Choosing between Service Academies

[grevar]

I want to comment on a couple of things, some misconceptions people have about the Coast Guard and USCGA.

1. Possibility of Foreign Travel: It is true that the Coast Guard is primarily stationed stateside but there are plenty of foreign travel opportunities. As a cadet, I had the opportunity to attend a conference/competition in San Remo, Italy on the Law of Armed Conflict attended by students from military academies around the world (a conference USNA has not attended for awhile). Since I've graduated, I have visited three other countries while on patrol and will visit three more on my next patrol. As you climb the ladder in rank, there are more opportunites to serve overseas. You can be an aide to an Admiral and travel or you could be an attache to the Far East. You could be stationed with AFRICOM or any other number of jobs. Trust me, your daughter will travel with the Coast Guard

2. Location: I will agree that New London is by far a less ideal location then Annapolis. But, it is an hour and a half from Boston and 2 hours from New York. Its very common for cadets to travel on long weekends (even as 4/c!) to these areas. Some go the White Mountains in New Hampshire and hike, others head to the cities to see a show, get some good food, or attend a sporting event. As a fourth class, yes, you are more restricted to the New London area because of the liberty policy but it honestly wasn't all bad. You find ways to make any area fun (even if it comes down to nerf gun fights in Target or water balloon fights in the passageways of Chase Hall).

At the end of the day, I wouldn't look at your daughter's choice as a choice between schools but a choice between services. As her mother, you are probably right in that the school size, location, and major choices of USNA are more her style. But its the minimum five years afterward that are the real deal. I wanted to attend USNA at first and in the end found the Coast Guard more my speed for the same reasons your daughter has stated. Its a small service with a big mission that is ALWAYS ongoing. I have only been a graduate for a few months and the things I've gotten to do in just 1.5 patrols have shown me that I made the right choice. What I most like about the Coast Guard is that it is a family, because of its small size. I get the chance to know every single one of the 100+ people on my boat, not just a fraction of the people you would work with on a carrier. In the end, your daughter is the only one who knows what the best choice for her is. I think its awesome that you support her enough to come on here and ask the question.

Well said! Thank you for posting that. A great perspective from a very recent grad.

 

[Spud]

At the risk of giving my CG colleagues even more ammunition, as a Midshipman at USNA familiar with the Navy's constant and thorough training, we always felt the Navy practiced constantly for its Super Bowl and the Coast Guard played theirs every day.