Expert: Rod Powers - 10/5/2006

Question
When in the Coast Guard are you allowed to go home after your day of work is over?

Answer
Hi Brittney,

It depends. The military (none of the branches) are like civilian jobs. In other words, there are no set hours.  Lot's depends on your job and your assignment.

Take the Coast Guard, for example. You may be assigned to a job on shore, with certain set hours, such as 7:00 AM to 4:30 PM (Day Shift) or 3:30 PM to 11:30 PM (Swing Shift), or 11:00 PM to 7:30 AM (Mid Shift). In such cases, unless there was a training exercise going on, or an actual scenario, which may put everyone on 12 to 14 hour shifts. In such cases, you would go home when your shift was finished.

However, you may (and probably would, during some part of your service) be assigned to a Coast Guard Vessel, such as a Coast Guard Cutter. In this case, when the ship is docked, and in the port, you would likely perform a regular shift (see above), but if the ship went out to sea, on a patrol mission, you may stay out at sea, with the ship, patrolling, for three or so weeks (then back in to port for a week, then back out to sea for three weeks, etc.).

In such cases, during the times at sea, you wouldn't get to go home, at all (you would get off duty, and go to your bunk, on the ship).

In most Coast Guard jobs, like Navy jobs, you'll spend a year on sea duty (assigned to a ship), followed by two years of shore duty, followed by a year of sea duty., etc., throughout your career.

For more information about the United States Military, feel free to visit my military information website at: http://usmilitary.about.com

Hope this helps!

Rod Powers
http://usmilitary.about.com