Several points havebecome rather obviousaboutLEO's military career:
1. He was NOT in the army very long. Two years, four years at the most before he quit.
2. He was an REMF during Desert Storm.
3. He wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawerat the time and still isn't...
His very limited experience left him with "sour grapes". Since he wasn't in a combat outfit, not allowed to have ammunition and not trusted, he makes the blanket statement that everyone his age in the otherfour armed services are treated the same way he was and have the same experiences.
He couldn't be farther from the truth. Coast Guard Recruits only haveone week at the range and only learn the "basic" courses of fire. Like the other services, you can join at age 17. If an individual went to boot camp at age 17 and then to a Small Boat Station that does a lot of LE Boardings, he (or she) could possibly be fully qualified to carry a pistol, rifle or shotgun on a boarding before turning 18 and could even be a qualified Boarding Officer (BO) and Small Boat Coxswain by the time they turned 20.
Where else could someone ineligible to buy a pistol from an FFL-dealer be responsible for ahalf-million dollar boat and a crew of 3 others while also being the senior member of the Boarding Team? Granted, Ive never met a BO that young, but I have met some Coxswains that age and they definitely had their "stuff" together.
For those interested in comparing the qualifcations of "Coasties" that carry weapons and other LEO's, here's a link to the CG's Personal Qualification Standards (PQS) for Boarding Officers and Boarding Team Members:
http://www.uscg.mil/directives/cim/16000-16999/CIM_16247_3B.pdf
This PQS is over 10 years old and has very likelychanged as a result of 9/11 and the change from DOT to DHS as well as getting rid of theBeretta M9 and addition of theSig P229 DAK. This will give you a general idea of what they were doing in 1997 anyway...
I don't claim to know anything about land-locked LEO's qualifications or much about the other services. I know Marines spend a week just "snapping in" with a rifle before they even see a live round of ammunition. As far as I know, the Navy and Air Force don't have much small arms experience unless they're "high speed" guys like Special Warfare or security forces. I know Air Force security forces even have female "snipers" or designated marksmen.
The Army is so big, they can afford to send someone to school to learn how to fix electronics and then have them driving a truck or peeling potatoes due to "needs of the service". Is that what happend to you, LEO229? is that why you're so down on "kids" in the military? Maybe you went to MP school and then had the pleasure of stirring soup in the mess tent with your unloaded M16, 200miles away from the front lines...
Don't paint the other services with such a broad brush. Coast Guard LEO's might possibly have more training than their land-bound counterparts. I don't know for sure and darn sure don't claim to know. I DO know that a Coast Guard LEO has more authority as granted by Congress than any other LEO in the nation. Check out 14 USC 89
http://www2.law.cornell.edu/uscode/uscode14/usc_sec_14_00000089----000-.html
if you think I'm wrong...
A19 year oldE-4 Coast Guard LEO has that authority listed above. Scary, isn't it?:what:
