--- title: "15 Reasons The Coast Guard Is Completely Underrated" date: "2017-08-04" modified: "2017-08-04" authors: - name: "Adam Weinstein" link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/adamweinstein/" url: "https://taskandpurpose.com/news/15-reasons-coast-guard-pretty-freakin-cool/" categories: - "Analysis" - "Coast Guard" - "Military Branches" - "News" --- # 15 Reasons The Coast Guard Is Completely Underrated ![]() On August 4, 1790, President George Washington okayed the creation of a Revenue Cutter Service to collect tariffs from U.S.-bound ships. Two-hundred and twenty-seven years later — after absorbing the Lifesaving Service and the Lighthouse Service — the U.S. Coast Guard is alive and well, charged with preserving life and property on the water… along with drug interdiction, counterterror, ice operations, [these Huggies, and whatever cash you got](). Happy birthday to the Coasties — and to the haters who have trouble treating our fifth armed service as a coequal, here are some reasons for you to reconsider, with assistance from [the USCG Flickr account]() and some T&P; readers. ### 1. Coast Guard personnel are salty because they’re good. You think the Marine Corps is tiny and always gets the bone? There are fewer coasties *total* than there are Marines at Camp LeJeune — and like their “Semper Fi” counterparts, coast guardsmen do a lot more with a lot less. Their official motto is “Semper Paratus” — “always prepared” — but it’s been pronounced “Simply betray us” by generations of crafty enginemen and boatswain’s mates. ### 2. This is their premier training ship. Every Coast Guard Academy cadet gets ample underway time on this tall ship, the [US Coast Guard Cutter Eagle]() — and as a former USS Constitution crewmember, lemme tell you, you’d be amazed how challenging tall-ship duty can be. (The [port calls in Bermuda]() are hard, too, I bet.) ### 3. Boot camp at Cape May is no joke. At *least* as hard as the Air Force. But with fewer golf courses. ### 4. This dog. Come *on*. He gets better duty than I ever did. ### 5. Rescue swimming is a hell of a lot harder than you think. The service has an unofficial motto, meant to convey the hazards of being the lifesaving sea service everyone relies on: “You have to go out, but you don’t have to come back.” Sounds weird until you see this guy at work. https://twitter.com/sgtjanedoe/status/893173712966623232 ### 6. Nighttime weapons practice. In a small sea service, where you might be assigned to a small cutter with just a handful of crewmembers, your chances of doing the cool jobs increase nicely. ### 7. This dog. I mean. ### 8. Freakin’ icebreakers. The Coast Guard says it operates “the only U.S.-flagged heavy icebreakers capable of providing year-round access to the Polar regions.” It’s duty that’s as tough as being stationed at, say, Twentynine Palms or Diego Garcia… except this base rocks, sways, and freezes regularly. ### 9. This dog. Stahhhhhp. ### 10. No other service has the Coast Guard’s saving lives-to-taking lives ratio. Look at that photo. That’s an E-3 saving a child in Lake Michigan with CPR. I spent 8 months in Iraq and the only thing I saved was extra Rip-Its from the DFAC. ### 11. Pretty good view from your office window. ### 12. This dog. There’s a sled dog in your galley. Can I be your friend? ### 13. Pilots get ample beach time at work. https://www.flickr.com/photos/coast_guard/25885187075/ ### 14. Plenty of job opportunities for metalheads. ### 15. You never have to worry about a tour in any of these places. https://twitter.com/Theburbanist/status/893175040564482048 Well, maybe Alaska and the aforementioned icebreakers, yeah. But there’s also, like, the Florida Keys. Does the Army have a base in the Florida Keys? No. But it’s got three in Alabama. Your choice. *Did we miss any of your favorite things about the Coast Guard? Let us know in the comments.* **WATCH MORE:**