Today marks the 220th anniversary of the United States Coast Guard.  It was on this day in 1790 that Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton established the Revenue Cutter Service to intercept smugglers.  Thus began the origins of the Coast Guard we know today, and the law enforcement mission of the U.S. Coast Guard. So …

As I mentioned the other day, and have been making subsequent posts about, my family & I are currently on vacation at our place in Maine.  It’s been a great trip so far, and has been relaxing – for the most part.  Yesterday evening we had some rain, which started out as a very pleasant …

The annual Milblogging conference is coming up, and as part of the event they have awards for military bloggers in various categories, one for each of the armed services and support categories as well.  Here’s the best part: they’re reader’s choice awards, so you get to vote for your favorite in each category! I’m not …

A couple of days ago, I posted part 1 of my interview with Adm. Allen, Commandant of the Coast Guard, regarding social media.  Below is part 2.

I did an interview in April with Adm. Thad Allen, the 23rd Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, regarding social media & the Coast Guard.  The Coast Guard has been spearheading a move into the world of Web 2.0 and interaction with the public through online outlets, and Adm. Allen has been a prominent part …

The Coast Guard has put new regulations into effect regarding TWIC credentials and Merchant Mariner licensing. As previously stated by the Coast Guard, all mariners currently holding an MMC (Merchant Mariner Credential) MUST hold a valid TWIC by April 15 2009. However, TWIC is now going to be required for any new MMC applicants in …

It’s Thursday night, and we’ve only got two full days left in Buzzards Bay before casting off lines and heading south.  We’re doing very well in preparations for departure, with only a couple of major things left on the to-do list.  On-load was finished today, with the arrival of 200 gallons of milk.  We’re now …

I’ve received a number of e-mails and a Skribit suggestion in response to my SPOT review asking how much it costs.  I decided I’d just make another post to address this, rather than answer all the individual requests.  Here’s how the pricing breaks down: Basic Service: $99.99/year This provides check-in (send “I’m OK” messages to …

As I’m sure regular readers know, I went to Coast Guard Basic Training this past summer, having enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve.  Since coming back to MMA, I’ve had quite a few of my shipmates ask me about it, some of whom are interested in doing it themselves.  In my Internet travels, I …

This year my classmates in license majors and I started the Merchant Mariner Documentation process.  Merchant Mariner Documentation, or MMD, is the Coast Guard’s merchant marine identification and management system, keeping track of all registered merchant mariners in the United States.  It is required to have MMD in order to ship on any commercial vessel …