A division of the US military - What can you tell me about them other than what's on the wiki page? Im curious from a recruitment point of view. If anyone has some knowledge i'll update with more detail. Cheers

I know it's not hard to get a commission with them. A friend of mine went to the Merchant Marine Academy, and recently became an officer in the Coast Guard. He did his first drug bust, in the Gulf of Mexico, a few months ago. From what I hear, it's a pretty good branch to join. The training's a little tough, but you will see a lot of cool things, like watching whales flip over floating pieces of ice with penguins on it, so he can eat them, down in the Antarctic.

I would also recommend looking into NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency). They have one of the seven non-combatant uniformed services. Great place to get a commission, if you like the ocean.

If you're looking to have a good time and chill, join the USCG.
If you're looking for back to back tours of duty in Iraq, join the Army.
If you're looking to join the few and the proud, join the Marines.
If you're down with riding on ships with a bunch of dudes for a while, join the Navy.
Chair force = Air Force.

Just my .02

I'm also interested in joining the coast guard.

I read this a couple weeks ago. I guess it could be relevent to your interests.

http://usmilitary.about.com/od/cgjoin/l/aacgbasic1.htm

The Coast Guard is one of the least appreciated branches. The movie "The Guardian" Said it best. "We're the Coast Guard, No one appreciates us until they need us"
They rescue lost sailors. They interdict on drugs, they interdict on illegal immigration. Some are even shipped of to iraq