An interesting albeit very short article view of military quality of life. (Came from the Quora forum)
Which branch of the U.S. military service offers the best quality of life?
As a former Coast Guardsman, I recall meeting a couple of Marines on the way from San Diego to Tijuana one evening. They were in “school” and their daily routine was: up at 0430 for PT, then shower, chow, and on to class. Our life on ship was: up at 6 or so, chow, quarters at 0800, ships work (maintenance), stand two 4-hour watches (8 hours apart), etc. The marines commented, “we f*cked up, didn’t we.”
The other key difference:
In the Army and Marines, the enlisted carry a rifle; the officers send the enlisted forward to fight.
In the Air Force, the enlisted work on the plane; the enlisted send the officers forward to fight.
In the Coast Guard and Navy, we’re all on the same floating target.
During WW-II the Coast Guard had a higher per-capita casualty rate than the Marine Corp. The guy standing at the back of the landing craft driving the Marines to the beach was a Coastie. One Coastie was awarded the Medal of Honor (posthumously) for pulling several loads of Marines off the beach at Guadalcanal. His dying words were, “Did we get them all?” (Yeah, they named a ship in his honor.)
One more thought . . . The Navy doesn’t send much more than a small boat out without an officer in charge. The Coast Guard sends their top of the line rescue boats out with an E5 in charge. The Coast Guard (in the 70s) was the same size as the New York Police Department.
Yet another . . . Coast Guard Ice Breakers used to get an extra 50% added to their commissary budget when operating beyond the Arctic or Antarctic circle. So, the meals were very good. (But falling in the water can kill you.)
Which branch of the U.S. military service offers the best quality of life?
As a former Coast Guardsman, I recall meeting a couple of Marines on the way from San Diego to Tijuana one evening. They were in “school” and their daily routine was: up at 0430 for PT, then shower, chow, and on to class. Our life on ship was: up at 6 or so, chow, quarters at 0800, ships work (maintenance), stand two 4-hour watches (8 hours apart), etc. The marines commented, “we f*cked up, didn’t we.”
The other key difference:
In the Army and Marines, the enlisted carry a rifle; the officers send the enlisted forward to fight.
In the Air Force, the enlisted work on the plane; the enlisted send the officers forward to fight.
In the Coast Guard and Navy, we’re all on the same floating target.
During WW-II the Coast Guard had a higher per-capita casualty rate than the Marine Corp. The guy standing at the back of the landing craft driving the Marines to the beach was a Coastie. One Coastie was awarded the Medal of Honor (posthumously) for pulling several loads of Marines off the beach at Guadalcanal. His dying words were, “Did we get them all?” (Yeah, they named a ship in his honor.)
One more thought . . . The Navy doesn’t send much more than a small boat out without an officer in charge. The Coast Guard sends their top of the line rescue boats out with an E5 in charge. The Coast Guard (in the 70s) was the same size as the New York Police Department.
Yet another . . . Coast Guard Ice Breakers used to get an extra 50% added to their commissary budget when operating beyond the Arctic or Antarctic circle. So, the meals were very good. (But falling in the water can kill you.)