Today, August 4, 2015, marks the 225th anniversary of the U.S. Coast Guard.
On this day in 1790, Congress created the Revenue Cutter Service on the recommendation of Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton. In 1915, the Revenue Cutter Service merged with the U.S. Life-Saving Service to form the U.S. Coast Guard.
The Coast Guard today has 11 missions spanning search and rescue, law enforcement, aids to navigation, and more. With fewer personnel than the New York Police Department, the Coast Guard does a lot in the average day.
On this 13th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks, I’d like to share a story I learned about recently.
During the course of that fateful day, boat captains from around New York harbor headed toward Manhattan to help however they could. Seeing the influx of volunteer boats and the number of people trying to get off the island, the Coast Guard organized what became the largest maritime rescue effort in history.
The August 2014 issue of Proceedings contains an op-ed titled “Millennials Bring a New Mentality: Does it Fit?” written by a CDR Darcie Cunningham, USCG. She makes the argument that the Millennial generation doesn’t respect tradition and authority, is only willing to do the bare minimum required, expects constant praise and promotions on their own schedule, and generally need a course correction to fit inside the military structure. For a point-by-point analysis of her article, I suggest you read LT Matt Hipple’s fantastic post.
It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything Coast Guard on here, but friend and fellow Coastie Ryan Erickson sent me a piece about CG Remember, a program dedicated to remembering those Coast Guardsmen and women who have fallen in service to their country, which I felt should be shared with my readers. I won’t go into any further detail about it since Ryan covers that in his words below.
Today marks the 220th anniversary of the United States Coast Guard. It was on this day in 1790 that Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton established the Revenue Cutter Service to intercept smugglers. Thus began the origins of the Coast Guard we know today, and the law enforcement mission of the U.S. Coast Guard.
So to all members of the Coast Guard past & present, thank you for your service & continued dedication to the mission and values of the United States Coast Guard.
As I mentioned the other day, and have been making subsequent posts about, my family & I are currently on vacation at our place in Maine. It’s been a great trip so far, and has been relaxing - for the most part. Yesterday evening we had some rain, which started out as a very pleasant experience given our large wraparound porch to enjoy the cool breeze & sound of the rain.
The annual Milblogging conference is coming up, and as part of the event they have awards for military bloggers in various categories, one for each of the armed services and support categories as well. Here’s the best part: they’re reader’s choice awards, so you get to vote for your favorite in each category!
I’m not nominated so this isn’t me trying to source votes for myself. However, I have some good friends who are and keep great blogs that deserve to win, so I’m trying to help them gain some well-earned recognition.
A couple of days ago, I posted part 1 of my interview with Adm. Allen, Commandant of the Coast Guard, regarding social media. Below is part 2.
There are a number of units that have created Twitter accounts to release official news and connect with the public. Is this something we will be seeing from more units, possibly as an added aspect of the PA rates assigned to the various units around the country?
I did an interview in April with Adm. Thad Allen, the 23rd Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, regarding social media & the Coast Guard. The Coast Guard has been spearheading a move into the world of Web 2.0 and interaction with the public through online outlets, and Adm. Allen has been a prominent part of that transition. Here is the text of that interview.
Can you describe your personal social media journey?
The Coast Guard has put new regulations into effect regarding TWIC credentials and Merchant Mariner licensing. As previously stated by the Coast Guard, all mariners currently holding an MMC (Merchant Mariner Credential) MUST hold a valid TWIC by April 15 2009. However, TWIC is now going to be required for any new MMC applicants in order to be issued an MMC.
Read more at MariTalk »
