At a Veterans Day service, members from each branch of the military spoke. Each read from a military code then stood erect while the song of their particular service played.
The person from the Coast Guard said his branch is perhaps the least understood. He told the audience that the Coast Guard began as two separate, unrelated units and then later united.
One unit’s role was rescue. Members would row out to sinking ships and pick up sailors. The ships usually were caught in a storm, so the rowing was not all that easy. A great deal of bravery was involved.
The second unit used fast sailing vessels to catch smugglers and people trying to beat the government out of tariffs and duties.
When the Coast Guard formed, two very distinct and different missions were combined – life saving and law enforcement.
To this day, when you enlist in the Coast Guard, you immediately are empowered as a federal agent.
And that’s what I learned today.
–By Lanny Morgnanesi
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