Yesterday, I asked if anyone could name the seven uniformed services of the United States government. The first five were easy, of course, being the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard, so I supplied them in the post. Angel came up with the Public Health Service.
So as not to spoil my illusion that anyone beyond a (very) few friends read my blog, I'm not going to let the question dangle any further. The seventh uniformed service is, believe it or not, NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or more specifically the NOAA Commissioned Corps, also called the NOAA Corps. According to the linked About page, Officers in the NOAA Corps, numbering less than 300, operate ships, fly aircraft, manage research projects, conduct diving operations, and serve in staff positions throughout NOAA. And being a uniformed service, they can be called upon to augment the military, much like the Coast Guard and PHS.
Interestingly, I found a couple of instances where they specifically refer to themselves as the "seventh uniformed service." With so few members, I guess they have to know their place at the end of the line.
