It’s February in central Oklahoma, you try to warm yourself with memories of last week’s deployment to a ship explosion in Puerto Rico or the drum recovery job on the beaches of Padre Island, Texas. The freezing rain is numbing, the wind is blowing out of the north, and you’re on the 10th straight day of 12 hour shifts on an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) site. You gotta love it! Up walks a concerned local citizen who asks the question you already know they’re going to ask. "What’s the Coast Guard doing in Oklahoma?" Your first reaction is to advise that the West Coast has fallen into the Pacific and you’re there to survey the boundaries of the new coastline! But, being a professional, you patiently inform the citizen that you are there under the provisions of the National Contingency Plan assisting the EPA and State Department of Environmental Quality clean up an abandoned oil refinery. You advised the citizen that you are helping to protect him and his future relatives from being exposed to dangerous substances.

This is a common occurrence for members of the Gulf Strike Team (GST). This unit’s 38-member team thrives on the mission of responding to oil or hazardous chemical incidents and natural disasters. Each member has the opportunity to develop, use, and expand response skills covering a wide variety of expertise. The personnel assigned to the Gulf Strike Team are efficient, self-starters, and hold themselves to the highest standards of initiative and leadership.

There are three levels of challenging qualifications for the enlisted folks, each associated with it’s own level of expertise and Special Duty Assignment Pay. Best yet, you are not restricted by rank as to what level you may achieve! You are free to go as high up the ladder as you wish. The pride and self-confidence you will gain far out weigh the extra effort you’ll expend to get there. Not enough? We have other "specialty" qualifications you can strive for, like EMT, Semi-Tractor Driver, Airlift Loading Specialist, and exciting courses like Rail Road Disasters, Hazardous Materials Incident Response Operations, or the Hazardous Material Categorization, and the list goes on and on.

We are located aboard the Aviation Training Center in Mobile, Alabama. Our area of operations include the Seventh and Eighth Coast Guard Districts and EPA Regions II (Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands), IV, and VI.

If you want an assignment that is challenging, allows for personal growth, a good deal of travel, and displays your professional skills; if you enjoy meeting interesting folks from different cultures, then give us a call! The Gulf Strike Team is for you!

AROUND TOWN

Climate: Warm in the summer, reaching the 90’s, and mild in the winter, normally around 45.

Facilities: The Aviation Training Center has all the extras you need. Other Military Facilities nearby are Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, MS and the Naval Air Station in Pensacola, FL.

Housing: The average three bedroom townhouse or apartment will range from $400 to $600 a month, and three bedroom homes start at around $70,000 and up, depending on location.

Education: University of South Alabama, University of Mobile, and Springhill College are among the half dozen college level schools in the area. For the children, public and private schools are abundant.

Recreation: There are local minor league hockey and baseball teams, some of the south’s best salt water and fresh water fishing, hunting, numerous golf courses, and pristine beaches at Gulf Shores and Dauphin Island. Unbeknownst to most, Mardi Gras originated in Mobile and is celebrated here in traditional fashion. The area boasts historic forts and battlefields, a vibrant nightlife in its old town district, and its streets are lined with ages-old live oaks and Victorian style mansions.