Airmen attend Coast Guard academy

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt. Shannon R. Nyberg
  • Air Force Print News
For a few select senior noncommissioned officers, attending the U.S. Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Academy in Petaluma, Calif., is an opportunity to embody the school’s motto, “Altus Tendo -- I Reach High.”

It is also a chance to teach their classmates about the mission and expeditionary nature of the Air Force.

“Having Air Force senior NCOs attend the academy benefits both services and helps the Air Force and the Coast Guard foster new relationships, share winning successes and strategies, and bring a jointness not found at any other senior enlisted setting,” said Master Chief Petty Officer John Niece, assistant school chief.

The five-week course stresses leadership and teamwork during the transition from E-6 to E-7, the most critical transition in a Coast Guard enlisted career, Master Chief Niece said. The Coast Guard’s chief petty officer corps is acknowledged to be the backbone of their enlisted workforce.

For students from the Air Force, the class is an opportunity to learn about leadership and teamwork from a different viewpoint.

“We live in an era of joint operations that didn’t exist when I was an Airman,” said Senior Master Sgt. Scott Stover, a 2002 academy graduate and operations officer at American Forces Radio and Television Service headquarters in Alexandria, Va. “I wanted to experience another service’s professional military education to broaden my joint-service experience.”

While at the academy, Sergeant Stover said he found out there was a lot about the Coast Guard he did not know.

“They are the oldest sea-faring U.S. service,” he said. “They guard 95,000 miles of U.S. coastline, do drug interdiction, maritime safety and a plethora of other missions with just 37,000 active and 8,000 reserve members.”

Master Sgt. Robert Shifflett, superintendent of the 2nd Security Force Squadron at Barksdale Air Force Base, La., also studied alongside the Coast Guardsmen. He graduated from the academy in March.

“I truly didn’t realize the Coast Guard conducts the missions they do,” he said. They are at sea for months at a time and support Operation Iraqi Freedom. “I’m a firm believer in the concept of total force, and unless you experience another service, whether in a deployment or at a school, it is hard to truly understand what that means.”

“The opportunity to attend a sister-service school is not only important and beneficial for Air Force students, it greatly enhances the experience for Coast Guard members as well,” said Chief Master Sgt. Brad Gildea, an instructor at the academy. “There are many fine things our service can learn from the proud and vital Coast Guard on teamwork, as well as the organization and tradition of senior NCO unity. The Coast Guard (senior NCO tier) speaks with one voice.

“They are a dynamic service responding to hundreds of contingencies daily,” he said. “With 37,000 people spread over an estimated 1,500 locations, Coast Guard chief petty officers play critical leadership roles at each site.

“However, they rarely have the chance to lead large groups of people in a huge operational unit mission,” Chief Gildea said. “Air Force senior NCOs deal more with macro-level leadership and management, and can share those experiences with their Coast Guard classmates.”

Master Chief Niece said in a world with less-defined borders, the ability for all the services to interact efficiently is increasingly crucial.

“You may find yourself (like many of our shipmates in Southwest Asia) working side by side with members of all the services,” he said. “We all have common goals, issues and problems. Working together is not only necessary but also vital to our national security.”

Former student Chief Petty Officer Luis Munoz said he understands the importance of the bonds formed at the academy.

“The majority of us show up not knowing one another, but we have something in common, we are all E-7s, and we know what is expected of us,” he said. “We bonded together as a class, and formed friendships and a network that will last for many years to come.”

The academy reserves 40 slots a year for Air Force senior NCOs.