CG Day - 226 years

[dloase]

The U. S. Coast Guard is simultaneously and at all times a military force and federal law enforcement agency dedicated to maritime safety, security, and stewardship missions. We save lives. We protect the environment. We defend the homeland. We enforce Federal laws on the high seas, the nation's coastal waters and its inland waterways. We are unique in the Nation and the world.

The Coast Guard's official history began on 4 August 1790 when President George Washington signed the Tariff Act that authorized the construction of ten vessels to enforce federal tariff and trade laws and to prevent smuggling. Known variously through the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries as the "revenue cutters," the "system of cutters," the Revenue Marine and finally the Revenue Cutter Service, it expanded in size and responsibilities as the nation grew.

The service received its present name in 1915 under an act of Congress that merged the Revenue Cutter Service with the U. S. Life-Saving Service. The latter consisted of dozens of stations placed around the nation’s coastlines that were manned by dedicated crews willing to risk their lives to save those in peril on the sea, a role that meshed well with the Revenue Cutter Service’s core missions. Also, the legislation creating this “new” Coast Guard expressly stated that it "shall constitute a part of the military forces of the United States," thereby codifying the service’s long history of defending the country along side the nation's other armed services. The Coast Guard began maintaining the country's aids to maritime navigation, including lighthouses, when President Franklin Roosevelt ordered the transfer of the Lighthouse Service to the Coast Guard in 1939. In 1946 Congress permanently transferred the Commerce Department's Bureau of Marine Inspection and Navigation to the Coast Guard, which placed merchant marine licensing and merchant vessel safety under its purview. The nation now had a single maritime federal agency dedicated to saving life at sea and enforcing the nation's maritime laws.

The Coast Guard is one of the oldest organizations of the federal government and until Congress established the Navy Department in 1798 it served as the nation's only armed force afloat. The Coast Guard protected the nation throughout its long history and served proudly in the majority of the nation's conflicts. The Coast Guard's national defense responsibilities remain one of its most important functions even today. In times of peace it operates as part of the Department of Homeland Security, serving as the nation's front-line agency for enforcing the nation's laws at sea, protecting the marine environment and the nation's vast coastline and ports, and saving life. In times of war, or at the direction of the President, the Coast Guard serves as part of the Navy Department.

The Coast Guard, through its forefathers, is the oldest continuous seagoing service and has fought in almost every war since the Constitution became the law of the land in 1789. Following the War of Independence (1776-83), the Continental Navy was disbanded and from 1790 until 1798, when the U.S. Navy was created, the revenue cutters were the only national maritime service. The Acts establishing the Navy also empowered the President to use the revenue cutters to supplement the fleet when needed. Laws later clarified the relationship between the Coast Guard and the Navy.

On an average day, the Coast Guard:
•Conducts 45 search and rescue cases;
•Saves 10 lives;
•Saves over $1.2M in property;
•Seizes 874 pounds of cocaine and 214 pounds of marijuana
•Conducts 57 waterborne patrols of critical maritime infrastructure;
•Interdicts 17 illegal migrants;
•Escorts 5 high-capacity passenger vessels;
•Conducts 24 security boardings in and around U.S. ports;
•Screens 360 merchant vessels for potential security threats prior to arrival in U.S. ports;
•Conducts 14 fisheries conservation boardings;
•Services 82 buoys and fixed aids to navigation;
•Investigates 35 pollution incidents;
•Completes 26 safety examinations on foreign vessels;
•Conducts 105 marine inspections;
•Investigates 14 marine casualties involving commercial vessels;
•Facilitates movement of $8.7B worth of goods and commodities through the Nation’s Maritime Transportation System.

[LCBoyer]

Happy birthday, Coast Guard. I've had the privilege of working with some great Coasties.

[el Rojo]

Nice read David. Thanks for sharing.

[TucsonJim]

Thanks for sharing our story!

Ginnie and Jim - both U.S. Coast Guard vets (1970s).

[Scott and Jan]

Thanks for sharing. I learned a little something today.

[JFF&KRN]

I always hold our military in high standing and will include the Coast Guard too! Thanks for the info. Nice read. Thanks for being a part of the freedoms we enjoy and cherish. Good Luck & Be Safe ! ! !

[Gyro Gearloose]

dloase,

Very nice write-up! This reminded me of the my heart felt personal experience with the Coast Guard.

A few years ago a USCG C-130 base out of Sacramento Ca. was on a search and rescue mission in Southern Calif. and collided with military helicopter, Rescue 1705, all crew members lost in both aircraft. The USCG wanted to create a memorial for Rescue 1705 in Sacramento and asked a world renowned artist Douglas Van Howd (he was the white house artist for president Reagan) to create a 10 ft. wing span bronze C-130 for the memorial. Well I met Douglas when I was working on my wind turbine blade design and we became friends, and I became his technical artist when he has the need. Doug didn't do that kind of art and he asked me to do the model for the C-130.

Wow what an honor! I got to work with a USCG Commander and others in the at the station while building the model. There was a mold made from the model and a bronze C-130 was created from that, and is now at the the Sacramento USCG station. It was an amazing experience working with the USCG and being part of the events and unveiling. It think this was one of the proudest experiences of my life and it touched my heart deeply.

Thank you USGC for all that you do and, Remember Rescue 1705....

http://coastguardnews.com/we-remembe...05/2014/10/29/
https://www.airwarriors.com/communit...l.38028/page-2
Doug and the C-130 bronze: http://www.uscga2006.com/?cat=3


I have also be honored to work on a couple of other projects of american heroes:

Bud Anderson (still living) WWII triple ace: 8 ft. wingspan P-51 Mustang "Old Crow" bronze, Auburn Calif. airport: http://www.auburnjournal.com/article...-ii-flying-ace
Initial point-up of larger than life Ronald Reagan at Sacramento Capitol Building: http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-...e25187089.html

David, Thanks for the memory,
Pat

[dloase]

Thanks all. The CG has been part of my daily life since I was 17. I was proud to wear it's uniform for 26 years and continue to serve in the capacity as a training specialist/instructor. I had a great career, rising to the rank of E-9 in one of the CG's smallest ratings (only 2 E-9's, about 240 people total). I got to travel the world as an ambassador of hope and good will for the U.S. while helping to save lives and prevent smuggling of drugs and people into this great land. I have had the privilege of working with the other for branches of the military and while I respect what they do, I would not change my choice to join the CG. We may not get the respect that our bigger brothers do, but we continue to serve and protect every day of every year.

[dchrist1733]

My husband who has now passed away was a member of the Coast Guard for 35 years and had worked his way up to an E-9. He was stationed at the Tiscom Station in Alexandria Virginia during his last tour of duty before he passed away. He loved the Coast Guard and I sure miss seeing a lot of people I became friends with while he was in the Coast Guard. He worked with search and rescuse as well as checking boats coming into our ports. I think the Coast Guard is a very important branch of the military even though sometimes people don't realize how much they actually do. Thanks for the recognition and showing all that the Coast Guard does.

[dloase]

Debby, my condolences. My last tour of duty was at Headquarters in DC. Never enjoyed a job so much while at the same time disliking where I was stationed. May I assume your late husband was a Boatswain Mate?