When I landed in Bahrain it was 110 degrees and it took my breath away. I was assigned a sponsor, issued a cell phone, and was shown to my living quarters. Being assigned to the Deck Department as part of PATFOR SWA's shore side contingent was nothing like what I expected it to be. The reason behind having a shore side potion of the unit is this:
PATFOR SWA's six patrol boats log more hours underway than they would ever expect to if they were operating out of the US. In light of that, the shore side personnel are there so that when the cutters return from their patrols, they simply inform us what has to be fixed before the boat can be ready to leave for its next patrol. Normally, the crew of a cutter would do all of its own maintenance but due to the increased number of patrol hours, its best to give the boat crews some down time.
Most of my department's work consists of painting the boats after they get all beat up. The Coast Guard prides itself in the appearance of its ships, and it's no different out here. I've got no complaints though, I really don't mind painting and I'm used to the heat by now.
I mentioned in my last post that before volunteering for this job, I spoke with my fiance about the impact it would have on our future. Here are some of the specifics:
After completing the one year deployment, you are given a high priority when choosing your next unit. As long as there is an opening for the job you want, you are practically guaranteed to get it.
For members with dependents, you continue to receive your housing allowance, and are also given separation pay as compensation for being away from your spouse.
All earnings from your deployment are tax free. This includes your re-enlistment bonus if you re-enlist out here.
During your time out here, you get two weeks of R&R, where the Coast Guard will fly you anywhere in the world free of charge.
That's just a few of the benefits but obviously everyone has there own reasons for coming out here. The recurring ones are to serve their country and to save money.
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2 comments:
Thanks a lot for those posts. I was the guy who asked about the ME in the comments for the last posting.
Do you have much contact with the locals or is it all military people? Would knowing Arabic help secure me a spot in PATFORSWA when I volunteer?
Lastly, I just got accepted into CSPI and am looking forward to Cape May and getting into the CG. So thanks again for the informative and straight forward blog to give me insight into the world of the CG
We have a lot of contact with the locals because a lot of our maintenance supplies are purchased from them.
Speaking Arabic would certainly help, but you have to be recognized by the CG as being fluent in Arabic. There is a system in place to have that documented.
Good luck with CSPI, I've got a high school buddy in the program right now.
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