Alaskan Coasties to star in reality TV show - Navy News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Navy Times

Alaskan Coasties to star in reality TV show

A group of Coast Guardsmen are set to debut on the small screen this fall, when a reality series chronicles their day-to-day lives in Alaska.

The seven-part series — set to debut Nov. 9 on The Weather Channel — will chronicle the on- and off-duty lives of the Coast Guardsmen, the service said in a July 27 blog post announcing the series. Filming begins in early August and runs through October.

The hourlong episodes of “Coast Guard Alaska” will feature Coasties from Air Station Kodiak, although viewers will also see other District 17 activities.

Camera crews for the show will tag along as Coast Guardsmen conduct operations and training. According to The Weather Channel, cameras also follow the Coasties “as they balance duty versus family, and how each one deals with the pressures associated with the job.” Along with rescues, viewers will get to see everything from fishing trips to family barbecues to bear watching.

Capt. William Deal, commanding officer of Air Station Kodiak, said the station is excited to share its work with the public. But, he added, Coast Guardsmen at the station aren’t the kind to seek the spotlight.

“The job by its nature is really rewarding,” Deal said. “I think most people get tremendous reward from saving people’s lives and seeing the look on [people’s] faces when you pull them out of the water.”

Coast Guard officials also said they are excited about getting the word out about the day-to-day work of their service members.

“The men and women of Air Station Kodiak are among the world’s elite search and rescue crews, but there’s so much more to the Coast Guard Alaska story than what happens inside the rescue helicopter,” said Cmdr. Sean Carroll, head of the Coast Guard Motion Picture and Television Office, in the blog post. “From the flight hangar to the command center and out into the community, we appreciate the opportunity to give the American people a behind the scenes look into the real lives of the Coast Guard men and women stationed throughout Alaska.”