So i have read that you get a "wish list" towards the end of bootcamp. Is that list for where you want to be stationed right after you graduate bootcamp? if not than what is that list for? Thanks for your help in advanced

Thats correct, you choose your preferred district, and then the detailer puts you somewhere completely different.

and then the detailer puts you somewhere completely different.

They try to put you where you want to be, but needs of the service take precedence.

how do they decide where you are going to be stationed with in the 5 days that you have before you go to you're station?

you actually get your assignment during week 5 I think.

The detailers always know what jobs are open, where they are, and what needs to be filled right away. They are going to do their absolute best to get you where you want to go. I've always gotten something I wanted. It wasn't always my first choice, but it was something I asked for.

so they give you your wish list before week 5? and then they decide where you go? and also, do they pay for you to go home right after bootcamp, and than to fly to your first station? i think i heard somewhere that you had to pay your own way to get to your first station, or something along those lines. i forgot.

They'll pay for you to travel to your first unit. You can either have them book you a plane ticket or they'll just give you what it would have cost them. If you decide to go home before going to your unit that is out of your pocket. For instance your first unit is in Miami, Florida. You live in California, they'll pay for a ticket to Miami which is $500. You can take the $500 and pay the difference to go home and than your first unit.

I believe they pay the cost from cape may to your unit? Or it might just be travel time from cape may not pay? Not sure

they'll give you travel time+the info in my last post.

so they pay how much a ticket would cost from cape may to your first unit?

O.K. Hypothetical, my first Duty Station is Ft Meyers but Mom and Dad want to drive me home to Massachusetts for those 5 days. Could I drive back to Cape May 6.5 hrs to catch the bus to the airport or however they intended to get me there.

Or would it be better to take the money and try to get a flight from Bradley Airport ( close to my home ) even if its an extra $$$ ?

Once again... You will be paid to travel from Cape May, NJ to your first unit. Any cost you incur traveling on your 5 days of authorized leave comes out of your own pocket. There will be a class where everything will be explained in vivid detail.

I live in NJ only 3 hours north of cape may so not worried about the cost of travel back home. But do i have to fly to my first unit or do i also have the option for them to pay for ground travel expenses. I would like to be able to take my car with me to my first duty station. As well as housing allowing some other personal items. So i know that later in your career you can drive any where to your next unit and they pay so much for your hotels and gas. Would they also do that if you choose to drive to your first unit? Or would they only pay to fly me to my first unit.

They will pay for you to fly, drive, or I'm not going to explain but there is another option of mixed modes. Once again there is a class where they will explain everything. You will get the chance to go home if you want to within those 5 days+travel time that you have earned, unless you unit needs you to report asap. You will get a chance to use phones in the later weeks of training.

Example, I got stationed in Key West, FL. They gave me like 4 days travel time(guesstimating) because that was the amount of time it would take to drive from Cape May to Key West. They payed me gas+per diem for Cape May to Key West. I flew from Cape May to California and than drove to Key West. My boat needed me to report by a certain date so I basically flew home and saw friends/family for 1 day and than drove to Key West and got underway.

Remember leave days are valuable, I made the mistake of getting like 10 leave days and flying home and using them leaving me with 0, if something came up I wouldn't have been able to get home. You've been gone for 8 weeks, you might want to go to your unit, get qualified, than take some leave. I only flew home so I could have my car in Key West otherwise I would have shown up to the unit ASAP rather than rushing to make sure I had everything before leaving to sea.

Got thanks man. I know about the class that explains and helps you with setting up travel arrangements for your first unit and so forth. But i just wanted to make sure that they would pay for it before i leave for basic so at least i know i could figure out if i should get the car ready for when i graduate.

so say that you get stationed in hawaii or something, how do you get your car? will they ship it for you?

Yes if you are going overseas they will ship one car.

My first duty was the USCGC Planetree. That was such a fun ship that I hated to leave it for A school. I heard it got decomissioned.

My son did the same thing E, he flew home from Cape May to Louisiana for a few days then drove his car to Key West. He stayed in Key West one year then drove from there to Yorktown for A School then back home. You have explained it the best way..

I was under the understanding that you get the amount of travel time that it would take you to get from your home to your first duty station, because we have a family so if my husband only got enough travel time to go from say Cape May to Virginia that wouldnt give us enough time to move our family accross country from Seattle to Virginia.

If you are coming straight from cape may you live on the boat, correct? Would you just leave your car on base?

You might live on a boat. You might not. It all depends where you get stationed. If you are on a boat, yes, you can leave your vehicle on base.

What Old Guard said..we have buoy tender, 87, and sector non rates here and only the buoy tender non rates live on the boat. I was on a boat but lived in the barracks. There will be a place to park your car though. I used to just park my car, unplug the battery, and cover it before leaving withe a tad of gas in it so when I got back I was set to go.

I have a question, im leaving to go to bootcamp in march and when I graduate im goin to visit my friends and family who live in new jersey. But when I leave to report to my first station where am I going to live. I am married. Is my wife able to come down with me right sway or does she have to wait untold I het on base housing or will I get on bade housing right away. Will I have to find a place off base for us?

It depends where you get assigned what will happen when you first arrive there. That will also determine housing. I can tell you the great majority of Coast Guard stations do not have base housing. It is just too small a service, stations are too small to support housing. So there is a good chance you will live on the economy. You will report in, yes your wife can go with you to the station right from day one. They will have you probably work that day then shortly there after they give you 10 days for house hunting. That is not charged leave, that is house hunting. So if there is no base housing, you'll find something on the the economy.

That is the best answer unless you know where you will be stationed. Then we could help a little more knowing what may or may not be available where you are headed. It is probably one of the most stressful things for families... you don't know where you are going or what to do when you get there. But not to worry too much, the CG will explain it all to you in Cape May and when you arrive wherever your ship, station, sector... they won't just say too bad, get to work, live under a bridge! They will be there to help and guide.

Don't forget to tell your wife to log on while you are in Cape May, we can help answer any questions during those 8 weeks. We are also really good cheerleaders if she is feeling blue.

Thank you for your help but I still have 1 question if we get to our first station and we have find a house on the economy will the coast guard put us up in a hotel until we find a place to live and when the coast guard ships my stuff where will they ship it to a storage unit or what

Yes, they will put you up in a hotel. As far as your stuff, I have yet for my household goods to arrive before me! I have spent many a night sleeping on an air mattress waiting for my regular bed to show up. However, if by some chance your furniture arrives before you have an address, yes they will store it for you and deliver when you find a home.

Thank you so much for all your help

I do believe there is a time limit they will hold stuff in storage. But I'm pretty sure you will be able to find a place before that drop dead date will hit. Finding a house isn't that tough, you have to make your list of "Must Haves" and "Can afford to do withouts". Then decide... Generally the house you end up buying/renting is within the first 3 places you see. So don't go hog wild and visit 50 houses or apartments that you forget what you already looked at or they all start to melt together into one big giant house! Also, take a notebook with you. Mark down Apartment 1 - great kitchen, bathroom tiny, red front door. House 2 - fenced yard, only 1 bedroom, blue mailbox. This way if you do look at a lot of places, you have a reference back to what was good or bad and some sort of marker that you would remember!

Can you tell I've moved more than once and looked at so many places I forgot where I started! LOL