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coast guard job?

i'm thinking about joining the Coast Guard after getting out of the Marines 2 months ago. I'm wanting to be a gunner's mate. Any personal experience on the matter? What did you like least and most about it? What about search and rescue?

Public Comments

1. That's cool.
2. You get to go after drug smugglers, riding around in fast boats. search & rescue is pretty dangerous job too!
3. You wouldn't be doing much search and rescue (SAR) as a GM. You'd be working with guns, ammo and possibly a small arms instructor. If assigned to a cutter (boat 65-400 feet long), your ship would be involved in that mission but you wouldn't be fishing people out of the water as frequently as the guys at the search and rescue (small boats) stations or helicopter stations. The GMs at maritime safety and security teams and MSSTs as a unit don't conduct any SAR. If search and rescue and maritime law enforcement interests you, boatswains mates and machinery technicians at SAR stations and operation specialists get the bulk of the work. SAR stations are one of the most common coast guard units. They drive 20-something foot and 40-something foot long boats to fish people out of the water, arrest drunk boaters, and escort cargo ships in and out of the ports.
4. I just retired from the Coast Guard last year, although I was not a Gunners Mate (GM) I did work closely with them. GM's are responsible for maintaining and inventory of the Coast Guards weapons and weapons systems. They also teach Coast Guard personnel about firearms and firearm safety. Depending on your billet you could be assigned to a cutter, shore station, or the Academy. Just a couple of things about GM's; 1. They have a lot of responsibilities when it comes to the weapons and ammo. 2. There's a lot of paperwork involved with weapons and ammo. 3. They get more opportunities to shoot than anyone in the Coast Guard. 4. GM's, like everyone else in the Coast Guard are deployable.