Our fame, our glory too
It’s no secret the remote but vibrant Aleutian city of Unalaska is home to many treasures of Coast Guard lore, yet one of the most prominent would seem unlikely: A piano. This piano is so important the crew from Coast Guard Cutter Munro gathered in their service dress blues at the house of City Councilwomen Zoya Johnson just to see it. Johnson generously opened her home so guests could gather around the piano keys and give a showing of the Coast Guard’s hymn, “Semper Paratus.” The musical selection was not only fitting for the company; it was on Johnson’s piano, in the Summer of 1926, that “Semper Paratus” was first composed!
Making strides & blazing paths
In honor of the many contributions women have made in the history of our service, leaders of today’s Coast Guard are gathering to celebrate Women’s History Month. From boat stations to aircraft hangars, servicemembers are recognizing barrier-breaking women who have made our nation great. This year’s national theme is Women inspiring innovation through imagination: Celebrating women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Life of a service dog: Veteran pre-placement training
Veterans Moving Forward provides veterans with therapy and service dogs. Among the puppies they are raising to help veterans cope with various injuries is an assistance dog in training that is near and dear to our hearts. His name is Nathan, in honor of Petty Officer 3rd Class Nathan Bruckenthal.
1 day, 3 missions, 4 lives saved
It was a week after Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Bob Papp had given his State of the Coast Guard address. Capt. Joseph P. Kelly, commanding officer of Air Station Elizabeth City, had set aside an afternoon for all-hands training to watch the speech and reflect on themes from the address. In the two hours surrounding the scheduled training time, however, the SAR alarm had sounded. Not once, but three times. In a period of just a few short hours crews would launch out of Air Station Elizabeth City one after the other. By day’s end four lives would be saved.
Shipmate of the Week – LT Lucy Love
Running is part of our daily routines. Running to catch the bus. Running to stay fit. Running to clear our thoughts at the end of a long day. But for a select group of Coast Guard men and women, running isn’t just part of the routine; running is to remember. For the past few months Coast Guard members have prepared for CG Remember, a global event where servicemembers, dependents and civilians come together to honor the memory of Coast Guard members killed in the line of duty. Leading the movement is Lt. Lucy Love.
Sentinel of the light
The origin of Women’s History Month as a national celebration began nearly 120 years before the first Hispanic-American woman served in the Coast Guard and its predecessor services. Maria Mestre de los Dolores Andreu assumed the watch as the lighthouse keeper at the St. Augustine Lighthouse after her husband, Juan, passed away in 1859. With a yearly salary of $400 she not only became the first Hispanic-American woman to serve in the Coast Guard but also to command a federal shore installation.
Fixers & flyers
A rescue swimmer jumping from a helicopter to make a life-saving rescue is often the first image that comes to mind when one thinks of Coast Guard aviation; but what is missing from that picture is the hard work and efforts that happen behind the scenes. Coast Guard avionics electrical technicians are the unsung heroes of life saving at air stations nationwide. When an aircraft has an electrical mishap, avionics electrical technicians are on the task and at their best!
A day on the Bering: Nothing ‘routine’ about it
Forty miles southwest of the Pribilof Islands, Coast Guard Cutter Munro navigated shifting ice fields to close on the Bering Sea’s largest fishing fleet. Arctic winds whipped through the bridge’s opened door at sunrise while crewmembers cleaved ice on the forecastle and engineers looked over the ready boat to make sure its systems wouldn’t freeze up. These frozen conditions don’t sound ideal for most people. Then again, most people aren’t crewmembers aboard Munro.
National Brain Injury Awareness Month
March is designated National Brain Injury Awareness Month. According to the Brain Injury Association of America and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1.7 million people in the United States sustain a traumatic brain injury every year, with traumatic brain injury being a contributing factor to a third – or 30.5 percent – of all injury-related deaths in the United States.
Shipmate of the Week – BM2 Jason Custis
It’s in those few seconds after a rescue alarm is sounded that rescue crews have time to grab their survival gear on their way out to a mission. This lifesaving gear is not only for the crew, but also for the lives they’re headed out to save. At Coast Guard units all along the coasts of the United States, it’s the job of the rescue and survival petty officer to ensure survival gear is in proper working conditions; and there’s no one better for the job than Petty Officer 2nd Class Jason Custis at Station Cape May, N.J.
