Comments on: Despite Recruitment, Few Black Students Attend Coast Guard School http://newsone.com/364187/despite-recruitment-few-black-students-attend-coast-guard-school/ News One Tue, 29 May 2012 00:39:41 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: SemperFiJack http://newsone.com/364187/despite-recruitment-few-black-students-attend-coast-guard-school/#comment-101300 Tue, 01 Jun 2010 17:18:11 +0000 http://newsone.com/?p=364187#comment-101300 As a Black Cadet that should have stayed to course to be part of the class of 1986 and part of Hotel (Hell) Company, I have insight to the problem. The WORST mistake of my life was quitting after completing a year at the academy. As young kid coming from Selma, AL, the world of a service academy was as an alien to me as the New London CT environment. I spent 4 years in Air Force JROTC. But, the academy and JROTC are as different as day and night. Sure there was the Genesis club for minority cadets, but it was basically upperclassmen and students from nearby Conn College. The only person that I could consider a mentor was the track coach, “Coach” Gregory. But, he was a civilian. There were NO Black officers at the academy. The White officers were helpful. But, there seamed to be an “invisible” wall where I could not relate to them and they could not relate to me. I blame myself for not sticking it out. However, if I could have had a Black officer mentor, it could have turned out different. The academy needs black male and female officers to mentor new “Swabs” and upperclassmen.

Semper Paratus and Semper Fidelis

]]> By: alex_65_98 http://newsone.com/364187/despite-recruitment-few-black-students-attend-coast-guard-school/#comment-101299 Thu, 26 Nov 2009 06:41:15 +0000 http://newsone.com/?p=364187#comment-101299 Part of this problem is simply area demographics when it comes to recruiting.
The Army, Air Force, Navy, and Army National Guard/Reserves usually have a recruiting station in every major community and recruiters are out in large numbers. The Coast Guard usually have one recruiter covering 2 to 3 states or in many cases one station that has to cover a large portion of a state.
Many high school kids are totally unaware that joining the Coast Guard or attending the academy is even an option because you never have recruiters come to the schools and kids don’t know who to talk to in order to join. There must be legislation to put more Coast Guard recruiting stations in your inner city and rural areas so those black kids who are smart enough to pass the entrance exams and meet the entrance requirements can have another choice of service to join.

]]> By: buickjazz http://newsone.com/364187/despite-recruitment-few-black-students-attend-coast-guard-school/#comment-101298 Thu, 26 Nov 2009 01:23:17 +0000 http://newsone.com/?p=364187#comment-101298 It’s a shame. I would have joined the Coast Guard had I not gone to college. It was one of the military choices I had as a teen. Air Force or Coast Guard. I wanted to stay close to home so I would have chosen Coast Guard.

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