–A short essay by MST3 Todd Manow.
We hear it said to us, again and again:
“The Coast Guard’s mission is Law Enforcement.”
In Basic Training at Cape May, NJ, my Company Commanders insisted that the Coast Guard was going to focus more on Law Enforcement, that we were, essentially, the police on the high seas. Since Boot Camp, at my first unit, and here at MSU Morgan City, my chiefs and department heads have all emphasized Law Enforcement and Boarding team Member training. Having to go to weekly training sessions for nearly 2 years straight has forced me to wonder a few things. My main Question is, “Why did we not just learn all of this in Basic?”
Most of us went through many psychological and physical changes in Basic Training. At the end of eight weeks, were sent out in to the fleet ready to change the world, only to be given sandpaper and a paint “foamie” and learn the intricacies of “the three Ps”: prep, prime, and paint. Where was the excitement of our “law enforcement mission”? When I did not qualify on the 9mm pistol in Basic, I was informed that I would be able to try again when my first unit had a range day. Range days only happened every six months, and crew members were only allowed to shoot if they were already qualified.
Every bullet must be accounted for, but there is almost no target practice, or weapons training in the Coast Guard. Why there is not some sort of simulator or an equivalent target practice for those of us who never shot a pistol before the Service and for whom one day (ONE DAY!) of training is not beneficial is beyond my comprehension. Every Coastguardsman in the Service should be shooting target practice weekly. There should not be one member who is not qualified to carry the service pistol. How can we say that we will fight the “War on Terrorism” if only a small percentage of Coasties are qualified to carry weapons and those few are not authorized to shoot their pistol, because there are not enough bullets?
The other branches of Service do not have to deal with these issues. A Soldier or Marine is, first and foremost, a rifleman, trained extensively during Basic how to shoot and care for his or her weapon. After Boot Camp, even radio operators shoot at the range weekly, to maintain skills he or she may never use. They have mandatory physical training to maintain muscles that a secretary or supply clerk does not need in his or her daily job duties. These are performed to maintain a level of readiness that is mandatory in the military life, even in time of peace. When we look at the Coast Guard, where is that readiness? We perform a job that needs to be done on a daily basis. We interact with the public as a matter of course. We are the life savers, and the police of the high seas and coastal waters. We are not waiting for a war to break out so that our job finally has meaning; it means something all of the time. Again, where is that readiness?
I am looking at this from an enlisted perspective. I have only been in the US Coast Guard for 3 years, and perhaps I am a bit naïve, but I see a solution. Directly after boot camp, every Coastguardsman, regardless of rate, should go through eight weeks of Law Enforcement/BTM training. Make every one of us a law enforcement officer right out of Basic. After that, the Coast Guard should institute mandatory physical fitness training to maintain service members’ strength, weekly target practice and a monthly review of the Judgmental Pistol Course.
Why are we counting bullets? Why is the “Nation’s Premier Maritime Law Enforcement Agency” the one without enough guns. How can we be “the line in the sand” if we can’t protect that line? We can’t be the “shield of freedom” if there is no “sword” to parry an attack.
