You have to go out,
but you don’t
have to come back
At sea with the U.S. Coast Guard
Rescue swimmers and aircrewmen from Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod, Mass., conduct hoist training evolutions. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Ross Ruddell.)
Arlington, Va.: Coast Guard Petty Officer 1st Class Harmon, a company commander, stands at attention during the annual Flags Across America event at Arlington National Cemetery. (U.S. Coast Guard Photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Etta Smith.)
Lake Erie: Crewmembers aboard the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Morro Bay, a 140-foot icebreaking tug temporarily assigned to the Great Lakes, prepare to pull alongside the Canadian coast guard ship Samuel Risley to transfer a rescued snowmobiler. (Photo courtesy Canadian coast guard ship Samuel Risley.)
A history of bravery
John A. Cullen was awarded the Legion of Merit for discovering and reporting the first landing of German saboteurs on the United States coast, 13 June 1942. His timely report alerted authorities to the presence of Nazi saboteurs on U.S. soil and was instrumental in leading to their capture of the entire 8-man sabotage team within two weeks. Ultimately Cullen’s actions resulted in the foiling of OPERATION PASTORIOUS, the code-name for the German operation, before the German operatives could carry out their mission.
Keeper Benjamin B. Dailey was the keeper of the Cape Hatteras Lifeboat Station in North Carolina who was awarded the Gold Lifesaving medal after rescuing 9 men from the foundering ship Ephraim Williams on 22 December 1884. In one of the most daring rescues by the Life-Saving Service since its organization, Dailey’s 7-man crew pulled for two hours through a heavy sea to reach the vessel five miles offshore. Only by relying on his expert boat-handling skills was Dailey able to bring all the survivors and his crew back to safety.
Stewards-Mate First Class Charles Walter David, Jr., was an African American Coast Guardsman who served on board the cutter Comanche during World War II. When the Comanche came to the aid of the survivors of the torpedoed transport Dorchester in the frigid waters off Greenland, David volunteered to dive overboard to help rescue those in need--practicing the newly devised "rescue retriever" technique. David repeatedly dived overboard in the water to save several men. He even saved the life of the Comanche's executive officer, LT Robert W. Anderson, when Anderson became unable to pull himself out of the water due to exposure. David died a few days later from hypothermia contracted during his heroic efforts. He was posthumously awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for his bravery.
Ten rescues
Click here for stories about ten Coast Guard rescues.