Ever wonder what it’s like to respond to a distress call as a member of a Coast Guard boat crew, in the dark, in high winds and heavy swells? How about to work as part of a NASCAR pit crew? To be surrounded by thousands of fanatics with cars screaming by in excess of 200 mph? Just ask Coast Guard Petty Officer 3rd Class Justin Terry, an intelligence specialist stationed in Portsmouth, Va. He’s done both.
Military members sometimes have unique, exciting and rewarding work experiences prior to joining the service, performing jobs that develop skills and traits that later translate into their military missions. Terry worked for more than three years as a NASCAR pit crewman before enlisting in the U.S. Coast Guard in 2010, taking what he learned trackside to the seas off North Carolina.
A Wilmington, North Carolina, native, Terry graduated from E.A. Laney High School in Wilmington, then earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington in 2004.
Through college and immediately afterward, Terry worked in restaurants to pay the bills. Yet he yearned for something a bit more exciting than the grind of those everyday eateries.
Watching NASCAR for years, Terry took notice of pit crews and admired the teamwork, coordination and skills they demonstrated in maintaining cars during each race. He did some research, made some phone calls and attended Pit Instruction and Training in Mooresville, North Carolina, which taught the skills needed to be a NASCAR pit crew member.
Terry completed the eight-week ‘Pit Crew U’ course, learning all the positions in the pit crew and enduring the physical training requirements.
Jackmen are the first to climb over the wall and the first in front of the car as it pulls into the pit box for service during a race.
In late 2007, Terry was offered a NASCAR job with Roush Fenway Racing. Though it wasn’t a full-time position, Terry realized he probably wouldn’t get such a unique opportunity again. He continued to work at restaurants to make ends meet while enjoying the excitement as part of the Roush Fenway team.
Victory lane is where the winner of a NASCAR race goes, along with the car, crew, owner, special guests such as corporate sponsors and media.
Toward the end of the 2009 season, Terry decided to part with Roush Fenway Racing and seek a new, full-time career.
After completing eight weeks of basic training at Training Center Cape May, New Jersey, Terry was assigned to Coast Guard Station Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina, in January 2011. During his time there, he became qualified as a crew member and engineer aboard three different response boat platforms and as a boarding team member.
Terry indicated there are several areas of overlap between his experiences in NASCAR and his roles in the Coast Guard.
“The unpredictability and danger of working on pit road during races is not unlike the hazards and unknowns of going out on the ocean in response to mariners in distress,” he said.
As with any job, anticipating problems and realizing there will be surprises are crucial for success. Jobs that put people in life and death situations on a regular basis demand trust and attention to detail at levels far higher than most people are comfortable.
Both jobs required Terry to make split second decisions with potentially grave consequences. Though his latest role in the Coast Guard doesn’t put him in harm’s way as often as his previous jobs, as an intelligence specialist Terry works to keep our homeland clear of danger.
With people like Terry standing watch, Americans are free to spend more time out at the track or on the water.