I have a friend who went to the Coast Guard academy. There are indeed some people from the Coast Guard that go to Iraq to guard offshore oil platforms, but comparatively few compared to the other armed forces.
Realize, however, that bait and switch is common. You're told you'll be working in one place but really you'll end up somewhere else. The Coast Guard may not send you to Iraq but they very well may send you to some God forsaken island in the middle of the Pacific. If you're not mentally prepared for that worst case scenario, you shouldn't sign up.
Yeah, I've heard that. That's why I was thinking coast guard. There are 8000 reservists and only 400 are "active." Of course I might get activated but it seems like most of the work to be done is in the USA.