"Joining the U.S. Coast Guard was the best life decision I ever made."

 

HR Strategic Partner Curtis Flynn started his military career in 1984, partially inspired by the movie An Officer and a Gentleman. But in some ways, the military had always played an influential role in his life – something he had picked up from his dad.  

“My dad had been in the Marine Corps and I used to get these phrases as a kid that I realized later he got from the Marine Corps,” he said. “‘First things first.’ ‘Don’t tell me you know how to do it, just do it.’ Stuff like that.”

After earning a BA at the University of Washington and spending a few years touring around the U.S. as a studio musician, Flynn found himself at a bit of a crossroads, without a clear idea of what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. The military seemed like a good option. He applied and got accepted into the Navy Aviation Officer Candidate school – just like Richard Gere’s character in An Officer and a Gentleman.

While he was waiting to start training, his dad approached him with a suggestion: why not consider the Coast Guard instead?
 
Flynn said that the Coast Guard is often overlooked by military recruits and it wasn’t a path he’d considered before. His dad urged him to look into it. Flynn applied to the program twice before he was accepted and sent to Miami for training.
 
Flynn is enthusiastic about the Coast Guard as career path for young adults, citing the tight-knit community of “Coasties” and the flexible options for active duty and reserves roles. Coast Guard personnel work closely with the Navy, in similar capacities, but the Coast Guard itself is much smaller than the other military branches - “about the size of the New York City Police Department,” Flynn said.
 
That camaraderie is what makes the Coast Guard special. Running into a fellow Coastie is like a family reunion.
 
“I ride my bike a lot around here,” he said. “I have one of my Coast Guard softball team jerseys. And this car goes by and he slows down and he honks at me. Turns around, stops and yells out, ‘Coast Guard?’ And then he’s going on about where he was stationed, wants to know if I know this person or that person … we didn’t really know each other, but that’s a family.”
 
Flynn served for 25 years, earning the rank of Commander N7 and receiving a Navy Commendation medal for his service. He says he is most proud of his assignment as Chief of Maritime Security for the SE U.S. and Caribbean.
 
While in the Coast Guard, Flynn was able to flex between active duty and the Coast Guard Reserves, which opened up time to pursue his MBA and start working in human resources as a civilian. Eventually, he found his way to OSU, first as an HR manager and then as an UHR Strategic Partner. His family bridges a tricky divide in Oregon university loyalties – his wife and daughter have University of Oregon roots and his son is finishing a degree at OSU - “a platypus family,” Flynn said.

Flynn sees a strong relationship between his career in the military and his current work for OSU. He said the experiences and training he received continue to influence how he approaches civilian work.
 
“I know for sure that I would have been less competent without my Coast Guard background - which is probably why I bring it up so often,” he said. 

Much like his dad, he picked up bits of wisdom from Coast Guard officer training that still ring in his ears today – “If you think you can’t, you’re wrong” for example, or “Don’t complain about things we cannot change – unless you’re going to be witty.” 

“Anybody who knows me, knows that I love to talk about the Coast Guard,” he said. “Joining the U.S. Coast Guard was the best life decision I ever made.”