United States Coast Guard

Semper Paratus

A publication of the Junior Police Academy.

rescue1. to free or save from danger

2. the act or an instance of rescuing;

deliverance

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The United States Coast Guard The U.S. Coast Guard is one of the five armed forces of the United States

and the only military organization within the Department of Homeland Security. Since 1790 the Coast Guard has safeguarded our Nation's maritime interests and environment around the world.

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Why do we need a coast guard?Coast Guard Activity on an Average Day:

• Assist 192 people in distress

• Protect $2.8 million in property

• Interdict 14 illegal migrants at sea

• Conduct 109 search and rescue cases

• Seize $9.6 million worth of illegal drugs

• Educate 502 people in boating safety courses

• Respond to 20 oil and hazardous chemical spills

• Conduct 19 maritime security boardings

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Assiss 192 people in distress each day.

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the mission:The Coast Guard has roles in maritime homeland security, maritime law enforcement, search and rescue, marine environmental protection, and the maintenance of river,intracoastal and offshore aids to navigation.

While most military services are either at war or training for war, the Coast Guard is deployed every day. With a decentralized organization and much responsibility placed on even the most junior personnel, the Coast Guard is frequently lauded for its quick responsiveness and adaptability in a broad range of emergencies.

In a 2005 article in TIME magazine following Hurricane Katrina, the author wrote, "the Coast Guard's most valuable contribution to [a military effort when catastrophe hits] may be as a model of flexibility, and most of all, spirit." Wil Milam, a rescue swimmer from Alaska told the magazine, "In the Navy, it was all about the mission. Practicing for war, training for war. In the Coast Guard, it was, take care of our people and the mission will take care of itself."

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"In the Navy, it was all about the mission. Practicing for war, training for war. In the Coast Guard, it was, take care of our people and the mission will take care of itself."

U. S. Coast Guard HistoryThe U. S. Coast Guard is simultaneously and at all times a military force and federal law enforcement agency dedicated to 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.

Our official history began on 4 August 1790 when the first Congress 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 Marine and the Revenue Cutter Service, we 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 Life-

Saving Service, thereby providing the nation with a single maritime service dedicated to saving life at sea and enforcing the nation's maritime laws.  

The Coast Guard began to maintain the country's aids to maritime navigation, including operating the nation's 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, thereby placing merchant marine licensing and merchant vessel safety under our purview.

The Coast Guard is one of the oldest organizations of the federal government and until Congress established the Navy Department in 1798 we served as the

nation's only armed force afloat.  We protected the nation throughout our long history and served proudly in every one of the nation's conflicts.  

Our national defense responsibilities remain one of our most important functions even today.  In times of peace we operate 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, we serve under the Navy Department.

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"Coasties”The formal name for a uniformed member of the Coast Guard is "Coast Guardsman", irrespective of gender. "Coastie" is an informal term commonly used to refer to current or former Coast Guard personnel.

"Team Coast Guard" refers to the four components of the Coast Guard as a whole: Regular, Reserve, Auxiliary, and Coast Guard civilian employees.

Stats• Total Active Duty: 39,000• Selected Reserve: 7,800• Enlisted: 31,000• Officer: 6,000• Chief Warrant Officer: 1,300• Full-time Permanent Civilian: 6,000

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Facts:The U.S. Coast Guard has five operational goals: maritime safety, national defense, maritime security, mobility and the protection of natural resources.

The commandant of the Coast Guard directs the policy and administration of the Coast Guard under the general supervision of the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. The Coast Guard's only full, four-star admiral, the commandant serves as the principal advisor to the secretary regarding service matters.

The commandant provides immediate direction to headquarters units, though he is not actually the

commanding officer of headquarters — that responsibility falls to the chief of staff.

The Coast Guard is divided into two areas, Atlantic and Pacific. Each area commander is under the direction of the commandant.  The two areas are subdivided into a number of districts, whose commanders report to the area commanders.

Congress authorized the building of ten boats to establish a "fleet of cutters" — forbearer of the Coast Guard — on August 4, 1790.

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“Great perils have this beauty, that they bring to light the fraternity of strangers.”

Victor Hugo

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The Coast Guard's motto is "Semper Paratus" — "Always Ready"

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United States Coast Guard

Semper Paratus