hope that helps.

Two months for a 378 is pretty conservative, I've had a 101 day alpat and a 4 month CARAT deployment, to name a few trips easily over the 3 month mark on a big white one.

I'm on the Bertholf and we just got back from a 90 day JIATF/D13 patrol so basically the same. Plenty of units in the bay area, just be aware you guys might both end up on cutters here. I also agree with Maxtek, get that cutter experience out of the way.

quote:

...get that cutter experience out of the way.

I've seen several statements similar to this one, so I have to ask.....is there no one left that actually enjoys sea duty?

Stan,
I think those that feel that way have not been on the right type of cutter... Put 'em on a WLR or WLIC and they will do back to back tours as long as the detailer will let them...

Cutter tours are great.. the sea pay adds to that, and if you get OIC pay you are bring home a nice check, for having a wonderful job.

I did not have a tour on a WHEC or WMEC but I know several that have they LOVED it.. as always.. different strokes for different folks.

Wray...

quote:

Originally posted by 10919457:
just be aware you guys might both end up on cutters here.

I wouldnt worry about that too much. as per personnel manual 4.A.8.d. "the Coast Guard doese not assign members married to Coast Guard members to simultaneous shipboard duty unless they volunteer for it..."

283,
Read up on the policy in the personnel manual and be very familiar with it, that will help you not get the shaft

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Brechty,

quote:

I did not have a tour on a WHEC or WMEC but I know several that have they LOVED it..

Wray, I suppose you are right. It just seems more and more folks see sea duty as something to be avoided. I was on 5 WHEC's and two 180's. Loved it. Loved being at sea and loved the opportunities to see places on the other side of the world and get paid for it.

I've been out for over 30 years now and am still in touch with friends I made on those ships. There's a bond built there that lasts forever. Last reunion I attended one of the first things said to me was "Remember that typhoon when we were on Ocean Station Victor?" That typhoon was in '69.

quote:

I've seen several statements similar to this one, so I have to ask.....is there no one left that actually enjoys sea duty?

I think you are missing the complete intention of the advice.

I think there are plenty of people who enjoy sea duty, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's available...so you'd better take it early if you can otherwise you may not be eligible to take the Chief SWE for a while.

When youre almost done with OS school and they make you fill out a E-resume, make sure you enter into the comment block on the resume your spouses employee ID number and her full name and what unit she's currently assigned to. You should ideally look at places that both of you can go for instance, you put down cutters that are co-located near a Sector or a Station so she can strike and you can either go to the Sector or the cutters.

And..the advice above is good about getting the cutter out of the way. You need a year of sea time and the BEST thing to do is to go to a cutter after OS school because not only will you get that required time underway to advance to E-7 later in your career but you will get a lot more technical expertise you need on a cutter to take a Service Wide Exam that a Sector Command Center cannot offer you and get sea duty points on it to boost your score on the servicewide.

and yes, before you get underway on a cutter you get stand down time to spend with family MOST of the time its about 4-5 days.

quote:

Originally posted by Ex_CG_GM:

quote:

...get that cutter experience out of the way.

I've seen several statements similar to this one, so I have to ask.....is there no one left that actually enjoys sea duty?

I think what most are referring to (In this forum at least) is to knock out the sea time required for chief. Not knock out sea time period. Seems the OS that go to land out of A School get a little bottle necked as they attempt to advance later.

OS1J

Thanks for the insight.

quote:

283,
Read up on the policy in the personnel manual and be very familiar with it, that will help you not get the shaft

Actually read up on the policy so that you have the right EXPECTATIONS! Most of the maried to member policies are VASTLY in favor of the members. Significant housing benifits as well as two safe paychecks are a great deal. You will both be required to be ready for world wide assignment and deployment from day one. You will be required to have plans if/when you have rugrats so that if she is out to sea and you are needed to go TAD in a half hour for two weeks, you can do so. We give no quarter to married members. We should not. A civilian spouse is just as important as a military spouse.

And a single member is just as important as a married member... supposedly. You wouldn't know it though!

Yes, a member is a member, and a spouse is a spouse.