Interview conducted by Michael Marinaro. Henry Singer joined the U.S. Coast Guard in 1964 after receiving a draft notice. He decided on the Coast Guard because he would be eligible for OCS (Officer Candidate School) in this branch of the military. He attended training in Yorktown, VA where the officer candidates trained in navigation, general ship handling, and leadership skills, in addition to physical training. After OCS, Singer was assigned to a base in Boston, MA where he was responsible for running all of the base activities, including the base PX and liquor store. After two years in Boston, he was assigned to the USCGC Evergreen which performed oceanographic work off the coast of South America. On this ship he was responsible for keeping track of the commissary. He didn't particularly like this job, and was soon transferred to the USCGC Campbell where he was the communications officer. On this ship they collected weather information and patrolled the North Atlantic. At this time he also trained to be a cryptographic officer, which he did on the Campbell as well. He was released from duty in 1967, and returned to New York, where he returned to work and obtained his graduate degree under the GI Bill.