US Coast Guard heroes do more than wrangle drug-laden semi-submersibles

Much fanfare (and rightful praise) has accompanied the viral video of US Coast Guard seamen (aka “Coasties”) boarding a drug-laden semi-submersible vessel on the high seas. It was a remarkable display of courage and professional boat handling. Like many, I was impressed…but I can’t say I was surprised.  The US Coast Guard is the most underrated and unappreciated of our military service branches. It performs an incredible array of missions, including both law enforcement and warfighting.

I've been privileged to meet some great Coasties during my lifetime, including an individual who has been, for all practical purposes, a second father to me. Years ago, two other Coast Guardsmen, an Admiral and Captain, introduced me to the modern-day Coast Guard. I gained a real appreciation for their work and it has only increased with the passage of time. 

The reality is that the Coast Guard has been performing extraordinary acts of heroism ever since it was founded as the United States Revenue Cutter Service in 1790. That tradition continues into the 21st century. In 2004, DC3 Nathaniel "Nate" Bruckenthal--- whose last stateside assignment was here in my hometown of Miami--- was killed by a shipborne IED after boarding a suspicious dhow in the Persian Gulf. Two Navy sailors, PO1 Michael J. Pernaselli and PO2 Christopher E. Watts were killed with him. A memorial to their sacrifice can be found at the US Navy facility in Bahrain and is shown at the beginning of this article.

In 2012, I was privileged to serve on the Commissioning Committee for the US Coast Guard Cutter Bernard C. Webber, named after an enlisted Coast Guardsman who led the greatest small boat rescue in Coast Guard history, saving 32 lives from a freighter that had split in two during a massive winter storm. Disney took a great book, The Finest Hours, and turned it into a decent movie.

Every time there is a major hurricane or other disaster hits, chances are Coasties are performing heroic acts that often go unnoticed and unrecognized. For example, if you live on the Gulf Coast you can thank retired Coast Guard Commandant Thad Allen and the US Coast Guard for cleaning up the mess made by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The Coast Guard continues to monitor the Gulf's water quality to this day.

There are Coast Guard aviators and seamen performing dangerous missions every single day in America and, as we saw in the viral video, far from our shores. In a short-lived program, six Coast Guardsmen even went through the Navy’s rigorous BUD/S training ten years ago. Two of them eventually earned the coveted SEAL Trident. Coast Guard men and women can and do perform with the best in our US military. 

As Tropical Storm Barry approaches New Orleans, you can rest assured that Coast Guard personnel are already positioned to respond immediately to save lives, even under adverse conditions. They take seriously their motto of “Semper Paratus”, Latin for “Always Ready.”

We Americans are blessed with an incredibly capable military and first responder community. The US Coast Guard does both missions with great distinction. We are fortunate to have them.