No problem with joining the Auxiliary, but remember that we have no law enforcement or actual military authority.

To be in the Aux. you will have to qualify for specific duties. Diabetes might disqualify you from flight status (you have to pass a 3rd class medical exam by a FAA certified Dr.) but if you're otherwise fit and if the flotilla commander (and director of auxiliary) certify you as fit you can be in the Aux.

Look into what duties you can perform. You'll have to do something else to pay the bills but you can get some really great opportunities to train for missions. If you're really on the ball, you can ask to serve at an active duty station or on a cutter alongside those guys and if the station commander or O in C is OK with it, you can qualify for many things so long as you don't have to shoot a gun or exert authority as a deputized law enforcement authority or handle Coast Guard cash. That doesn't mean you can't go on the missions BTW, it just means your participation may be extremely restricted. For me as an Aux. that means I'm an extra pair of eyes & ears and a boat driver while those who are certified to exert authority do so. Mostly I go out on SAR and patrol missions but some patrols do involve the rest of the crew carrying their side arms, just not me.

Obviously the caveats do keep a lot of potential duties off the plate for Aux. but it leave a lot of possibilities open. Even without the active duty qualifications there are a lot of really neat Aux. qualifications too. You can do a lot to keep our country safe just being Auxiliary SAR certified and going on missions to save other people. Just because you don't get to shoot a gun doesn't mean you can't serve and be proud of it. Think of it like being a volunteer fireman. Your enemy is powerful and you can't just shoot at it to make it stop being a treat but you CAN do something.