Happy New Year!

With each year that passes comes memories to cherish and some to forget. I imagine many Coast Guard families are eagerly looking toward what the new year will bring. Many await orders, advancements and boards while others are thrilled with an increase of BAH and possibly COLA. Some delight about and others frown upon the new uniforms coming down the pike and others are giddy with excitement about possible new rates on the horizon.

Personally, this year has been a joyous one for me. Sure there have been low points, but like any part-time optimist, I like to focus on the highs. Late last year, a friend/colleague and I began discussing a project that could benefit the Coast Guard family community. With some effort, the project developed into something very promising in January 2008 and with the help of some talented spouses the project will become so much more in the months and years to come. We are finding ways to support Coast Guard spouses and their families and are inspired by one another to keep growing. Of course, that project would have been nothing but a blip on the radar screen if it wasn’t for the Waiting for Ships blog.

One Big Coastie Family (aka Waiting for Ships) came to fruition this past February. I cannot express my thanks enough to the amazing contributors to this blog. I appreciate each and every one of you! I have been far too absent in posting since I returned to the daily grind and these ladies have kept this little ship afloat with their anecdotes and messages. Many folks have contacted us over the past months to extend their thanks for our blog and connect with their own experiences and that warms my heart.

As this year comes to a close, I wish you and yours a wonderful and prosperous 2009. I am grateful to have my husband by my side this year as there have been many years that he’s been away at sea on this momentous night. If you are as fortunate, hug your loved one close and if you are not, thank you for keeping the home fires burning. I raise my glass to you!

With solemn hearts, we have said fair winds and following seas to many members of this Coast Guard family in 2008. Unexpected tragedies as well as deaths as a result of illness touched many of our lives. The list is long from active and reserve Coasties, to retired Coast Guard personnel to spouses and children. Our sympathies continue to be with the families and friends of all those who have passed on this year.

In closing and in the nautical spirit, I’d like to borrow from the English translation of Scotsman Robert Burn’s poem “Auld Lang Syne”:

We two have paddled in the stream,from morning sun till dine;

But seas between us broad have roaredsince auld lang syne.

Source.

Salut!

Coast Guard Heritage Museum

According to the latest CGHM newsletter: Thursday, August 21, 2008 [they] officially published our new web page. This is our address www.coastguardheritagemuseum.com

They report that they will be updating over time adding things on a regular basis.

Additionally, they are going to be on the radio. On August 30 AARP Radio will do a special radio broadcast and podcast on the Museum. Please tune to Prime Time Focus to hear this
broadcast. Go to http://radioprimetime.org/. Then go to focus radio.

CGHM Newsletter Editor and Museum Volunteer, George Washburn, has stated: For more exciting news about the Museum or if you have any questions, we can be reached at 508-362-8521. E-mail us at cghm@verizon.net or to be put on our newsletter mailing list cghmnewsletter@verizon.net Remember we are open Tuesday through Saturday 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM.

The next newsletter will be coming out the second week of October 2008. For those of you who are on our mailing list we will e-mail it to you. It will also be available on our web page. Thanks for your attention and please check our web page soon.

Becoming a Coastie/Guardian, Women, and the Guardian Challenge

Many of the spouses of the contributors here have gone through recruit training at Cape May. Of course, some have also gone through training/schooling at the Coast Guard Academy. Also, what some of you may not know is that three of our current contributors have donned the Coast Guard uniform. Two are veterans and one is currently serving on active duty.

A quick aside: recently, someone said to me, There aren't really any women in the Coast Guard though. I was a bit surprised by this statement and went on to share what little I knew about those currently serving and a little bit of the history of women in the Coast Guard. The woman I was speaking to was really shocked and honestly had no idea. Interesting, eh? I wish I had more time because I could have shared with her so much more of the rich history of women serving in this great organization. In case any of you out there are stunned by this as well, here are some links for you to enjoy: Academy Women and A History of Women in the Coast Guard.

At any rate, no matter where they endured their training, Coast Guard members surely feel passionately about their training and service. They worked hard to become part of the United States Coast Guard and deserve every honor that comes with that. Nonetheless, as I wrote recently, many are still calling themselves Coasties and are a tad reluctant to wear the title "Guardian". I joked with my husband the other day when he said he didn't feel comfortable about calling himself a "Guardian". I said, Don't worry honey. I'm sure you'll be grandfathered in and remain a Coastie.

In response to that recent blog post, CWO2 Veronica Bandrowsy, Public Affairs Officer for USCG Training Center Cape May, N.J. shared the following with us:

I was reading your blog about the word Guardian and I wanted to let you know that you can find the Guardian Ethos on our Web site at www.uscg.mil/hq/capemay. Also, we just posted a short one minute clip called the Guardian Challenge to our site and youtube that your viewers might be interested in watching.

We're in the process of a modernizing our recruit training curriculum to ensure our new Guardians are ready and able to meet the demands of the fleet, and the Guardian Challenge is one part of the recruit modernization.

Thank you to CWO2 Bandrowsky for contacting us and sharing this information. We have included it in our links on the right for our readers to see.

On an entirely different note, did you all know that the Air Force has a "Guardian Challenge" each year. According to Ed White of Air Force Space Command Public Affairs, Peterson AFB in Colorado:

The competition is an established event within the command and goes back to its inception in 1967. In its 41-year history, it has been an increasingly effective tool that has helped to maintain high levels of skill throughout the command. It has improved readiness and warfighting capabilities through preparation and innovation by the competing teams and crosstalk after the event. Many of the tactics, techniques and procedures used throughout have been sharpened and refined in the furnace of competition. (White, 4/22/08).

Maybe someday we will see the Air Force and the Coast Guard go head to head in Guardians in the Guardian Challenge. Of course, I suppose that since the Coast Guard is already ready, that it's sort of a moot point. My husband asserts that's why he is glad he joined the Coast Guard. He always tells me, I'm not just training to do a job or getting ready for something. I'm already doing it, every single day, and I love that.

And, I love that he loves it.

Happy 218th Birthday to the United States Coast Guard!

May you all have a wonderful day and thank you to our Coast Guard men and women serving around the world and the families and spouses that support them.

Oh, and I shared the following at another blog to which I contribut. I figured you all might appreciate it too. The readership over there is primarily Navy, Marines and a bit of Army, but I had to shout out the birthday wish and share some tidbits on this great service we all know and love.

Happy 218th Birthday Wishes

at My Crazy Amazing Military Life blog

In January of 1915, 93 years ago, the Coast Guard was named a branch of the U.S. Armed Forces. Specifically, Title 14 of the United States Code (U.S.C.) details the matter.
Did you know that the Coast Guard has been involved in every major war that the United States has been a part of since the Civil War, which actually predates the 1915 establishment in the U.S.C. It is, in fact, our Nation’s oldest and continuous sea-going service.

To read more history on the Coast Guard office, you can visit the CG Historian’s page on the official site for the USCG.

For Coast Guard trivia, be sure to visit the Coast Guard Channel’s trivia page.

Just want to find out more about the Coast Guard in general, then visit GoCoastGuard.com.

And, finally, I’ll share this fitting prayer I found on Chaplaincare.navy.mil:

A Prayer for Coast Guard Day

God, we thank you for this special day. It is our Birthday. It is a day to rest from our daily labor. It is a day to share our daily bread with each other. It is a day to challenge each other to a different kind of excellence. May we be refreshed today – in body and soul. May we be renewed today – in mind and spirit. May we be re-dedicated today – in word and deed. Lord, in everything we do, may we please you, may we be all that we can be and may we do for those whom we help what we would like them to do for us.

AMEN

Celebrating the Fourth of July

Independence Day is upon us. The greatest American day of celebration! Many will mark it with backyard parties and fireworks. Typically, our family enjoys a big BBQ and fun with friends and relatives. This year, we have opted to do something else, much to the chagrin of my family. We are fortunate (or not so) that my family is within reasonable driving distance. I have been going to the referenced family party almost every year since I was born. Of course, as times have changed so has the tone of the celebration.

When I was a young girl, the party was actually held at my great uncle’s house. He, I must mention, is a Korean War veteran and a man I admire for a great many reasons, but I digress. Since I can remember, he and my aunt hosted the most fun July 4th party. There would be incredible spread that seemed unending and would be readily replenished with fresh food before you even realized what was happening. The adults (and bigger kids) would play game after game of volleyball, in fierce competition. The pool would be filled with children and a few adults here and there trying with all of their might to make a whirlpool. Music filling the air was from the 1940’s through the 1960’s and embodied the spirit of America within its notes, harmonies and lyrics.

My aunt’s famous chocolate bon-bons were highly anticipated and the height of excitement (at least for me). The men would often also enjoy a game (or 20) or horseshoes amidst the tree-lined backyard and the older generation would sit at the picnic tables swapping “I remember when” stories. Here, among others, would sit my late great-grandmother who is sorely missed by my family as a whole. Perhaps her absence is part of a reason for the change of tone in the party. Finally, the evening would sometimes be topped off with fireworks (well years back anyway), and then we’d all go home smiling, fat-bellied and tired.

My aunt and uncle have stopped holding the picnics and instead their daughter and family now acts as hosts at their home. It’s a big undertaking, and they don’t have to do it, but do each year now. It’s fun, but it’s just not the same. The atmosphere is different, the music isn’t the same, the faces have grown older and some are now gone. Really, there’s nothing to complain about, but to me, I am still stuck in my memory of the great 4th of July celebrations that we once had.

This year, I told my husband, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go. So, instead we’ve opted to participate in our town’s holiday parade and other activities. This evening, we are hoping to take in a local fireworks display. While my children are young, I’m hoping to demonstrate to them the spirit of patriotism (not just this weekend, but every day). I know that’s a lofty goal, but I feel that the 4th of July is a bit more than the barbecued chicken and bon-bons. Yes, I have fantastic memories, and I knew what the 4th was all about, but I never appreciated it until now. I look at this day just as I view Memorial Day or Veterans Day and even Thanksgiving Day. In my nostalgic and romantic mind, it is a day of recognition to appreciate the sacrifices made for our freedom and the way our country has progressed since the days our Founding Fathers penned the Declaration of Independence.

Hmmm, now that I think about it, maybe it’s not the party that has changed, maybe it’s just me and this new perspective. I suppose that happens when you get older.

However you choose to celebrate this Independence Day, be safe. Make some wonderful memories and be thankful that we have a this great Nation to call home.

For the Love of the Coast Guard

The 1940's and the United States was embroiled in the second World War. Unfortunately for many, the Draft was in effect.

During this time, a young man from Massachusetts had his heart set on joining the Coast Guard. It was all he ever wanted. He visited the Coast Guard recruiting office and was told that he was underweight, yes underweight, and was told to go home and eat bananas to put on some more weight. Sadly before he could return to the Coast Guard recruiter and sign the enlistment papers, he was drafted by the United States Army. He was a serviceman, but not the type he longed to be. Dutifully he fought for his country overseas and has amazing and frightening stories he won't even share in a lady's presence--always the consummate gentleman.

He met the love of his life somewhere around this time and they married and had four children. Those children beget them 6 great-children, and those grand-children have so far provided four great-great grandchildren to this particular family tree. Through the years of working in the civilian world and raising a family and contributing to his beloved community, this man, this would-be sailor never lost sight of his true passion. He remained true to his United States Coast Guard. Though, he never served within its ranks, he demonstrates and has demonstrated a pride in this service as if he were a 20 or 30 year veteran. He studied and still reads the history, follows the news and events of today and even volunteers his time at the U.S. Coast Guard Heritage Museum in Barnstable, Massachusetts.

Perhaps the love this man has always had for the USCG planted a seed in his grandson's head long ago, unbeknownst to him of course. You see, the grandson, when he was about 21, decided to join the Coast Guard. What joy the boy's decision brought to the former soldier. It was as if he was making the man's dreams come true. Before the young man went to bootcamp, his grandfather brought him to a beach on Cape Cod one day and told his grandson for the very first time about his near miss with the Coast Guard and he told the young man how proud he was that his grandson was now going to live the dream he tried to live so many years before. The boy's grandparents would proudly display certificates, awards and photos of their grandson in their home. They regaled their friends with the tales of the boy's travels and beamed as they heard about each advancement.

Many years have passed since that day on the beach. The boy, now a grown man with a wife and children, continues to serve the Coast Guard proudly. The grandfather still beams with pride and lives vicariously through the sea stories and ashore tales of his grandson. Watching the two talk, you can almost see the elder man transported back to his own youth, his passion for the Coast Guard reignited. If you pay attention, you'll notice the chest of the younger man stick out a little more as he sits up a little straighter and holds his head a little higher--his own pride and passion renewed and refueled. He loves the sea, his job, and the life he himself only started by chance. I'm proud to call the grandson my husband.

* - * - * - *

My husband's grandfather sends us cards and notes thanking us for our service to our country. Can you imagine? A WWII veteran takes the time to thank us for our simple service to this great country. Neither of us have served actively in a conflict or war. We are not heroes.

This Memorial Day, I found myself teary eyed as I watched footage and heard speeches about lives lost in battle. Words can never express the gratitude our Nation has for the men and women who served so bravely and the sacrifices they made. We must honor them always such to preserve their spirit and also to remind ourselves that their lives were not lost and their sacrifices were not made in vain. Finally, for whatever or whomever kept my husband's grandfather safe and alive during his time at war, I am eternally grateful. If things had been different, I might not be sitting here sharing with you a tale of two men and their love for the United States Coast Guard.

* - * - * - *

All we have of freedom, all we use or know -This our fathers bought for us long and long ago.

Rudyard Kipling (1899)

* A special thanks to my husband who collaborated with me on this story.