Happy Birthday U.S. Coast Guard!
232 years of service: Happy Birthday to the United States Coast Guard!
We're always ready for the call, we place our trust in Thee. Through surf and storm and howling gale, high shall our purpose be!
The happiest of birthdays and a big salute to the United States Coast Guard!
This year America’s longest-serving maritime force celebrates its 232nd birthday on August 4th. One of the oldest organizations in the Federal Government, the USCG has protected the United States throughout its long history.
Let’s take it back to the 1700s
Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton – the same Alexander Hamilton highlighted in the hit Broadway show Hamilton – established the USCG in 1790. Originally called the Revenue Marine Service, this branch of the armed forces began when President George Washington signed the Tariff Act that authorized the construction of ten ships, referred to as “cutters,” to prevent smuggling and to enforce tariff and trade laws in the newly established country.
After shifting to a new name – the Revenue Cutter Service – the group eventually combined with the U.S. Lifesaving Service in 1915 to become the modern-day Coast Guard.
The USCG’s impact today
Today, the USCG protects and defends more than 100,000 miles of this country’s coastline and waterways and safeguards areas from north of the Arctic Circle to the south of the equator and from Puerto Rico all the way to Guam.
These brave men and women also serve as first responders and provide humanitarian aid for people affected by natural and man-made disasters. During Hurricane Katrina in August 2005, the USCG rescued over 33 thousand people in distress and helped evacuate almost 10 thousand patients and medical personnel from hospitals in the area.
A few things we love about the Coast Guard
The members of the USCG follow the motto “Semper Paratus” which means “Always Ready.” True to their word, the branch has served in every one of our nation’s conflicts since 1790.
The ships and boats of the Coast Guard sport a signature diagonal red stripe with a smaller blue stripe next to it. This racing stripe design was adopted by the fleet in 1967.
Coast Guard members live by the core values of honor, respect, and devotion to duty. On an average day, the USCG conducts 45 search and rescue cases and saves 10 lives.
R. Riveter loves to support the USCG
Join us in celebrating the birthday of the United States Coast Guard with a big salute for the hard work, dedication, and sacrifice of each member of the USCG family – from Coast Guardsmen to support personnel to spouses and family members. We are grateful for and humbled by your discipline and commitment.
With every R. Riveter purchase, you help support military spouses and families. Each R. Riveter accessory journeys across the fifty states before arriving on your doorstep. Military spouses across the nation craft individual components and ship them to our Fabshop. Our in-house team then assembles each piece into a one-of-a-kind product crafted with love, honor, and pride in our country.
"Semper Paratus" is our guide, our fame, our glory too. To fight to save or fight and die, aye! Coast Guard we are for you!
Sources:
- https://www.uso.org/stories/1656-25-facts-for-225-years-celebrating-the-coast-guard-s-225th-birthday#:~:text=The%20Coast%20Guard%20was%20founded,the%20Coast%20Guard's%20first%20journalist.
