Fair Winds and Following Seas Podcast

Today I speak about the enlistment process, what it entails, and why it's not that scary.  

Today I'm here with Senior Chief Boatswain's Mate Josh Smith who is here to speak about his career, the BM job rating, and what a career as a BM in the Coast Guard can look like.  https://www.gocoastguard.com/

Today I am here with SK1 Pete Seamons from Recruiting Office Cleveland.  He is here to speak about his career and the Storekeeper rating in the US Coast Guard.  https://www.gocoastguard.com/careers/enlisted/sk

Today I am here with YN2 Karl Spiesman who is currently the Administrative Assistant at Recruiting Office Cleveland, OH.  I have him here today to speak about his career but specifically how he not only serves in the Coast Guard but is also a small business owner.  YN2 is the owner of Brick and Barrel, a small brewery located in Cleveland.  https://www.thisiscleveland.com/locations/brick-and-barrel

Today I am here with BM1 Garrett Hamilton who is the operations officer at Station Humboldt Bay in California.  He is here to speak about what it takes to become a Surfman in the US Coast Guard.  The Surfman's Creed (YouTube) - https://youtu.be/8QKRjEqbuAU

Today I am here with LTJG Joshua Welsh from the Coast Guard's Atlantic Strike Team located in Fort Dix, NJ.  He is here to speak about his career, the purpose of the Coast Guard's multiple Strike Teams and what a tour would look like for a member.

Today I have Master Chief Michael Perrault who is the Rating Knowledge Master Chief of the Coast Guard's Diver Rating.  He is here to speak about his career, the Coast Guard's dive program, and what it takes to be a Coast Guard diver.  https://www.gocoastguard.com/

Today I have Command Master Chief Matthew Valenti from Patrol Forces Southwest Asia.  He is here today to speak about the Coast Guard's mission in the region, how a member is selected to serve in PATFORSWA, and what life looks like stationed in the Kingdom of Bahrain for a Coast Guard member.  

Today I have LCDR Joey Schlosser from the Coast Guard's Leadership Development Center in New London, CT.  He is here today to speak about the Direct Commission Officer program as well as the Reserve Officer Candidate Indoctrination program. DCO programs - https://www.gocoastguard.com/active-duty-careers/officer-opportunities/programsSRDC (Reserve Officer) - https://www.gocoastguard.com/reserve-careers/officer-careers/programs/selected-reserve-direct-commission-srdc-program

Today I have Commander Jason Aleksak from the Coast Guard's Leadership Development Center.  He is Currently the Chief of Officer Candidate School (OCS) and Officer Accessions.  I invited him on to speak about his role in the development of Coast Guard officers, the basics of OCS, and what it takes to be chosen for this highly competitive program.  Coast Guard Officer Programs - https://www.gocoastguard.com/active-duty-careers/officer-opportunities/programsFind a recruiter - https://www.gocoastguard.com/about-us/find-recruiter

Today I have Commander Marcus Hirschberg from the International Ice Patrol.  He is here today to speak about his career, the Coast Guard's role in the International Ice Patrol and what the future holds for our service in the region.US Coast Guard - https://www.gocoastguard.com/International Ice Patrol - https://www.navcen.uscg.gov/?pageName=IIPHome

Today I have Commander Matthew Baker on.  Commander Baker is currently the Executive Assistant to the District Commander of District 1 in Boston Massachusetts.  I have him here today to speak about his career, his thoughts on leadership, and how the Coast Guard builds leaders throughout its ranks.US Coast Guard - https://www.gocoastguard.com/Leadership Development Center - https://www.forcecom.uscg.mil/Our-Organization/FORCECOM-UNITS/LDC/

Today I have LCDR Faith Schultz on who is currently the Executive Officer (XO) of Coast Guard Port Security Unit 309 in Port Clinton, OH.  I have her here today to speak about her career, what the PSU's purpose and mission is and what it's like to be assigned to one as a reservist in the Coast Guard.Coast Guard Port Security Unit - https://www.gocoastguard.com/reserve-careers/enlisted-careers/port-security-unitsSelected Reserve Direct Commission Program - https://www.gocoastguard.com/reserve-careers/officer-careers/programs/selected-reserve-direct-commission-srdc-program

Today we have Ensign Brandon Abdallah here with us.  I had the pleasure of attending the Air Force's Non-Commissioned Officers Academy in Knoxville, TN in 2019 with Ensign Abdallah where we were the only two Coast Guard members attending. Ensign Abdallah is a former Aviation Electronics Technician who has recently graduated from the Coast Guard's Officer Candidate School.  I have him here today to speak about his Coast Guard career, his path to OCS, and what the entire process looks like from applicant to graduate.https://www.gocoastguard.com/active-duty-careers/officer-opportunities/programs/officer-candidate-school-ocshttps://www.gocoastguard.com/active-duty-careers

Today I spoke with Chief Warrant Officer Matthew Massey.  CWO Massey is a recent graduate of the Enlisted Marine Inspector Training Program (EMITP) which is an apprenticeship program designed to train the Coast Guard's future Marine Inspectors.  I wanted to have him on to speak about his career, EMITP, and his experience going through it. US Coast Guard website - https://www.gocoastguard.com/

Today I spoke with Master Chief Justin Reed who is a Culinary Specialist currently stationed at Base Miami Beach and was previously the Rating Force Master Chief.  I had him here today to speak on his time in the Coast Guard, the CS rating, and what a career as a Culinary Specialist looks like. https://www.gocoastguard.com/active-duty-careers/enlisted-opportunities/view-job-descriptions/cs

Today I spoke with Public Affairs Specialist Michael Clark from District 13 headquarters in Seattle, WA about being a PA in the United States Coast Guard.  We discussed his time as a non-rate, PA "A" school, career progression, and all the opportunities available to those within the PA job rating.  Job Description: PAs are the Coast Guard's enlisted public-communications experts. They write news releases and feature articles, shoot still and video imagery, serve as spokespersons, and maintain websites to raise public awareness of important Coast Guard issues and news stories.Link: https://www.gocoastguard.com/active-duty-careers/enlisted-opportunities/view-job-descriptions/pa

Today I spoke with Dr. David Rosen who is one of only a handful of Coast Guard Historians. I had him on to speak about several Coast Guard heroes, their amazing stories, and some of the personal experiences he has had with them.  I hope these stories inspire all of us within the Coast Guard as well as all of those considering joining our great service.  

Today I spoke with Coast Guard Marine Inspector MSSD4 Birdwell from Training Center Yorktown, VA about his career, what Coast Guard marine inspections entails, and the path to becoming an inspector.  The Inspections and Investigations Branch provides regional oversight to the following programs:• Safety, security, and marine environmental protection inspections• Port State control programs• Investigation of marine casualties and accidents• Oversight and coordination for controlling the introduction of aquatic invasive species into the Great Lakes or Western Rivers system.

Today I spoke with Coast Guard Marine Inspector MSSE4 Martinez-Lopez from MSU Texas City about his career, what Coast Guard marine inspections entails, and the path to becoming an inspector.  The Inspections and Investigations Branch provides regional oversight to the following programs:• Safety, security, and marine environmental protection inspections• Port State control programs• Investigation of marine casualties and accidents• Oversight and coordination for controlling the introduction of aquatic invasive species into the Great Lakes or Western Rivers system.

Today I spoke with LCDR Paul Leon, Deployable Specialized Forces Section Chief for the Atlantic Area.  I had him on today to discuss the Coast Guard's Tactical Law Enforcement Teams (TACLET's) , their mission, requirements, capabilities, and much more. Legal Disclaimer:As a reminder, the views, information, or opinions expressed during this podcast series are solely those of the individuals involved and do not represent those of the United States Coast Guard or any other government agency. The primary purpose of this podcast series is to educate and inform. This podcast series does not constitute official policy guidance from the speakers nor the United States Coast Guard.  

Today I had the pleasure of speaking with MCPOCG (Ret.) Vincent Patton III.  Master Chief Patton became the first African American selected as the Coast Guard's senior-most enlisted member as the Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard in 1998. His career included staff and operational assignments both afloat and ashore throughout the United States, and a joint military service assignment in Cuba and Haiti.  Master Chief served as the eighth Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard from May 1998 to October 2002. As the service's top senior enlisted leader and ombudsman, he was the principal advisor to the Commandant of the Coast Guard, his directorates, and the Secretaries of Transportation and Defense.  During this conversation I spoke with Master Chief Patton about his Coast Guard career, his time as a recruiter in Detroit, his leadership philosophy, how he earned his Jump Wings, and what it meant to him to become the first African American Coast Guard member to be selected as the Master Chief Petty Officer Of The Coast Guard.  I hope you all enjoy this discussion as much as I did and are able to take away some pretty inspiring parts of his story.  Thanks for listening. Legal Disclaimer:As a reminder, the views, information, or opinions expressed during this podcast series are solely those of the individuals involved and do not represent those of the United States Coast Guard or any other government agency. The primary purpose of this podcast series is to educate and inform. This podcast series does not constitute official policy guidance from the speakers nor the United States Coast Guard.  Please feel free to submit any questions you might have about this podcast or suggestions for future casts to AskCGRC@gmail.com and someone will get back to you as soon as possible.  

Meet Katie. She is an endurance athlete, charitable ambassador, author, world-record holder, and an officer in the United States Coast Guard. The list of accomplishments to her name is long, and includes five Ironman triathlons, cycling across the country, a 325-mile river swim, running 100 miles nonstop in under 20 hours, and a solo row across the Atlantic Ocean. But this wasn't just any row; when Katie arrived in Guyana, South America, after 70 days at sea, she set a world record for the youngest ever solo ocean rower and the only American to row solo from Africa to South America. Katie recently completed her latest challenge, Run4Water, where she became the 1st person to run nonstop 138-miles nonstop across Maine in 33 hours, raising $26,000 for a clean water project in Tanzania. In preparations, Katie became the 1st woman to run nonstop across Vermont and New Hampshire. Throughout her adventures, Katie isn't just seeking to make history. She is also raising money for safe drinking water projects around the world. To date, more than 18,000 people have gained access to clean water through her challenges and events, getting closer to creating a world where everyone, everywhere has clean, safe water.FB: @hellokatiespotzIG: @katiespotz Legal Disclaimer:As a reminder, the views, information, or opinions expressed during this podcast series are solely those of the individuals involved and do not represent those of the United States Coast Guard or any other government agency. The primary purpose of this podcast series is to educate and inform. This podcast series does not constitute official policy guidance from the speakers nor the United States Coast Guard.  Please feel free to submit any questions you might have about this podcast or suggestions for future casts to AskCGRC@gmail.com and someone will get back to you as soon as possible.   

A conversation with LT. Abigail Caldwell discussing the Coast Guard's Direct Commission Lawyer Program along with her own experience entering through the DCL program. https://www.gocoastguard.com/active-duty-careers/officer-opportunities/programs/direct-commission-lawyer-dclLegal Disclaimer:As a reminder, the views, information, or opinions expressed during this podcast series are solely those of the individuals involved and do not represent those of the United States Coast Guard or any other government agency. The primary purpose of this podcast series is to educate and inform. This podcast series does not constitute official policy guidance from the speakers nor the United States Coast Guard.  Please feel free to submit any questions you might have about this podcast or suggestions for future casts to AskCGRC@gmail.com and someone will get back to you as soon as possible.  

Today I had the pleasure of interviewing LCDR Brian Siemiatkowski and LT Michael Figliotti both of whom are graduates of the Coast Guard's Direct Commission Engineer Program.  We spoke about their decision to pursue the Coast Guard, their desire to apply to the DCE program, career progression, opportunities, and much more.  I hope you enjoy this conversation and that it may help someone considering this path make an informed decision. Click here to learn more about the DCE program: Direct Commission Engineer (DCE) | GoCoastGuard.comLegal Disclaimer:As a reminder, the views, information, or opinions expressed during this podcast series are solely those of the individuals involved and do not represent those of the United States Coast Guard or any other government agency. The primary purpose of this podcast series is to educate and inform. This podcast series does not constitute official policy guidance from the speakers nor the United States Coast Guard.