United States Coast Guard Leaders and Missions, 1790 to the Present - by Thomas P Ostrom & John J Galluzzo (Paperback)

About the Book

The history of the U.S. Coast Guard and its predecessor agencies dates from 1790, with missions in both domestic and international waters. The Service has provided aid in navigation, enforcement of maritime laws, environmental protection, search and rescue, immigration and narcotics interdiction, maritime safety assistance, port security, natural disaster response and national defense missions, including overseas with other U.S. armed forces and federal and state public safety agencies. The Service has operated under the Department of the Treasury, the Department of Transportation and, since 2003, the Department of Homeland Security. Its maritime mission regions have included Arctic and Antarctic waters, inland and coastal U.S. waterways and the seas and oceans of the world. The ability of the service to cope with expanded missions and limited budgets is the story of the exemplary training and leadership provided by the civilian, enlisted, Reserve, auxiliary and commissioned men and women of "Team Coast Guard." This is the story of how the Coast Guard has manifested its legacy and motto, Semper Paratus: (Always Ready).

Book Synopsis

The history of the U.S. Coast Guard and its predecessor agencies dates from 1790, with missions in both domestic and international waters. The service has provided aids to navigation, enforcement of maritime laws, environmental protection, search and rescue, immigration and narcotics interdiction, maritime safety assistance, port security, natural disaster response and national defense missions, including overseas with other U.S. armed forces and federal and state public safety agencies.

The Service has operated under the Department of the Treasury, the Department of Transportation and, since 2003, the Department of Homeland Security. Its maritime mission regions have included Arctic and Antarctic waters, inland and coastal U.S. waterways and the seas and oceans of the world. This history describes how the Coast Guard has manifested its legacy and motto, Semper Paratus (Always Ready), in changing conditions under each of its leaders.

Review Quotes

"Recommended"-ARBA; "books about the Coast Guard are few. In this one, the authors present a well-balanced, straight-forward chronological narrative of the Coast Guard from its beginnings in 1790.... The Coast Guard history is placed in perspective with the national events...and the contributions of the service to national defense, safety, navigation and marine protection are well described"-Seapower; "excellent...a wonderful introductory look at the Coast Guard in the last half of the 20th century and the first decade of the 21st century"-Naval Historical Foundation.

About the Author

A member of the United States Coast Guard Reserve from 1961 to 1969, Thomas P. Ostrom taught anthropology, geography, and history at Rochester Community College in Minnesota before retiring. He is a member of the U.S. Navy Memorial and the Naval Historical Foundation. John J. Galluzzo is a distinguished maritime historian and journal editor. The author of several maritime articles and books, he has particularly studied the history of the Coast Guard and its predecessor agencies. He has been an active member and leader in the U.S. Life-Saving Service Heritage Association (USLSSHA).