Hello!

I've been working with my fiance on his 'dream sheet' for when he's in bootcamp for his requests on where he would like to be stationed. I know they aren't guaranteed but we are still going to try for a few places. Now on the sheet I have there are a million abbreviations for different places and some of the places are repeated with another abbreviation. Is there somewhere that I could find out what all of these mean? Some of them that I've seen have been AIRSTA(I'm guessing air station ), ANT, CGC, ISC, ISD, MSU. PSU, Sector, SFO, STA, STANT, ALC, etc. And what is the difference between all of them?

My other question is where are people most likely to get stationed (at what abbreviation)? Out of your experience if you have been to different places which abbreviation spot has been your favorite?

He wants to go into the coastguard for something that has to do with guns, I don't remember the exact title that it is I'd have to ask him.<!-- Edit -->

Last Edited : 11/30/2009 8:01:51 PM GMT

ANT I believe is aid to navegation.
CGC Is Coast Guard cutter.

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It all begins February 16th 2010!

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I was able to google the following:

-Integrated Support Command (ISC)
-Industrial Support Detachment Portland (ISD South Portland)
-Marine Safety Unit
-Port Security Unit 307 (PSU 307)
-en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Coast_Guard_Sectors
-I was going to be sarcastic and say that SFO was San Francisco Airport in my last post, but it looks like the real answer.
-STA looks to be short for station
-ALC is the Coast Guard aviation logistics center

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It all begins February 16th 2010!

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the most common first assignments out of boot camp are cutters (CGC) and stations (STA). i always check the graduation rosters each week to see if my husband's cutter is getting new recruits and these two are usually what I see.

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That is very helpful, thank you :)

Another question I had was about bootcamp. If you do a good job and stand out (I know you can be like the leader of your group?) Do they try to work to make your top picks on your dream sheet or is it strictly by when you are in bootcamp who needs you the most?

The exact method that the non-rate detailers use to make assignments is not known (ouija board, bone throwing, etc.) but (reportedly) a recruit's standing in boot camp is not part of the equation.

yeah the detailers don't know the recruit from adam so they just put you where they need you...not sure if there is rhyme or reason to it...recruits in my husband's company got put at his top picks when they wanted to be on a cutter and my husband got put on a 378' cutter which was the opposite of what he put. just hope and pray for the best!

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they won't station you within 100 miles of home

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AIRSTA= Air Station

Thanks for all the information about the abbreviation. I still have no idea what those are but it gives me a better idea! If most boot camp graduates go to a station or a cutter we will just keep his choices narrowed down to those. His top three are going to be Rochester, Buffalo and Michigan City. Fingers are crossed that he gets one of those. We are just hoping for anything on his sheet though! I'll be doing a ton of praying while he's gone!

I did know about the 100 mile thing. I'm sure it has to do with getting you to grow up and not be so accustomed to living at home or near your friends. I'm actually pretty excited to get involved with Coastguard once we're married. I don't mind moving and I love seeing different areas so that wont bother me at the least.

Another question I had was after he gets stationed somewhere after boot camp how long does he stay there? Does he have a good chance at moving again and how soon? Does he have a say at where he goes after that?

how long he stays at his first station depends on which rate (job) he chooses. aside from the critical rates, the shortest wait for A school is like 6 months. eventually he will move to A school. after A school, he has a say in where he goes after that. it's not like boot camp where the detailers just find a spot for you. he won't stay there forever though. if he plans on making the coast guard a career, he will end up moving quite a bit over the years. my husband plans on making a career out of this so i'm really excited to move around.

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He told me last night that he wants to go into being a Machine Gunner? I am unfamiliar with all of the careers out of it so I'm not sure what that is and if that will affect where he goes. He has talked about making it a career but he wants to see how he likes it first before he makes that decision. Does he have to go to that school or does he just get on the job training? I'm so sorry for all of the questions but I seriously don't know how any of this works. I love moving around so that will be a lot of fun :)

i think this link will help you learn about the rate if this is what he is thinking about http://www.gocoastguard.com/find-yo...-mate-(gm) i'm pretty sure from reading the Coast Guard site that GMs have to go to A school but maybe someone can correct me if it is a strikable rate (meaning he can learn it with on the job training).

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yeah the link i put is for Gunner's Mate...CSAYank's 2nd link...mine isn't clickable though for some reason lol

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I'm pretty sure he wants to be a GM. if that's the case then he has a lot of schooling ahead of him! When he goes to Virginia is he allowed visitors or anything? Where are GMs most likely to be stationed? Boats or land?

I also read something online about 'guaranteed districts'. They are possible but some of them have requirements? This is what I found:

District 1, NE corner of US
District 5, Mid, East Coast
District 7, SE US, AFQT 65 or greater
District 8, Basically the middle of US
District 9, Great Lakes area
District 11, Basically California, 65 or greater
District 13, Washington, Oregon, 65 or greater
District 14, Hawaii, Guam, Cannot guarantee
District 17, Alaska, have to be single

Maybe someone can explain this?

7 and 14 cannot be guaranteed.  In order to guarantee one of the other districts, the applicant must score a 65 or greater AFQT score. What the guaranteed district means, is that the member is guaranteed assignment for their first unit, within that guaranteed district (except 7 and 14). 

So what would you have to do to guarantee a spot in 1 or 9?

score at least a 65 on the ASVAB (AFQT), and your recruiter will go over guaranteed districts with you. There are pros and cons to taking a guaranteed district, which you can read on about a million threads on this site. The question has been asked to death. In short, you are not at your first unit for very long, and the guarantee only applies to your first unit. If you take a guaranteed 'A' school, you cannot get the guaranteed district. Also, the unit itself is not guaranteed, only the district. District 9 covers all of the great lakes, so if you are hoping for Cleveland, you may end up in Buffalo or Detroit. If you want guaranteed district 8, and you are looking for New Orleans, you could end up in Deluth, Minnesota, since that district is so big. The pros are all about personal preference. If guaranteeing your district is something you really want to do, go for it.

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Ooh I get what you mean. We were really just looking for a place in the great lakes or the buffalo area. I guess you have to take the good with the bad though :)


Now when/if he goes to Virginia is he allowed visitors or anything? Where are GMs most likely to be stationed? Boats or land?

Hopefully someone will correct me if I'm wrong but a guaranteed district is something he would have had to get squared away with his recruiter during the enlistment process.  Since he's heading to boot camp next week, I'm assuming he's beyond the point where he could get that guarantee.  My daughter had a guarantee for District 17....Alaska.....but that was something she requested from her recruiter early on. 

True, you want it before you sign your contract, because it changes some paperwork. And we HATE having to do paperwork more than once. Although, I don't think I've been lucky enough to do it only once yet. I think I average around 10 times before I get it right.

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Well I know he was going to meet with his recruiter again today to talk about a few more things and he was going to bring it up to him so we will see. I know he really just wants to get stationed in the great lakes. I think it's such a big area that he wouldn't have a problem being stationed there... but I could be wrong. Does anyone know the least requested places in the coast guard? Just out of curiosity!

I was told once that District 1 (New England) and District 9 (Great Lakes) were the least requested geographical districts. However, that is old hearsay so it may have been wrong in the first place or, even if it was correct, it may have changed since then.

Go take a look at the story I posted about Attu Island on this same thread. I don't think it's high on the wish list.....

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Colin loves D1 and couldn't be happier being assigned there! He is probably hoping it stays the least requested, if that's still true, that way he can get there as often as possible in his career! :)

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Yeah we grew up in Cleveland right by Lake Erie so he's really hoping to get stationed on the great lakes somewhere. He's putting down Rochester and Buffalo as two of his picks.

Both my boys are in the Cleveland area and really like it, especially the concerts that come to Cleveland. My son put Rochester and Buffalo on his sheet and got STA Fairport, about 30 miles from Cleveland. I was watching the A-School list and noticed that someone from Cleveland Harbor was going to school about the time that Austin was going to be graduating and so I wrote him about putting Cleveland Harbor. He told me in the next letter that he was one step ahead of me and had already put it down. It was his first choice and that is where he was assigned.

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