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Step 1: Learn about the Military
Coast Guard Overview
The history of the Service is very complicated because it is the amalgamation
of five Federal agencies. These agencies, the Revenue Cutter Service, the Lighthouse
Service, the Steamboat Inspection Service, the Bureau of Navigation, and the
Lifesaving Service, were originally independent, but had overlapping authorities
and were shuffled around the government.
The Coast Guard, through its forefathers, is the oldest continuous seagoing
service and has fought in almost every war since the Constitution became the
law of the land in 1789. Following the War of Independence (1776-83), the Continental
Navy was disbanded and from 1790 until 1798, when the U.S. Navy was created,
the revenue cutters were the only national maritime service. The Acts establishing
the Navy also empowered the President to use the revenue cutters to supplement
the fleet when needed. Laws later clarified the relationship between the Coast
Guard and the Navy.
The U.S. Coast Guard is one of five branches of the US Armed Forces, and falls
under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The Coast
Guard's responsibilities include Search and Rescue (SAR), Maritime Law Enforcement
(MLE), Aids to Navigation (ATON), Icebreaking, Environmental Protection, Port
Security and Military Readiness. In order to accomplish these missions the Coast
Guard's 38,000 active-duty men and women, 8,000 Reservists, and 35,000 Auxiliarists
serve in a variety of job fields ranging from operation specialists and small-boat
operators and maintenance specialists to electronic technicians and aviation
mechanics.
The Verdict: The Coast Guard is by far the least "flashy" of the branches
- it gets little of the limelight. It is also probably one of the tightest knit
"families" of all the services. By and large the Coast Guard focuses on law
enforcement, not large scale military operations. If you like the law, assuring
security, working as a member of a small team, and a sea-going lifestyle, the
Coast Guard may be for you. Of course, make sure you like water and can stand
being on a boat!
