Question from a non-Coastie:

[Mudpuppy Sarge]

What do you say to ignorant fools who insist that the Coast Guard is not a part of the military? 
I have a casual acquaintance who insists that there are only FOUR Branches of Service, and the Coast Guard is NOT a part of the DOD.

I have tried pointing out to this ignoramus facts such as the Coast Guard's involvment in every major conflict this country has engaged in, to include the Coasties whose names are on the Vietnam Wall Memorial.  He refuses to hear.  Hell, even after telling this ******* that the Official Coast Guard website is uscg.MIL, he still refuses to conceed.

It's not so much that he's an ignorant ass that bothers me, it's that he is the President of a Veteran's Motorcycle Club- and refuses to extend membership to Coast Guard Vets.  That is a personal slap in the face to me.  When I first joined the Army, I had many Viet Nam Vet friends, almost all of whom failed to support my decision; I felt they had abandoned me.  There was one exception, a 2 tour 'Nam Vet, by the name of Ozzie- who'd spent 25 years in the Coast Guard.  He died shortly after I returned from IADT.

I have nothing but a deep, undying respect for the Coast Guard, because of the man Ozzie was, and my subsequent encounters with other great Coasties.  Hell, if I ever decided to leave the Army, it'd be to join the CG. 

Any advice on how to deal with this *******?  I can't afford to go to jail, but I'd like to set him straight.

[omahaprogrammer]

The Coast Guard is part of the Department of Homeland Security right now. During wartime, or whenever the President says yes, the Coast Guard is transferred to the Department of the Navy.

The ".mil" is a generic top-level domain whose registry is the Defense Information Systems Agency; to get a .mil address, you have to go through this agency, so you can ask them.

If he's willing to accept an unofficial source, take him to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Coast_Guard

If all else fails, bring out a copy of the United States Code and point him to 14 U.S.C. § 1, which states "The Coast Guard as established January 28, 1915, shall be a military service and a branch of the armed forces of the United States at all times."

If THIS doesn't work, take the book and whap him with it



I ain't even a Coastie and I figured this out

[IrishAngelGal]

This is a very interesting question that I would also like to hear the suggestions of how to reply to someone who might say something like that.  A friend of mine and I are trying to bring more awareness and support to deployed Coasties since they tend to be the forgotten ones.   It would be nice to have a response for those people who might ask why would we support them when they aren't a branch of the military.

[IrishAngelGal]

The Coast Guard is part of the Department of Homeland Security right now. During wartime, or whenever the President says yes, the Coast Guard is transferred to the Department of the Navy.

The ".mil" is a generic top-level domain whose registry is the Defense Information Systems Agency; to get a .mil address, you have to go through this agency, so you can ask them.

If he's willing to accept an unofficial source, take him to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Coast_Guard

If all else fails, bring out a copy of the United States Code and point him to 14 U.S.C. § 1, which states "The Coast Guard as established January 28, 1915, shall be a military service and a branch of the armed forces of the United States at all times."

If THIS doesn't work, take the book and whap him with it



I ain't even a Coastie and I figured this out

Omaha - you are quick.  You got the response posted before I posted, hahaha. 

Thanks!   

[omahaprogrammer]

 

[Bilgerat]

Don't forget there's that whole "Posse Comitatus" thing 

[omahaprogrammer]

Does that apply to the Coast Guard?

[Bilgerat]

No, since the Coast Guard ONLY comes under the DOD during War Time.

Very quick & dirty;

The Coast Guard was originally the Revenue Cutter Service, The Life Boat Service and the Light House Service.  When these Services were "merged" into the Coast Guard, they were placed under the Dept of Treasury, later the Dept of Transportation and now Homeland.

The Revenue Cutter Service was often the ONLY US Law in the Yukon.  This Law Enforcement capability was passed on to Members of the Coast Guard, but they must be Officers, Warrant Officers, CPO's or Petty Officers.

[sardaddy]

When someone tells me I am not in a military service I usually just say:

Whatever.

I do try to point out that there are five armed services. I may even go further and explain we like DOD aer part of the seven uniformed services in the country.

I will also point out that the US code says we are military, my active duty ID card says I am military, I can even get food at the commisary.

If they don't believe me, it is no skin off my back because I know what I do and what I am and I don't need his recognition. I am not going to waste my time trying to convince some stubborn bonehead that he is wrong. 

By the way, the Coast Guard does not automatically fall under the Navy during times of war. We haven't fallen under the Navy once since the Vietnam era. Yet we have had members operating all over Southeast Asia along with our DOD brethren. And the President can't just say so.

[omahaprogrammer]

Thus saith the law about this:

Upon the declaration of war or when the President directs, the Coast Guard shall operate as a service in the Navy, and shall so continue until the President, by Executive order, transfers the Coast Guard back to the Department of Homeland Security. While operating as a service in the Navy, the Coast Guard shall be subject to the orders of the Secretary of the Navy who may order changes in Coast Guard operations to render them uniform, to the extent he deems advisable, with Navy operations.

Vietnam was not a declared war. The last declared war was World War II.

[Mudpuppy Sarge]

Okay... a word on Posse Comitatus...  the basic gist of Posse Comitatus means that Federal Troops can't enforce law.  Guard troops on State Active Duty don't fall under that provision, as they aren't "Federal", while on State AD.

The Coast Guard is specifically exempt from the provisions of Posse Comitatus.

The whole law is stupid.  It was originally designed to prevent Federal Troops from supervising elections in the "defeated" South after the Civil War.

[omahaprogrammer]

I'll make this contention:

The Founding Fathers wrote a provision in the Constitution that no appropriations for the Army could be made for longer than 2 years. This was to prevent a standing army during peacetime.  With the process of budgeting being annual, this provision became moot.  Posse Commitatus may be considered a good replacement for that original provision.


Then again, I honestly know crap about this, so if I'm just being stupid, then whap me. It's ok.

[sardaddy]

to get this topic way off track, Posse Comitatus is a law but not for all services. The Law only applies to the Army and Air Force. The Navy and Marine Corps follow Posse Comitatus as a matter of DOD regulation rather than law. Additionally Federal troops can be used to enforce US laws in certain

The Coast Guard enjoys both Law Enforcement and Military authority allowing the service to flow freely between the two entities. Posse Comitatus cannot apply as we are already a law enforcement agency charted to enforce US law.

[vftb]

http://www.aug.edu/%7Elibwrw/   

[vftb]

You might find this thread interesting reading; might give you some ammo.  http://forums.military.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/415197802/m/8600026180001