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Comments

1. #1
   On June 19th, 2008 at 12:47 pm, zorro said:

   God Bless the our Coast Guard! Brave and capable. Ready, willing and able. Great story Michelle. Thanks.

2. #2
   On June 19th, 2008 at 12:47 pm, Goldwater Knight said:

   Sweet! I just love this stuff!

3. #3
   On June 19th, 2008 at 12:47 pm, Kevin from Ohio in Virginia said:

   You know, a lot of times we Marines like to give the Coasties a hard time, sometimes teasing them a bit more than we should. However, let me be the first, OK, second after MM, to point out what a difficult and dangerous job they have. They may not be on patrol in Afghanistan or stopping traffic at a checkpoint in Iraq, but they deal with smugglers and drug dealers all the time, not to mention stories like this one.

   Thanks, USCG.

4. #4
   On June 19th, 2008 at 12:52 pm, ACHefty said:

   As a fellow Marine, I echo Kevin’s sentiments about my shallow-water sailor (tongue firmly planted in cheek) friends. They do a top-rate job.

   And they deserve more credit than they actually receive. Their motto, Semper Paratus, always prepared.

5. #5
   On June 19th, 2008 at 12:57 pm, AlohaGuy said:

   And they deserve more credit than they actually receive. Their motto, Semper Paratus, always prepared.

   Boy Scouts with boats!

   Seriously, they are tasked with protecting our ports which are a sometimes forgotten border.

6. #6
   On June 19th, 2008 at 1:01 pm, johnsteele said:

   #3
   As I recall the US Coast Guard is also on interdiction and fleet security duty in the Gulf. They are probably the most unsung of the panoply of American heroes.

7. #7
   On June 19th, 2008 at 1:01 pm, Kevin from Ohio in Virginia said:

   Boy Scouts with boats!

   AlohaGuy,

   Please send my new keyboard to the following address…

   I will be using that one.

8. #8
   On June 19th, 2008 at 1:02 pm, 30 pcs of silver said:

   Well, I just dearly love all branches of the US Military. I love to learn about stories such as this. Thanks for sharing, Michelle.

   Lest I forget – USCG all the way! And just in case you aren’t inspired enough… check this out.

9. #9
   On June 19th, 2008 at 1:08 pm, MNUSMCDavid said:

   As another Marine, I also have to support the men and women of the USCG. In fact, I’m a member of the USCG Aux…. as a communication specialist. Yes, some are wannbe’s who like uniforms, but the vast majority support the USCG with the vigor and devotion that should be expected.

10. #10
    On June 19th, 2008 at 1:10 pm, DBNinKY said:

    From PM:
    

    The temperature was only 12 F. As Hull leaned against the front window of the wheelhouse, awaiting his turn, the Alaska Ranger went dark. Oddly, it seemed to shift into reverse. Then the trawler took a sudden, violent list to starboard. Hull lunged for an icy rail and held tight as crew members clinging to the rail below him gazed up in horror. “Don’t let go, don’t let go,” he heard someone yell. If he lost his grip, Hull would hurtle down the deck like a bowling ball, knocking the en into the sea.

    I used to think of the Coast Guardsmen as leading t.v. show-like lives – performing adventurous, daring catches of drug smugglers and gun-running thieves along tropical, sunny coasts – but not after reading the linked article from Pop Mechanics. I now have even greater respect for the Guard – their work is hard, dangerous and not always glamorous as t.v. would lead us to believe.

11. #11
    On June 19th, 2008 at 1:11 pm, netizencain said:

    As an ex-Coastie I can tell you how little most Americans comprehend the jobs that the CG does everyday. Under-budgeted, overworked and spread across the Globe the CG is busting ass everyday. As the nation’s oldest continuous seagoing service the CG has served in every American armed conflict and continuous to do so today in the Iraq war. With jobs ranging from port security, vessel WMD inspections at sea, drug interdiction, immigration, live saving, boating safety, fisheries patrols, aides to navigation and other demands the CG continuous to be one of the most cost-effective branches of military (if of course you forgive the terribly managed Project Deep Water boondongle). Most media outlets still refer to the 4 branches of the military… Have you hugged your Coastie today?

12. #12
    On June 19th, 2008 at 1:14 pm, Boomer said:

    Thanks for sharing this story Michelle the members of the US Coast Guard that perform the dangerous search and rescue remind me a lot of a small known group of elite Airmen that live by the motto “so other’s may live.”

13. #13
    On June 19th, 2008 at 1:30 pm, Goldwater Knight said:

    Where are are the liberal female lawyers that troll the site? Why aren’t they giving a hat tip to the Coast Guard? The Coast Guard is that thin line that protects you from a 10 megaton bad hair day so you can keep feather dusting your coveted lawyer degrees.
    You know who you are you ambulance chasing hags!

14. #14
    On June 19th, 2008 at 2:41 pm, Christian Soldier said:

    The Coast Guard and the Coast Guard Academy are sometimes the forgotten members of our military—Thank you – Michelle-for putting them to the fore.

15. #15
    On June 19th, 2008 at 2:51 pm, tuffy said:

    Coasties rawk! Thanks for the link.

16. #16
    On June 19th, 2008 at 2:56 pm, pgtips said:

    Dumb question from a Brit, but do they wear them red outfits like on Baywatch?

17. #17
    On June 19th, 2008 at 2:56 pm, Erin_Coda said:

    I have a soft spot in my heart for the USCG– they do a lot of hard work and get not a lot of credit. You CG types in the Ballston area– those smiles really are for all of you. God bless the Coast Guard.

18. #18
    On June 19th, 2008 at 3:40 pm, Brian72 said:

    On June 19th, 2008 at 1:10 pm, DBNinKY said:

    I now have even greater respect for the Guard – their work is hard, dangerous and not always glamorous as t.v. would lead us to believe.

    If you have seen much of Discovery Channels’ Deadliest Catch, you have seen the Coast Guard in action in the Bering Sea, not exactly your tropical paradise. When a fishing vessel is in trouble, or when a deckhand gets hurt badly the CG helo crews are on the scene in a short time with paramedic care and medevac to a hospital. One episode the boat went down and 5 men were overboard off the coast of Alaska. They only got two of them out of the water. Cold water.

    We should increase funding and speed up acquisition for the Coast Guard to have new ships and aircraft and more personnel. They do a lot with a relatively small budget. Let’s give them more capability.

19. #19
    On June 19th, 2008 at 3:54 pm, chapoutier said:

    Dumb question from a Brit, but do they wear them red outfits like on Baywatch?

    Yes. And are very popular in Germany.

20. #20
    On June 19th, 2008 at 3:55 pm, Bear said:

    The Coast Guard is just about the only governmental agency that actually helps people in trouble.

    Being a boater and living at a place where there are Coast Guard ships stationed it is great to know they are around should I need help.

    Thanks to all the Coast Guard members.

21. #21
    On June 19th, 2008 at 3:59 pm, Bear said:

    Please remember that the Coast Guard was just about the only ones actually rescuing people after Katrina hit the NO region. Did they get much thanks or was it only the political folks?

22. #22
    On June 19th, 2008 at 4:02 pm, chapoutier said:

    Please remember that the Coast Guard was just about the only ones actually rescuing people after Katrina hit the NO region.

    WHAT ABOUT SEAN PENN!!!!

23. #23
    On June 19th, 2008 at 4:52 pm, ezupirate75 said:

    Hats off to the Hip-boot Navy, they have some of the toughest assignments around.

24. #24
    On June 19th, 2008 at 5:25 pm, WLBCO said:

    Try serving on the rolling deck of a sea going buoy tender sometime, with several tons of steel rolling and swinging around a slippery deck. These unsung heroes perform this dirty and unsafe duty daily to keep the waterways properly marked to facilitate the safe transit of all vessels into our ports thus keeping the economy strong.

25. #25
    On June 19th, 2008 at 5:35 pm, Die Hippie, Die said:

    Saw a Discovery (or was it History) Channel special on this mission. Those gents have The Right Stuff.

26. #26
    On June 19th, 2008 at 5:41 pm, zorro said:

    On June 19th, 2008 at 1:14 pm, Boomer said:
    Thanks for sharing this story Michelle the members of the US Coast Guard that perform the dangerous search and rescue remind me a lot of a small known group of elite Airmen that live by the motto “so other’s may live.”

    That would be our USAF Special Operators from Ft. Walton Beach.

27. #27
    On June 19th, 2008 at 6:05 pm, Uncle Ralph said:

    Got any pictures of your USCG?
    Want to see some?
    Go to Flickr: Semper Paratus — The U.S. Coast Guard

28. #28
    On June 19th, 2008 at 6:35 pm, wrcnossen said:

    I have spent alot of time on both coasts and Hawaii, and I have always been amaized at the increadable rescues these men do under the worst conditions. They have great big brass ones, and they do not get the respect they deserve.

29. #29
    On June 19th, 2008 at 6:52 pm, graysonret said:

    I remember as a little kid that being in Coast Guard Rescue would be the “coolest thing”. I even had a poster of a USCG helicopter on my wall. Well, times change and one moves on to other things, but I still have the deepest respect for those guys who risk their own lives, to save others. They are a fantastic bunch of heroes.

30. #30
    On June 19th, 2008 at 7:21 pm, jimg said:

    Saw a Discovery (or was it History) Channel special on this mission.

    I’m not aware of any footage related to this disaster, and I’ve been following it closely since it happened. I believe you’re confusing it with another, smaller rescue that was shown on Deadliest Catch two weeks ago.

    This event happened at night, involved dozens of people and five fatalities. There’s been no footage on TV as far as I know.

31. #31
    On June 19th, 2008 at 8:35 pm, Mooseman said:

    My father was an HM1 in the USCGR, I know he will love this article. I’ll have to pick up the magazine and give it to him.

    Semper Paratus and Bravo Zulu from this sailor!

    Mooseman

32. #32
    On June 19th, 2008 at 8:52 pm, AlohaGuy said:

    Dumb question from a Brit, but do they wear them red outfits like on Baywatch?

    Yes, and at the Coast Guard Academy they spend four years learning to run in slow motion.

33. #33
    On June 19th, 2008 at 9:59 pm, Mr Michael said:

    The CG’s work is not done in this episode. In the past, all personnel onboard the fishing vessels had to don the Survival Suit as a Safety exercise, sure… but were never trained on what to do once they were in the water. This Spring, the Coast Guard is supervising and operating training in Seattle. Once in the suits, the employees from the fishing vessels have to jump off the boat into cold water, crawl into a raft, and float unassisted for a specified period of time before they are qualified to work up in the Alaskan waters. I don’t know if it’s mandatory for all companies, but at least ONE is making all of their crews (including the Ship’s Officers) go through this training.

    The UNglamorous stuff done by the USCG is just as impressive as the big screen type stuff…

34. #34
    On June 19th, 2008 at 11:34 pm, CJrun said:

    I have a soft spot for Coasties, but I disliked the title of the article. This was March and look at those seas, they’re practically flat. For the Berring Sea, that’s fine weather. This could never be described as the Coastie’s most extreme rescue.

    This is modern PR, plus standard foolishness. The Japanese call a vessel-loss like that, in the Berring, Ni Roku, a 26. And a 26 doesn’t happen in March. Killing all 26 people on board with poor decision making usually happens in Winter, and it’s considered poor-Captaining on the part of the fishing vessel.

    Now, I’ve seen Coasties come in and get guys in high seas and bad weather, but they didn’t have camcorders and a voice-over. That was the most extreme effort ever made in the presence of flat seas, nice lighting, and a nice, warm, dry studio.

35. #35
    On June 20th, 2008 at 6:34 am, bilgerat said:

    The Coast Guard is also very active in local marine environmental issues such as organizing clean up crews for the beaches and public education regarding environmental issues.

    The public doesn’t realize just how much the CG does to ensure boating safety, port and vessel security, vessel manning and management, to name a few. So much of their job is done “behind the scenes” with little or no credit given to them.

    It’s great to see some good PR for the Coasties, they deserve it.

    Semper Paratus

36. #36
    On June 20th, 2008 at 9:20 pm, twofoot said:

    Hey why do you have to be at least 5’10″ to join the Coast Guard? So you can walk to shore if your boat sinks.

    Seriously, as my fellow Marines-and everyone else as well-have pointed out, the Coasties are essentially the forgotton in most peoples minds. Few understand what they do. Fewer still realize that even in times of “peace”, these fine young men and women put it on the line every day. From cargo inspections to boarding ships at sea to daring rescues.

    My only complaint with the Coast Guard was how they used to ruin a good nights sleep at wonderful MCRD San Diego by flying those annoying loud helicopters overhead.