When I first spoke to a recruiter I asked him if the CG was located in any unique areas. He mentioned Topeka, KS.

"Kansas?" I asked,"You can't possibly guard the coast from Kansas..."

He replied.."You don't see any of the coast missing do you?"

He was an MK in case anyone is wondering. Yes, all MKs are comedians. : )

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Get your facts first, and then you can distort them as much as you please.

- Mark Twain

The lady at the DVM asked me if the CG was orginization like the boy scouts. I started to laugh because I thought she was kidding...then I figured out she wasnt. I had to inform her to give me military paperwork. My best friend pointed this out to me by saying, why does it say active at the bottom? me: because he active in the service. Her: what his he actively doing? watching the creek rise and fall when the snow melts?

I just didnt have an answer for that...

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Did anyone notice that they spelled Semper Paratus wrong on the license plate?

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LOL! omg...I have to drive that around a CG base?! I hope no one is as detailed as you Cooch. That is what happens when you get a CG plate made in Mt by prisoners.

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You should check into getting a refund! lmao

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I don't think many would notice. I only did because I zoomed in on the picture to make sure I was seeing it correctly. Still might want to bring it to the attention of the DMV up there so they can make a change. Should be easy enough for them to correct. I don't imagine they issue more than a handful of those plates.

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I think I will give them a call. I bet their thinking...oh no heres that CG girl again..gosh we got her stupid plates in..now what does she want?!

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Im happy to report that after many heated disscusions, they are now finally giving me a correct lic plate! Hopefully that can fix one letter...

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Way to go! Don't let "The Man" stick it to you!!!!

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Gears: That is hilarious. I had to make a special phone call and tell my husband that story and he laughed too.

Cooch: Way to be observant. Our state has cool plates for every other branch of service expect the CG. So we haven't decided on getting them or not.

AET2b:Don't feel bad. People say things like that all the time where we live. I had a lady look at my military ID and not want to let me use it because she had never heard of the Coast Guard before and I should asked her if she lived under a rock(but I held my tongue)

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Jenna..Well now I dont feel so bad. Thats nice to know that Mt isnt the only place that hasnt heard of the CG!

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That's how I do!

Jenna,

I've told that story a number of times, it's always a hit. Feel free to pass it on. Cooch, I recommend you use it on your applicants.

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Get your facts first, and then you can distort them as much as you please.

- Mark Twain

I had to go to the ER one time because I dislocated my finger. I was in the ship's warehouse, and the ladder kicked out from under me. I ended up hanging on the shelf by only my wedding ring (the reason why I don't wear it anymore).

Anyway, I went to the ER, and the nurse saw that I was Coast Guard. She asked me "Have you ever thought about going active duty?" I was a bit confused by the question, and I told her that I am, in fact, active duty Coast Guard. She said "Oh, I thought that the Coast Guard was just the Navy Reserve!" Funny side note to that story, is that her husband was active duty Navy. Many people never heard of us, and many of those who have, don't know what we do.

The knuckle of my ring finger swelled up to the size of a golf ball (not even kidding) and they had to cut my ring off with a small rotary saw. That is the reason that I don't wear it at work to this day.

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Ouch...

I have cut many of wedding rings off of injured fingers...I have not worn my wedding ring for 22 years of fire service...

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When my husband was in bootcamp I began telling my regular customers that came through my line that I wasn't gonna be there anymore bc I was moving with my husband with the Coast Guard and one of them said thats military? and I told him yes and he's like I didn't even know the Coast Guard was military..I remember thinking wow! but i'm sure we'll run into a few more people who don't know or think something different.

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I either get- I didn't know much about CG but I looked it up and if I had it to do over I sure would go that route!

Or

Coast Guard- OH have you seen The Guardian.. LOL

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Proud Mom of SR Mackey
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According to the apostle John, the more we understand the shoreless ocean of God's love, the less we'll fear the choppy waters of life, for "perfect love casts out fear" (1 John 4:18).

I spent a couple of months at Ft. Knox, KY for training. Every where I went I heard people whisperins, "I should've joined the Coast Guard."

I'm glad I made the right decision the first time around.

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Get your facts first, and then you can distort them as much as you please.

- Mark Twain

I sure was dumb and in the dark about the military and did not have a clue about the Coast Guard until (the Guardian...lol) but really when I started researching about it when my son showed interest the summer between junior and senior year of high school...if I new then what I know now, (can't tell you how many times I heard that from "old" people when I was young)...perhaps a different outcome for me if I would have listened.

I sure did beg, plead and did everything I could to help my son get there but the big guy upstairs obviously had different plans and he has now successfully completed my fire academy...as we all know everything happens for a reason...can't always see it at the time but it always presents itself when we are ready to see it.

What a great opportunity the USCG/Military has to offer any young man or woman...no joke there, I highly recommend it to all and I am in the fire service.

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Kyle we need guys like you in the fire service just like we need people in the Coast Guard. I really dont care what people say because i know it is a military branch and i do my job just like anyone else. If i am questioned about it i will explain it to someone if need be. a good fact is the CG is older then the us navy.

Agree Completely...

When I told my work I may be leaving for boot camp in January, one of my bosses called a special meeting to tell everyone. She was so excited I was going into "marine law enforcement" under DOT instead of active duty military under DOD and how she'd "sabotage" my enlistment if I had chosen a "reall/full military branch" just to keep me out of harms way. I didn't have the heart to tell her I will be active duty military. She would have freaked out!

So...everyone knows how Applebee's does the free meals for active duty military on Veteran's Day right? Well this happened when I was stationed in Marquette, MI....those who were on duty (myself included) at the time called the Applebee's to see if they would carry out for the station and they said yes. We called early enough (like 3 pm) because there was about 7 of us. Well two of the guys at the station went to go pick them up about an hour later (was a big order so took about an hour). The woman at the carry out register told the guys we did not apply because it wasn't for local military. Which they reported made them laugh, at first...until they realized she was being serious. To make a long story short, they ended up talking to the manager and we got the meals for free.

Wasn't for LOCAL military??? What is wrong with that place! We went this year on Veteran's Day... my boyfriend is former Army. I was wearing my Blue Star Mothers pin and they wanted to comp my dinner for being a military mom. I said no, I would gladly pay to support the troops and keep the dinner going for years to come.

Yeah...what happened is still a on-going joke at the station.  The rest of that day we were making cracks about stuff we couldn't do for being local military, lol.

Wow. the applebees where I am stationed was pretty with-it.

I know this is a bit late but when my husband was stationed in Fort Drum, and getting out of the army when he cleared his barracks (we were dating at the time) his supervisor who was a higher enlisted rank than he was asked me all kinds of questions about the coast guard when hubs told him I was going in. There was a station about 20 minutes away from that base and somehow this guy never heard of the CG or wanted to know how much I knew. When we left, he smiled and said have fun doing whatever it is that they do.

Its about my 1 year anneversary in, and I have to say that this is the best job ever.

Haha, this thread was definitely good for some laughs. Whenever I tell people about the Coast Guard I like to say "I'm joining the military." Then they figure out its the CG I get a range of replies from "I wish I would have done that" to "that's not a real branch of the Military."

Also, while it's off the topic, it's good to read Hunt's post. There's been a lot of unhappy non-rates around here lately.

Its about my 1 year anneversary in, and I have to say that this is the best job ever.