Thank you for doing this. I am a veteran of the USCG and USCGR. Another area that needs funding are the 47' motor lifeboats. These have reached and pasted the 20 year service life. Last year the USCG retired the 52" MLBs that were build in 1953. The 52 footer could handle heavy weather and large wave 36' + which beyond what the 47" MLB can handle. These are now gone and there are no replacements. Commandant Fagan is the first one I have seen make this type of call. She has my respect as she if focusing on the real issues.
Not just vessels, how about aircraft? MH-65 Dolphin (the cool orange "Eurocopters") and "newer" HH-60 Jayhawk are amazing machines, but nothing lasts forever. Been flying for a long time now.... 😎✌️
You are correct. They are doing a SLEP now. My understanding is USCG will follow adopt the Army and Navy replacement for the Black Hawk and related aircraft
Not referenced as much but what about all of the navigable rivers and the Great Lakes? Buey tenders, ice breakers, law enforcement, barge inspections, another large task for the CG.
The 44 MLB lasted about 35 years before being replaced by the 47s in 1997. Would be surprised to see it replaced anytime soon. We have the OPCs to get online.
the Coast Guard is the smallest service and has always had to do the job with limited assets and not enough personal to do the job but somehow we got the job done. we have always had to do things in this manner.
I put together 2 Coast Guard OCS packages working with coast guard recruiters. The ASVAB was high, the physical was great, the interview was excellent but the coast guard recruiters couldn’t help me navigate the DD368 form. They required my DD368 to be good for approximately 9-10 months where my service only allows one for 6 months. I secured the DD368 the first time but was denied because of the date it expired. The second time I couldn’t secure a DD368 form due to me needing to be released from active to reserve, post mobilization (an admin issue delayed my transition). People are trying to join, but I feel the coast guard needs their recruiting process be more accommodating for prior service folks and lateral transfers.
Agreed! I volunteered with the USCG Auxiliary from 2010-2014. Decided I wanted to actually join, and tried to enlist in the Coast Guard Reserves. First major hurtle was finding a recruiter. Where I was in NYS, I either had to go to Boston, or NYC to even meet with one. Second major problem was at that time there was a major waiting list to even get to basic training. Think 2 years of what I was told. I wasn’t going to wait 2 years to go to basic training. Enlisted in the Air National Guard instead. While in the air national guard I still had a desire to commission as a coast guard officer. But to your point so difficult to navigate the commissioning route. Ended up giving up on that goal. Love the coast guard and what they do. They need more recruiters, possibly a second training base for enlisted. Or maybe just a larger facility to funnel more recruits through. As well as a better way to assist with commissions. I had even considered transferring to the CG as a prior enlisted. But I think it’s stupid that you need to lose rank to do so.
I worked for Commandant Fagan when she was a Lieutenant stationed at the Marine Safety Office in Savannah as the Ops boss. I have a ton 15:53 of respect for her!
Takes a lot of guts for anyone in such a position to make a stand like this, but it sends a very clear message to congress. Such old ships and hugd personal shortages is a huge risks for everyone involved from the coasties to those they look out for. Now the thing we have to wait and see is does congress and the president get the message or as I expect will they stand back whine and complain while doing zero to actually address the problems.
this has gone on for as long as i can remember. when i was in the Coast Guard all we ever got were hand me downs from the Navy. but the ships the Navy deemed as surplus were still very good ships and they carried out all types of missions. what else can you expect to see coming out of a Congress and a Senate that would rather fist fight with each other on the floor of the Senate than do their jobs. time to kick these idiots out of government.
Bravo, Sal! Thank you for putting up a flare on yet another "dereliction of duty" by the Congress. What a great Service for young people looking to start exploring various careers, get great training and real-life experience.
The Pentagon has failed there last 6 audits, they ca n t seem to find or explain where they lost or spent 4.2 trillion $, how many boats would that lost money buy?
coastal gard's job isn't over seas ( or the USA 🇺🇸 governorship to act as the world's cop 👮 , usa 🇺🇸 navy is for us's interests only and yes its meant for primarily foreign waterways ) ( exception is alaska and hi and gulf/portairco, really hi+ak is a liability for USA sovereignty ) aka it's for the lower-48 sub-200-miles from the nearest beaches, so don't be surprised when men/millennial-generation like me( my friends are that way as well so are some of the zoomer's i know as we watched the usa lose 3+ war's 1950-Afghanistan, yes my family served/merc's from about 1920-1990~ im just smart enough to pass on the offers for now, as its not like it used to be retirement wise ect ) refusing to join to protect some A$$( billions 😉)-holes ( or foreign competition/corporation ie BP-oil ect, im a big Monroe doctrine type guy so was typically every European and USA 🇺🇸 citizens pre-1890~ ) rich stuff in the middle eastern countries, worst part about the job/enlisting is not being welcomed in foreign land aka they hate bossy american's and at home you can still get venam-war treatment aka like-st... and generally the pay isn't great vs private sector's ect
@@richardprice5978"Of the 8,000 [US] Coast Guardsmen who served in Vietnam, three officers and four enlisted men were killed in action and 59 wounded." (Source Vietnam Veterans of America - VVA)
@@donalddodson7365 Don't be changing the subject, you said that it was a Dereliction of Duty because of antiquated ships, actually we are so far in debt that it's going to be difficult fielding a competent military going forward. The military budget is ate by the 800 + military bases around the world and fueling and maintaining 11 aircraft carriers are just nuts. Not to mention the Cruisers and Destroyers and the subs. And the new Zumwalt ships are peices of shit, billions went into them and there cracking up. And now we get to the coast guard operating on shoe string budgets. You are witnessing the fall of the US. Military. Plus the fact, our US Strategic Reserves up in Alaska is now about empty, just hot back from there 3 months ago, from fairbanks. The two bases Fort Wainwright (Army) and Elmendorf, Ellison Air (USAF) I worked at a food pantry volunteering and you wouldn't believe the amount of military personnel getting by, by donated food and food pantry. And not to mention the DEI agenda. And the transgender community getting paid sex changes by the military command. Shit even the men in the Pentagon are parading around as women, and the bull dyke women, dressed as men with. Wake up, the US military is a facade, it's been a lie all the way around since the battle of Tripoli.
As a former Coastie, this is one of the saddest things I’ve ever heard. Like holding up Navy promotions, this is another example of what a clueless and ignorant group of twits our Congress is. Those same twits will scream the loudest when the defecation hits the ventilation, then blame the other side for us ‘not being ready’. Sad and angry as hell. Money and politics win over our responsibility to our people and our country. In my opinion, most politicians aren’t worth the dirt beneath their shoes.
9/11 resulted in a lot of politicians and administrators trying to 'do something.' Moving agencies around willy-nilly was one way to do that. The USCG role in defense against terrorism is minor. Those attacks were by air not boat. Terrorism is the FBI's job and it was the FBI that blundered in 9/11. The USCG most closely resembles that of the other branches of the military and belongs in the Department of Defense.
Hi, I worked in the private sector with the USCG and got to know a handful of folks. When they came to our site, the acted like partners, as opposed to other agencies looking for gotchas. We weren’t perfect, but I truly appreciated that they WANTED to work toward compliance. This is something I totally respect. Cudo’s to you for bringing this up. A lot of fine people (young & old), who only do right. One aside, I used to be a volunteer for an older disabled lady and would take her to USCG concerts. Really great classical an jazz performances (free) and a chance to get out of the nursing home. Live in Norwich, CT, about 30 minutes north of NL. PS: US Sub Base in Groton, shout out to our wonderful sailors! Got to sit in the drivers seat on a fast attack (in port), totally cool!
Well done, somebody who really understands the Coast Guard! Always a funding stepchild, the Coast goes through the same cycle: not enough money and not enough people, until screws are falling off cutters. And then they get too much money and still not enough people. Where are the crews for the new Icebreakers going to come from? Navy will have the same problem if the fleet grows.
Sal you are absolutely correct! I am a KP grad, '95 and served 11 years with the USCG. (Ships Officer Major (3/m w/ QMED endorsement)) The USCG is the most underfunded and under appreciated service. The USCG delivers the single best bargan for the US government, if any other service attempted to operate doing the same mission with the same budget of the USCG, they would simply wither under the load. No better example of this is what transpired with Hurricane Katrina. The USCG is credited with saving more than 35,000 lives and assisting more then 24,000. It is about time that USCG advocates for parity with the US Navy and other sea going services. I deployed on board the USCG Reliance ('210) and the Escanaba ('270) as a HH-65 pilot. These vessels are old, tired and effectively out lived their efficacy for their assigned missions. No one values the USCG until they are needed in an event like Katrina and at which point they will sing the praises of our USCG but then set that need aside until the next crisis comes along. Also keep in mind that the "Polar Rollers" (Polar Sea and Polar Star) are in need of replacement as well. The USCG is essential and imperiative to our domestic security. The USCG quite litterally wrote the book on search and rescue and continues to do so. Of course I am biased, but god bless the US Coast Guard and the amazing services they provide. SEMPER PARATUS! SEMPER GUMBY! John B Hall (LT, USCG) KP '95 ACTA NON VERBA
A family friend was the CO or XO of the Escanaba in the 90’s, then went on to work at the Academy. He was a great Cub Scout leader and when they brought the Escanaba into the Great Lakes I got to tour her with him. Steve Balona (I probably butchered the spelling). Because of him I almost went to Kings Point, but decided that it might not be my calling and went on to college elsewhere. He was one of those people that could McGyver just about anything, I guess I know why, years of having to do a lot with a little….
@@cle_roknn3742 I am an Eagle, was a scoutmaster, part of NESA at KP and now work as an Nurse Practitioner and volunteer my time with scout camps. Scouting is such a great program. KP is I think is one the best kept secrets around! The year I graduated form KP ('95) 25 of my classmates went Navy Flight and another 25 went NFO. 25% of the class went into naval avaition. Either way... ACTA NON VERBA!
Can the USCG cut OCONUS OPS instead of CONUS stations and Operations? I ask because when I was deployed to OIF in 2005 as PSD to the ARCENT CDR, we toured KNB (Kuwaiti Naval Base) at which time I learned (after seeing USCG in the port) that the USCG provides port security wherever a USN/Merchant Marine vessel is docked. Is this accurate, and if so, why can't the USCG tell the USN to provide their own security, hence relieving the USCG with that burden, allowing them to focus on CONUS OPS?
@@110MAN1 That is an interestng question. The CG has had a OCONUS presence for a long time, much of this has to do with the fact that the CG has the ability to enforce laws whereas the Navy can not be utilized in that it would be consider an act of war. This is the same reason, there are LEDET (Law Enforcement Detachments) on board naval vessels. Port operations would not be any different. I would argue that solution here is to start properly funding the USCG and stop the approach of "thank you for this small amount of money and we will figure out how to make it work!" The USCG needs the full and adequate funding that it deserves to complete the multiple missions that it is assigned to it. It is time to stop treating the USCG as the "orange headed step child" that it has been treated like. The Army, Navy, Air Force or Marines would never stand to be under funded in the same way the Coast Guard is.
In 1987, then Commandant, Adm Yost closed-down Station Ashtabula Ohio and (I think) Station Destin, Fla. in response to Congressional budget cuts. What many of us did not know at the time was that these two stations were considered "show-places"... they were high-profile locations that were in the figurative backyards of elected officials. The funding was restored. I tried to google this incident; no joy so recounting from memory. Professor Sal: Admiral Yost was big into the Persian Gulf/Hormuz Tanker wars in the 80s. He started regular out -of -hemisphere deployments for Coast Guard Cutters and the PATFORSWA (Patrol Forces Southwest Asia). In 1987 I was a 27 year old First Class Petty Officer and I was sure Yost was trying to kill us all. You know what the missile defense is on a Coast Guard Patrol Boat (110' Island-Class at the time)? You jam both throttles forward and jump over the fantail. CPO, USCG, ret.
@donraptor6156 I know, that's the day they messed it up. I left in 85 when they changed retirement benefits and screw a bunch of guys with the gi bill. My grandson is in right now. SEMPER PARATUS WWG1WGALL
@@joseaacosta1156 I never got the "GI Bill" I was under VEAP and never before retiring was giving an option to sign up. Think a year after th ey were shutting it down, they reached out to those who did VEAP, but cancelled, were allowed to sign up for the GI Bill. But they bent over backwards for NAM vets before VEAP allowing them to extend their deadline to use their benefits and even offering them to change to a better version. But the VEAP people. Screwed. I was lucky though, I was under the orign 50% retirement, not high 3 or the 40% plan. You guys didn't get kind of screwed over IMO.
The part that is not said, its because they are pickier than the Air Force when it comes to recruiting . granted, I tried 16 years ago after a 3 year break in service. It would have been just a walk down the hall to go back into the army.
You would be in good company. RIP Marine nam combat vet purple heart recipient (and ex Coasty) Charlie Bucko and ex seebee Frank Quirk and the other brave civilian/volunteer first responder crew of the Can Do.
Thank you for making this video. I'm a former USAF officer and have a coastie son. I've been pounding the table for years that they don't ask for a budget they need to operate and replace ships. I wouldn't go on a cruise ship that was launched in 1969 yet we expect our son's and daughters to go out.
As a 22 year retirement retired CPO, thank you for detailing this issue and stating how professional the Commandant has been regarding funding and manpower. What happened to the Coast Guard when it was transferred into DHS is a lesson is politics trumping realities. I am not saying we had proper funding and manpower under DOT, but the budget scrutiny the USCG faced following that transfer is lacking in equity of other agencies, specifically DOD agencies.
Totally agree. Retired Army. My belief is DoD should fund these cutters, ice breakers, etc. They've pissed away 2tril they can't find. What would 2tril or even a significant portion of it go towards the 6th War Service?
That might be true, but all the other branches have blank checks and the waste is immeasurable. We need them to be cut also, and have accountability. We are broke and almost everything the govt does is paid for with newly "printed" money that devalues the USD and lowers the standard of living for most people.
great segment but a sad topic. I spent 4 years enlisted in the CG back in the mid 80's. You are 100% correct about the level of responsibility that coasties carry. I was 20 years old and certified as small boat engineer & boat crew, EMT, and law enforcement boarding officer. All of these on top of my full time job of maintaining the station facilities and the boats. I deployed to several Navy ships as LEDET boarding crew. Then qualified as SAR station Officer of the Day. Leading the SAR station on my duty days, leading and directing all of the on duty personnel. All as a 21-22 year old E-5. What tremendous training and experiences that have served me well the last 35 years. Heck I wonder if the CG will take me back when I retire in a couple years! I recommend any youngster give the Coast Guard a go. Proudly served CGC Harriett Lane-WMEC 903 and CG Station Pascagoula. MK-A school. EMT School-Petaluma, CA
Did you have Petty officer Fingers teaching reduction gearing in MKA school? I took boot and MKA combo as a reserve in 1980 - what a great teacher and inspiration that guy was! Really sad that the blackthorn went down the night I entered boot.
in the '90's, after the cold war and before 9/11, the Coast Guard Auxiliary was an amazing group to volunteer with. We could do anything the Regular Coast Guard did short of War and Law enforcement. I was a Flotilla Commander back then in the Aux. We did safety patrols, recruiting for the CG academy, Taught boating safety classes to the public, One of my Auxillerists went on a fishery patrol on a cutter to Alaska. We took over the ATONS maintenance for LA/Long Beach due to Regular CG staffing shortages. We all had a great time and were making a difference.
I volunteered with the Aux from 2010-2014. Really enjoyed it. Where I was in NY along the Hudson River I got to work alongside active Coasties. Even was an augmentee crew member aboard the USCGC WIRE.
Yep, used you work with you guys a lot on the Ohio River and in the Great Lakes. Thanks for all the times of being there when we needed you. I used to handle what is now the CG-4612's at the Group. Understanding if I didn't get them completed, you guys didn't get paid for fuel, etc. I would do dozens on the weekend when on duty to get them out asap. I remember having a Aux radio station in Cincinnati area. BIG help on holiday weekends. 73's
I am a member of the Coast Guard Auxiliary, and we can really feel the immediate changes from Commandant Fagan. I interpret it as a renewed usage of the all-volunteer Auxiliary program utilizing the assets and skills of many retired USCG persons. This weekend we will be training with the crew of an 87, whose active duty captain is a member of our flotilla. We will be running tow evolutions, MOB drills, and mock boardings. Many of our members are retired Coast Guard with years of experience (30+) Chief Warrant officers, and Captains continuing to volunteer to train and lead boat patrols. I am looking forward to increasing my training and therefore availability to meet the demand. Semper Paradas!
I first joined the Coast Guard right out of highschool. Because I had a lot of dental work that needed to be done, they put me in medical hold in Bootcamp. I have crowns on my teeth due to having a genetic trait of no enamel on my teeth. Ten years later after my dental work done I joined the Navy. The Coast Guard said that I was too old. I have my paperwork in to join the Auxiliary.
Great piece Sal! ‘76 grad of the USCGA; served as a DWO on a WHEC as well as a CG aviator. Thanks for pointing out, once again how the CG, as the bastard child in the US government, always gets the short end of the funding stick. Ballsy move by the Commandant for sure. However, if this is essentially a staffing/recruiting issue, then the service’s recruiting/retention effort/funding must be looked at. Somehow, the word isn’t getting out to potential recruits about what a great service we are with very important missions. You are absolutely correct about the great amount of responsibility young enlisted and officers are tasked with early on. With respect to funding, I think it was a mistake to move the CG from DOT to DHS. We’re just competing with too many other law enforcement and quasi-law enforcement (TSA) agencies for a limited amount of dollars. I hope the COMDT’s move results in something other than her just falling on her sword.
I worked with the USCG RIO to build WTGB Ice breaking tugs in the 80's and they are still in service. As a note, its tough all over getting anything done with trades in the last couple of years. I don't think there are enough smart, tough young people to go around.
My uncle enlisted in the Coast Guard as soon as he turned 17 in 1942 and stayed with them until he retired .He was able to hitch rides on military flights almost anywhere but his wife has to fly commercial . He was on an ammunition ship in WW2 and later the Korean conflict.
@FredBender ...ah, the Space-A jetset. Those retirees get 'bumped' for just about anyone but I guess they have the time and the price is right (assuming Space-A is still a thing).
This has been an issue for the CG since forever. I was CO of a Loran Sta. in the Pacific and my guys had to stand watch port and starboard 24/7 meaning that opportunities for daywork were limited. My generators dated to WW2 and all have over 30k operating hours, my Loran equipment was dated back to the immediate post war years, interestingly the Japan Loran system had new equipment that they had developed but we couldn't buy, not made here.
Billons for any foreign entity that asks for it, but not enough money to support one of the most important services that the country needs. Thanks, Joey.
Is Joey meant as a swipe at Biden? If it is this ain't a White House problem it's a Congress problem. Did you catch the part where Sal said the Commandant's plan is a reaction to USCG getting boxed out of the latest funding bill.
@@SnoofyAir We weren't funding 2 foreign wars before JB though. We can deplete our military equipment for Ukraine, but USCG can rot I guess. Bonus points for sending billions to Iran while funding Israel as well. Wonder how many diapers JB bought with whatever that got us.
@@SnoofyAirI don't think John alluded to the presidency in any way. Congress has been squeezing the CG in favor of sending money to foreign gov'ts for decades.
Great video, Sal. This is not a new situation for the Coast Guard. I retired as a mustang Lieutenant in 1984 and the saying back then was, "We have done so much with so little for so long that eventually we will be able to do everything with nothing." My Coast Guard career was loaded with interesting assignments. I was on a Reliance class cutter (USCGC Vigorous) and we conducted fisheries boardings, search and rescue and even pulled an Ice Patrol. On another cutter, I did an Ocean Station patrol. Spent a year on an isolated Loran Station. Answered distress calls and handled communications at a major communications station. My first tour out of OCS was on a WW2 era ex-Navy ATF (USCGC Cherokee). On Cherokee, we did search and rescue, fisheries boardings and did an occasional patrol off Wallops Island during a rocket launch and even recovered on of their smaller rockets. We also retrieved and re-moored a 40 foot weather buoy that was anchored 100 miles offshore in 10,000 ft of water with a 4.5 kt Gulf Stream sweeping under it. Also did shore duty at 2 district offices and CG Headquarters. If I had it to do over again, I would do it in a heartbeat. Those were the best years of my life.
Was born in the Coast Guard, pop and brother retired. If you like it hot, extremely cold, windy, high seas, drunks in boats, drugs.... a great life! Of course Norm Peterson of Cheers, was a Coasty.
If you think the detail you provide is a deterrent - read about Frank Quirk and the pilot boat "Can Do" in "Ten Hours Until Dawn". Serving as a rescue resource is a thankless underpaid (sometimes volunteer) job and not for everyone. Sometimes it can even cost the lives of those not on board. But somewhere someday there is a vessel in trouble with someone you know on board. Would you volunteer to get under-weigh for them?
I work at a lock on the Columbia River . The first vessel to pass through the lock in 1968 was a WWII buoy tender Bluebell . In 2018 the dam had its 50 th anniversary , the Ship was still in service ! 5 years later it is still running ! It is Not the Coast Guards oldest ship!
we have been doing this crap since i was in back in 87 when we pulled into nofolk our bm saw a carrier dumping brand new foul weather jackets ,needless to say the boys on the buoy deck stayed warm all winter long,thanks a lot squids!!!!!!
Great video, Sal! The USCG has stuffed 10 lbs in a 7 lb sack for decades. The sack stretched, and it's broken. The downward slide in propensity of US youth to serve has a lot to do with this crisis. Funding will help as long as it funds the backbone activities, but it will be a long and tough road back. Kudos to the Commandant for making the tough call. Also, the WMEC that I served in over 40 years ago is still operating on the West Coast, and she wasn't new when I was an Ensign! Semper Paratus!
The Coast Guard, unsung hero’s who rounding up drug dealers, terrorist and other illegal events from coming ashore, a first line of defense for the US. Pivotal during World War II, rescue fishing to yacht sailors and putting their life on the line to keep us safe. Congress and the president turn their backs on this incredibly important part of National Security, we need the Coast Guard. What can we do to get this message to congress, write, email?
It’s sounding more like the 1960s through 1980s. There was a National Geographic magazine article about the USCG in the 70s that mentioned we had raid VFW halls and museums for repair parts for the ships guns. The motto of we could do more with less became we can do without. I m a proud retired Coastie and it’s sad to see this happen. Two of the vessels I served on are still in service (USCGC Capstan WYTL 65601, built 1961 & USCGC Confidence WMEC 619 built 1966). The 180s & 95s fortunately were replaced long ago.
Great video! My Grandfather was in the Coast Guard in WW-II. This branch of our Armed Forces deserves more recognition, but more importantly, they need the funding to operate in today's environment. Perhaps a more aggressive recruiting campaign would bring in the quality young people that we as a country need there to be?
today only one tenth of one percent serve in any of the armed forces at all. we need to institute a draft again ASAP . no one will volunteer for military service as long as the attitude is someone else will serve. and when you hear the statements our former President makes about military service is it any wonder no one enlists ? i was taught you owe this country something for all we have here and for all of the opportunity we have in this country.
@@frankmarcia5956Maybe I'm too much of a capitalist, but when I hear that an organization is grossly underfunded and overworked and that they have difficulty attracting people to join them, I think they need better funding and support. If we force people to work there without improving the poor conditions, we won't have the world class Coast Guard that we need.
"criminally short of ice breakers" while congress has billions going to undeclared foreign wars and, at the same time, making other moves to weaken our military. What a picture.
What I liked about the Coast Guard of 50 years ago is all of the different rolls the enlisted had to cover. As a MK (engine man) I was trained as a boarding officer, OOD, sewage disposal plant operator, and coxswain. I also stood coms room watches. Much simpler in those days. Just a teletype, VHF and AM radio, and a telephone. In 1973 I was getting ready to talk to the Navy recruiter when I got info about the Coast Guard and swung by there first. I never went to the Navy recruiter. Over the years I spoke with others having nearly the same experience.
I am a member of the Coast Guard Auxiliary, and we were told they expect to be 4,500 active-duty people short. They are asking the Auxiliary to step up and assume more duties done by the active-duty people. We can do everything the active duty can except law enforcement. We have to meet the same training requirements but we do not have to meet the physical requirements for most jobs. Most of our patrol boats are owned by members such as my boat, a 24 foot Yamaha 242. This year we doubled our patrol hours on the Ohio River and went from one boat to three. Next year we expect to gain another boat and double our patrol hours again. Our biggest problem is getting the training we need and getting Qualification Examiners to get the certifications we need to replace active-duty people. The Auxiliary is a great organization for anyone who wants to help serve our country as a volunteer.
Sal, I took a high school senior to USCG Station Gloucester this past summer. She had an interest in flying, I took the senior to Air Station Cape Cod for a tour. How many senior high school students want to enter the Armed Forces today? This student was rejects by the recruiter due to the student medically prescribed zoloft for anxiety. In talking to an Officer, he said many in USCG are prescribed zoloft. This potential USCG candidate may move on to other interests. Can USCG or the other branches afford to be so stringent with medical prescription requirements in today’s environment? We are at or near that crossroad! Thank you Sal for your channel!🇺🇸
And armed forces families kids are a large part of the recruiting ground, yet access to their medical records also excludes them. They need to get real. Lincoln, Grant and Sherman would all probably have been prescribed something in this day and age. There is no such limitation for an elected office. Nuts!
I am so glad my best friend, Ret. EMC William Cranston, USCG, is no longer alive to see this happen to his beloved CG! It would have destroyed him. He loved his job, and was forced to retire after 30 years! RIP Chief!
50 year old cutter, means the crew is constantly monitoring all the assets of the cutter all the time. I cant say this loud enough, but your mechanical and electrical crews are the heart of our crew. They put blood sweat and anguish in keeping these boats alive. Semper paratus.
Well said. And believe me, it's worse than you think. Imagine what this does to crew morale; fewer school opportunities, less training, cuts everywhere.
Thank you, brother. Dad was USCGA 52. 30 years of stories most land folks could not believe or understand. Leukemia (probably from living near Red Hill vents for 6 years) prevented me from Fed service. 30+ years State and local maritime LEO (+SAR, FIRE, Dive,…) I hope honored his legacy. Keep speaking up for those always prepared.
Retired shipmaster here. I would be curious, Sal, just how much these cuts are related to the cuttermen and their vessels (they have always been undervalued and undermanned), opposed to what I believe is the lionshare of the USCG, the uniformed bureaucrats (administrative law, investigators, etc.). Like the Marines with every Marine a marksman, the USCG needs to have less bureaucrats with a 20+ year, 9-5 career ashore, and instead, get them out to sea. I have personally heard administrative law people in the O-3 to O-4 ranks pontificate about how they are fit to command vessels, based on their superior knowledge of "the rules of the road" and other laws. As a former seaman, you know that life out there on the briny is always a matter of "special circumstances" that seldom or don't fit the rules. I do give ADM Fagan credit for having the cojones that too many of her predecessors didn't have which resulted in the overload the USCG is encumbered with. I personally would like to see mariner licensing and maritime inspections removed from the USCG; goes back to the old saw about how having a military service regulating the maritime industry makes about as much sense as the USAF regulating the airline industry, or the Army regulating trucking.
The Coast Guard wasn’t supposed to BE military. They aren’t the US Navy. They are supposed to be law enforcement (with a rescue function tacked on as an afterthought).
@@allangibson8494 Perhaps not a 24/7 Naval service, but they were involved extensively in all the nation's wars, manning landing craft to convoy security with their cutters. That big gun on the fore deck ain't for signalling🤷♂️
@@gregdavis5933 Maybe you should. Title 14 Chapter 1 Section 102 Clause 3 The US Coast Guard is a law enforcement agency under the Department of Homeland Security (Section 103 (a)) except in times of war when Section 103 (b) becomes applicable).
@@allangibson8494 Not sure what exactly your source is, but the cited section you quote does NOT say that. §101. Establishment of Coast Guard The Coast Guard, established January 28, 1915, shall be a military service and a branch of the armed forces of the United States at all times.
As a Coast Guard Veteran, served mid 80s, we were underfunded then, over worked, but still carried out every mission with pride and expertise...... and most of us weren't old enough to buy a beer. I later served 30 years as a fire officer. What the Coast Guard taught me is there is no such thing as "can't". There is a solution to everything, and you have to think fast and methodical. I treasure my time in the USCG. There are a couple of sayings we used to say: 1.We do the impossible with nothing. 2. Semper Peratus, they sent us here and forgot us. Rough seas ahead, but at some point they'll find some fair winds and following seas. Hang in there, never give up.
If you think China, Russia & possibly so of our all own allies are noticing the shortages our country is experiencing. This is a very serious concern all our citizens should take note.
I was on that Reliance-Class cutter a few years ago -- they finally decommissioned it this year. The amount of rust in critical places, even with constant, unceasing maintenance, was downright absurd. Every person I met on that boat wanted to leave the Coast Guard permanently after being deployed on that boat, because everything was literally ALWAYS broken but we still got the mission done. We had redundant systems -- generators, smallboats, davits, ac, etc -- two of everything. Almost consistently, one of the systems was down at any given time (sometimes permanently) -- and often both at the same time. They tried installing new systems on the old mounts -- but that was really startimg to frankenstein it. Half the mission was just keeping the boat floating and casualty repair. At one point we were dead in the water without a fresh water maker hundreds of miles from land. The workload on the engineering department on that boat was atrocious -- for all the boats over 50 years old, the maintenance issues just get in the way of completing the mission. Add to that the unstable position of the Coast Guard during constant government shutdowns where servicemembers LITERALLY DID NOT GET PAID FOR MONTHS AT A TIME but still went on missions anyway -- The government never really seemed to care enough to make a difference for the people who DO make a difference.
the U S Coast Guard will never lower their standards for enlistment in the service. i was in the U S Coast Guard during the early 1960s and yes we did serve in Vietnam to stop the gun running by sea to the VC. it was very interesting to say the least. Semper Paratus.
This is a high quality video, so packed with insight. It's like a masterclass for the curent state of the USCG written to be so accessible too. Well done!
I was recruited by the coast guard in 1964 and didn’t research the situation as well as I should have. If you think about it the only bad post they have is Bay City Mi, everywhere else is a resort.
We’re going to do more with less. No. You can’t do more with less. You’re going to do less with less. It’s a fact of life. The USCG has always been the stepchild.
Sounds like there's some Congress members guilty of negligence. Curious if the CG has any of them in their corner, or if they're more interested in building bridges to nowhere, instead. Yes, that's cynical. But reality tells me that's what is going on.
Semper Gumby! Im a Coastie and ever since the days of the Revenue Cutter Service the CG has always done more with less and has always made mission. Being under DHS CERTAINLY has its pros. But finding appropriate funding has been the most critical issue our service faces. We've been bottom of the pecking order for DHS funding for years now and the Department and Congress at large doesnt take the issues seriously or the money just evaporates into the bureaucracy that is DHS.
Served in the Navy from 91-94, Im currently 52 and wish I could join the Coast Guard. I have so much respect for all coasties and thank you all for your integral service.
Great video, Sal! We definitely need more attention given to the USCG as it is easily one of the most overlooked branches of our military. Well done! ⚓
try to find a uscg recruiter. they must be in the business of evading contacts, not returning phone calls, being away from their office, because they certainly aren’t recruiting. i am a retired usnr officer. i steered a young man who loved the sea to uscg, but he gave up in total frustration and joined the usn.
As a previous Coast Guard Aux. public affairs officer in Key west, you hit the nail on the head. The worst thing we did was putting USCG under Homeland Security. It should run its own show, and be adequately funded. I was on board High , Medium endurance cutters, 110 ft cutters, small boats, two kinds of USCG helicopters. One time I was on a search and rescue flight in the Florida Strait for 6 hours. When we landed, pilots had to use night vision goggles. I didn’t get paid with money, but got great satisfaction. Semper Paratus
I am saddened to see our Coast Guardsmen struggling with budgetary slights while American Public Monies are being shoveled about the globe liberally and for any cause.
I am coastguard crew in New Zealand. We are all volunteers and we have to fundraise for all equipment, vessels and costs. Still it’s sad to hear you guys having to reduce capability.
As yet another CG Vet, I really appreciate you covering this and letting others know what the USCG does. The NYPD is 35,000 cops. The Coast Guard is less than that and covers so many other responsibilities and territories. The Coast Guard, formerly the Revenue Cutter Service established in 1790 is the longest continual military service in the USA and has been involved in every war since its inception. During war time, they fall under the US Navy and were the small boat operators for landing craft during D-Day and small boat patrols in the rivers of Vietnam. My uncle was a Coastie and was one of the persons who captured Germans in Iceland at a listening post during WW2. The USCG has under gone many changes in its 234 years and it is truly sad to see this service being neglected. I agree that if funding is not there, then don't expect protection of our borders, life saving, and other law enforcement missions to be impacted. There is only so much you can do with limited funds.
I'm retired now, but my high school BF joined the Coast Guard out of college and made a very nice career out of it. Nice ports, travelled/posted around the world.
@@Film_Lab Apparently others don't think so. Also, if the richest country cannot afford to maintain these boats how do less fortunate countries manage. I think it is more like: I want something brand new and if I didn't have to pay for it I would have new cars instead of a 10 and 22 year old car. Cost of a new boat is even more prohibitively expensive.
Like the old second hand weaponry they give away with that excuse to the US taxpayer but with the promise to those same taxpayers that all replacements will be brand new. I have no doubt they will be because they will also be paid for at brand new prices just as the "old" stock being given away was originally paid for at brand new prices. Paying twice for equivalent stores certainly doesn't seem like the pathway to keeping US forces ahead of age & technology attrition as we are seeing but does seem more like a shell game at the cost of the citizens & forces of the US.
I'm a Naval Academy grad, and yes, the Coast Guard seems more appealing in hindsight. I went to advanced firefighting school with a Coast Guard officer. She was on a cutter out of Alaska and she made it sound like they were doing cool stuff.
Back in '77 I was assigned to YTB-825. We sailed up the Potomac River to releave a CG Cutter that was disabled and tied up at Piney Point. We picked up a coasty SCPO to show us the waters of our patrol and sailed up to D.C. and back to Piney Point. The CG mission became a Navy mission to keep commercial tug and barge moving on the river.
And Republicans cut taxes for the super rich (like Donald Trump) and then cut spending on everything except defence… The 8 trillion dollar Trump tax cut had to be paid for somehow.
I agree with you Sal. The USCG should be studied for how they manage assets and funds. Then those strategies implemented across all DoD to save all the taxpayers money. The USCG does needed funded better and with the amount of debt we are facing, we can’t just keep printing/borrowing money to cover these costs. Something needs to be cut in order to balance revenues and expenses.
I’m on the fence about that. Obviously we need some cost savings throughout government but I’d not want our military to be too lean either. Our service men and women deserve good pay and benefits and all the training opportunities we can afford. Likewise, I want our people in the best gear money can buy.
If the USCG patrolled 'foreign' shores like the Armed Forces are, Congress would have kitted out the Service with the best equipment Tax-Dollars could buy - but why fund a Colander when the Border 'dams' have collapsed because of the very same Government's ulterior motives? Respect to those who serve/served with good intentions and Morals.
On September 13, 1980, I joined the USCG, an eight-year, four-month tour of duty. I have two kids in the USCG. Back in the day, we had two 327’ cutters; one of them was in Pearl Harbor in 1941; it was a Navy ship at that time. She is called the only “submarine” the USCG ever had. When she was sunk in a floating dry dock in NYC, she was refloated and went back into action. The Tamaroa was the cutter in the Perfect Storm. Back then, whatever the Navy decommissioned, we inherited. But we had a job to do, and we did very proud. One book that summons about a USCG history that is not well-known is Not Your Father’s Coast Guard. I am proud of my service, and I am proud of my kid's service. Both are very close to retirement; one is serving in the San Diego MSRT, he is a ME1, and the other is a Chief ET in Alaska. My time at the USCG helped me to transition to the US Marshals Service, which I retired after 22 years as Deputy US Marshal. Stay safe 🙏
We were always underfunded in the Coast Guard. I was in the USCG in the late 90's and early 2000's, getting out in 2002. We where still DOT then. I was in during 9/11, which was a game changer, and got out right before Homeland Security took over. A lot of our equipment was old even then. We worked with a ton of hand-me-down Navy equipment that the Navy considered obsolete. 70's and 80's tech was not uncommon. Though, to be fair, the equipment was solid and still worked. We lived with a shoe-string budget but we got the job done! My last CG station was the USCGC Escanaba. A WMEC 270' cutter that is still sailing today.
Nothing shows how the Coast Guard gets the short end of the stick more than WMEC cutters. At 270 foot long, they were shortened while the first one was being constructed due to budget cuts. The cutter Bear actually has water tight door up front that opens to a solid bulkhead. Form what I was told from our MAT team. Because they shortened it, they had to put hydraulically operated flippers on it to keep it from bobbing like a cork in the water. It is my understanding that that also reduced the top speed. While I loved my 20 years in and was station from Japan to Turkey, I'm glad I'm out and not having to deal with the day to say fight for parts and money due to Congress under appreciating what the guard does.
When I lived in Seattle from '87-'92, I recall that there was a big debate in Congress about replacing both the Polar Star and Polar Sea as even back then, they were worn out. Some bright spark suggested that to save money, we could could just sub contract ice breaking duties to the Chinese! Fortunately, Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) spoke up and pointed out the absurdity of farming out an essential USCG function to a potential enemy. She was instrumental in getting funding for building the Healy and overhauling the Polar Star.
what no one outside the service knows is that Coast Guard detachments on Navy ships are boarding suspected terrorist cargo ships in the Persian Gulf region. This sort of thing has been going on around the world forever. When I served in the late 1960s Coast Guard, there were 35,000 people. My suspicion is that there are enough people to operate the boats who are doing non-essential paper shuffling things. I remember when those 211 foot long medium-endourance cutters were new. I even served 2 months TAD on one of them, the Vigilant out of New Bedford. I served on the 180ft bouy temder/oceanographic cutter Evergreen (built 1943) and the second Escanaba.(1945/72) The third Escanaba serves on today. The Evergreen was sunk as a gunnery target a couple decades ago.
I haven't watched the video yet, but so sad seeing the thumbnail photo, as Decisive (WMEC-629) is in the picture. My dad was an XO on that ship, and just so happens to be the same number as my birthday! Little did he know that when he reported on June 29th that the 629 was going to be such a important number in his life! 👍🤠 He passed away when I was very little so its bitter sweet to see when they decommissioned it earlier this year, as I kept an eye on what she was doing over my life, and that was one of the last connections to him. 😥
I was working in the Fire house/Crash crew as their Navy mechanic down at McMurdo Station Antartica when the Ice Breaker Polar Star made her her first voyage to Antartica . She was a bright and awesome looking ship . Thanks for these updates on the Coastguard . We need to change priorities and keep the Coastguard funded .
While I think it is sad that we cannot maintain the Coast Guard at a higher level of readiness, I tend to agree that it is better to cut back than to over stretch. It is better to do 5 things well than to try to do 10 things with tthe resources that would cover 5 things and then muck up those 10 things.
I was standing radio watch on a beautiful summer day at the Wilmette Harbor station and a squall came through. The radio shack went from a nearly silent radio to a dozen mayday calls all coming in at once. Back then, Wilmette harbor had a 41' and 22' patrol boat. That's it. I was on reserve weekend duty. If that station was closed I dont know what those people would have done.
Thank you for doing this. I am a veteran of the USCG and USCGR. Another area that needs funding are the 47' motor lifeboats. These have reached and pasted the 20 year service life. Last year the USCG retired the 52" MLBs that were build in 1953. The 52 footer could handle heavy weather and large wave 36' + which beyond what the 47" MLB can handle. These are now gone and there are no replacements. Commandant Fagan is the first one I have seen make this type of call. She has my respect as she if focusing on the real issues.
Not just vessels, how about aircraft? MH-65 Dolphin (the cool orange "Eurocopters") and "newer" HH-60 Jayhawk are amazing machines, but nothing lasts forever. Been flying for a long time now.... 😎✌️
You are correct. They are doing a SLEP now. My understanding is USCG will follow adopt the Army and Navy replacement for the Black Hawk and related aircraft
Not referenced as much but what about all of the navigable rivers and the Great Lakes? Buey tenders, ice breakers, law enforcement, barge inspections, another large task for the CG.
The 44 MLB lasted about 35 years before being replaced by the 47s in 1997. Would be surprised to see it replaced anytime soon. We have the OPCs to get online.
They didn't have to waste money replacing the 25RBS
I was never happy about the trsfr. to DHS. Should have never happened. DHS will never give USCG its due.
They were sent there to make sure they can’t hinder the invasion of illegals.
the Coast Guard is the smallest service and has always had to do the job with limited assets and not enough personal to do the job but somehow we got the job done. we have always had to do things in this manner.
"Semper Gumby" and Semper Paratus! 😉✌️😎
Don't forget about ole NOAA corps 😂
The biggest mistake was moving the USCG to Homeland Security.
Has any part of Homeland Security been a success?
@@raitchison Has any part of your feminism been a success ? Name one organization that is better because of feminism. Just one. We are waiting...
@@HomelessWhiteMaleStartingOveraAre the ̶W̶o̶m̶e̶n̶ females in the room with us right now?
Before that they were in the Department of Transportation. They cannot be in the DOD because they would not be able to enforce civilian laws.
Homeland Security has always been a dangerous joke.
I put together 2 Coast Guard OCS packages working with coast guard recruiters. The ASVAB was high, the physical was great, the interview was excellent but the coast guard recruiters couldn’t help me navigate the DD368 form. They required my DD368 to be good for approximately 9-10 months where my service only allows one for 6 months. I secured the DD368 the first time but was denied because of the date it expired. The second time I couldn’t secure a DD368 form due to me needing to be released from active to reserve, post mobilization (an admin issue delayed my transition). People are trying to join, but I feel the coast guard needs their recruiting process be more accommodating for prior service folks and lateral transfers.
Agreed!
I volunteered with the USCG Auxiliary from 2010-2014. Decided I wanted to actually join, and tried to enlist in the Coast Guard Reserves. First major hurtle was finding a recruiter. Where I was in NYS, I either had to go to Boston, or NYC to even meet with one. Second major problem was at that time there was a major waiting list to even get to basic training. Think 2 years of what I was told. I wasn’t going to wait 2 years to go to basic training. Enlisted in the Air National Guard instead.
While in the air national guard I still had a desire to commission as a coast guard officer. But to your point so difficult to navigate the commissioning route. Ended up giving up on that goal.
Love the coast guard and what they do. They need more recruiters, possibly a second training base for enlisted. Or maybe just a larger facility to funnel more recruits through. As well as a better way to assist with commissions.
I had even considered transferring to the CG as a prior enlisted. But I think it’s stupid that you need to lose rank to do so.
I worked for Commandant Fagan when she was a Lieutenant stationed at the Marine Safety Office in Savannah as the Ops boss. I have a ton 15:53 of respect for her!
Takes a lot of guts for anyone in such a position to make a stand like this, but it sends a very clear message to congress. Such old ships and hugd personal shortages is a huge risks for everyone involved from the coasties to those they look out for. Now the thing we have to wait and see is does congress and the president get the message or as I expect will they stand back whine and complain while doing zero to actually address the problems.
this has gone on for as long as i can remember. when i was in the Coast Guard all we ever got were hand me downs from the Navy. but the ships the Navy deemed as surplus were still very good ships and they carried out all types of missions. what else can you expect to see coming out of a Congress and a Senate that would rather fist fight with each other on the floor of the Senate than do their jobs. time to kick these idiots out of government.
Congress is really dysfunctional now. A minority are even blocking essential military appointments. I fear this will not be high on their list.
They're too busy spending the $$$$ they poached on their pets.
Bravo, Sal! Thank you for putting up a flare on yet another "dereliction of duty" by the Congress. What a great Service for young people looking to start exploring various careers, get great training and real-life experience.
Thank the Biden 'administration' for their disregard of our Armed Services.
Also, bring back the Draft.
The Pentagon has failed there last 6 audits, they ca n t seem to find or explain where they lost or spent 4.2 trillion $, how many boats would that lost money buy?
coastal gard's job isn't over seas ( or the USA 🇺🇸 governorship to act as the world's cop 👮 , usa 🇺🇸 navy is for us's interests only and yes its meant for primarily foreign waterways ) ( exception is alaska and hi and gulf/portairco, really hi+ak is a liability for USA sovereignty ) aka it's for the lower-48 sub-200-miles from the nearest beaches, so don't be surprised when men/millennial-generation like me( my friends are that way as well so are some of the zoomer's i know as we watched the usa lose 3+ war's 1950-Afghanistan, yes my family served/merc's from about 1920-1990~ im just smart enough to pass on the offers for now, as its not like it used to be retirement wise ect ) refusing to join to protect some A$$( billions 😉)-holes ( or foreign competition/corporation ie BP-oil ect, im a big Monroe doctrine type guy so was typically every European and USA 🇺🇸 citizens pre-1890~ ) rich stuff in the middle eastern countries, worst part about the job/enlisting is not being welcomed in foreign land aka they hate bossy american's and at home you can still get venam-war treatment aka like-st... and generally the pay isn't great vs private sector's ect
@@richardprice5978"Of the 8,000 [US] Coast Guardsmen who served in Vietnam, three officers and four enlisted men were killed in action and 59 wounded." (Source Vietnam Veterans of America - VVA)
@@donalddodson7365 Don't be changing the subject, you said that it was a Dereliction of Duty because of antiquated ships, actually we are so far in debt that it's going to be difficult fielding a competent military going forward. The military budget is ate by the 800 + military bases around the world and fueling and maintaining 11 aircraft carriers are just nuts. Not to mention the Cruisers and Destroyers and the subs. And the new Zumwalt ships are peices of shit, billions went into them and there cracking up.
And now we get to the coast guard operating on shoe string budgets.
You are witnessing the fall of the US. Military.
Plus the fact, our US Strategic Reserves up in Alaska is now about empty, just hot back from there 3 months ago, from fairbanks. The two bases Fort Wainwright (Army) and Elmendorf, Ellison Air (USAF) I worked at a food pantry volunteering and you wouldn't believe the amount of military personnel getting by, by donated food and food pantry. And not to mention the DEI agenda.
And the transgender community getting paid sex changes by the military command. Shit even the men in the Pentagon are parading around as women, and the bull dyke women, dressed as men with.
Wake up, the US military is a facade, it's been a lie all the way around since the battle of Tripoli.
As a former Coastie, this is one of the saddest things I’ve ever heard.
Like holding up Navy promotions, this is another example of what a clueless and ignorant group of twits our Congress is. Those same twits will scream the loudest when the defecation hits the ventilation, then blame the other side for us ‘not being ready’.
Sad and angry as hell. Money and politics win over our responsibility to our people and our country.
In my opinion, most politicians aren’t worth the dirt beneath their shoes.
USCG needs to be separated from DHS! DHS was a total mistake in general, the USCG is a major victim of this bureaucratic blunder.
Amen.
And attached to what? Coast Guard is, at its essence, border patrol and border agents.
9/11 resulted in a lot of politicians and administrators trying to 'do something.' Moving agencies around willy-nilly was one way to do that. The USCG role in defense against terrorism is minor. Those attacks were by air not boat. Terrorism is the FBI's job and it was the FBI that blundered in 9/11. The USCG most closely resembles that of the other branches of the military and belongs in the Department of Defense.
@@Inkling777 ...but we've got to stop Donald Trump no matter what the cost...
Hi, I worked in the private sector with the USCG and got to know a handful of folks. When they came to our site, the acted like partners, as opposed to other agencies looking for gotchas. We weren’t perfect, but I truly appreciated that they WANTED to work toward compliance. This is something I totally respect. Cudo’s to you for bringing this up. A lot of fine people (young & old), who only do right.
One aside, I used to be a volunteer for an older disabled lady and would take her to USCG concerts. Really great classical an jazz performances (free) and a chance to get out of the nursing home. Live in Norwich, CT, about 30 minutes north of NL.
PS: US Sub Base in Groton, shout out to our wonderful sailors! Got to sit in the drivers seat on a fast attack (in port), totally cool!
Well done, somebody who really understands the Coast Guard! Always a funding stepchild, the Coast goes through the same cycle: not enough money and not enough people, until screws are falling off cutters. And then they get too much money and still not enough people. Where are the crews for the new Icebreakers going to come from? Navy will have the same problem if the fleet grows.
Sal you are absolutely correct! I am a KP grad, '95 and served 11 years with the USCG. (Ships Officer Major (3/m w/ QMED endorsement)) The USCG is the most underfunded and under appreciated service. The USCG delivers the single best bargan for the US government, if any other service attempted to operate doing the same mission with the same budget of the USCG, they would simply wither under the load. No better example of this is what transpired with Hurricane Katrina. The USCG is credited with saving more than 35,000 lives and assisting more then 24,000. It is about time that USCG advocates for parity with the US Navy and other sea going services.
I deployed on board the USCG Reliance ('210) and the Escanaba ('270) as a HH-65 pilot. These vessels are old, tired and effectively out lived their efficacy for their assigned missions. No one values the USCG until they are needed in an event like Katrina and at which point they will sing the praises of our USCG but then set that need aside until the next crisis comes along.
Also keep in mind that the "Polar Rollers" (Polar Sea and Polar Star) are in need of replacement as well. The USCG is essential and imperiative to our domestic security. The USCG quite litterally wrote the book on search and rescue and continues to do so. Of course I am biased, but god bless the US Coast Guard and the amazing services they provide. SEMPER PARATUS! SEMPER GUMBY!
John B Hall (LT, USCG)
KP '95
ACTA NON VERBA
Amen, lieutenant! Semper Paratus! 😎✌️
A family friend was the CO or XO of the Escanaba in the 90’s, then went on to work at the Academy. He was a great Cub Scout leader and when they brought the Escanaba into the Great Lakes I got to tour her with him. Steve Balona (I probably butchered the spelling). Because of him I almost went to Kings Point, but decided that it might not be my calling and went on to college elsewhere. He was one of those people that could McGyver just about anything, I guess I know why, years of having to do a lot with a little….
@@cle_roknn3742 I am an Eagle, was a scoutmaster, part of NESA at KP and now work as an Nurse Practitioner and volunteer my time with scout camps. Scouting is such a great program. KP is I think is one the best kept secrets around! The year I graduated form KP ('95) 25 of my classmates went Navy Flight and another 25 went NFO. 25% of the class went into naval avaition. Either way... ACTA NON VERBA!
Can the USCG cut OCONUS OPS instead of CONUS stations and Operations? I ask because when I was deployed to OIF in 2005 as PSD to the ARCENT CDR, we toured KNB (Kuwaiti Naval Base) at which time I learned (after seeing USCG in the port) that the USCG provides port security wherever a USN/Merchant Marine vessel is docked. Is this accurate, and if so, why can't the USCG tell the USN to provide their own security, hence relieving the USCG with that burden, allowing them to focus on CONUS OPS?
@@110MAN1 That is an interestng question. The CG has had a OCONUS presence for a long time, much of this has to do with the fact that the CG has the ability to enforce laws whereas the Navy can not be utilized in that it would be consider an act of war. This is the same reason, there are LEDET (Law Enforcement Detachments) on board naval vessels. Port operations would not be any different. I would argue that solution here is to start properly funding the USCG and stop the approach of "thank you for this small amount of money and we will figure out how to make it work!"
The USCG needs the full and adequate funding that it deserves to complete the multiple missions that it is assigned to it. It is time to stop treating the USCG as the "orange headed step child" that it has been treated like. The Army, Navy, Air Force or Marines would never stand to be under funded in the same way the Coast Guard is.
In 1987, then Commandant, Adm Yost closed-down Station Ashtabula Ohio and (I think) Station Destin, Fla. in response to Congressional budget cuts. What many of us did not know at the time was that these two stations were considered "show-places"... they were high-profile locations that were in the figurative backyards of elected officials. The funding was restored. I tried to google this incident; no joy so recounting from memory. Professor Sal: Admiral Yost was big into the Persian Gulf/Hormuz Tanker wars in the 80s. He started regular out -of -hemisphere deployments for Coast Guard Cutters and the PATFORSWA (Patrol Forces Southwest Asia). In 1987 I was a 27 year old First Class Petty Officer and I was sure Yost was trying to kill us all. You know what the missile defense is on a Coast Guard Patrol Boat (110' Island-Class at the time)? You jam both throttles forward and jump over the fantail. CPO, USCG, ret.
Yes, I remember our attempt to add footage to the rear of 110’s and have them BREAK.
We really need a larger Coast Guard presence on the Great Lakes. Not Homeland security not police boats we need the Coast Guard.
Now they have given the CG , so many bullshit jobs.
The CG is answerable to Homeland Security.
@donraptor6156 I know, that's the day they messed it up. I left in 85 when they changed retirement benefits and screw a bunch of guys with the gi bill. My grandson is in right now. SEMPER PARATUS WWG1WGALL
@@joseaacosta1156 I never got the "GI Bill" I was under VEAP and never before retiring was giving an option to sign up. Think a year after th ey were shutting it down, they reached out to those who did VEAP, but cancelled, were allowed to sign up for the GI Bill. But they bent over backwards for NAM vets before VEAP allowing them to extend their deadline to use their benefits and even offering them to change to a better version. But the VEAP people. Screwed. I was lucky though, I was under the orign 50% retirement, not high 3 or the 40% plan. You guys didn't get kind of screwed over IMO.
I’m a retired Marine, I’ll join the Coast Guard right now if they’d let me! 🇺🇸
The part that is not said, its because they are pickier than the Air Force when it comes to recruiting . granted, I tried 16 years ago after a 3 year break in service. It would have been just a walk down the hall to go back into the army.
You would be in good company. RIP Marine nam combat vet purple heart recipient (and ex Coasty) Charlie Bucko and ex seebee Frank Quirk and the other brave civilian/volunteer first responder crew of the Can Do.
@@jeffmilroy9345 I was a Seabee before the Marines. The Corps took my rank and sent me back to boot camp 😂
Retired Air Force here. Me too! I can help drive a boat… er, a “ship”? Whatever they call those floaty things. 😁
Thank you for making this video. I'm a former USAF officer and have a coastie son. I've been pounding the table for years that they don't ask for a budget they need to operate and replace ships. I wouldn't go on a cruise ship that was launched in 1969 yet we expect our son's and daughters to go out.
sons and
As a 22 year retirement retired CPO, thank you for detailing this issue and stating how professional the Commandant has been regarding funding and manpower. What happened to the Coast Guard when it was transferred into DHS is a lesson is politics trumping realities. I am not saying we had proper funding and manpower under DOT, but the budget scrutiny the USCG faced following that transfer is lacking in equity of other agencies, specifically DOD agencies.
Totally agree. Retired Army. My belief is DoD should fund these cutters, ice breakers, etc. They've pissed away 2tril they can't find. What would 2tril or even a significant portion of it go towards the 6th War Service?
That might be true, but all the other branches have blank checks and the waste is immeasurable. We need them to be cut also, and have accountability. We are broke and almost everything the govt does is paid for with newly "printed" money that devalues the USD and lowers the standard of living for most people.
great segment but a sad topic. I spent 4 years enlisted in the CG back in the mid 80's. You are 100% correct about the level of responsibility that coasties carry. I was 20 years old and certified as small boat engineer & boat crew, EMT, and law enforcement boarding officer. All of these on top of my full time job of maintaining the station facilities and the boats. I deployed to several Navy ships as LEDET boarding crew. Then qualified as SAR station Officer of the Day. Leading the SAR station on my duty days, leading and directing all of the on duty personnel. All as a 21-22 year old E-5. What tremendous training and experiences that have served me well the last 35 years. Heck I wonder if the CG will take me back when I retire in a couple years! I recommend any youngster give the Coast Guard a go. Proudly served CGC Harriett Lane-WMEC 903 and CG Station Pascagoula. MK-A school. EMT School-Petaluma, CA
Did you have Petty officer Fingers teaching reduction gearing in MKA school? I took boot and MKA combo as a reserve in 1980 - what a great teacher and inspiration that guy was! Really sad that the blackthorn went down the night I entered boot.
in the '90's, after the cold war and before 9/11, the Coast Guard Auxiliary was an amazing group to volunteer with. We could do anything the Regular Coast Guard did short of War and Law enforcement. I was a Flotilla Commander back then in the Aux. We did safety patrols, recruiting for the CG academy, Taught boating safety classes to the public, One of my Auxillerists went on a fishery patrol on a cutter to Alaska. We took over the ATONS maintenance for LA/Long Beach due to Regular CG staffing shortages. We all had a great time and were making a difference.
I volunteered with the Aux from 2010-2014. Really enjoyed it. Where I was in NY along the Hudson River I got to work alongside active Coasties. Even was an augmentee crew member aboard the USCGC WIRE.
Yep, used you work with you guys a lot on the Ohio River and in the Great Lakes. Thanks for all the times of being there when we needed you. I used to handle what is now the CG-4612's at the Group. Understanding if I didn't get them completed, you guys didn't get paid for fuel, etc. I would do dozens on the weekend when on duty to get them out asap. I remember having a Aux radio station in Cincinnati area. BIG help on holiday weekends. 73's
Thanks for this, Sal! You're right about the USCG (and USMC too!), so props to Commandant Fagan! C'mon, Congress, how long can this wait? 😎✌️
I am a member of the Coast Guard Auxiliary, and we can really feel the immediate changes from Commandant Fagan. I interpret it as a renewed usage of the all-volunteer Auxiliary program utilizing the assets and skills of many retired USCG persons. This weekend we will be training with the crew of an 87, whose active duty captain is a member of our flotilla. We will be running tow evolutions, MOB drills, and mock boardings. Many of our members are retired Coast Guard with years of experience (30+) Chief Warrant officers, and Captains continuing to volunteer to train and lead boat patrols. I am looking forward to increasing my training and therefore availability to meet the demand. Semper Paradas!
I first joined the Coast Guard right out of highschool. Because I had a lot of dental work that needed to be done, they put me in medical hold in Bootcamp. I have crowns on my teeth due to having a genetic trait of no enamel on my teeth. Ten years later after my dental work done I joined the Navy. The Coast Guard said that I was too old. I have my paperwork in to join the Auxiliary.
Great piece Sal! ‘76 grad of the USCGA; served as a DWO on a WHEC as well as a CG aviator. Thanks for pointing out, once again how the CG, as the bastard child in the US government, always gets the short end of the funding stick. Ballsy move by the Commandant for sure. However, if this is essentially a staffing/recruiting issue, then the service’s recruiting/retention effort/funding must be looked at. Somehow, the word isn’t getting out to potential recruits about what a great service we are with very important missions. You are absolutely correct about the great amount of responsibility young enlisted and officers are tasked with early on. With respect to funding, I think it was a mistake to move the CG from DOT to DHS. We’re just competing with too many other law enforcement and quasi-law enforcement (TSA) agencies for a limited amount of dollars. I hope the COMDT’s move results in something other than her just falling on her sword.
I worked with the USCG RIO to build WTGB Ice breaking tugs in the 80's and they are still in service. As a note, its tough all over getting anything done with trades in the last couple of years. I don't think there are enough smart, tough young people to go around.
Trade schooling isn’t as flashy as the programmer and crypto bro trades. Yet, the trade and industrial schools are badly needed.
The air force seems to do okay.
The AirForce?@@evryhndlestakn
My uncle enlisted in the Coast Guard as soon as he turned 17 in 1942 and stayed with them until he retired .He was able to hitch rides on military flights almost anywhere but his wife has to fly commercial . He was on an ammunition ship in WW2 and later the Korean conflict.
@FredBender ...ah, the Space-A jetset. Those retirees get 'bumped' for just about anyone but I guess they have the time and the price is right (assuming Space-A is still a thing).
This has been an issue for the CG since forever. I was CO of a Loran Sta. in the Pacific and my guys had to stand watch port and starboard 24/7 meaning that opportunities for daywork were limited. My generators dated to WW2 and all have over 30k operating hours, my Loran equipment was dated back to the immediate post war years, interestingly the Japan Loran system had new equipment that they had developed but we couldn't buy, not made here.
Billons for any foreign entity that asks for it, but not enough money to support one of the most important services that the country needs. Thanks, Joey.
Is Joey meant as a swipe at Biden? If it is this ain't a White House problem it's a Congress problem. Did you catch the part where Sal said the Commandant's plan is a reaction to USCG getting boxed out of the latest funding bill.
Coast Guard was having this issues before JB so
@@SnoofyAir We weren't funding 2 foreign wars before JB though. We can deplete our military equipment for Ukraine, but USCG can rot I guess. Bonus points for sending billions to Iran while funding Israel as well. Wonder how many diapers JB bought with whatever that got us.
@@SnoofyAirI don't think John alluded to the presidency in any way. Congress has been squeezing the CG in favor of sending money to foreign gov'ts for decades.
Great video, Sal. This is not a new situation for the Coast Guard. I retired as a mustang Lieutenant in 1984 and the saying back then was, "We have done so much with so little for so long that eventually we will be able to do everything with nothing." My Coast Guard career was loaded with interesting assignments. I was on a Reliance class cutter (USCGC Vigorous) and we conducted fisheries boardings, search and rescue and even pulled an Ice Patrol. On another cutter, I did an Ocean Station patrol. Spent a year on an isolated Loran Station. Answered distress calls and handled communications at a major communications station. My first tour out of OCS was on a WW2 era ex-Navy ATF (USCGC Cherokee). On Cherokee, we did search and rescue, fisheries boardings and did an occasional patrol off Wallops Island during a rocket launch and even recovered on of their smaller rockets. We also retrieved and re-moored a 40 foot weather buoy that was anchored 100 miles offshore in 10,000 ft of water with a 4.5 kt Gulf Stream sweeping under it. Also did shore duty at 2 district offices and CG Headquarters. If I had it to do over again, I would do it in a heartbeat. Those were the best years of my life.
Was born in the Coast Guard, pop and brother retired. If you like it hot, extremely cold, windy, high seas, drunks in boats, drugs.... a great life!
Of course Norm Peterson of Cheers, was a Coasty.
What's shaking Mr. Peterson? What isn't!
If you think the detail you provide is a deterrent - read about Frank Quirk and the pilot boat "Can Do" in "Ten Hours Until Dawn". Serving as a rescue resource is a thankless underpaid (sometimes volunteer) job and not for everyone. Sometimes it can even cost the lives of those not on board. But somewhere someday there is a vessel in trouble with someone you know on board. Would you volunteer to get under-weigh for them?
Retired Coastie here......great update on the current situation. Thanks
I work at a lock on the Columbia River .
The first vessel to pass through the lock in 1968 was a WWII buoy tender Bluebell .
In 2018 the dam had its 50 th anniversary , the Ship was still in service !
5 years later it is still running !
It is Not the Coast Guards oldest ship!
Just down the river, in astoria. The Steadfast will finally get decommissioned spring of 24, after 55yrs
Bluebell
Commissioned
4 April 1945
Oldest other than eagle sail training ship
Smilax 1 November 1944
we have been doing this crap since i was in back in 87 when we pulled into nofolk our bm saw a carrier dumping brand new foul weather jackets ,needless to say the boys on the buoy deck stayed warm all winter long,thanks a lot squids!!!!!!
Great video, Sal! The USCG has stuffed 10 lbs in a 7 lb sack for decades. The sack stretched, and it's broken. The downward slide in propensity of US youth to serve has a lot to do with this crisis. Funding will help as long as it funds the backbone activities, but it will be a long and tough road back. Kudos to the Commandant for making the tough call. Also, the WMEC that I served in over 40 years ago is still operating on the West Coast, and she wasn't new when I was an Ensign! Semper Paratus!
The Coast Guard, unsung hero’s who rounding up drug dealers, terrorist and other illegal events from coming ashore, a first line of defense for the US. Pivotal during World War II, rescue fishing to yacht sailors and putting their life on the line to keep us safe. Congress and the president turn their backs on this incredibly important part of National Security, we need the Coast Guard. What can we do to get this message to congress, write, email?
yes
Just another sign of the $#!t show we have going on in congress right now
It’s sounding more like the 1960s through 1980s. There was a National Geographic magazine article about the USCG in the 70s that mentioned we had raid VFW halls and museums for repair parts for the ships guns. The motto of we could do more with less became we can do without. I m a proud retired Coastie and it’s sad to see this happen. Two of the vessels I served on are still in service (USCGC Capstan WYTL 65601, built 1961 & USCGC Confidence WMEC 619 built 1966). The 180s & 95s fortunately were replaced long ago.
Capstan 84 to 87
I worked aboard a ‘65 in 2013-2013. The USCGC WIRE 65612.
She’s still going strong, although I suspect she might be laid up from these cuts
Great video! My Grandfather was in the Coast Guard in WW-II. This branch of our Armed Forces deserves more recognition, but more importantly, they need the funding to operate in today's environment. Perhaps a more aggressive recruiting campaign would bring in the quality young people that we as a country need there to be?
today only one tenth of one percent serve in any of the armed forces at all. we need to institute a draft again ASAP . no one will volunteer for military service as long as the attitude is someone else will serve. and when you hear the statements our former President makes about military service is it any wonder no one enlists ? i was taught you owe this country something for all we have here and for all of the opportunity we have in this country.
@@frankmarcia5956Maybe I'm too much of a capitalist, but when I hear that an organization is grossly underfunded and overworked and that they have difficulty attracting people to join them, I think they need better funding and support.
If we force people to work there without improving the poor conditions, we won't have the world class Coast Guard that we need.
When is the last time you saw a Coast Guard commercial?
The USMC used to do free maintenance for the coasties.
Blew our minds how they lacked entire programs of maintenamce.
Not sure that's the case these days....
"criminally short of ice breakers" while congress has billions going to undeclared foreign wars and, at the same time, making other moves to weaken our military. What a picture.
Pretty sure we've funded the icebreakers. Its the yard that wasn't keeping the schedule.
What I liked about the Coast Guard of 50 years ago is all of the different rolls the enlisted had to cover. As a MK (engine man) I was trained as a boarding officer, OOD, sewage disposal plant operator, and coxswain. I also stood coms room watches. Much simpler in those days. Just a teletype, VHF and AM radio, and a telephone. In 1973 I was getting ready to talk to the Navy recruiter when I got info about the Coast Guard and swung by there first. I never went to the Navy recruiter. Over the years I spoke with others having nearly the same experience.
I am a member of the Coast Guard Auxiliary, and we were told they expect to be 4,500 active-duty people short. They are asking the Auxiliary to step up and assume more duties done by the active-duty people. We can do everything the active duty can except law enforcement. We have to meet the same training requirements but we do not have to meet the physical requirements for most jobs. Most of our patrol boats are owned by members such as my boat, a 24 foot Yamaha 242. This year we doubled our patrol hours on the Ohio River and went from one boat to three. Next year we expect to gain another boat and double our patrol hours again. Our biggest problem is getting the training we need and getting Qualification Examiners to get the certifications we need to replace active-duty people. The Auxiliary is a great organization for anyone who wants to help serve our country as a volunteer.
My application is in the works.
Sal,
I took a high school senior to USCG Station Gloucester this past summer. She had an interest in flying, I took the senior to Air Station Cape Cod for a tour. How many senior high school students want to enter the Armed Forces today? This student was rejects by the recruiter due to the student medically prescribed zoloft for anxiety. In talking to an Officer, he said many in USCG are prescribed zoloft. This potential USCG candidate may move on to other interests. Can USCG or the other branches afford to be so stringent with medical prescription requirements in today’s environment? We are at or near that crossroad! Thank you Sal for your channel!🇺🇸
And armed forces families kids are a large part of the recruiting ground, yet access to their medical records also excludes them. They need to get real. Lincoln, Grant and Sherman would all probably have been prescribed something in this day and age. There is no such limitation for an elected office. Nuts!
I am so glad my best friend, Ret. EMC William Cranston, USCG, is no longer alive to see this happen to his beloved CG! It would have destroyed him. He loved his job, and was forced to retire after 30 years! RIP Chief!
50 year old cutter, means the crew is constantly monitoring all the assets of the cutter all the time. I cant say this loud enough, but your mechanical and electrical crews are the heart of our crew. They put blood sweat and anguish in keeping these boats alive. Semper paratus.
Well said. And believe me, it's worse than you think. Imagine what this does to crew morale; fewer school opportunities, less training, cuts everywhere.
Thank you, brother. Dad was USCGA 52. 30 years of stories most land folks could not believe or understand. Leukemia (probably from living near Red Hill vents for 6 years) prevented me from Fed service. 30+ years State and local maritime LEO (+SAR, FIRE, Dive,…) I hope honored his legacy. Keep speaking up for those always prepared.
Retired shipmaster here. I would be curious, Sal, just how much these cuts are related to the cuttermen and their vessels (they have always been undervalued and undermanned), opposed to what I believe is the lionshare of the USCG, the uniformed bureaucrats (administrative law, investigators, etc.). Like the Marines with every Marine a marksman, the USCG needs to have less bureaucrats with a 20+ year, 9-5 career ashore, and instead, get them out to sea. I have personally heard administrative law people in the O-3 to O-4 ranks pontificate about how they are fit to command vessels, based on their superior knowledge of "the rules of the road" and other laws. As a former seaman, you know that life out there on the briny is always a matter of "special circumstances" that seldom or don't fit the rules. I do give ADM Fagan credit for having the cojones that too many of her predecessors didn't have which resulted in the overload the USCG is encumbered with. I personally would like to see mariner licensing and maritime inspections removed from the USCG; goes back to the old saw about how having a military service regulating the maritime industry makes about as much sense as the USAF regulating the airline industry, or the Army regulating trucking.
The Coast Guard wasn’t supposed to BE military.
They aren’t the US Navy.
They are supposed to be law enforcement (with a rescue function tacked on as an afterthought).
@@allangibson8494
Perhaps not a 24/7 Naval service, but they were involved extensively in all the nation's wars, manning landing craft to convoy security with their cutters. That big gun on the fore deck ain't for signalling🤷♂️
@@allangibson8494 Maybe you need to read Title 14 of the U.S. Code.
@@gregdavis5933 Maybe you should.
Title 14 Chapter 1 Section 102 Clause 3
The US Coast Guard is a law enforcement agency under the Department of Homeland Security (Section 103 (a)) except in times of war when Section 103 (b) becomes applicable).
@@allangibson8494 Not sure what exactly your source is, but the cited section you quote does NOT say that. §101. Establishment of Coast Guard
The Coast Guard, established January 28, 1915, shall be a military service and a branch of the armed forces of the United States at all times.
As a Coast Guard Veteran, served mid 80s, we were underfunded then, over worked, but still carried out every mission with pride and expertise...... and most of us weren't old enough to buy a beer. I later served 30 years as a fire officer. What the Coast Guard taught me is there is no such thing as "can't". There is a solution to everything, and you have to think fast and methodical. I treasure my time in the USCG. There are a couple of sayings we used to say: 1.We do the impossible with nothing. 2. Semper Peratus, they sent us here and forgot us. Rough seas ahead, but at some point they'll find some fair winds and following seas. Hang in there, never give up.
I am a retired United States Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer. I served as a Surface Forces Independent Duty Corpsman.
An HSC?
@@NSNorfolk correct.
The Coast Guard Aux is perfectly capable of supplimenting crew or even manning the local coastal cutters.
I was in the aux in upstate NY. Use to stand watch at ANT Saugerties, and later became an augmentee crew member aboard the USCGC WIRE. It was great
If you think China, Russia & possibly so of our all own allies are noticing the shortages our country is experiencing. This is a very serious concern all our citizens should take note.
I was on that Reliance-Class cutter a few years ago -- they finally decommissioned it this year.
The amount of rust in critical places, even with constant, unceasing maintenance, was downright absurd. Every person I met on that boat wanted to leave the Coast Guard permanently after being deployed on that boat, because everything was literally ALWAYS broken but we still got the mission done.
We had redundant systems -- generators, smallboats, davits, ac, etc -- two of everything. Almost consistently, one of the systems was down at any given time (sometimes permanently) -- and often both at the same time.
They tried installing new systems on the old mounts -- but that was really startimg to frankenstein it.
Half the mission was just keeping the boat floating and casualty repair. At one point we were dead in the water without a fresh water maker hundreds of miles from land.
The workload on the engineering department on that boat was atrocious -- for all the boats over 50 years old, the maintenance issues just get in the way of completing the mission.
Add to that the unstable position of the Coast Guard during constant government shutdowns where servicemembers LITERALLY DID NOT GET PAID FOR MONTHS AT A TIME but still went on missions anyway --
The government never really seemed to care enough to make a difference for the people who DO make a difference.
the U S Coast Guard will never lower their standards for enlistment in the service. i was in the U S Coast Guard during the early 1960s and yes we did serve in Vietnam to stop the gun running by sea to the VC. it was very interesting to say the least. Semper Paratus.
Wrong, they just lowered the minimum requirement for asvab score and are overlooking alot of things that they would not have in the past !
This is a high quality video, so packed with insight. It's like a masterclass for the curent state of the USCG written to be so accessible too. Well done!
Coast Guard needs more support
I was recruited by the coast guard in 1964 and didn’t research the situation as well as I should have. If you think about it the only bad post they have is Bay City Mi, everywhere else is a resort.
This should never happen to the USCG or any other branch of the armed services.
STOP SENDING OUR TAX DOLLARS TO PLACES LIKE IRAN AND UKRAINE.
I agree the Coast Guard is a great service, a neglected service, and that neglect should end asap.
We’re going to do more with less.
No. You can’t do more with less. You’re going to do less with less. It’s a fact of life. The USCG has always been the stepchild.
Sounds like there's some Congress members guilty of negligence. Curious if the CG has any of them in their corner, or if they're more interested in building bridges to nowhere, instead. Yes, that's cynical. But reality tells me that's what is going on.
You can help the Coast Guard by joining the Auxiliary. No age or health restrictions. It is a volunteer force that helps missions.
Semper Gumby! Im a Coastie and ever since the days of the Revenue Cutter Service the CG has always done more with less and has always made mission. Being under DHS CERTAINLY has its pros. But finding appropriate funding has been the most critical issue our service faces. We've been bottom of the pecking order for DHS funding for years now and the Department and Congress at large doesnt take the issues seriously or the money just evaporates into the bureaucracy that is DHS.
Served in the Navy from 91-94, Im currently 52 and wish I could join the Coast Guard. I have so much respect for all coasties and thank you all for your integral service.
Living about 80 miles north of The Great Lakes Maritime Academy, I've always regrated not getting on the lakers when I was younger.
What grandpa is doing to the country goes against our interest. USGC protects our coast and helps to keep out drugs and illegal immigrants.
Great video, Sal! We definitely need more attention given to the USCG as it is easily one of the most overlooked branches of our military. Well done! ⚓
try to find a uscg recruiter. they must be in the business of evading contacts, not returning phone calls, being away from their office, because they certainly aren’t recruiting. i am a retired usnr officer. i steered a young man who loved the sea to uscg, but he gave up in total frustration and joined the usn.
USCR/USN VET, it breaks my heart to see the guard suffering...they don't advertise the service like the others so people don't know.
As a previous Coast Guard Aux. public affairs officer in Key west, you hit the nail on the head. The worst thing we did was putting USCG under Homeland Security. It should run its own show, and be adequately funded. I was on board High , Medium endurance cutters, 110 ft cutters, small boats, two kinds of USCG helicopters. One time I was on a search and rescue flight in the Florida Strait for 6 hours. When we landed, pilots had to use night vision goggles. I didn’t get paid with money, but got great satisfaction. Semper Paratus
I am saddened to see our Coast Guardsmen struggling with budgetary slights while American Public Monies are being shoveled about the globe liberally and for any cause.
I am coastguard crew in New Zealand. We are all volunteers and we have to fundraise for all equipment, vessels and costs. Still it’s sad to hear you guys having to reduce capability.
Thanks!
As yet another CG Vet, I really appreciate you covering this and letting others know what the USCG does. The NYPD is 35,000 cops. The Coast Guard is less than that and covers so many other responsibilities and territories. The Coast Guard, formerly the Revenue Cutter Service established in 1790 is the longest continual military service in the USA and has been involved in every war since its inception. During war time, they fall under the US Navy and were the small boat operators for landing craft during D-Day and small boat patrols in the rivers of Vietnam. My uncle was a Coastie and was one of the persons who captured Germans in Iceland at a listening post during WW2.
The USCG has under gone many changes in its 234 years and it is truly sad to see this service being neglected. I agree that if funding is not there, then don't expect protection of our borders, life saving, and other law enforcement missions to be impacted. There is only so much you can do with limited funds.
I'm retired now, but my high school BF joined the Coast Guard out of college and made a very nice career out of it. Nice ports, travelled/posted around the world.
Interesting that the US decommissions boats but sells them to other countries. Apparently the boats are not that bad.
Maintenance costs on old cutters become prohibitively expensive.
Pretty common for most countries and even commercial entities
@@Film_Lab Apparently others don't think so. Also, if the richest country cannot afford to maintain these boats how do less fortunate countries manage. I think it is more like: I want something brand new and if I didn't have to pay for it I would have new cars instead of a 10 and 22 year old car. Cost of a new boat is even more prohibitively expensive.
Like the old second hand weaponry they give away with that excuse to the US taxpayer but with the promise to those same taxpayers that all replacements will be brand new. I have no doubt they will be because they will also be paid for at brand new prices just as the "old" stock being given away was originally paid for at brand new prices. Paying twice for equivalent stores certainly doesn't seem like the pathway to keeping US forces ahead of age & technology attrition as we are seeing but does seem more like a shell game at the cost of the citizens & forces of the US.
@@Film_Laball the more reason they should be replaced when the upkeep/readiness ratio overtake.
I'm a Naval Academy grad, and yes, the Coast Guard seems more appealing in hindsight.
I went to advanced firefighting school with a Coast Guard officer. She was on a cutter out of Alaska and she made it sound like they were doing cool stuff.
Back in '77 I was assigned to YTB-825. We sailed up the Potomac River to releave a CG Cutter that was disabled and tied up at Piney Point. We picked up a coasty SCPO to show us the waters of our patrol and sailed up to D.C. and back to Piney Point. The CG mission became a Navy mission to keep commercial tug and barge moving on the river.
Problem is every department but defense needs more money. We spend more money defending countries that can afford paying for our help
And Republicans cut taxes for the super rich (like Donald Trump) and then cut spending on everything except defence…
The 8 trillion dollar Trump tax cut had to be paid for somehow.
The Coast Guard is an important favorite of mine!!! Thanks for this video!!❤❤
I agree with you Sal. The USCG should be studied for how they manage assets and funds. Then those strategies implemented across all DoD to save all the taxpayers money. The USCG does needed funded better and with the amount of debt we are facing, we can’t just keep printing/borrowing money to cover these costs. Something needs to be cut in order to balance revenues and expenses.
I’m on the fence about that. Obviously we need some cost savings throughout government but I’d not want our military to be too lean either. Our service men and women deserve good pay and benefits and all the training opportunities we can afford. Likewise, I want our people in the best gear money can buy.
The problem that the CG &CGA has is they keep doing the same stupid thing expecting a new result when everyone is abandoning the Ship.
If the USCG patrolled 'foreign' shores like the Armed Forces are, Congress would have kitted out the Service with the best equipment Tax-Dollars could buy - but why fund a Colander when the Border 'dams' have collapsed because of the very same Government's ulterior motives?
Respect to those who serve/served with good intentions and Morals.
Thanks for sharing Sal!!
On September 13, 1980, I joined the USCG, an eight-year, four-month tour of duty. I have two kids in the USCG. Back in the day, we had two 327’ cutters; one of them was in Pearl Harbor in 1941; it was a Navy ship at that time. She is called the only “submarine” the USCG ever had. When she was sunk in a floating dry dock in NYC, she was refloated and went back into action. The Tamaroa was the cutter in the Perfect Storm. Back then, whatever the Navy decommissioned, we inherited. But we had a job to do, and we did very proud. One book that summons about a USCG history that is not well-known is Not Your Father’s Coast Guard. I am proud of my service, and I am proud of my kid's service. Both are very close to retirement; one is serving in the San Diego MSRT, he is a ME1, and the other is a Chief ET in Alaska. My time at the USCG helped me to transition to the US Marshals Service, which I retired after 22 years as Deputy US Marshal. Stay safe 🙏
Thank you for the high praise. Its much appreciated by us.
Coast guard gets a budget to update their fleet but now can’t man them due recruitment issues.
We were always underfunded in the Coast Guard. I was in the USCG in the late 90's and early 2000's, getting out in 2002. We where still DOT then. I was in during 9/11, which was a game changer, and got out right before Homeland Security took over. A lot of our equipment was old even then. We worked with a ton of hand-me-down Navy equipment that the Navy considered obsolete. 70's and 80's tech was not uncommon. Though, to be fair, the equipment was solid and still worked. We lived with a shoe-string budget but we got the job done! My last CG station was the USCGC Escanaba. A WMEC 270' cutter that is still sailing today.
Nothing shows how the Coast Guard gets the short end of the stick more than WMEC cutters. At 270 foot long, they were shortened while the first one was being constructed due to budget cuts. The cutter Bear actually has water tight door up front that opens to a solid bulkhead. Form what I was told from our MAT team. Because they shortened it, they had to put hydraulically operated flippers on it to keep it from bobbing like a cork in the water. It is my understanding that that also reduced the top speed. While I loved my 20 years in and was station from Japan to Turkey, I'm glad I'm out and not having to deal with the day to say fight for parts and money due to Congress under appreciating what the guard does.
When I lived in Seattle from '87-'92, I recall that there was a big debate in Congress about replacing both the Polar Star and Polar Sea as even back then, they were worn out. Some bright spark suggested that to save money, we could could just sub contract ice breaking duties to the Chinese! Fortunately, Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) spoke up and pointed out the absurdity of farming out an essential USCG function to a potential enemy. She was instrumental in getting funding for building the Healy and overhauling the Polar Star.
It doesn't matter if the cutters are available. If there is no one to man the, they are expensive dock ornaments.
what no one outside the service knows is that Coast Guard detachments on Navy ships are boarding suspected terrorist cargo ships in the Persian Gulf region. This sort of thing has been going on around the world forever. When I served in the late 1960s Coast Guard, there were 35,000 people.
My suspicion is that there are enough people to operate the boats who are doing non-essential paper shuffling things. I remember when those 211 foot long medium-endourance cutters were new. I even served 2 months TAD on one of them, the Vigilant out of New Bedford. I served on the 180ft bouy temder/oceanographic cutter Evergreen (built 1943) and the second Escanaba.(1945/72) The third Escanaba serves on today. The Evergreen was sunk as a gunnery target a couple decades ago.
Very informational. Thank you. Our family has a strong history with the Baltimore yard in Curtis Bay and I could not be prouder.
As with other military services could increase staffing by accepting older individuals for managing, technical positions, etc.
Plenty of GSA jobs that need to be filled that could help the coast guard !
The US governement spent $6.8T in FY 2023 (with a $1.7T deficit). How did the US Coast Guard get missed?
They are Homeland security their budget comes from Homeland Security Director.
I haven't watched the video yet, but so sad seeing the thumbnail photo, as Decisive (WMEC-629) is in the picture. My dad was an XO on that ship, and just so happens to be the same number as my birthday! Little did he know that when he reported on June 29th that the 629 was going to be such a important number in his life! 👍🤠 He passed away when I was very little so its bitter sweet to see when they decommissioned it earlier this year, as I kept an eye on what she was doing over my life, and that was one of the last connections to him. 😥
Thanks! This would make a wonderful ad for the Coast Guard.
I was working in the Fire house/Crash crew as their Navy mechanic down at McMurdo Station Antartica when the Ice Breaker Polar Star made her her first voyage to Antartica . She was a bright and awesome looking ship . Thanks for these updates on the Coastguard . We need to change priorities and keep the Coastguard funded .
While I think it is sad that we cannot maintain the Coast Guard at a higher level of readiness, I tend to agree that it is better to cut back than to over stretch.
It is better to do 5 things well than to try to do 10 things with tthe resources that would cover 5 things and then muck up those 10 things.
I was standing radio watch on a beautiful summer day at the Wilmette Harbor station and a squall came through. The radio shack went from a nearly silent radio to a dozen mayday calls all coming in at once. Back then, Wilmette harbor had a 41' and 22' patrol boat. That's it. I was on reserve weekend duty. If that station was closed I dont know what those people would have done.
Maybe the DOD could pull some of the money they are spending on DEI and CRT and send it the CG's way.