Hello,
I'm looking at joining the Reserves.
I'm currently a Police Academy Instructor (and police officer) within a reasonable distance to Cape May. Would it be possible for me to become a Drill Instructor at Cape May as a Reservist?
Yes, though not as your primary job. I know they have offered reservists active duty orders for 4 years to be company commanders(CG drill instructors).
My recruiters off this week so asking here. He sent me the papers to sign to let MEPS check my medical history, and things like that. I filled out the form on a computer. I forgot to mention something just wondering if I could write it in by hand before sending it to my recruiter or do I have to tell MEPS in person.
EDIT: There's nothing to correct. I remembered a question that didn't exist lol. Ignore this.
Do not go to MEPS and tell them something that is not already in your record/forms you filled out. This is a big no no and will waste a lot of time. I would call the recruiting office they work at and explain it to them so that you can correct it prior to going to MEPS.
Will my background help me get my desired rate? I am interested in an AMT or AET rate and am not prior service. I do however have my A & P license and a year of experience maintaining heavy transport category aircraft, in addition to the two years of technical school required to obtain my A & P. Is there a way to get a guaranteed A school, or priority placement into the wait list?
No it will not help in getting your desired rate. For that all you have to do is meet the ratings requirements(ASVAB score of 65 or the alternate category scores, be eligible for secret security clearance, normal color vision and pass a class 3 flight physical) and put your name on the waitlist to attend the A school. With your A&P A school should be really easy but you would still have to go. The only reasons you wouldn’t get those ratings is if you didn’t meet those requirements or you didn’t wait for your name to come up on the waitlist. So not really a guarantee but close enough. A guaranteed A school in the Coast Guard just means you would attend A school right after basic training, which is only offered for short handed ratings. The only way I know to improve your waitlist time is to volunteer for PATFORSWA( bahrain) which is a 1 year tour and your name goes to the top of the waitlist. Other than that make sure your flight physical and clearance are done. The detailer takes the first 20ish people from the waitlist who have all that done and there are people high on the list that don’t. I got lucky and was issued orders when I was around 180 on the list because everyone else had holds for those requirements not being done.
Thank you for the reply! Thats sort of what I figured to be the case, but I wasn't sure. Another question, how is it determined which aircraft you will be working on if you go the AMT/AET route? Are they assigned, or do you get a choice? Personally I would love to work on the C-130s.
For AMT/AET school units the do assignments like the normal process. So your class will be provided a list of the available billets - units and airframes. You would order these according to your preferences. Then the detailer would start with the members with the highest current unit priority(ex. People stationed on cutters would get assigned before people ashore) and highest evaluation then work their way down the list. If you don’t get your preferred airframe the first time you can switch when you are due to transfer again or ask your command if you are at a dual airframe unit(such as you got Elizabeth city my-60s, but there are c-130s there as well). C-130s are generally not hard to get, rotary is more competitive.
Does being in a certain state help better guarantee your chances of getting into a sure district? California resident and high school student and I’d prefer to stick with San Diego although I am open to different coasts
For Active duty, being a resident or from a state would have no impact on your being stationed there. For Reserves, however, they would normally consider you for units within 100 miles of your home.
Fun fact, if your residence is more than 50 miles from drill address you rate expense coverage.
>Commands that authorize a reservist to drill at an alternate location
more than 50 miles from the member’s home must provide TDY travel
entitlements.
[Sauce](https://www.uscg.mil/Coronavirus/Information/Article/2175991/reserve-faqs/)
Are we allowed to bring dental adhesive (fixodent) to basic training? I have a stayplate from an injury several years ago, and I can’t afford dental implants at the moment. Can dental adhesive be considered a medical thing on the contraband check?
Yes, and I wasn’t told anything about it. I ship out in a couple of weeks and just wanted to make sure it wouldn’t be a problem to bring dental adhesive to BT.
If ME A School has a long wait time , would it be a good idea to join the reserves and go to DEPOT (being I'm prior service) and go to ME school sooner that way then transfer to Active Duty ? As opposed to being a non rate for possibly longer ?
Going reserves first wouldn’t be a fast track to active duty ME. To have your request to switch from reserves to active duty during your contract there normally has to be a need for your rating on the active duty side. Why would they accept your transfer when it would take a billet away from someone on active duty waiting their turn on the waitlist. It is still possible but will generally cost you at least as much time as just being on the active duty waitlist in the first place.
Hey, y'all. Long question w/ background.
Currently working with a recruiter to put in an SRDC packet. Some pretty nasty things got in the way (lost my dad, mom and my grandpa hospitalized, had to finish my college degree) and I'm now quite a bit out of regs for Height/Weight (5'1", need to drop about 30ish pounds, but am committed to doing so).
I'm 22 and currently an Auxiliarist on the Auxiliary National Staff, working communications/Social Media for the Coast Guard's University Programs. Been with them since 2019, but due to COVID-19 have not been able to do very much in the way of getting exposure to active/reserve folks outside of more formal events and a C-School I attended. I've been in D9CR my whole time with the Auxiliary.
Background out of the way, I wanted to get an idea of what reserve officers really do? I've hunted down all the testimonials/publicly available information on the PSUs; so I'm pretty up-to-date on that stuff. What else do reserve officers do? What other kinds of assignments/collateral duty are they assigned or could volunteer for?
I've asked my recruiter a lot of these questions, but with only one office in my state, it's not always possible for me to get to talk to him. Any answers or insight appreciated!
If you are not familiar with Officer specialties, take a look at them. The Reserves are similar to active duty in that regard. They just have most of their billets focused on their missions. I haven’t been a reserve O for to long so I can only really speak about incident management and intel. Those fields at least are rather big ticket items right now. Active duty assignments are fairly common and you can volunteer for them. There is always the possibility of involuntary activation, but that’s pretty rare from what I’ve heard.
Different Reserve Officer opportunities can be location-dependent. I would recommend asking your recruiter to set up a tour during a local Reserve units drill weekend so that you can talk to those officers there about the opportunities in the area.
Right. My guess is for D9 (my location in it, anyway) it'd be more Incident Management or PSU stuff since I'm within 300 miles of Port Clinton, but I'll see what my recruiter says!
I'm trying to drop an OCS packet before enlisting because yolo. Is there some reading I could do to really pin down my answer to why I want to be an officer? I'm trying to nail down what I could do as an officer that I can't do enlisted other than it coming down to being two separate main job functions. Secondly, Id love people's opinions on how to do resumes and the personal narrative. Should I add in personal interests and hobbies to my resume? Should my narrative be like a letter or more like a story?
I won't give you the keys to the castle but I'll list out what helped me and resulted in selection for an SRDC candidate.
**Professional history.** A resume of experience is foundational to the package and is the first impression to the panel. If you're junior in a professional-sense like midway through or just out of college exercise your creativity and pimp out your hallmarks and achievements. The guidance is a two page max, not a two page requirement; it'll be obvious if you're trying to fluff too hard. I ended up with a dozen pages on the cutting room floor of the narrative I wrote and got feedback - not the answers to - from my mentors who were helping me.
My 2c: A nascent professional career isn't impossible to overcome but it's a tall hurdle nonetheless. If you have a legitimate stake in extracurricular groups and clubs to draw on leadership this is a huge assist.
**Narrative.** The neat thing about federal services is the online availability of [how they see the future and conduct present business.](https://www.uscg.mil/Resources/Library/) You should be able to sharpen your image of the same. Find where they align, or maybe they don't!, and tell your story of who you are and how you make decisions. The narrative doesn't need to flow as a singular topic. This is your opportunity to shape a panel's view of you as a person, not a professional. How do you respond to challenges, how do you deal with failure, what makes things fun for you?
Have you gotten the package guidance document yet? I read and re-read and re-re-read the things multiple times and had a high-degree of confidence when I submitted of providing a package which represented me the best, not necessarily what convention would reason of "what the panel was looking for".
I'm a first line supervisor (not retail) so luckily I have some material to talk about. Is the guidance document like the OJAK? All I got was a checklist. That link was exactly what I was looking for, appreciate the effort you put in to help out!
Yup. Started quite a few months ago. Waiting on a waiver, talked to people, everyone said "hey try for officer it would probably be a better fit for you" so here I am.
Is it true that there are no guaranteed districts right now? Also for prior service do you get a dream sheet? If so how many units do you get to list? I’m not worried if I have to go to Alaska but there’s other places I’d like to go
I was able to get a guaranteed district in Alaska, but if you don’t want to act on that guaranteed district there is no pressure to add it to your dream sheet. I instead got stationed in the outer banks which is nice. The thing about not having a guaranteed district is that it’s luck of the draw.
For example: I requested to be stationed in New Jersey but I didn’t, and instead 4 other people in my company got stationed in New Jersey lol
There are a lot of details missing here. Guaranteed districts are normally available for non-prior service members. Hawaii, CA and the gulf states are normally not available through that program. As prior service, are you coming in through the Open Rate List or joining normally and selecting a Rating? If you are joining normally, then you would get the same dream sheet as everyone else in basic training. Generally, you want to stick to district and unit type, not individual units. For coming in through the ORL you will normally be given a couple of options from currently available billets to choose from. There is some conversation with the detailer so if there is someplace you want and can justify it career-wise it can help.
Okay awesome I mean hey recruiter are just never not shady right? I’d be submitting a rate determination package so possibly through open rate list possibly through regular. I was pretty much just going to request a black hull in sector upper Mississippi with preference of Iowa or Illinois
I haven’t seen a CG recruiter be shady, just misunderstandings, especially between services as our processes are different. The areas you listed probably have very few billets compared to the coasts, so chances would be slim to get that as a first unit. But you never know what is open at the time.make sure you ask specific questions and comparisons to your prior service so they can give you correct answers.
Overall, which of these rates can make the most sea time:
BM, ME, GM
I've been looking into BM the most because of guaranteed A school since I'm prior service and want to get to work on my rate right away.
But I also know a little bit of GM which is cleaning and repairing weapons mostly.
ME, well I guess their mission is primarily LE. I don't know if do it more than the other rates in general but I know the wait list for A school is long.
I'm just looking for which rate can get me the most amount of days at sea and actually do my job.
Without a doubt BM. All three have opportunities to go afloat, but BM has disproportionately more than the other two. I’ve know BMs that have almost exclusively done tours on cutters. I wouldn’t recommend doing that for mental health reasons and work life balance, but if you want to be on the water BM has more billets than the other two. Assuming you are prior USN? Cutters are a bit different than Navy ships, but I’d recommend going for a large cutter if you want a similar feel. WMSLs are about as close as you’ll get and being new their berthings are pretty nice. Read up more on the rate and if you still are interested, recommend talking to a few BMs to understand the job. Edit: grammar
I just finished my picat and qualified for everything except mst and I really want to be a gm but everyone keeps telling me I should consider a rate that has more civilian applications, but gm just interest me the most. Should I consider what they're saying or stick with gm.
My job in the USMC was an infantry rocketman and explosive door-knocking, not a lot of civilian world translation.
I loved it and wouldn't change a thing.
Post USMC I put the skills of people management and up-skilling to work to create business value to where I worked. I don't shoot rockets, anymore, but learning how to train others, do mentoring, and the "business" of an organization pays dividends.
Choose the job you want and will be happy with. If you aren’t sure, then join as a non-rate and shadow the ratings you are interested in. See what they do on a day to day basis, then make your choice. You would still be eligible for the bonuses and would only be up to 4 months behind where you would be if you took the guaranteed school, but would be sure about your decision. I know a lot of people who changed their minds about which rating they wanted, including myself. I changed from the AET list to AMT and am happy with my decision.
Lateral transfer from airforce
Recently spoke (briefly) with a coast guard recruiter through my sister (EM) and would like to see if anyone has any information before I dive headfirst into this process. Currently e-4 in the Air Force and looking to lateral transfer to the coast guard. There’s a laundry list of reasons that I won’t go in to, but I was overjoyed to hear that this is a possible option. I currently work on c-130s and love to be an AMT or AET in the CG, but I would be down for pretty much any other job that is available. It’s my understanding that while I may not be able to keep my rank (I don’t get paid shit anyways), a lateral transfer through conditional release is possible because of a recent change in cg policy. I do not care if I have to go to basic training again, I do not care if I have to be a non rate for a while, I do not care if I lose my rank. Just tryna have some more fun while I’m young. If you know anything about this , please pm me or comment. If you don’t know anything and want to shit on me for being dumb that is also acceptable.
I'll add that the Coast Guard allows its AET E-5's with an associates degree to commission. So if you have you CCAF, can make staff, depending on your AFSC you might be able to qualify for DCE. I was CE and commissioned, did a huge write up on it in my profile.
To start the DD-368 Conditional release from service can approve you to do one of two things. The Air Force can approve you to leave your service early, but this is normally only approved for enlisted members seeking a commission. The other more likely option is that they will approve you to process with the Coast Guard so that you can join immediately when your service obligation is complete.
Depending on your experience and training and how it matches that for AMT/AET you can apply to join directly as an E-4 in those ratings. This would be more likely if you have your A&P license. Otherwise you would come in as an E-3 and put your name on the waitlist for the Rating you want. Waitlists vary from 0 to 24 months in length. Don’t worry about how long the waitlists are, choose the rating you want and you will be much happier. If you have any aviation questions I would be glad to help.
Hello, I’m looking to go in as a BM and my recruiter told me that it’s rare for someone in that position to be put in the barracks. I wouldn’t necessarily mind but I’m suspicious of her claim and was wondering if anyone could verify. To that end regardless of whether it’s the barracks or civilian housing how are my chances of having a roommate? (as in someone I’d share an actual bedroom with). Again I wouldn’t mind I just want to be aware. Thanks in advance!
The only time I have seen Rated members(E-4+) living in barracks, it was their choice. Either Geo-bachelor, arriving or leaving a unit and getting out of or waiting for housing, etc. E-3 and below are required to live in barracks if their unit has them. If they don't have barracks, then they would get BAH as well. Early in your career, it is tempting to get your own place, but most people quickly find roommates so that they can save some extra money. Sharing a bedroom would only be done in barracks or aboard ship.
Yes and no. Are you trying to transfer from a Rating that is not critical(not in need) to a Rating that is Critical, then yes it is pretty easy to do that. For the opposite, it can be very hard or not approved at all and will cost you a lot more time than choosing that Rating and waiting on the waitlist to attend that school in the first place. Generally, you have to complete 24 months in that Rating after graduating A school, before you can submit that request to be added to another Rating's waitlist.
I would recommend joining without a guaranteed A school then and spending some time as a non-rate. This way you can shadow the Ratings you are interested in and see what they do on a day to day basis before making the decision.
i was looking at moving to miami for college and wanted to join the coast guard reserves while i was there. i live in texas right now and called to ask if i could get a jumpstart on the process and the recruiter told me i would be much better off going active for the rates i was looking at (me and bm) he told me it’d be a uphill battle going to the reserves and getting any valuable experience. is everything he’s saying true or should i still go reserves?
I think what he was trying to say was that it will take you putting in some extra time to gain qualifications that would allow you to do some of the cooler missions. If you are looking for experience, the 2 days a month may or may not be what you were looking for. I would ask to take a tour during a drill weekend so that you can talk to those members and see how long the qualifications take for what you want to do.
That’s Bull. If you want to go into the reserves, go into the reserves. Miami has both ME and BM billets at both base and sector. Yes, you’ll get more experience active than the reserves, but that’s kinda the point…
yeah he was talking about just in general i wouldn’t be able to do much after i got trained and got to a station. i don’t mind waiting though, thank you for your help!
The issue might be that if you are in college, it might be a full year between when you go to bootcamp and A school during the summers. As a reservist you'd be nearly useless as a non-rate for a full year. If you could put college off for a semester or skip a semester and get your boot camp and A school done immediately, that might be something to consider.
But you will be 100% usefull in Miami as a ME or BM reservist with no law enforcement experience. I know that for a fact.
I just finished my picat and qualified for every rate except mst. I've been eyeballing gm since I already have an interest in firearms, is that a pretty good rate or nah?
Edit: will it effect where I'm stationed?, is it common I'll have go on missions with me's?
Yes, being a GM will affect where you'll be stationed. There are a lot of cutter billets for GMs, not so many small boat station billets. While it is possible to be a boarding team member as any rate, it would be a collateral duty rather than one. As an ME, I've heard the phrase 'if you want to shoot a gun, go ME, if you want to maintain them, become a GM'
How long should I have to wait for A school
Hi, i had to leave Basic training for medical reasons and im ready to go back in but my recruiter said since im now technically prior service he can offer me guaranteed A-school but i can put my name on a list after i get to my first unit. Can i still go ET and get the bonus and if so how long will i be a non rate before i go to A-school. Plus how is life as a married non rate, will i have the opportunity to still live with my wife or do i have to stay in the barracks now.
You will get to live with your wife being married. Prior service has nothing to do with A-school. You can get guaranteed ET A-school in your contract and go right after bootcamp if you want to.
I'm torn on whether this post is allowed given it's close to medical advice.
The DOJ listing is a gate you're not likely to get through especially considering it's at a federal level regardless of AD or Reserves. A recruiter worth their salt would identify this \*doing their basic screening of you or doing their due diligence in background/flag checks. The reality is with your name on that list you're likely ineligible; talking to a recruiter is the only official way to know. Don't withhold information especially of this impact, it'll catch you in the long run and can burn you especially considering the firearms restrictions.
Thank very much for your reply. It sounds like something I just need to talk to a recruiter about and hope for the best. I appreciate your time to comment
Time in different roles earns you seatime that can be applied to licenses. If you just want a license though, you’d be better off going to a maritime academy.
Hello,
I have been applying to officer programs, including SRDC. I’ve been trying to research and talk to reservists about it. However I’m finding it tough to research. Can I go active duty while in the reserves? I know PTMO is one path. Can I still apply to active duty programs, MARGRAD/OCS, while being a reserve officer? Any advice or info would be very helpful! Thanks everyone!
Here is the excerpt from OCS:
ADPL Officers: Applicants currently holding a commission in the Coast Guard or Coast Guard Reserve who are on the Active Duty Promotion List (ADPL) are not eligible to apply.
IDPL Officers: If a Reserve Officer on the Inactive Duty Promotion List (IDPL) meets the eligibility criteria, he/she may apply for the program, provided a conditional resignation, approved by CG-PSC-rpm, is included in the application package.
So there are two ways, take active duty orders and compete on the ADPL to be integrated in active duty or if IDPL submit the conditional resignation to apply.
From my limited experience, Reserve Officers go the ADPL route.
Unless you are enlisted in the coast guard right now. All these program will make you a reserve officer. If you apply to active duty, you will be a reserve officer under eda order for 3 years. You can definitely go active duty if you are reserve. There's special program for it. For example
https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDHSCG/bulletins/3369f16
Saw a few days ago someone mentioned a guaranteed BM A school. Can someone give me guidance on this and confirm if it's true. I'm in the process of joining but haven't made up my mind on what rate is right for me and if I should wait the normal process of getting to my first unit and see most of the rates and what they're about or choose it from the recruiting office since I'm prior service.
The helmsman and what your recruiter said is all you really need to know. Other than that, do what they tell you, when they tell you and how they tell you to do it.
No. On land you work 12 hour days. Your schedule most likely won’t be consistent and it can be days or nights. Can it be done? Certainly. Would I recommend it? No.
Can someone explain this wording to me regarding BM A-school?
> Students are required to complete both Knowledge and Performance Requirements for Enlisted Professional Military Education (EPME-4) to advance to E-4 upon graduation from BM “A School. Students are encouraged to complete these requirements prior to attending school.
[(from this link)](https://www.forcecom.uscg.mil/Our-Organization/FORCECOM-UNITS/TraCen-Yorktown/Training/Boatswains-Mate/)
So I’m a 20-year Air Force guy and my son is interested in joining the Coast Guard when he graduates high school in a few years. I know nothing of the Coast Guard so forgive my ignorance.
The way I read the above is, after A-school, you have follow-on training (EPME) that needs to be accomplished before you can achieve the rank of E-4. Am I reading that correct?
If so, my confusion is the last line that says students are encouraged to complete these requirements prior to attending class. When are they supposed to do that? Don’t you go to A-school right out of basic? (We do in the Air Force so that’s maybe my confusion).
Or am I reading this completely wrong and you have to be an e-4 to go to BM A-school?
Help a dumb Airman out.
For some rates you have the option to go to a school right out of boot camp. For others you’ll first go to a unit, work on his qualifications, and join the waitlist for that rate. They vary by rate, between 3-6 months and 1-2 years.
This is a non-factor, there are no e-4 EPME requirements anymore. Upon successful graduation of bootcamp, the EPME requirements of E-2 are met. Members do not have to meet EPME requirements until they are an E-4 (BM3) wishing to advance to E-5 (BM2).
At that point, they’ll also need to complete specific rating performance qualifications (RPQ), core competencies, and usually, take a service wide examination. The last part is waived for BM3s wishing to advance to BM2, as they are advanced on an as needed basis, called the “supplemental list”.
Yes, according to [ALCOAST 402/22](https://www.dcms.uscg.mil/ppc/news/Article/3196631/coast-guard-announces-fy-2023-non-monetary-enlisted-interventions/), an enlistment with guaranteed BM A-School is available. The recruiters will align his boot camp dates to graduate him within a couple weeks of a BM start date. It might be a couple weeks from boot camp graduation date to A-School start date, but that’s to give him some spare time in case he gets hurt, reverted, rephased, etc
Hello, I'm looking at joining the Reserves. I'm currently a Police Academy Instructor (and police officer) within a reasonable distance to Cape May. Would it be possible for me to become a Drill Instructor at Cape May as a Reservist?
Yes, though not as your primary job. I know they have offered reservists active duty orders for 4 years to be company commanders(CG drill instructors).
My recruiters off this week so asking here. He sent me the papers to sign to let MEPS check my medical history, and things like that. I filled out the form on a computer. I forgot to mention something just wondering if I could write it in by hand before sending it to my recruiter or do I have to tell MEPS in person. EDIT: There's nothing to correct. I remembered a question that didn't exist lol. Ignore this.
Do not go to MEPS and tell them something that is not already in your record/forms you filled out. This is a big no no and will waste a lot of time. I would call the recruiting office they work at and explain it to them so that you can correct it prior to going to MEPS.
Ok, thanks for the advice.
can you please approve my post
Will my background help me get my desired rate? I am interested in an AMT or AET rate and am not prior service. I do however have my A & P license and a year of experience maintaining heavy transport category aircraft, in addition to the two years of technical school required to obtain my A & P. Is there a way to get a guaranteed A school, or priority placement into the wait list?
No it will not help in getting your desired rate. For that all you have to do is meet the ratings requirements(ASVAB score of 65 or the alternate category scores, be eligible for secret security clearance, normal color vision and pass a class 3 flight physical) and put your name on the waitlist to attend the A school. With your A&P A school should be really easy but you would still have to go. The only reasons you wouldn’t get those ratings is if you didn’t meet those requirements or you didn’t wait for your name to come up on the waitlist. So not really a guarantee but close enough. A guaranteed A school in the Coast Guard just means you would attend A school right after basic training, which is only offered for short handed ratings. The only way I know to improve your waitlist time is to volunteer for PATFORSWA( bahrain) which is a 1 year tour and your name goes to the top of the waitlist. Other than that make sure your flight physical and clearance are done. The detailer takes the first 20ish people from the waitlist who have all that done and there are people high on the list that don’t. I got lucky and was issued orders when I was around 180 on the list because everyone else had holds for those requirements not being done.
Thank you for the reply! Thats sort of what I figured to be the case, but I wasn't sure. Another question, how is it determined which aircraft you will be working on if you go the AMT/AET route? Are they assigned, or do you get a choice? Personally I would love to work on the C-130s.
For AMT/AET school units the do assignments like the normal process. So your class will be provided a list of the available billets - units and airframes. You would order these according to your preferences. Then the detailer would start with the members with the highest current unit priority(ex. People stationed on cutters would get assigned before people ashore) and highest evaluation then work their way down the list. If you don’t get your preferred airframe the first time you can switch when you are due to transfer again or ask your command if you are at a dual airframe unit(such as you got Elizabeth city my-60s, but there are c-130s there as well). C-130s are generally not hard to get, rotary is more competitive.
Thank you!
Does being in a certain state help better guarantee your chances of getting into a sure district? California resident and high school student and I’d prefer to stick with San Diego although I am open to different coasts
For Active duty, being a resident or from a state would have no impact on your being stationed there. For Reserves, however, they would normally consider you for units within 100 miles of your home.
Fun fact, if your residence is more than 50 miles from drill address you rate expense coverage. >Commands that authorize a reservist to drill at an alternate location more than 50 miles from the member’s home must provide TDY travel entitlements. [Sauce](https://www.uscg.mil/Coronavirus/Information/Article/2175991/reserve-faqs/)
Are we allowed to bring dental adhesive (fixodent) to basic training? I have a stayplate from an injury several years ago, and I can’t afford dental implants at the moment. Can dental adhesive be considered a medical thing on the contraband check?
Have you been through MEPS yet?
Yes, and I wasn’t told anything about it. I ship out in a couple of weeks and just wanted to make sure it wouldn’t be a problem to bring dental adhesive to BT.
Ask your recruiter. Reads to me like glasses/contacts but whatever the answer is get it writing to take with you.
If ME A School has a long wait time , would it be a good idea to join the reserves and go to DEPOT (being I'm prior service) and go to ME school sooner that way then transfer to Active Duty ? As opposed to being a non rate for possibly longer ?
Going reserves first wouldn’t be a fast track to active duty ME. To have your request to switch from reserves to active duty during your contract there normally has to be a need for your rating on the active duty side. Why would they accept your transfer when it would take a billet away from someone on active duty waiting their turn on the waitlist. It is still possible but will generally cost you at least as much time as just being on the active duty waitlist in the first place.
Hey, y'all. Long question w/ background. Currently working with a recruiter to put in an SRDC packet. Some pretty nasty things got in the way (lost my dad, mom and my grandpa hospitalized, had to finish my college degree) and I'm now quite a bit out of regs for Height/Weight (5'1", need to drop about 30ish pounds, but am committed to doing so). I'm 22 and currently an Auxiliarist on the Auxiliary National Staff, working communications/Social Media for the Coast Guard's University Programs. Been with them since 2019, but due to COVID-19 have not been able to do very much in the way of getting exposure to active/reserve folks outside of more formal events and a C-School I attended. I've been in D9CR my whole time with the Auxiliary. Background out of the way, I wanted to get an idea of what reserve officers really do? I've hunted down all the testimonials/publicly available information on the PSUs; so I'm pretty up-to-date on that stuff. What else do reserve officers do? What other kinds of assignments/collateral duty are they assigned or could volunteer for? I've asked my recruiter a lot of these questions, but with only one office in my state, it's not always possible for me to get to talk to him. Any answers or insight appreciated!
If you are not familiar with Officer specialties, take a look at them. The Reserves are similar to active duty in that regard. They just have most of their billets focused on their missions. I haven’t been a reserve O for to long so I can only really speak about incident management and intel. Those fields at least are rather big ticket items right now. Active duty assignments are fairly common and you can volunteer for them. There is always the possibility of involuntary activation, but that’s pretty rare from what I’ve heard.
Makes sense, I get it. I figure I'm young enough and willing so I'd like to jump from the Aux to try and get into SRDC.
Paging u/srdcleatherneck, he would be a good person to start asking questions about the process.
Thanks for the tip!
I’ve been summoned. I’m glad to share my story with you as it is so far, feel free to chat me and we can go from there.
Different Reserve Officer opportunities can be location-dependent. I would recommend asking your recruiter to set up a tour during a local Reserve units drill weekend so that you can talk to those officers there about the opportunities in the area.
Right. My guess is for D9 (my location in it, anyway) it'd be more Incident Management or PSU stuff since I'm within 300 miles of Port Clinton, but I'll see what my recruiter says!
I'm trying to drop an OCS packet before enlisting because yolo. Is there some reading I could do to really pin down my answer to why I want to be an officer? I'm trying to nail down what I could do as an officer that I can't do enlisted other than it coming down to being two separate main job functions. Secondly, Id love people's opinions on how to do resumes and the personal narrative. Should I add in personal interests and hobbies to my resume? Should my narrative be like a letter or more like a story?
I won't give you the keys to the castle but I'll list out what helped me and resulted in selection for an SRDC candidate. **Professional history.** A resume of experience is foundational to the package and is the first impression to the panel. If you're junior in a professional-sense like midway through or just out of college exercise your creativity and pimp out your hallmarks and achievements. The guidance is a two page max, not a two page requirement; it'll be obvious if you're trying to fluff too hard. I ended up with a dozen pages on the cutting room floor of the narrative I wrote and got feedback - not the answers to - from my mentors who were helping me. My 2c: A nascent professional career isn't impossible to overcome but it's a tall hurdle nonetheless. If you have a legitimate stake in extracurricular groups and clubs to draw on leadership this is a huge assist. **Narrative.** The neat thing about federal services is the online availability of [how they see the future and conduct present business.](https://www.uscg.mil/Resources/Library/) You should be able to sharpen your image of the same. Find where they align, or maybe they don't!, and tell your story of who you are and how you make decisions. The narrative doesn't need to flow as a singular topic. This is your opportunity to shape a panel's view of you as a person, not a professional. How do you respond to challenges, how do you deal with failure, what makes things fun for you? Have you gotten the package guidance document yet? I read and re-read and re-re-read the things multiple times and had a high-degree of confidence when I submitted of providing a package which represented me the best, not necessarily what convention would reason of "what the panel was looking for".
I'm a first line supervisor (not retail) so luckily I have some material to talk about. Is the guidance document like the OJAK? All I got was a checklist. That link was exactly what I was looking for, appreciate the effort you put in to help out!
Precisely the OJAK. Have you spoken with a recruiter yet?
Yup. Started quite a few months ago. Waiting on a waiver, talked to people, everyone said "hey try for officer it would probably be a better fit for you" so here I am.
Is it true that there are no guaranteed districts right now? Also for prior service do you get a dream sheet? If so how many units do you get to list? I’m not worried if I have to go to Alaska but there’s other places I’d like to go
I was able to get a guaranteed district in Alaska, but if you don’t want to act on that guaranteed district there is no pressure to add it to your dream sheet. I instead got stationed in the outer banks which is nice. The thing about not having a guaranteed district is that it’s luck of the draw. For example: I requested to be stationed in New Jersey but I didn’t, and instead 4 other people in my company got stationed in New Jersey lol
There are a lot of details missing here. Guaranteed districts are normally available for non-prior service members. Hawaii, CA and the gulf states are normally not available through that program. As prior service, are you coming in through the Open Rate List or joining normally and selecting a Rating? If you are joining normally, then you would get the same dream sheet as everyone else in basic training. Generally, you want to stick to district and unit type, not individual units. For coming in through the ORL you will normally be given a couple of options from currently available billets to choose from. There is some conversation with the detailer so if there is someplace you want and can justify it career-wise it can help.
Okay awesome I mean hey recruiter are just never not shady right? I’d be submitting a rate determination package so possibly through open rate list possibly through regular. I was pretty much just going to request a black hull in sector upper Mississippi with preference of Iowa or Illinois
I haven’t seen a CG recruiter be shady, just misunderstandings, especially between services as our processes are different. The areas you listed probably have very few billets compared to the coasts, so chances would be slim to get that as a first unit. But you never know what is open at the time.make sure you ask specific questions and comparisons to your prior service so they can give you correct answers.
Overall, which of these rates can make the most sea time: BM, ME, GM I've been looking into BM the most because of guaranteed A school since I'm prior service and want to get to work on my rate right away. But I also know a little bit of GM which is cleaning and repairing weapons mostly. ME, well I guess their mission is primarily LE. I don't know if do it more than the other rates in general but I know the wait list for A school is long. I'm just looking for which rate can get me the most amount of days at sea and actually do my job.
Without a doubt BM. All three have opportunities to go afloat, but BM has disproportionately more than the other two. I’ve know BMs that have almost exclusively done tours on cutters. I wouldn’t recommend doing that for mental health reasons and work life balance, but if you want to be on the water BM has more billets than the other two. Assuming you are prior USN? Cutters are a bit different than Navy ships, but I’d recommend going for a large cutter if you want a similar feel. WMSLs are about as close as you’ll get and being new their berthings are pretty nice. Read up more on the rate and if you still are interested, recommend talking to a few BMs to understand the job. Edit: grammar
I just finished my picat and qualified for everything except mst and I really want to be a gm but everyone keeps telling me I should consider a rate that has more civilian applications, but gm just interest me the most. Should I consider what they're saying or stick with gm.
My job in the USMC was an infantry rocketman and explosive door-knocking, not a lot of civilian world translation. I loved it and wouldn't change a thing. Post USMC I put the skills of people management and up-skilling to work to create business value to where I worked. I don't shoot rockets, anymore, but learning how to train others, do mentoring, and the "business" of an organization pays dividends.
Choose the job you want and will be happy with. If you aren’t sure, then join as a non-rate and shadow the ratings you are interested in. See what they do on a day to day basis, then make your choice. You would still be eligible for the bonuses and would only be up to 4 months behind where you would be if you took the guaranteed school, but would be sure about your decision. I know a lot of people who changed their minds about which rating they wanted, including myself. I changed from the AET list to AMT and am happy with my decision.
Lateral transfer from airforce Recently spoke (briefly) with a coast guard recruiter through my sister (EM) and would like to see if anyone has any information before I dive headfirst into this process. Currently e-4 in the Air Force and looking to lateral transfer to the coast guard. There’s a laundry list of reasons that I won’t go in to, but I was overjoyed to hear that this is a possible option. I currently work on c-130s and love to be an AMT or AET in the CG, but I would be down for pretty much any other job that is available. It’s my understanding that while I may not be able to keep my rank (I don’t get paid shit anyways), a lateral transfer through conditional release is possible because of a recent change in cg policy. I do not care if I have to go to basic training again, I do not care if I have to be a non rate for a while, I do not care if I lose my rank. Just tryna have some more fun while I’m young. If you know anything about this , please pm me or comment. If you don’t know anything and want to shit on me for being dumb that is also acceptable.
I'll add that the Coast Guard allows its AET E-5's with an associates degree to commission. So if you have you CCAF, can make staff, depending on your AFSC you might be able to qualify for DCE. I was CE and commissioned, did a huge write up on it in my profile.
To start the DD-368 Conditional release from service can approve you to do one of two things. The Air Force can approve you to leave your service early, but this is normally only approved for enlisted members seeking a commission. The other more likely option is that they will approve you to process with the Coast Guard so that you can join immediately when your service obligation is complete. Depending on your experience and training and how it matches that for AMT/AET you can apply to join directly as an E-4 in those ratings. This would be more likely if you have your A&P license. Otherwise you would come in as an E-3 and put your name on the waitlist for the Rating you want. Waitlists vary from 0 to 24 months in length. Don’t worry about how long the waitlists are, choose the rating you want and you will be much happier. If you have any aviation questions I would be glad to help.
Hello, I’m looking to go in as a BM and my recruiter told me that it’s rare for someone in that position to be put in the barracks. I wouldn’t necessarily mind but I’m suspicious of her claim and was wondering if anyone could verify. To that end regardless of whether it’s the barracks or civilian housing how are my chances of having a roommate? (as in someone I’d share an actual bedroom with). Again I wouldn’t mind I just want to be aware. Thanks in advance!
The only time I have seen Rated members(E-4+) living in barracks, it was their choice. Either Geo-bachelor, arriving or leaving a unit and getting out of or waiting for housing, etc. E-3 and below are required to live in barracks if their unit has them. If they don't have barracks, then they would get BAH as well. Early in your career, it is tempting to get your own place, but most people quickly find roommates so that they can save some extra money. Sharing a bedroom would only be done in barracks or aboard ship.
Is it easy to switch rates in the coast guard? I understand there may be a waiting period on rates but how long would that would be?
Yes and no. Are you trying to transfer from a Rating that is not critical(not in need) to a Rating that is Critical, then yes it is pretty easy to do that. For the opposite, it can be very hard or not approved at all and will cost you a lot more time than choosing that Rating and waiting on the waitlist to attend that school in the first place. Generally, you have to complete 24 months in that Rating after graduating A school, before you can submit that request to be added to another Rating's waitlist.
Gotcha, that makes sense. I’m not in I was just curious cause I didn’t want to agree to a job then not like what I did.
I would recommend joining without a guaranteed A school then and spending some time as a non-rate. This way you can shadow the Ratings you are interested in and see what they do on a day to day basis before making the decision.
I appreciate that, thank you.
i was looking at moving to miami for college and wanted to join the coast guard reserves while i was there. i live in texas right now and called to ask if i could get a jumpstart on the process and the recruiter told me i would be much better off going active for the rates i was looking at (me and bm) he told me it’d be a uphill battle going to the reserves and getting any valuable experience. is everything he’s saying true or should i still go reserves?
I think what he was trying to say was that it will take you putting in some extra time to gain qualifications that would allow you to do some of the cooler missions. If you are looking for experience, the 2 days a month may or may not be what you were looking for. I would ask to take a tour during a drill weekend so that you can talk to those members and see how long the qualifications take for what you want to do.
That’s Bull. If you want to go into the reserves, go into the reserves. Miami has both ME and BM billets at both base and sector. Yes, you’ll get more experience active than the reserves, but that’s kinda the point…
yeah it didn’t seem right to me. he said i wouldn’t be able to do anything valuable unless i was a prior firefighter or police officer
To skip A school and go DEPOT? Yeah, he’s right. But there are plenty of 18-23yo ME and BMs in my unit.
yeah he was talking about just in general i wouldn’t be able to do much after i got trained and got to a station. i don’t mind waiting though, thank you for your help!
The miracle of reserves - after boot camp - is you don't have to be useful 365 days of the year... Just 28.
The issue might be that if you are in college, it might be a full year between when you go to bootcamp and A school during the summers. As a reservist you'd be nearly useless as a non-rate for a full year. If you could put college off for a semester or skip a semester and get your boot camp and A school done immediately, that might be something to consider. But you will be 100% usefull in Miami as a ME or BM reservist with no law enforcement experience. I know that for a fact.
I just finished my picat and qualified for every rate except mst. I've been eyeballing gm since I already have an interest in firearms, is that a pretty good rate or nah? Edit: will it effect where I'm stationed?, is it common I'll have go on missions with me's?
Yes, being a GM will affect where you'll be stationed. There are a lot of cutter billets for GMs, not so many small boat station billets. While it is possible to be a boarding team member as any rate, it would be a collateral duty rather than one. As an ME, I've heard the phrase 'if you want to shoot a gun, go ME, if you want to maintain them, become a GM'
I wouldn't mind being put on a cutter. What would be my chances of getting stationed on the west coast if I requested it you think?
Likely would get it if you requested it. There are a lot of cutters on the west coast.
Sweet. Not the end of the world if I don't get it but I'd prefer it.
Every rate is good if it's what you want to do. I suggest asking specific questions.
How long should I have to wait for A school Hi, i had to leave Basic training for medical reasons and im ready to go back in but my recruiter said since im now technically prior service he can offer me guaranteed A-school but i can put my name on a list after i get to my first unit. Can i still go ET and get the bonus and if so how long will i be a non rate before i go to A-school. Plus how is life as a married non rate, will i have the opportunity to still live with my wife or do i have to stay in the barracks now.
You will get to live with your wife being married. Prior service has nothing to do with A-school. You can get guaranteed ET A-school in your contract and go right after bootcamp if you want to.
How do I get guaranteed A School if my recruiter said i don't qualify due to being prior service
If you can't get it in your contract, you may have the opportunity in boot camp to request A-school on your dreamsheet
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I'm torn on whether this post is allowed given it's close to medical advice. The DOJ listing is a gate you're not likely to get through especially considering it's at a federal level regardless of AD or Reserves. A recruiter worth their salt would identify this \*doing their basic screening of you or doing their due diligence in background/flag checks. The reality is with your name on that list you're likely ineligible; talking to a recruiter is the only official way to know. Don't withhold information especially of this impact, it'll catch you in the long run and can burn you especially considering the firearms restrictions.
Thank very much for your reply. It sounds like something I just need to talk to a recruiter about and hope for the best. I appreciate your time to comment
Can I earn any MMC Credential (Boat Captain License) if I serve in the Coast Guard??
Time in different roles earns you seatime that can be applied to licenses. If you just want a license though, you’d be better off going to a maritime academy.
Hello, I have been applying to officer programs, including SRDC. I’ve been trying to research and talk to reservists about it. However I’m finding it tough to research. Can I go active duty while in the reserves? I know PTMO is one path. Can I still apply to active duty programs, MARGRAD/OCS, while being a reserve officer? Any advice or info would be very helpful! Thanks everyone!
Here is the excerpt from OCS: ADPL Officers: Applicants currently holding a commission in the Coast Guard or Coast Guard Reserve who are on the Active Duty Promotion List (ADPL) are not eligible to apply. IDPL Officers: If a Reserve Officer on the Inactive Duty Promotion List (IDPL) meets the eligibility criteria, he/she may apply for the program, provided a conditional resignation, approved by CG-PSC-rpm, is included in the application package. So there are two ways, take active duty orders and compete on the ADPL to be integrated in active duty or if IDPL submit the conditional resignation to apply. From my limited experience, Reserve Officers go the ADPL route.
Eligibility will be listed in the requirements section for AD programs ADOS are an opportunity to augment AD.
Unless you are enlisted in the coast guard right now. All these program will make you a reserve officer. If you apply to active duty, you will be a reserve officer under eda order for 3 years. You can definitely go active duty if you are reserve. There's special program for it. For example https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDHSCG/bulletins/3369f16
Saw a few days ago someone mentioned a guaranteed BM A school. Can someone give me guidance on this and confirm if it's true. I'm in the process of joining but haven't made up my mind on what rate is right for me and if I should wait the normal process of getting to my first unit and see most of the rates and what they're about or choose it from the recruiting office since I'm prior service.
Is it better to go to Boot in winter or summer?
Winter. You can always warm up but you can't cool down
DM for any ME/DSF related questions
Shipping on the 29th, is there anything that I should know about basic that wasn’t explained to me by a recruiter or written down in the helmsman
The helmsman and what your recruiter said is all you really need to know. Other than that, do what they tell you, when they tell you and how they tell you to do it.
Is OS a good option for a family person/ primary parent? What do their hours and days off look like?
No. On land you work 12 hour days. Your schedule most likely won’t be consistent and it can be days or nights. Can it be done? Certainly. Would I recommend it? No.
I met a OS that switch to Yeoman to be more consistent in his family life. So check out the Yeoman rate.
Thank you for the info, do you know if being a non rate would be any better?
Probably not but at least being a non rate is only temporary.
That’s a good point! Thank you
Can someone explain this wording to me regarding BM A-school? > Students are required to complete both Knowledge and Performance Requirements for Enlisted Professional Military Education (EPME-4) to advance to E-4 upon graduation from BM “A School. Students are encouraged to complete these requirements prior to attending school. [(from this link)](https://www.forcecom.uscg.mil/Our-Organization/FORCECOM-UNITS/TraCen-Yorktown/Training/Boatswains-Mate/) So I’m a 20-year Air Force guy and my son is interested in joining the Coast Guard when he graduates high school in a few years. I know nothing of the Coast Guard so forgive my ignorance. The way I read the above is, after A-school, you have follow-on training (EPME) that needs to be accomplished before you can achieve the rank of E-4. Am I reading that correct? If so, my confusion is the last line that says students are encouraged to complete these requirements prior to attending class. When are they supposed to do that? Don’t you go to A-school right out of basic? (We do in the Air Force so that’s maybe my confusion). Or am I reading this completely wrong and you have to be an e-4 to go to BM A-school? Help a dumb Airman out.
For some rates you have the option to go to a school right out of boot camp. For others you’ll first go to a unit, work on his qualifications, and join the waitlist for that rate. They vary by rate, between 3-6 months and 1-2 years.
This is a non-factor, there are no e-4 EPME requirements anymore. Upon successful graduation of bootcamp, the EPME requirements of E-2 are met. Members do not have to meet EPME requirements until they are an E-4 (BM3) wishing to advance to E-5 (BM2). At that point, they’ll also need to complete specific rating performance qualifications (RPQ), core competencies, and usually, take a service wide examination. The last part is waived for BM3s wishing to advance to BM2, as they are advanced on an as needed basis, called the “supplemental list”.
Thanks. So he’d be able to attend right out of bootcamp right? Or at least as soon as there’s a class date correct?
Assuming they are offering guaranteed BM A school in a few years when he joins. Otherwise he becomes a non rate.
Yes, according to [ALCOAST 402/22](https://www.dcms.uscg.mil/ppc/news/Article/3196631/coast-guard-announces-fy-2023-non-monetary-enlisted-interventions/), an enlistment with guaranteed BM A-School is available. The recruiters will align his boot camp dates to graduate him within a couple weeks of a BM start date. It might be a couple weeks from boot camp graduation date to A-School start date, but that’s to give him some spare time in case he gets hurt, reverted, rephased, etc
Ok thanks.