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Anthony Siciak

Anthony Siciak | U.S. Coast Guard | Maritime Enforcement | 20 Years of Service | Transition Success

Anthony Siciak (he says “Sikyak” out loud) served in the U.S. Coast Guard for 20 years and 5 days, retiring as an E-6. He’s originally from Riverdale, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C.

Service snapshot

  • Branch: U.S. Coast Guard (under DHS / Department of Homeland Security in peacetime)

  • Primary specialty: Maritime Enforcement Specialist (he describes it as a “water cop”)

  • Started as: Machinery Technician

  • Core mission areas: counterdrug, counterterrorism, and port/waterway security

  • Sea time: 7.5 years at sea

  • Special ops note: worked exclusively at night in a special operations context, training for counterterrorism / CQC

  • Major units/locations mentioned: sectors including St. Petersburg and Miami; served on the Coast Guard cutter Hamilton; spent time on an icebreaker going to the North Pole

Why he joined

Anthony grew up with service influence—both parents were Army (Vietnam era). In high school he went through JROTC, and at one point was lined up for the Naval Academy, but didn’t want the college route as an 18-year-old.

After bouncing through a couple jobs, 9/11 still felt fresh, and he decided to follow the path he’d long planned: serve his country. He started to sign with the Marine Corps, but his dad pushed him toward the Coast Guard instead. He went to the recruiter and they wanted to ship him immediately; he asked for two weeks, then left for boot camp—saying he basically knew he’d do 20 once he was in.

What Maritime Enforcement meant (in his words, practically)

He explains that Coast Guard law enforcement authority is a key difference from DoD branches:

  • Coast Guard operates under DHS

  • They carry law enforcement authority on the water

  • They can enforce fisheries regulations, counterdrug, and maritime safety rules

He also adds a culture point: because the Coast Guard is small, you’re “not just a number,” your opinion matters, and you’re expected to perform at a professional level daily.

“Typical day” while serving

It varied by unit, but at sector-level commands (he cites St. Pete and Miami) it was relentless:

  • 24/7 calls, phone going off at night

  • Notifications from CBP, DHS, and his unit

  • Tasking to intercept incoming cargo vessels

  • Always “go-go-go,” with very little true downtime

He contrasts shipboard life as a place where you become “family” with the crew because, if something goes wrong, those are the people you rely on.

Leadership lessons he carried into civilian life

Anthony says he led teams of ~10 people at a time, and his job was ensuring readiness, protocol compliance, and execution.

In the civilian world, he’s applied that by mentoring younger employees—especially college grads with little leadership exposure—on:

  • professional conduct in meetings

  • representing the company well

  • delegation

  • time management (which he calls “key to every single operation”)

  • staying as professional as possible

His personal ethos (two rules)

  1. Treat others as you want to be treated

  2. Every “failure” is a learning experience (not truly a failure)

Transition out: hard at first, then it clicked

He says transition was difficult at first, but he used SkillBridge (180 days) to learn civilian norms and connect with counselors/recruiters.

Then a friend he served with on the Hamilton helped him land a role at:

  • Salute (with a sub-company he calls Iconics)

  • Work: data center commissioning

  • Culture: about 85% veterans, which made the transition feel easier because of shared mindset

  • Downside: travel (not his favorite, but he’s used to it)

He also mentions engaging with the VA and relying on veteran nonprofits/associations for support and guidance. He plans to use:

  • GI Bill (later, once established)

  • VA loan (when rates come down)

Mental health + the value of reaching out

He points to the stigma fading around using VA/nonprofit support—especially for mental health—and says many vets suffer in silence. He credits hard moments as a driving force behind finally reaching out and finding the right support network.

He frames “vets helping vets” as:

  • communicate with each other

  • swallow pride

  • ask for help when needed

Advice to someone considering joining or leaving

If joining: do it for the training, leadership, teamwork, travel, and tuition assistance. Branch doesn’t matter—you get what you put into it.

If leaving: his rule of thumb:

  • If you get out before 10, you’re fine

  • If you pass 10, strongly consider staying—because 10 to 20 goes fast, and the long-term payoff is real, even if it “sucks a lot sometimes”

G-rated story: the polar bear + the meatballs

On an icebreaker mission supporting scientists (NASA/colleges), they broke ice far north and had to stop because of a polar bear nearby (standard safety practice: let it pass).

Coasties thought it was cool and tried feeding it meatballs from the galley. The bear wouldn’t eat them. Scientists yelled at them for feeding wildlife. Anthony’s punchline: their biggest concern became, “What are they feeding us if the polar bear won’t eat the meatballs?”

Where he’s been

He lists extensive travel:

  • North America “top” (North Pole area), South America

  • Central America

  • East + West Coast U.S., Hawaii

  • nearly every port in Alaska

  • “probably every country in the Caribbean”

Closing message

He keeps it simple: thanks to friends and family for support through good and hard times, and that he loves them.