Photo By Chief Warrant Officer Sara Muir | Petty Officer 1st Class James McKinney of Maintenance Augmentation Team/Weapons...... read more read more
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Sparking opportunity
Petty Officer 1st Class James McKinney grew up in Chicago, part of a military family. He took what he was doing at his cousin’s HVAC company and leveraged it into a career as an electrician in the Coast Guard.
McKinney joined the Coast Guard after researching all the branches, and he’s the first in his family to join this branch. He works at the Maintenance Augmentation Team/Weapons Augmentation Team Guam under Base Honolulu, serving the Guam-based Fast Response Cutter fleet and other Coast Guard elements.
“I felt like protecting our nation’s coast from home was a necessary and challenging task that doesn’t always get the spotlight,” said McKinney.
He’s had a long-standing interest in electrical work, and when researching the Coast Guard, his focus was trade-oriented. He knew he wanted to gain a trade that he could work on the outside after retiring. Becoming an electrician’s mate allowed him to learn more about the electrical field.
Growing up in a fast-moving city, McKinney felt he always needed to be aware of his surroundings and thinking. He feels this background assisted him and enhanced his troubleshooting abilities when facing electrical problems. Now McKinney is seeking to transform his specialty knowledge and college background into a career as an officer by either becoming a Chief Warrant Officer or going to Officer Candidate School.
“There are options, and with the recent changes to the requirements, OCS is back on the table for me, so I am using this next year to strengthen my bid and put in a strong package come February 2024,” said McKinney.
Growing up in the Midwest, Guam wasn’t part of the original picture, but McKinney sought to experience as much as possible.
“I love to go as far as the Coast Guard will take me, and not much is as far as Guam. My family and I are enjoying our time here,” he said.
McKinney took advantage of the warm waters and is scuba certified now with multiple boat dives under his belt, including one to a depth of 130 feet. He is also hiking and is working as a volunteer with Irreverent Warriors to help put on the first silkie hike in Guam in March, bringing outdoor resources and camaraderie to veterans.
But McKinney’s 12-year career is not without challenges. The biggest being away from extended family, growing up with brothers and sisters, and big family gatherings.
“To counter the feelings of missing family, I take opportunities to learn more about the culture in Guam, attend events like the international Guam movie festival, and talk part in all the outdoor activities,” he said.
On leadership, McKinney says accountability is critical. He displays that in everything he does for his team and extracurriculars – whether chasing electrical problems or bringing math classes from the University of Maryland into the shop. It is an essential facet of leadership that aids him well as an enlisted supervisor now and, in the future, as a senior enlisted leader or officer.
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| Date Taken: | 02.27.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 02.26.2023 22:35 |
| Story ID: | 439222 |
| Location: | SANTA RITA, GU |
| Hometown: | CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, US |
| Web Views: | 112 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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