United States Coast Guard Reserve

The United States Coast Guard Reserve is the reserve component of the United States Coast Guard. Established as a civilian reserve in 1939 and renamed two years later as the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary with the passage of the Coast Guard Reserve and Auxiliary Act of February 19, 1941, the Reserve takes its cues from the Naval Reserve model.

During World War II, Reservists were classified as Regular, required to serve on active duty, or Temporary, volunteers and former members whose services for coastal patrols and port security were still desired during the war effort. A majority of the 214,000 who served during the war were Reservists, with even more serving in the Temporary Reserve.

After Congress enacted Public Law 773 in 1942, a Women’s Reserve of the Coast Guard Reserve was formed. Members of this branch were known as SPARs, stemming from the Service’s motto “Semper Paratus, Always Ready.” The branch was temporarily terminated after the war, but reestablished in 1949 because of increased tensions due to the impending Korean War conflict.

The Coast Guard Reserve continued to gain steam, forming its first unit in Boston in 1950, which set the precedence for today’s Reserve. More and more situations necessitated the assistance of Reserve units, including clean-up operations after the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska, providing relief for hurricane and flood victims during the 1990s, and sending Reservists to fulfill service needs during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.

Reserves usually train for two days a month and two weeks of active duty per year. Presently, the Coast Guard Reserves has about 8,000 members in service, most working directly with Coast Guard units. Because the force is part time, many Reservists are able to keep pursuing other endeavors, whether it’s a career or a degree. However, Reservists are always subject to be activated for active duty when need dictates.

Reserve units are called to perform the same duties as their active duty counterparts, namely functioning to protect maritime homeland security along America’s coasts, ports, and inland waterways, preserve maritime safety, provide support for national defense, and respond to any disasters, whether natural or man-made, with search and rescue efforts.

To join the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve, one must be a U.S. citizen or resident alien, between the ages of 17 and 30, though some programs allow older Guardsmen, possess a high school diploma, and have no more than two dependents. Potential Reservists must also score higher than a 45 on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) test and pass a military entrance medical exam, in addition to being subject to a background check and evaluated for work ethic, attitude, and language proficiency, among other things. Enlistment contracts are for eight years, and most contracts consist of four years of active duty and four years in the inactive Reserves. Once enlisted, Reservists attend an eight-week long boot camp at the U.S. Cost Guard Training Center in Cape May, New Jersey.