There really aren’t a lot of clips for this one so I’ll do my best to explain. The United States Coast Guard is in fact considered an armed force and are specialized men and women that serve on the high seas and in the air on occasion. They do protect the US and attempt to stop smugglers, pirates, and others from invading our borders while also seeing to safety and regard of those that are out at sea. Their duties are in some ways to monitor the seas and coastlines of the US and make certain that no one is breaking any laws or getting themselves into trouble. In a way they’re like the police officers of the armed forces, but they are equally important. The fact that movies get so much wrong about the Coast Guard is kind of disappointing.
5. The Coast Guard is the oldest United States armed force on the sea.
The US Navy hadn’t been established yet by the time the USCG was around, though it didn’t take to calling itself by that name yet. Up until the Navy was established the early version of the Coast Guard managed to guard against pirates, smugglers, and other undesirables that sought to make their way into the US. After the Navy was established they were granted their current role.
4. The Coast Guard doesn’t get a lot of respect from other armed forces.
In part because the Coast Guard doesn’t travel overseas and doesn’t stray too far beyond the US borders they don’t get a lot of respect from the other armed forces since they don’t appear to be risking as much. This isn’t the case however since life on the high seas is anything but predictable and can be just as dangerous as being stationed in a desert.
3. The Coast Guard does not belong to Department of Defense.
They are the only armed force in the military that does not answer to the DOD, but instead to Homeland Security. If you take a moment to think about it this makes perfect sense considering that the Coast Guard sticks close to home and doesn’t venture out all that far on a regular basis. They also manage to catch flak for this from other branches of the military.
2. The Coast Guard does carry weapons.
Normally on smaller boats there will be a few handguns and perhaps a shotgun or something similar. The only boats that carry something heavier are the cutters, and even then they’ll usually only carry a rocket launcher or assault rifles. The Coast Guard are not known for their impressive array of weaponry since they tend to do more life-saving than taking.
1. Coast Guard personnel and equipment are not used for personal use.
Only in a movie would a person ever get away with this. The misuse of personnel in this manner could possibly lead to a court martial depending on how forgiving the higher-ups want to be, but chances are good that those responsible for such a thing would not be looked upon favorably. The Coast Guard is not a personal transportation service to be used by just anyone.
Sorry for the lack of clips, but they were really hard to find.
Follow Us
