Armed Forces?

[sirbleedsalot]

I had joined the Air Force DEP in December and I just got my job now. I am slated to leave 30 August as an Integrated avionics technician.

[Andy A.]

For a long time, I was planning on going to the Coast Guard Academy, and becoming a pilot. On top of going to a top rate engineering school, I would graduate an officer with lots of options for further training and a careerer doing something I would love.

It appealed to me for many reasons The chief being that I like the idea of service but not so much the shooting or being shot at. The Coast Guard struck me as being a way to serve my country while avoiding the very real ethical dilemmas I had with being a part of the other armed forces. It was comforting to me knowing that I would never be called overseas to take part in a war I couldn't support. My job would be to protect the American coast and waterways, and those who used it. Thats a job description I knew I wouldn't ever regret.

By the end of high school, it was obvious that I wouldn't be able to qualify for flight school due to medical reasons. While the academy was still a viable option, being a sailor simply didn't light the same fire in me. I opted instead to go to a normal 4 year tech school.

The Coast Guard is a fantastic service with a huge list of benefits no other branch can offer. If you love the sea and the idea of service with out long deployments, consider it.

-Andy A.

[DukesAZ]

I have enrolled in NROTC at U of A with the intention of recieving a commission as a 2nd Lt. in the USMC. I chose the Marines because I feel they represent the best of what America has to offer. They guard the President and our embassies overseas. They also have the most career offerings of any of the four branches. You can do anything from drive a tank to fly an F/A-18 to guard a consulate in the Marines. No other branch can offer you that type of diversity. Thats just my little spiel....

Two of our former members are currently enrolled in AFROTC and they can't speak more highly of the program. I believe that each branch has something to offer for everybody, you just need to find whats right for you.

[Wetzel]

Originally Posted by DukesAZ

I have enrolled in NROTC at U of A with the intention of recieving a commission as a 2nd Lt. in the USMC. I chose the Marines because I feel they represent the best of what America has to offer. They guard the President and our embassies overseas. They also have the most career offerings of any of the four branches. You can do anything from drive a tank to fly an F/A-18 to guard a consulate in the Marines. No other branch can offer you that type of diversity. Thats just my little spiel....

The Marines don't have Doctors or Nurses, they have to borrow from the Navy for those and some other specialties.

Wetzel

[David Gaylord]

I also was looking at the Coast Guard Academy while in high school. I joined the Coast Guard Auxiliary, civilian volunteers who assist the USCG in many missions, most visible being Public Education. This gave me many valuable contacts in the active duty USCG.

I went so far as to have been accepted and visited the Academy for 2 weeks. I had wanted to become a helocopter pilot but found that I was medically disqualified for aviation jobs. With that dream gone the CG just didn't seem to be the life I wanted for a future family, 3 month deployments on ships and frequent moves (about every 4 years) just wasn't what I wanted. So I declined the academy and instead went to Kettering University (at the time it was GMI) for electrical engineering.

Now, 9 years after high school, I have 4 years of employment as an electrical engineer and am still very active the the auxiliary. So much so that, after a few lives saved and many more people assisted in the past 10 years I have volunteered, I have decided to go into the CG reserves.

The Coast Guard really is great, what other military service helps people directly by saving lives. The other services train constantly for war, but have to wait for a conflict to put their training to use. The Coast Guard trains just as much as other services but that training is put to use daily to protect Americans and save lives at home. Don't get me wrong, the other services are definately needed and I respect all the men and women in those branches and appreciate what they do for us. But for me the direct involvement is most important.

As a small correction to Andy's post I would like to add that the Coast Guard does deploy overseas to assist with wartime efforts. Even now there are USCG men and women in the Persian Gulf area. One was even killed about a year ago in the Persian Gulf, the first to be killed in a war zone since WWII. The Coast Gaurd is one of the armed services, they do shoot and get shot at, even here in the US.

I'll jump off the soap box now.

Dave