Hey everyone. I’m curious as to what life is like at an AtoN unit or on a bouy tender as a nonrate? What tasks or jobs are you doing day to day? What type of qualifications do you have to get? What is the duty rotation like? How is the work life balance, etc?
EDIT - Took down the non-working link.
Note — He doesn’t know I’m posting this, by the way, and I’m sure as hell not getting any money.
He was a QM2 on the Polar Star when I was on the ship.
Honestly, his books are better than most of them in that genre, and I read a lot of those post-apocalyptic books.
I wouldn’t come here and recommend his books to you all if they were crap.
The books are about a buoy tender crew stuck on an island full of zombies, and the crew is trying to figure out how to keep living. Then they go to Oahu, and it’s way worse. Then the Polar Star, and a whole mess of (super helpful) officers show up.
You’ll like the Coast Guard stuff, and a few inside jokes.
For example, there is a scene with a HH-65 helo, and his character says that unflattering nickname we all had for that helo — “The Whistling ******* .”
The books are all Kindle, and they’re super inexpensive.
Let me know if you like the books.
Below is a link to his Amazon page.
Search on Amazon for Jeff Thomson.
My title says it all, trying to figure out what Job I want in the coast guard.
Is it possible to get a buoy tender with a priority 5 pick or is it pretty slim to none? Also has anyone gone to a Aton unit after doing SAR for a long long time and have any advice for an Aton unit?
Anyone stationed on a 175 and can give me an idea of what it's like?
Specially, how long are you underway? Do you enjoy your work? Do you think it's a good platform for someone with a family? And any other bits you wish to add...
Transferring next year and don't have anyone around that knows much about them.
