51 Fall 2024 Proceedings Coast Guard CAPT John McTamney, left, and Coast Guard Investigative Service Special Agent Jon Oakes ride camels in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. A yearlong tour to Bahrain allows Coast Guard personnel to experience new cultures and experience camaraderie that is hard to find anywhere else in the service. Photo courtesy of Jon Oakes a thing here. For the months of May through October, the weather can be oppressive; but after you acclimate, it’s hardly noticeable. As for the other half of the year, the weather is outstanding. Beyond the weather, Americans quickly understand and appreciate that Bahrain is a melting pot similar to the United States. There’s a rich array of inhabitants, from Bahrainis to those from places like India, Thailand, and the Philippines. There are also weekend visitors from Saudi Arabia, which is connected to Bahrain via a 25-mile causeway. Everyone is warm, friendly, and wel- coming. There are museums and mosques to explore, and a host of other ways to engage with the locals and to learn about their culture. Like other Gulf countries, Bahrain is relatively pros- perous, thanks to oil revenue and tourism. Specifically, in Manama, the kingdom’s capital and location of the U.S. Naval Activity Support base, the scene is that of a small city, with high-rise apartment buildings, eater- ies, some bars, shopping centers, and plenty of traffic. Navigating by car, or as a pedestrian, can be quite the adventure. As a New Jersey-trained driver, I was able to adapt here, but it is not for the faint of heart. During the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, non- Muslims are not obliged to worship, but seeing the faithful joyously breaking their daily fast at an Ishtar feast is just one of the many cultural experiences we are privileged to experience while serving in Bahrain. A tour there can expand your worldview. After 23 years of commissioned service, including eight years underway with tight-knit crews aboard cutters, I can say the camaraderie at PATFORSWA is unlike anything I’ve experienced. The cutter crews develop exceptionally tight bonds through shared challenges, but the surprising thing to me has been the camaraderie among shoreside personnel who support the six FRCs with engineering, adminis- trative, logistics, and medical services. I attribute this feeling to being away from family and friends. PATFORSWA is a challenging assign- ment. Although Bahrain and the base, Naval Support Activity (NSA) Bahrain, provide a lot of the same creature comforts we value back in the United States, there are obvious sacrifices all PATFORSWA members make to be here. All PATFORSWA one-year assignments are unaccompanied, so while it may seem those with families back home face greater challenges than single Coasties, all of us leave support systems, close family, friends, clubs, pets, and everything else behind. That is on top of the daily challenges in theater like adapt- ing to a new mission set, up-close interactions with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy, a significant time difference from the States, brutally hot weather half the year, and more. There’s also the time lag with getting anything shipped from the United States. Orders from online retailers usually take a week or more to arrive. I mention these challenges for two reasons. First, to paint the full and honest picture and not let my opti- mistic, look-on-the-bright-side approach to life cloud my words. Second, and more importantly, these chal- lenges tend to gel the group together. We are conduct- ing a challenging, and strategically important mission, and the difficult parts of the job band us together as we help each other overcome struggles, address issues, build resiliency, and generally grow as people. The camarade- rie developed will no doubt lead to lifelong friendships and is, without a doubt, one of the greatest benefits of a PATFORSWA assignment. More practically, there are financial benefits to the assignment. Pay is free from federal income tax, which is a great benefit to coming out here. Per Executive Order 12744 of January 21, 1991, Bahrain is a designated combat zone and U.S. military members deployed to the Middle East region are exempt from federal income tax up to the amount of pay of the highest-ranking enlisted member. Additionally, those serving in Bahrain receive hazardous duty pay in the amount of $100 per month, and those with families receive a family separation allowance of $250 per month. Finally, members receive an overseas
