JOINED THE USCG...EXCITED YET BLINDED!?

Question

I am enlisting in the Coast Guard, and am 100 % sure this is what I want! but i'm worried Fear is the only thing that could ruin the experiences to come. I have lived a very "sheltered" life. I am 20 years old and have grown up in a small town in North carolina, NEVER even been on an airplane. This is something I am Honored to do, I'm not even scared about boot camp or any of that! I'm scared about moving, meeting new people, being on my own, being away from family, and leaving my home state... Never really have before! Can any one relate?

Answer 1

Don't sweat it.

In Boot Camp, you will meet several people that have flown dozens of times each year - and several people like you that have never been on an airplane.    Some folks will admit that they've never spoken to someone of another race - and some will admit that they've never travelled outside of ten miles of the place they were born.

Just do your best and remember all those strange faces of the people you meet, because in the Coast Guard, we end up running into each other all the time.

Answer 2

I don't know if it makes any difference, but I think most everybody has some concerns... probably the same as yours.

You're going to be thrown together with a bunch of recruits who will be scared, overwhelmed, confused, and out of their element. None of them know exactly what to expect... that's one of the "joys" of recruit training. It teaches you to be able to cope with the unexpected.

There will probably be a few... maybe quite a few... that you don't like, or can't seem to get along with -- at first. But somewhere in the process you'll begin to rely on each other. You may never become the best of friends, but you'll learn that everybody has a job to do, and if they don't  do their jobs well, bad stuff happens for everybody.

There will also be a few that will become your best friends. Often you will literally trust each other with your lives. I've got buddies I served with over the years (25 years -- retired about 23 years ago). There are five of us in the area and we still get together once or twice a month to tell each other how we each personally saved the world from disaster.

Answer 3

My advice is to take a deep breath, acknowledge the anxiety, and let it flow through you. Imagine it floating away from you. Remember that these experiences are going to make life more fun, they're going to broaden your horizons. You'll see new things, meet new people, and that is certainly fun.

Of course you'll be anxious because you don't know what will happen and that's always going to make someone a little nervous. Just remember who you are, be happy with that, and also remember that you're just like everyone else: there's no reason for you to feel scared to be you!

Answer 4

I can defiantly relate.  I have in my pocket an MMD card that basically says that I will travel for work.  I Deal with the Coast Guard more times than I care to count.  If you are one of the ones that are nice to the boatmen out their they will treat you like family.  The guys from the CG that come on my barge in New York Harbor are great and I always have steaks burning for them.  Do you know where you will be stationed at?