OCS – Coast Guard Compass

The Long Blue Line: Officer Candidate School and female trailblazers in the Coast Guard’s officer corps

By Diana Sherbs on March 1, 2018May 19, 2019

Beverly Kelley, first woman to command a U.S. military vessel, on the bridge of the 95-foot cutter Cape Newhagen. U.S. Coast Guard photo.

Since the 1970s, women in the Coast Guard have come a long way with female service members occupying every active duty role formerly reserved for men. During this period, female graduates of the Coast Guard’s Officer Candidate School helped shape the Coast Guard and pioneered the role of their gender in the service, the federal government and the nation as a whole. They have made the U.S. Coast Guard into a better institution for all men and women and they will continue to play an important role in leading the service in the 21st century.

Posted in: OCS, officer candidate school, The Long Blue Line, TLBL, women, Women's History Month

Operations

Coast Guard Family Month: Steadfast follower

By PA2 Connie Terrell on November 23, 2016May 19, 2019

It’s not unusual for a child to follow in their parent’s footsteps. Matthew Walker, a retired Coast Guard captain and former commanding officer of three cutters: Manitou, Polar Star and Steadfast, has two sons who followed him into the Coast Guard – Fireman Maxwell Walker, currently attending Machinery Technician “A” School in Yorktown, Virginia, and Petty Officer 3rd Class Alan Nielsen, a boatswain’s mate at Station Coos Bay in Charleston, Oregon. One of his sons even followed his footsteps to one of the very cutters he commanded.

Posted in: Alan Nielsen, coast guard cutter steadfast, Coast Guard family, desert storm, marine corps, Master Cutterman, matthew walker, Maxwell Walker, OCS, officer candidate school, Station Oregon Inlet, Walker family

Operations

Patriotism drives Coast Guardsman to complete extreme run

By PA2 Connie Terrell on November 16, 2016May 19, 2019

Lt. Cmdr. Russell Merrick ran for nearly 105 hours straight, battled hallucinations, locked knees, blistered and severely swollen feet and pushed through pure exhaustion to complete the Bigfoot 200 Endurance Run that spans from Mount St. Helens in the Cascade Mountain Range in Washington to Randle, Washington. His drive and determination make him an inspiration to his fellow shipmates.

Posted in: Bigfoot 200, boot camp, Coast Guard Officer Candidate School, company commander, marathon, mount everest, naval flight training school, OCS, Old Glory, patriotism, Training Center Cape May, ultra marathon

Advancement

So you want to be a Coast Guard officer?

By Christopher Lagan on September 6, 2013May 20, 2019

Each fiscal year, Coast Guard Recruiting Command offers 12 commissioning programs to bring competent leaders and specialists into the officer corps.

Posted in: coast guard recruiting command, College Student Pre-Commissioning Initiative, CSPI, direct commission, OCS, officer candidate school, recruiting

Operations

Setting the sails for success

By LT Connie Braesch on October 3, 2011May 19, 2019

Coast Guard officer candidates study seamanship

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Officer-in-Training Jared Halonen, U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer 3rd Class Amanda Mateo and Officer Candidate Jennifer Flowers work together to plot the location of the Coast Guard Cutter Eagle. U.S. Coast Guard photograph by Petty Officer 3rd Class Diana Honings. While the partnership between the U.S. Coast Guard and the

Posted in: coast guard cutter eagle, Diana Tkacs, Jon Heesch, OCS

Operations

The Coast Guard Academy & other comissioning sources, a look at diversity

By LT Connie Braesch on June 16, 2009May 20, 2019

Yesterday the Compass talked about the results of the OAS report, which is a report that goes over how the people within the Coast Guard feel about their workplace. One of the statistics you can see on the chart is diversity. It is the third column over on this chart. I noticed that recently there

Posted in: Academy, Coast Guard, comissioning, COMPASS, diversity, missions, OCS, officers, people, resources

Tag: OCS

The Long Blue Line: Officer Candidate School and female trailblazers in the Coast Guard’s officer corps

Coast Guard Family Month: Steadfast follower

Patriotism drives Coast Guardsman to complete extreme run

So you want to be a Coast Guard officer?

Setting the sails for success

The Coast Guard Academy & other comissioning sources, a look at diversity