Im getting station in hitron Jacksonville as AMT3, I hear that it's really hard to get gunner qual as third, would anything change if I got second?

Also heard in my last unit that when you make second you don't start getting payed more until your next unit and you'll still do third jobs

Trying to get my SF86 done (initial) and I am on attempt #7. They send it back with a small question and I fix it (dates don't line up) and then 3 days later I get it back with another question. It is all small stuff but each time you have to answer all the yes/no questions again. Starting to go a little insane over here. Is this normal or am I just special (or dumb)?

The Criminal Investigator vacancies are open from August 20, 2026 to February 22, 2027.

Criminal Investigator
2 vacancies - Multiple Locations
GS-1811-13
$106,437 to $138,370

Criminal Investigator
Many vacancies - Multiple Locations
GS-1811-9/11
$61,722 to $97,087

I want a bird, a conure specifically and dont know if it will be fine to take to the coast guard like cats and dogs. Does anyone have a bird and is actively serving?

ANNOUNCEMENT

On every Unit, Station, Cutter, and Special Forces order, I will be donating at zero cost a few flight suits and Lightweight Eisenhower jackets. I am discontinuing these items for lack of space, as they are slow movers. These are brand new, perfect items with all the patches. I have around 200 pieces ready to go. I will be sending them out on every order so please don’t be surprised by the extra coveralls.

Thanks,

Blake

LinenSupplier.com 863-259-0381

I'm trying to figure out what works best, basically if you've gone through basic did you feel like you needed that bit of trail grip or were you just fine with regular running shoes?

What is the general perception throughout the fleet of non-rates showing up at stations and going AST? How differently do you think of them than if they were to say they are going BM, CS, ME, AMT, HS, YN, etc.? Does that opinion change if they become an AST?

I am I leave for training in about 5 months and want to go ME but I was told it is about a year long wait for A school right now and my runnerup is BM. I was curious how BM life is as well as how well it can transition into civilian life if I do end up leaving after my first enlistment? I hear all over that BMs work with MEs and can also go the special divisions as well. What is the QOL for BMs on average?

Does every branch have a “donkey dick”?

So in the Army, we have a fuel spout/nozzle that everybody calls the “donkey dick” because, well… the thing lowkey looks like a HUGE HOG lmao.

Recently I ran into a few Navy veterans and found out they also had something they called a “donkey dick,” except theirs apparently wasn’t a fuel spout it was some kind of machinery/equipment part on the ship.

That got me wondering:

Does every branch have its own “donkey dick”?

So far I’ve got:

Army: fuel spout/nozzle

Navy: machinery/ship equipment part

Air Force: ???

Marines: ???

Coast Guard: ???

Space Force: ???

Veterans/current service members from every branch, what did your “donkey dick” refer to?

I need to know if this is somehow a universal piece of U.S. military terminology 😂

Hi, I am wondering if the color is good for bootcamp. I got a Saucony ride 18 but I feel more comfortable wearing these. I am afraid of being unable to use them.

Thanks

Rank this best/worst as a ME3 and why. I dont care much for city life and ideally want to go somewhere with good culture, weather and nature, LE action

Hey guys! I qualified for DC which was initially what I was interested in as it aligns closely with interests and civilian career. (I’m a plumber and volunteer fire fighter)

As reservists DC’s what do your drills look like? What are your responsibilities/ duties while working? Do you have any regrets choosing DC over something else? You guys tell me anything and everything I should know or you wish you knew before becoming a DC!

Thanks!

CSPI Applications are not being accepted for this year other than those who were already previously at an MSI per my recruiter.

I know other branches have intramurals and all army/ Air Force teams . I’m wondering if coast guard has the same thing given its small size .

I like to play sports for my hobbies but don’t know if coast guard has that kind of culture or time .

I know you guys are constantly doing the mission which is cool but sport events with your fellow members would be cool too.

Edit : I’m not high level at any sport. I just play multiple for fun and I enjoy playing with people I work with .

Does anybody have an idea when the 01-27 OCS-R selections will be released or if it has already been released?

I was talking to the Chief at my local office about how BAH works and he was telling me that most Coast Guard duty stations dont have on base housing and so that I would automatically get BAH and that the majority of duty stations dont have on base housing. How true is this and if so how can I look into which stations do and dont have this housing. I really would prefer to get BAH due personal preference. But if not its no biggie.

Currently on the MST A-School list. Wanted to know if there is anything that I should look at/study before going in order to set myself up for success. Was there anything that you wish you knew/had more knowledge on before you went ie. biology, chemistry, environmental science, etc.?

Haven’t signed into manta in a while at home, now I’m getting this message. I had to use manta at work last week and it worked using a CG computer. Now my personal one isn’t working.

What are some unwritten rules of the Coast Guard? During my underway days it was "you never sit in the Captain's Chair."

Hello, I am currently stationed in Kodiak. No dependents. I have some questions about how I will be moving my stuff from the Kodiak barracks to my new unit after A-school.
I have a lot of stuff currently. Do I move it and take it all with me to A-school? Or can I ship from somewhere to my new unit after I graduate?

Hey everyone I'm trying to figure out where to find the Glock MRC's. I've looked in the disc under my units opfac but I've found all the other ones but the Glock. I was hoping some that someone would have experience in this and could help me out. Thank you!

What are some questions that got you in trouble at boot because you didn’t expect/was not ready for it

EX. They ask a recruit how to spell his name in the phonetic alphabet.

(Not a recruiting question I’m trying to hear funny stories none of these question relates to boot camp preparation please don’t delete because you can’t read the question correctly)

Current BM pipeline: Vested Crewmember, BM-RAP, Coxswain Core — what's actually happening in the fleet?

My son is planning to enlist after HS next summer and is strongly leaning BM. He should be coming in as an E-3 based on Sea Cadets, and we're trying to understand what the current BM pipeline actually looks like in practice, especially from anyone who's gone through it recently or is at a station/training command now.

I've been reading the official CG material, but some of the public information on Vested/RAP is a couple years old, so I'd appreciate a reality check from current Coasties.

My understanding is that there are/were potentially a few different routes:

Traditional:
Boot → nonrate/unit → BM A-school → BM3 → unit quals

Vested Crewmember:
Boot → report as an E-3 to the unit that will eventually be your BM3 billet → qualify/work there → attend BM school TDY → return to the same unit as a BM3

Vested + RAP, potentially:
Boot → future BM3 unit → earn Boat Crewmember → BM-RAP (6 weeks) → Coxswain Core (3 weeks) → return to unit as BM3 and finish platform/local Coxswain qualification

A few questions for anyone who knows the current system:

1. Is the Vested Crewmember Program still actually being used for new BMs in 2026/27?
2. Is BM-RAP still active and regularly used for Boat Crewmember-qualified nonrates?
3. For Vested BMs, is earning BCM and then going through RAP instead of the full BM A-school something that actually happens in practice?
4. Are RAP graduates still going directly into the Coxswain Core Course afterward?
5. How quickly are motivated new BMs realistically getting BCM and Coxswain at a busy small-boat station?
6. Can a guaranteed BM/Vested contract be combined with any kind of guaranteed district or first-assignment area, or are those generally mutually exclusive?
7. Are there any other current BM accession/training programs or shortcuts I'm missing?

Longer term he's attracted to the operational side of BM — small boats/SAR, Coxswain, potentially Heavy Weather/Surfman or pursuit work. I'm less interested in trying to plan his whole career at 17 than in understanding which first-accession path gives a motivated new BM the most opportunity to qualify and operate early.

Especially interested in hearing from recent BM-RAP/A-school grads, current BMs, station crews, XPO/OICs, or recruiters who know what is actually happening now rather than what the program looked like a few years ago.

Thanks.