Coast Guard, 81 to 85. I think it was the only period in history when we were at war with no one.
Took basic in Alemeda on Goverment Island, “A” School in New York on Governers Island, spend the rest at the base in Mobile Alabama.
I always felt the Coast Gaurd was the best service for learning a trade. There were only 20,000 thousand Coasties, and maybe 600 ET’s. Basically if it broke and it didn’t have a gun attached, and it had DC voltages, it was yours. The AC work went to the electricians and the guns went to the fire control technicians. (I think there were three.)
I think it is similar for officers. In a career an officer will captain at least one ship, (or shipette, a 95 foot cutter is a pretty small thing),and it could be a white boat,(Cutter) a black boat, (Bouy Tender) or a Red Boat (ice breaker) he might run a communications facility. (Then again the whole Loran thing is gone so I don’t know about that anymore.) A marine safety office, a search and rescue base and any other weird thing the Coast Gaurd might get tied up in.
As such a Coast Guard Officer has the oppurtunity, and obligation, to learn every thing about the maritime. Inland, off shore, environment, politics, law, and construction and warfare.
Cheers
Qazulight (Both my son’s are color blind, so could be neither technicians nor officers, they chose college instead.)