That’s not a typo. From Navy Times, courtesy of reader Brandon, I have discovered that 4 Coast Guard Officers are attending SEAL School in Coronado, CA.
All four completed the two-week Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL preparatory course and the three-week orientation course.
…
The four officers are: Lt. j.g. Brian Bruns, Civil Engineering Unit Miami; Lt. j.g. Brian Naughton, Coast Guard District 7, Lt. j.g. Sean Norton, cutter Steadfast; and Ensign Matthew O’Loughlin, cutter Boutwell.
If they succesfully complete the program, they will become the first Coasties ever to become SEALs; they’ll be deployed with SEAL teams just as though they were in the Navy, although their official department will still be the US Coast Guard. Once they complete their rotation in the teams, Coast Guard Commandant Thad Allen said that he’d “like them to return to the Coast Guard”. I’d imagine that a rotation with the SEALs would impart a lot of knowledge to these young officers that the Coast Guard would benefit from.
Good luck to these young officers – you’re going to need it.
Semper Paratus
These will be the first Coasties to graduate, I believe, but they’re not the first “non-Navy” personnel to take the course. Other services have sent guys through that course for quite a while now. Cross-training can’t hurt!
Good luck to them! BUDS is NOT easy…
They are worthy followers of John Munro (look him up in either the Coast Guard or Marine histories). The only Coastie to receive The Medal of Honor.
Congratulations and Good luck to them.
Dennis (Proud father of a Coastie Daughter.
Dennis, do you mean Douglas Munro, the only Coastie to win the Medal of Honor?
And tell your daughter good luck from a former Coastie to a current one.
After reading the book, “Lifeboat Sailors” by Dennis L. Noble. I hear this news with a little trepidation. Mr. Noble asks (in his book) if the Coasties should become Navy, as most of the Brass wishes, (in his opinion), or rather should they remain an honored and much needed Life Saving organization. Best of luck to the guys, and high hopes for the Small Boat Stations.
I would imagine that there are small boat station commanders and rescue swimmer commanders that are not all that pleased to watch their best and brightest get snaffled off for BUDS and assignment. When it comes time to reenlist or extend, do the successful graduates stay CG or service transfer to USN?
I have not heard that the CG will be able to keep these highly trained individuals up to speed upon their return.
Wow… best of luck to them, they are definitely going to need it. After watching hundreds of those nucas… er… individuals attempting to be SEALS working out on the beaches of Coronado, they are going to need all of the luck, strength, determination, endurance, and willpower they can muster. And then some :).
In any case, a nifty development, and hopefully it will offer them a great opportunity for some useful training.
The Coasties that are in SEAL school are commissioned officers, and when their commitment to the SEALs is up, it would also be the same time that their commitment to the Coast Guard would have been up. Just like any Academy grad, it will be their decision whether or not to return to active duty with the Coast Guard or to pursue a career in the civilian sector.
As far as the CG being a life-saving service – I doubt very much that they will ever lose that component. It is deeply ingrained in the culture of the service, and there are many Coasties that join specifically because of that. We’ll never turn into the Navy, mostly because we’re not scared of the weather like the navy is.
always crazy to hear about people you know in the news (or navy times, as it may be…) =)
caleb, it’s cat abella! cga class of ’04! we have the same birthday and were forced to take chemistry together (the second time around…). you better remember me!
anyway, my big brother told me about your radio show. he says it’s randomly the only thing he can get to stream online out in iraq. small world!
anyway, email me or facebook me!
later.