Coast Guard

My dad was in the Coast Guard for a while. That's about all most of us ever knew. He didn't talk about it much.

About six months ago Eli started asking questions. Had my dad not died a couple of years ago we could easily get the answers. Alas, it's now becoming detective work. My first step on Eli's behalf was to contact the National Personnel Records Center to get my dad's discharge paperwork from the USCG. We now know he served fro three years. He studied electronics at the Groton, CT training station. He was part of the Coast Guard's Fifth Office in Norfolk, VA. He had completed a half year at Guilford before enrolling (afterward he went to NCSU to finish his degree). His total stint was 3 years and three days, 1952-1955 (about 1/2 that time was in school and the other half was at sea). Following his service he was transferred to Reserve duty for 8 years.

The most tantalizing bit of information on the form is the fact that he served on the USCGC Conifer (WAGL-301). It was a 180-foot cutter. I have a feeling this may be the most interesting fact for Eli. I've had a few minutes to do a little exploring about the boat, and found some information on-line. I'll do another post after I've shared it with Eli.