Coast Guard recruitment drive sparks wide interest

Approximately 260 high school seniors from public and private high schools on Saipan expressed an interest in signing up for the U.S. Coast Guard during a recruitment campaign last month.

Lt. Christine Torres Igisomar, command duty officer of the U.S. Coast Guard, Coast Guard Academy, Coast Guard Recruiting Command, and Coast Guard Sector Guam, said the September recruiting trip was a great success.

“We reached high school seniors at all the public high schools and the two largest private schools on Saipan. We also reached Northern Marianas College students, and young adults who’ve since graduated from high school,” she said.

Lt. Jonathan R. Girot and YN1 (yeoman first class) Mark Prijic led the recruitment drive on Saipan.

“From the weeklong recruiting trip, we were able to send one person to Hawaii to complete the medical and physical exams. The recruiter in Hawaii is in touch with all the interested persons we reached, and will be working with them throughout the year in hopes they meet all requirements to join the Coast Guard,” Igisomar added.

At the recruitment presentation in Kagman High School last month, senior counselor Valerie Deleon Guerrero-Quitano said this was the first time that the U.S. Coast Guard visited Saipan for recruitment because it has always just been the U.S. Army and Marines that would come.

“It’s really important for the kids to see these kinds of presentation because it opens their eyes to different opportunities,” she said.

According to Girot, the Coast Guard used to have a recruiting office in Guam, which closed about 10 years ago.

“Since then, potential candidates work through the recruiting office in Honolulu, Hawaii,” he said.

“The Coast Guard is no stranger to the CNMI as Lt. Igisomar, an active duty commissioned officer who has served in the Coast Guard the past 15 years, wanted to share the opportunity with the young people of the CNMI,” he added.

During the recruitment process of the U.S. Army on Saipan, Tinian, and Rota in August, one of the challenges was the weight issue, according to Sgt. 1st class Yovany Rivero.

“A lot of the challenge…is the weight issue on the island so we have to make sure we work on lowering the weight for some folks. Most of the age group that come in are from 17 to 21 [years old] and…we understand it is the culture,” he said.

Igisomar said that weight is definitely a challenge for all military branches and it is no different for the Coast Guard, which is seeking people who are physically strong to accomplish its missions.

“I know people who’ve lost anywhere from 40 to 100 lbs just so they could meet the weight requirements to join the Coast Guard. Meeting weight requirements doesn’t end once you arrive at boot camp. In the Coast Guard, all members are expected to meet weight requirements every six months,” she added.

The U.S. Coast Guard plans to have another recruitment trip to the CNMI in May next year.

“We are looking to visit Tinian and Rota during that trip,” Igisomar said.

Girot said that joining the U.S. Coast Guard is an amazing opportunity but it takes work and discipline and these are the type of people that the U.S. Coast Guard wants to be in the service.

“I’d like to encourage the future generation to work hard and push yourself in school, throughout extra-curricular activities, and surround yourself with mentors and role models who will encourage you to make good life choices,” he said.